Chapter 4 – PBD

Frankly speaking I did not know what PBD was and here I was being a participant of this. Slowly I learnt that PBD stood for Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas and it is an annual gathering of Indian nationals who have settled outside India. India has the highest number of diaporas in the world. This year, the PBD was a 3 day function and was held in Varanasi. We were the very first participants of KIP who took part in this PBD.

We had a grand welcome at the Varanasi Airport with garlands, tilak and live traditional music. The airport was decorated all around and a

very large rangoli was displayed right at the entrance. The night was before us as we stepped out of the airport. The surroundings (including trees and buildings) had been decorated with flicking lights and banners to welcome the guests for the PBD.

There were so many things to see, clothes, sari making machine, clay makers, and handicrafts and many more. All this was displayed and showcased for the participants. Small shops were set up which sold handicrafts and clothes. I bought a silk sari for my bhabi which according to my guide was quite a reasonable price.

The food was all vegetarian as Varanasi itself is a vegetarian state. I enjoyed the food as paneer was present in all the meals. The best part was that sweet dish was always available during meals. I still remember that it took me and Sharlene nearly an hour to wait in the food line.

The PBD convention was held at separate locations hence we had to travel a lot within the area. All the hotels were fully booked and we had a hard time looking for last minute accommodation. No single hotel was able to cater all of us hence we were divided into 3 smaller groups and accommodated at 3 separate locations. I still remember that the water coming out of tap looked muddy red and we had only bread and milk for breakfast on one of these days.