Celebrating Commitment :)

Marriages maybe made in heaven.. But they are celebrated right here!!!!

A marriage is always fun with all relatives around and hustle-bustle at its peak. It brings along with it a whole new drama.

Coming from a Mallu ( ok… malayalee) background, I have been only to marriages where after the pheras (similar to walking the aisle, in English) people have lunch then everybody goes back home.

2 years back I happened to land in a room full of marwaris. And now all of sudden they all seem to be getting engaged, married left right center ( and I am not exaggerating). 4 out of 6 are married/ engaged. (believe me now?).
Well, having attended 2 marriages, it dawned upon a malayalee (me) that these people “celebrate” marriage. Its fun in its purest form! For a dance fanatic like me, sangeet is on the hit list. The amount of preparation and enthusiasm behind it is unbeatable. Right from the kiddo in the house to the elders in the family, everybody puts on the I-am-the-dancer hat. Some great person once said ‘Hard work never lets you down’, and in this case too the hard work is paid off and Sangeet night turns out to be the BEST of all the functions on the agenda.

Pheras is “The Common” thing in all marriages. Of the weddings that I have had the privilege to attend , the panditijis ask the couple to take some oaths. We all had a nice laugh at some of them. They do sound funny for people my age (as in for young people ;) ). But that does add to the traditional flavor of the whole saga.

Competition. Yes! Popularly known as “Jutey Churana”. The bride’s family are on the look out to pick the grooms chappals, and we have the defendants in the form of the grooms family. I also had an opportunity to witness the war of a lifetime. Right from pulling and pushing to snatching and even biting. People do go to lengths to defend their honour! (and I do exaggerate!)

Bidaai, even though it has the bride in tears, caught my attention. The ladies of the house sing special songs (which by the way will make even the toughest to shed a tear). I felt like being a part of a Sooraj Barjatya movie. Does “Sajan ghar mai chali” of HAHK ring a bell?

When the bride walks in to the grooms place there is the pooja. A few other things are also done which signifies the importance of a girl in a family. The bride is definitely made to feel special. Then there are the numerous games pipelined for the bride and the groom. Everybody is cheering them up. The atmosphere is all charged up. It really is a cool way to make the bride comfortable in the new place and with all the new people.

The whole celebration is a mix of tradition and fun. It is a chance where every one comes together and has fun together. It’s a celebration of a commitment. And what a celebration it is!

Oprah Winfrey said, “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

These marriages epitomize this thought.

I had a lot of fun. (That’s the bottom line)