The Hindus have abandoned me

Part of the reason why I wanted to stay here for another six months was so that I could really take advantage of all the exciting festivals that this country has to offer; the most exciting one being the October Durga Puja Hindu festival.

Raju and I have been taking about Durga Puja for the whole of the previous six months, discussing what a huge party it was going to be and how “all Hindus will move in Old Dhaka”. It was a done deal, as far as I was concerned, that I would spend Durga Puja in Old Dhaka with Raju and his family.

Well, not only am I not spending Durga Puja with Raju and his family (he’s gone back to his village in Bagerhart – and I am a little put out that I wasn’t invited to go with him to celebrate it there, judging by the standards of most Bangladeshis who open their village doors to Bideshis they’ve never even met before), but I don’t appear to be celebrating it at all.

Of the limited number of Hindus I know in Naora, not one has approached me to ask if I want to celebrate the great festival with them. There is apparently a big celebration in Kalibari tomorrow which, if I can’t be in Dhaka for the boat race on the Buriganga, I’d at least like to celebrate it in my own area.

However, no Hindus want a bar of me, it seems.

I’ve been invited to a total of zero Hindu weddings (and, for the record, I’ve only been invited to two Muslim weddings, neither of which I could attend, due to the short notice, so, so far my total wedding count is zip). I even crashed one of the pre-wedding Hindu rituals that I heard going on one night – so many Hindus ready to party at the wedding the following day, one obviously eager Bideshi, and NOT ONE invitation!

I am so intrigued by the Hindu religion and culture, especially as a contrast to Muslim society here, but people just don’t seem to be picking up my vibe. Am I just not putting it out there enough? Am I being some sort of closed and seemingly unwilling bideshi? Why won’t they notice me???