Virgin Magaritas

9.9.07

After a trip to the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) Jay and his friend Roy picked Alexander and I up for a light snack. We stopped at a coffee shop called “Mocha,” a popular hotspot for young locals and NRIs ( Non-Resident Indians). The interior resembled a bar. Clusters of people congregated around small tables and in hidden booths. Loud music, dim light, and a haze of cigarette smoke dulled the senses. A waiter handed us thin menus advertising a wide variety of drinks, from “Cool Californians” to “Peach Pleasures.” The only feature that distinguished Mocha from a bar was the absence of alcohol.

As I mentioned before, Gujarat is a dry state. I am not suggesting Gujaratis don’t drink. After all, word on the street claims that there are more alcoholics in Gujarat than any other Indian province. The difference is that Ahmedabad residents cannot drink in public. Imbibing alcohol in large, anonymous groups is an improbable occurrence. Abstinence thus greatly figures in the dynamics of Gujarati youth culture.

Jay has never tried hard alcohol. On a rare occasion he drinks one, maximum two, beers. In these circumstances he cannot return home for hours. When he drinks he must plan ahead by either starting early (so he can arrive home when expected) or spending the night at a friend’s. “If my mother ever smelled beer on me, she would slap me hard!” Jay said, laughing.

It was late when we returned to the NID campus. While walking the stone path back to our room, Alexander noticed a large gathering of people in the corner of an adjacent grassy field. Roughly five hundred people sat cross-legged on a slope facing an enormous stage. Three musicians and a narrator were positioned in a semi-circle, back-dropped against a crumbling façade embellished with ivy. A dancer entered from left stage as we took our seats in the audience. For the next 1.5 hours Alexander and I watched a varied performance of classical Indian dance.