Engagement ...........

chitrannaa.blogspot.in

chitrannaa.blogspot.in

The D Day is here!                                                                
Vinay my nephew is getting engaged today to Shwetha Kumar, his classmate turned friend turned beloved after a looong courtship of five years ( Vinu and Shwetha -  is it five or six or seven years or more? Both of you are not forthcoming with correct details. Don't worry, we have means of finding it out and sure will do!)                                        

The preparations have been on for quite some time. Soumya my niece, Rashmi my daughter and Shreya, Shweta's sister are the most excited of the  lot and have been planning and planning ....and planning everything to the minutest details. After all it is the first marriage in both the families...

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Gosh, how can anyone let such important things get messed up or go wrong? The first and foremost is the dress - what and which and how and when - everything had to be discussed, Googled, dreamed - and finally materialized. Whether it should be a saree, ghagra choli, lehenga or salwar suit and then closing in on a color and of course the tailor - it involved so much of hectic planning.

Then comes the appointment with the parlor  For facial, hair style, hair coloring, eye brows. The three girls would be euphoric dreaming about the details, and sometimes would have nightmares dreading the catastrophe - if the beauticians not following the details or messing up with the fine points. Thank God, He has been kind and everything has turned up well...

Oh yes, how can one forget the clutches, the matching stilettos and The Jewellery. Guests, be prepared for the most enchanting bride with exquisite jewellery and the beautiful girls having their  dazzling smiles and jewellery competing with each other!

The best blessing from God - or is it the Marxists - is the day being declared Bharat Bandh against the economic policies of the Central Government. Schools and colleges declaring holiday is the biggest boon. Of course the option of bunking was always there but still the pleasure of not missing attendance and the labs and the headache of self study has been lifted from the minds. Boy, are the girls delighted!

But the Bandh has a downside too. Last minute makeup and the mehendi programs had to be preponed. We had a blast yesterday night in Gandhi Bazaar. Because of the hectic last day before the D Day, the mehendi program got pushed to the last minute. Of course Shwetha was smarter to get it done in the late afternoon. By the way, we poked our noses in her mehendi design, rather length of the design Shwetha had planned in consultation with Vinay. (Sure it must be looking stunning on the hands of the beautiful bride).

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At 10 o'clock in the night Rashmi, on her last task of the day was rushing to Gandhi Bazaar for mehendi, decided to pull me along. I had almost settled for the day, with oil dripping from my hair, all jewels removed. Dressed in my nightie, I was pulled out from my bed and pushed into the car. How could I let Shaila, my sister and the grooms'  mother miss the fun? we pulled out her also and in a flash of a second were sitting in front of the mehendi artists.Imagine walking in that avatar on Gandhi bazaar main road. If any of our friends and colleagues had seen us at that time, I am sure they would not have recognized us.

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The occasion was equally thrilling for another soul - our pug Pogo! He rushed 
along with us and had a free run in Gandhi bazaar. The entire footpath was at his disposal and with most of the shops closed, he lifted his leg at every shop and had long walks with my hubby Prakash. And he had his own fun too. Stealthily he would walk behind the artists putting mehendi and bark and scare their wits out. We would shake with laughter, causing the embarrassed artists to glare at us. And we could not hide our amusement when we overheard another customer next shop arguing with the artists that she should be charged less as she had small hands! When we had almost got the mehendi on our hands, Rashmi asked whether I had my purse with me. No madam, none of us had a penny on us. Thankfully Prakash had come with his wallet and was more than willing to oblige. Not only that. He performed the role of the chauffeur with great dignity, opening the car doors for us and dropping everybody, obliging to take our photos and in the night offering us garam chai with a straw!
We will take a break here..... Will be back with the details of the fun filled engagement evening later.

Keep a watch !!!

We shall meet @ The Engagement Ceremony ........