Instead of the standard clubbing in SF or bar-hopping in Palo Alto, Maulik and I headed down to Saratoga last night for Bollywood Nights at Avalon. Oddly, the club is smack in the middle of a strip mall, deep in the heart of valley suburban sprawl. Somehow, though, it worked.

When we got there, the parking lot was packed and the line stretched all the way around the building. Many were there for DJ Megha, who’d come from Mumbai for the party. The crowd was very chic, very energized, and very desi. Out of over a thousand people, I was one of maybe ten non-desis. :P

Regardless, it was way more fun than I normally have clubbing. Outside of a few smaller communities, the mainstream clubbing and dancing scene tends to be very self-conscious. This, on the other hand, was a lot less inhibited…and a lot more fun. It reminded me of Mela, Diwali, and Bhangra by the Bay – and their afterparties – at Stanford.

Granted, I don’t know much bhangra, raas, or filmi…but I do know just enough to be dangerous. Most of the crowd was just amused that a 6’5″ white guy even tried to dance to Bollywood music. Regardless, they were all really friendly and inclusive. It was a great party.