It’s been a month already since I went home. 12th of May was the day we were all looking forward to…Me and my cousins. One of them was getting married the following week. Boys being boys, they always leave packing to the last minute and the case wasn’t any different this time as well (barring me…am the meticulous planner types…or so I like to believe ;-) ). One of my cousins C (the would-be groom) didn’t sleep the whole night for fear of missing the flight. The other one S merrily had a bottle of wine and slept like a log after calling me up to wake him in the morning! We had to be at the airport by 6.30 at least to catch our 7.30 flight. When I called up S at 5, he did pick up the phone after 10 rings. Calling him up at 5.40 again was indeed a blessing in disguise. Why? Coz the great man had fallen asleep again and we were supposed to leave by 6 from our home! Well, finally we managed to leave by 6.10AM and reached the airport at 6.35. C was already there and was quite worried. One really doesn’t want to miss the flight when he’s getting married in 2 days you see! All said and done, we did manage to catch our flight which incidentally got delayed due to refueling. We took off 30 mins late and the flight was again delayed at Chennai (Reason: They were refueling again!!! That too after a total flying time of 30 mins since the last time they fueled!). No wonder they call it a no frills, low cost flying experience. They wouldn’t even fuel up more than what was absolutely necessary!
When finally we reached our destination, the baggage claim took some 40 mins! I had never seen a conveyor at the airport being turned on and off after each load of luggage was dumped on the belt.
The vacation had started off pretty interestingly and was bound to be very eventful. Sunday saw C & Me distributing cards to a few of his friends. Met almost all the other cousins on Sunday and the amount of noise at home could have reached supersonic levels had there been any more kids!
Monday was the big day. The groom was ready by 10AM and the Baaraat (procession) started from their place at around 11AM. Being peak summertime, we were all dreading the heat. Thankfully it was cloudy and was a big relief to us all. Marriage processions in our part of the world are pretty fun filled and involves a lot of dancing (free style bole to desi ishtyle as well) to the tunes of some local hits. The hot favorite was “Ekda Ekda ra…”...The groom isn’t supposed to get out of the car till we reach the marriage hall, but then this was a once in a lifetime affair (well for most people, it usually is ;-) ). We spared no time in pulling C out of the car and he was all too glad to show us a few steps in his own inimitable style.
The marriage ceremony was a fun affair and the highlight was the ‘Hata-Ganthhi’ opening ritual. This is similar to the ‘Joota Chhupai rasm’ in North India. The groom places his palm over the brides palm and their hands are tied. The Saali (sister in law) then bargains with the groom for her choice of gift or sometimes cash to open the knot before the Muhurtam. The bargaining part is real fun especially when the all the people from the grooms’ & brides’ side get together to strategise and negotiate on the deal. Most of us being MBA’s put in all efforts to strike a win-win deal & while all this was going on, our dear cousin C was enjoying the whole situation. He was in an advantageous position after all (sitting on the Mandap holding his beloved’s hand) ;-).
The ceremony was over by 5 and the Vidai was a pretty sentimental affair. The bride and her parents and relatives (and the neighbours and their neighbours) all crying like there is no tomorrow. I always find this whole thing pretty amusing. Even a few people from the groom’s side could be seen crying including one of my Bhabhi’s and one of C’s friends!
The next few days saw 10 of us cousins going for a one day trip to Puri. A visit to the Jagannath temple is always something to cherish. The calm and peace of the place among all the chaos is simply amazing. The kitchen of the temple feeds lakhs of devotees every day and is one of the largest kitchens of the world. The best thing is that no food is ever wasted. The logistics are all so well planned! After the temple visit, we spent a few hours at the beach and headed back home by the Puri-Konark marine drive. The Konark temple is really a sight to look at in the evenings. The lighting is simply great.
The next few days at home went by so fast that I never realized that it was already time to get back to Blr on 21st. It was a long awaited trip and I simply had a blast. Who knows when the next time would be or what is in store for the next time ;-) !!!
When finally we reached our destination, the baggage claim took some 40 mins! I had never seen a conveyor at the airport being turned on and off after each load of luggage was dumped on the belt.
The vacation had started off pretty interestingly and was bound to be very eventful. Sunday saw C & Me distributing cards to a few of his friends. Met almost all the other cousins on Sunday and the amount of noise at home could have reached supersonic levels had there been any more kids!
Monday was the big day. The groom was ready by 10AM and the Baaraat (procession) started from their place at around 11AM. Being peak summertime, we were all dreading the heat. Thankfully it was cloudy and was a big relief to us all. Marriage processions in our part of the world are pretty fun filled and involves a lot of dancing (free style bole to desi ishtyle as well) to the tunes of some local hits. The hot favorite was “Ekda Ekda ra…”...The groom isn’t supposed to get out of the car till we reach the marriage hall, but then this was a once in a lifetime affair (well for most people, it usually is ;-) ). We spared no time in pulling C out of the car and he was all too glad to show us a few steps in his own inimitable style.
The marriage ceremony was a fun affair and the highlight was the ‘Hata-Ganthhi’ opening ritual. This is similar to the ‘Joota Chhupai rasm’ in North India. The groom places his palm over the brides palm and their hands are tied. The Saali (sister in law) then bargains with the groom for her choice of gift or sometimes cash to open the knot before the Muhurtam. The bargaining part is real fun especially when the all the people from the grooms’ & brides’ side get together to strategise and negotiate on the deal. Most of us being MBA’s put in all efforts to strike a win-win deal & while all this was going on, our dear cousin C was enjoying the whole situation. He was in an advantageous position after all (sitting on the Mandap holding his beloved’s hand) ;-).
The ceremony was over by 5 and the Vidai was a pretty sentimental affair. The bride and her parents and relatives (and the neighbours and their neighbours) all crying like there is no tomorrow. I always find this whole thing pretty amusing. Even a few people from the groom’s side could be seen crying including one of my Bhabhi’s and one of C’s friends!
The next few days saw 10 of us cousins going for a one day trip to Puri. A visit to the Jagannath temple is always something to cherish. The calm and peace of the place among all the chaos is simply amazing. The kitchen of the temple feeds lakhs of devotees every day and is one of the largest kitchens of the world. The best thing is that no food is ever wasted. The logistics are all so well planned! After the temple visit, we spent a few hours at the beach and headed back home by the Puri-Konark marine drive. The Konark temple is really a sight to look at in the evenings. The lighting is simply great.
The next few days at home went by so fast that I never realized that it was already time to get back to Blr on 21st. It was a long awaited trip and I simply had a blast. Who knows when the next time would be or what is in store for the next time ;-) !!!
