Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

“Ooh. I’d love to!”
“The concierge at the hotel told me there’s a henna artist here who does the most
incredible work. I think she’s in the museum gift shop. Let me go get her.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, no, stay here and enjoy the incredible view. I’ll get her and be right back.”
“Oh, okay,” Astrid said, a little puzzled as Charlie rushed off. She sat on a bench in the
room, contemplating what it would have been like to be married to a maharaja back in the
time when they were absolute rulers of their kingdoms. It would have been a life of
unfathomable luxury, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be part of a harem with dozens
of queens and concubines. How could she ever share the man she loved with someone
else? And were the women ever allowed to wander beyond the palace walls, or even to
step onto the elegant courtyard below?
Astrid heard some laughter in the distance, and she spied several women emerging
through an arched doorway in the courtyard. How pretty they looked in their red-andwhite
lehenga cholis. They were followed by another row of women in the same tightly
cropped blouses and flowing embroidered skirts, and soon there were about a dozen of
them in the courtyard. The women walked single file in a circle as the sound of drumming
began to emanate from deep within the fort. Suddenly the women formed a straight line
right below where Astrid was standing. They flung their hands in the air, jerked their
heads up at her, and began stomping their feet in rhythm to the drumming.
From the archways on the lower floor beneath where Astrid was standing, a dozen men
in white came running out between the women to the far side of the courtyard. A Hindi
pop song began blasting through the air, and the men and women danced opposite each
other in a seductive face-off. They were soon joined by another dozen female dancers in
vibrant blue-and-purple saris, streaming in from the north and south gates of the
courtyard, as the music got louder and louder.
Suddenly the song stopped abruptly, and the window shutters on the opposite side of
the courtyard flung open, revealing a man in a gold embroidered sherwani. He extended
his arms toward Astrid, singing a cappella in Hindi. Then the music resumed as the
dancers continued to stomp and twirl. Astrid burst out laughing, delighted at the
Bollywood spectacle unfolding before her. Charlie must be behind all this! No wonder
he’s been acting weird ever since we got here, she thought.
The man disappeared from the turret, only to appear moments later in the courtyard
leading a band of musicians. The entire troupe danced to the beat of the music, moving in
perfect formation. She looked down at the handsome lead singer outfitted in gold,
realizing with a shock that it was none other than Shah Rukh Khan, one of India’s biggest
stars. Before she could even react properly, the sound of trumpets filled the air, followed
by a strange roaring sound. Turning to the main archway into the courtyard, Astrid’s eyes
widened in surprise.
Coming through the gate was an elephant festooned with gemstones and vibrant pinkand-yellow
patterns painted onto its head, being led by two mahouts dressed in the full
regalia of the royal court of Jodhpur. On the elephant’s back was an ornate silver howdah,