Correction: I won.

This is tough to believe even for myself.

Literally minutes after I posted the previous blog of sickness, mostly to garner sympathy, I heard a large booming sound of drums coming from the street in front of my hotel.

I knew there were celebrations going on today. Specifically, the Ganesh Festival - I read about it - it's the celebration of the birth of Lord Ganesh.

Ganesh is the eldest son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. He is one of the most popular and most worshiped Indian gods. His image is one of the most widely drawn, painted and sculptured. He is the elephant-headed god. That's the gist - the entire country despite religion celebrates this day - 1 billion strong.

So, despite my pains and aches, I ventured down to the street to check it out. I started taking pictures of the large elephant God statue and the kids on the truck bed carrying it. Pretty cool.












This statue to the left is on it's way to the enormous celebration at Hussain Sager Lake in central Hyderabad. It will be lowered by crane into the lake, along with thousands of similar nature.

Then I ventured up to the drumming and dancing area that led the Ganesh truck. People lined the streets. The drummers called me to take their pictures. Smiles abound.


But then, one of the elder dancers pulled me in the middle of the drummers. I really had no idea what was going on. I went with it. Love was there.


They started to drum for me. Dancing and girating and stomping around me, I had no recourse but to give in and dance with them. Feverish pitch, pounding, stomping, laughing, smiling - I danced with them with all my energy - dispite my state.

And then another elder hugged me and wrapped a sacred headband around my head. The younger men then threw powdered paint all over me of red, burnt orange, and lime green. Two men came up and annointed me with red, in between my eyebrows. When in India...

I continuted to dance - amidst all of them, across from men challenging me with energy(they won that battle - but my effort was very respectable), and spinning through all of them. I smiled and laughed with them - absurd!





Then my body began to talk to me. I took a break. They gave me water - cold bottled water. I told them I could not go on, I was feeling sick. Their answer? Pull Scott back in. More dancing. Jumping. I said to myself, "How can I not?" Off I went.





After another break, they let me go. Exhilarating isn't a word that reaches what I just went through. Well, I do know exhausting is one word that does. And alive. Happy.

I left them and walked back down the street to my hotel with a bottle of water and a smile on my face, sweaty and covered in paints and confetti. Everyone that saw me as I walked back smiled.





So I will be fine. The stomach pain is still there. But it was completely forgotten for a good 30 minutes. I'm still trying to comprehend it all. Back to bed. After I shower off the paint.