Tonight I had my first taste of a Rajhastani party and it was wonderful! I put my purchase from earlier today to good use and also got to taste some scrumptious food – half of which I have no idea what to call – but I can tell you it tasted good!

Neeta and I before the party!

The party was being held in celebration of the cutest baby ever… if you don’t believe me look below (clearly got some good genes looking at his mum)! It looked kind of similar to a baptism party, but in fact celebrated the Mundan ceremony, or Chadakarana, a hindu rite in which a child receives their first haircut. According to the Hindu religion, the hair from birth is associated with undesirable traits from past lives. The baby is freshly shaven in order to signify freedom from the past and moving into the future, an image which really appeals to me! It helps if the baby has an adorable face too… Esmerelda understandably loved taking pictures of him (All credit for photos in this post has to go to Esmerelda!).

Everybody loved tucking into the food as you can see and there was plenty on offer… One thing I did love were the Indian sweeties! One called Ladoo and another which was like a dough ball soaked in Syrup?! The name escapes me!! It doesn’t matter either way to be honest.. they tasted great!

Everyone was so welcoming and kind that it was truly a delightful experience. Kids would run up to Esme and I and say hello, obviously excited to see a westerner at the party, and then scarper in the way only a small child can when they realise they have put themselves out on a whim. We were looked after all evening and Indian hospitality is second to none!

One thing I’d also like to point out is that tonight we spoke to many young ladies training to become doctors, studying for PHDs, working for companies like Google and generally rocking at life. The younger generation here is so ambitious, very talented and Indians generally seem very intelligent to boot – the emphasis on a good education here is striking. Watch out West! India is looking at a very bright (and good looking!) future if tonight is anything to go by!