Sep 10th 2006…
The world might remember it as the day before the 9/11 attack on the twin towers. But to me it remains special in quite a different way…
On Sep 10th 2006 I got engaged to Rajiv. J
About a year of being a just an acquaintance…to a long period of an uncertain and unnamed relation we shared…to the sudden decision to stand up for ourselves and announcing it to both our parents…to months of awaiting their approval...it’s been a long way we traveled to this point. Long…but special! Tough…but cherished!
Rajiv, as most of you would already know, is my trainee batch mate in Infosys. We both are in the same unit here, FINACLE, but in different teams. He works in the implementation team (yeah yeah…lucky fellow is a globe trotter) and me in testing. Raj is from Coimbatore, but soon his parents would be shifting to Bangalore.
He has an elder sister who is married and is settled in Salem. My in laws used to work in PWD but are retired now.
So…coming back to track…the engagement…it was at Coimbatore. I am skipping the packing part…as it was more or less a mess..as usual!! J J Luckily I dint forget to take anything!
On 9th morning around 10 am I started my onward journey to CBE wid good friends bala, Rakesh and my roommate Anju in bala’s car. It was a superb drive (I hope our “driver” bala enjoyed it the most as he dint have a backup!!! ) Raj had left for CBE earlier in the morning around 8 am with his cousin and a friend. As it seems the boy n the girl to be betrothed cannot travel together we had to go separately!!! L
Wonder who made that rule!!!!! My dad n mom with some close family members came in a temp traveler. Bhags was the first to reach CBE though from Chennai.
Wah….kya family hein…all four landing from different places!!! J J
Initially it dint feel as though am going for my own engagement! It was like some fun trip we went…but later on slowly it started sinking in…Hosur road had a pathetic traffic jam even on that lovely Saturday. We were forced to take a deviation (which made the total travel time almost an hour n a hlf more than d actual). But the country roads and beautiful scenery all through the deviation was altogether a good experience. J J FOR THE DRIVER i.e he he. We stopped over for lunch @ dharmapuri…sun flower fields…paddy fields...hills….it was an amazzzing and funfilled drive wid rakesh anju n bala even finding names for our kids!!!! It took us almost an hour again from the Coimbatore by-pass to reach rajs house in the city …thanks again to the pathetic traffic and heavy rains!!
Rajs parents had arranged a dinner at a nearby hotel for all of us. It was the first time when close relatives of both families met eachother. And it was the first time I met rajs granny. God…she is sweet. Blew me a kiss!! He he I was so damn nervous that I could really feel my knees shake. No joking here…it’s really true! I thought my heart was beating so loud that anyone standing close to me would hear it! Interactions between both family members were interesting as it was across borders…where most of them faced language barriers. But still it was good. J Thanks god we have so many common words in mallu n tamil!! J J We were there for about an hour and then it was time to catch some sleep.
Next day morning woke up at 5.30…got ready and was @ d mandap by 7.30 or 8 where my beautician (pheww…….) was waiting for me. the beautician looked quite different from all the beauticians ive met till date…and yeah …she really was quite different. All through the “make up” session I was being reassured by bhagya and anju that its still fine…but when I finally saw myself in the mirror I cld hardly recognize myself. Was a bit upset initially….but paid off the item lady and slowly started clearing up the mess she had turned me into. I realised that no matter how well the girl plans to dress up during her wedding and engagement day its inevitably altered by relatives, beauticians and I family friends and all the “andans and adagodans…”!!!!! L L L I think its sad that the boy mostly has to identify the girl with much effort wid all that make over!!! In my case I was very sure Raj would run away….i jus got lucky…or mebbe he was jus too shocked to run!! J J all that jewellery , the extra lonnng hair and make up and all…that too when I heard that Raj was dressed in a simple shirt n trousers!! L SAAADD!!!!!
The function…as I saw it…
It must have started with my brother, deepu Chetan giving raj his shervani, the ring and a garland. I dint see that part. When my turn came…I did a namaskaram to rajs parents and on stage again to …I assume the guests…!! Rajs sister gave me my saree. It was time for a quick changing into the new saree again and then rushing back on stage…then she gave me the ring and a garland. The Garland was HEAVY!!!!! Some puja …some more namaskarams and it was photo session. That was the ceremony in my words. I wonder what all actually happened in my absence!
Lots and lots of photos taken with relatives from both sides and friends…it was then time for lunch. Absolutely wonderful food (may be it tasted so divine as I was starving since morning). After this bala anju nibu n all went for a drive till the Kerala border…came back and picked me up. We went to my cousin’s place inside amritha college so that I could change and then it was time for return.
It was almost 12 when we reached Bangalore…had a good looong sleep and took an off on Monday to take some rest. On Tuesday I was back in office…nothing much had changed (well I jus joined a new project but still handling the same old module…)…but it felt nice…and as I sent out the customary “sweets @ my desk” mail I thanked god for being wid us all thru our tough times and making it happen…
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