Nimbuda Nimbuda in La Paz

For a small group of Bollywood lovers in Bolivia,its all about loving the family.

For a small group of Bollywood lovers in Bolivia,its all about loving the family.

La Paz is a surprise package. At 4,000 metres on the Andean mountain range,this hilly capital of Bolivia is the highest national capital in the world,its landscape full of sloping roads dotted with statues of Simon Bolivar,the Venezuelan military leader who led many South American countries in their struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire. La Paz has many indigenous ethnic groups,besides whites of Spanish ancestry. The most prominent indigenous groups are the Aymaras and Quechuas,who speak different languages,but whose women are united in looking spectacularly vivid. They wear bright,loose skirts called polleras,embroidered shawls and bowlers. But a tiny group among them also turns out in saris and lehengas. Didnt I says La Paz is a surprise package?

When I stepped out of my hotel,and started walking towards El Prado,a happening street,for a bite at one of the many restaurants there,I could hear a familiar rhythm. Was it Nimbuda nimbuda,the popular song from the Hindi film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam? I followed the sound to see if I was right.

A girl in a bright,orange lehenga,with matching bangles,oversized earrings and a maang teeka,was twirling around to the song,even as other girls,similarly dressed,joined her. As they tried to match Aishwarya Rais moves and expressions,and followed it up with mimicking Kajol in Mehendi laga ke rakhna,they attracted a modest crowd that clicked their pictures. For an Indian anthropologist studying social movements and political identities in Bolivia,this was prized serendipity.

The shows emcee told me they were part of a group of mad Bollywood fans called Dil Deewane. When I told them I was Indian,it was an equally prized finding for them. They invited me over for their routine get-together the next weekend to tell me their story. Rossely Machicado,a beautician in her 20s,one of the founders of the group,met Grisell,a 24-year-old NGO worker,on the internet,and bonded over their shared interest in Bollywood films and music. They decided to form a club called Dil Deewane in 2009,and went about the city putting up pamphlets and posters that invited Bollywood lovers to join them. Today,the club has 25 members who meet every Sunday in a room full of posters of Bollywood actors. They dance to Bollywood songs,watch Hindi films and chat about their favourite actors.

They buy Bollywood film DVDs from the footpaths of La Paz,where they are easily available,and come with titles like Lo Mejor de la Musica Hindu The Best of Hindu Music,Estrenos Hindu Hindu Premieres,Los 3 Khans The Three Khans and Shah Rukh Khan: El Idolo Hindu Shah Rukh Khan: The Hindu Idol. In most of Latin America,the word Hindu is used to refer to Indians,to differentiate the latter from the indigenous people who are referred to in a derogatory way as Indios. Each DVD is a set of four to five films subtitled in Spanish. They buy Indian costumes and jewellery for their performances from a shop run by a Peruvian businessman.

As I talked to them,I realised that I was the one being asked more questions. A young girl asked me if I knew any actor personally. Then followed a range of questions,regarding the significance of Karva Chauth,and marriage rituals they had seen in films,the names and stories of various gods and goddesses,etc. Indeed,their interest lay beyond just Bollywood. They wanted to know about the Indian culture they saw in the films. They told me they surf the internet for information about various aspects of India,from important cities to epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata.

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In response to a question on the meaning of the act of prostration before elders,I told them that it is a way of showing respect. Immediately,13-year-old Cindy,the youngest member of the group,fell at my feet. She told me that she dreams every night of being in India,the pais perfecto the perfect country. Her mother Fanny,also a member of the group,told me that though she might not be able to fulfill the greatest dream of her life of visiting India,she hopes her daughter is able to.

But why do they prefer Bollywood films over Hollywood ones,which are very popular in Latin America? Besides the usual reasons such as more colour and melodious songs in Hindi films,they are able to relate their everyday lives more to Indian movies than American ones. Unlike United States and Europe,the institution of family is very important in Latin America and the emphasis on family and relationships in Bollywood films appeals to them. For instance,Machicado,who has named her son Shahid after actor Shahid Kapoor,said,I wish my son watches Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham when he grows up so that he can understand the importance of loving his mother. She added that,in Bolivia,couples need their parents consent to get married and that she had faced a similar problem,a theme which also finds resonance in many Bollywood films. Andrea Aguayo appreciated the portrayal of true love in Kal Ho Na Ho,which she asserted,is very different from the idea of love in Hollywood films which confuse love with sex. Diego Quispe,a law student,appreciated the human touch and essence of friendship and love in Hindi films and the combination of comedy,action and romance in them.

There are similar groups in other Bolivian cities Indi world and Hamesha in Oruro,Radha Bhajan in Llallagua and Talento Hindu in Cochabamba. I did not get to meet the other groups as my Bolivian visit was confined to La Paz and its twin city,El Alto. However,I later came to know that they had a national level get-together in September 2010,where they videotaped their performances and brought out a DVD called Aaja Nachle.