Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Ruby Tuesday #22: Chaiyya Chaiyya


"Chaiyya Chaiyya"
Cary, NC - October 2008 (Click to embiggen)

Ruby Tuesday - Are you red-dy? Hosted at

One of the more interesting demographic factoids about the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area is that we have a substantial number of immigrants from India and the subcontinent. I forget the actual number, but I remember being surprised by it. And a pleasant side effect of this is that we find a lot of South Asian culture exhibited in the area. The town of Cary seems to have the highest percentage of immigrants, and every year the town and a local cultural organization known as Hum Sub (Hindi meaning "all of us") commandeer Koka Booth Amphitheater for a Diwali Festival. I posted about the festival at some length in another Ruby Tuesday back in October, but there was just too much to contain in one post.

One of the cornerstones of India's culture is its love of music and dance. So it goes without saying that any Indian festival is going to feature naach-gaana heavily. This is a micro view of a local dance troupe performing to the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" (from the 1998 movie Dil Se starring Shah Rukh Khan).


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20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice angle. Great capture.

 gmirage said...

I have the same surname as you have mentioned :D But I am not from India or Pakistan though. Anyway, a great take for the meme. Music and dance is global and those who dances have a wonderful feeling to it. Enjoy your week!

EG CameraGirl said...

I like how you caught the skirt gently flowing in this picture.

maryt/theteach said...

Mojo, a perfect cropping job! A real feel for the dance and the RED dress swirling! Happy Ruby Tuesday!

Anonymous said...

I love anything Indian! This is a great capture.

Mine is here. Good morning!

Robin said...

Great eye for the crop, and you've really captured the movement and grace of the dance as well.

Mimi Lenox said...

That is truly a keeper. NICE JOB.
I love the movement.

Ralph said...

The stylish red is complemented nicely by the shiny trim. It is nice to have exposure to other cultures. It is noteworthy that what could be a draw to the RDU/Triangle area is the preponderance of learning institutions like UNC, Duke, NC State and Wake Forest should attract many for nice educational facilities.

Not to mention those four schools and really competitive ACC basketball as an attraction!

Felisol said...

It just had to be a man to take a shot so vivid and eye catching like this.
Excellent.
From Felisol

Eaton Bennett aka Berenice Albrecht said...

I love pics that capture movement. Very nice Work! I like the anklets too.

Happy Ruby Tuesday. :)

Shadow said...

yesterday i saw on a blog the chinese and their culture and i commented on the beauty, especially their use of colour. i dare say i forgot about the indian culture. i feel the same way about their culture too...

Dora said...

Hmmm...thanks for sharing with us the interesting info and also the ruby pic. ;)

Have a great week!

My RT posts: CNY Special - II and It Meows #17.

Kerri Farley said...

Absolutely amazing capture!! LOVE LOVE LOVE this!

snowelf said...

Mojo--I LOVE ankle bracelets!! And our lovely Mona sent me some for Christmas from India one year and I wear them all the time. Love them love them love them!

--snow

Dianne said...

the sense of motion, freedom and joy is wonderful!

Daryl said...

She's VERY glad she got that pedicure

Sunshinelene said...

Nice one and i love indian music and colors, too!

Happy RT!

storyteller said...

Beautiful flowing red ... Mine's at Small Reflections.
Hugs and blessings,

Catherine said...

These colored silk Sari are perfect for a RT picture on the go. The "subject/angle" you chose is more evocating of Indian culture than a full lenght picture.
But what interest me more is your comment that goes with. It makes me realize that it's the first time I "hear" in American blogs about new immigrants in your country.
I imagine perfectly well this Indian dance, because we have our Indian community in Paris, in my arrondissement. They usually organize Ganesh celebration with an important and colored parade. Surely the same as the one you present today.

Anonymous said...

I'm loving this shot for Ruby Tuesday this week :)
The elegance of the dancer with her skirt swirling around :)