Day2-The D day

The day started early.woke up around 4 am,brushed,bathed and put myself in the hotseat for yet another round of make up.this time i was determined to not let it be overdone.so i literally begged the beautician to tone it down to which she pretended to have listened.this time it was a more traditional hair do. lots of flowers, nethi choodi( on the forehead) , rakkodi ,chandra and surya prabhai and with the lady sticking shining white bindis to resemble stars, i was carrying the entire solar system on my head.

my mama garlanded me and i was led to the front of the mandapam accompanied by my athais,chithis and cousins.i have seen these events in numerous weddings but to actually go through them in one's own wedding is quite an experience.i was nervous and stiff so much so that i wasn't even smiling.i was telling myself that i ought to be happy now, but all i could wish for was all this to be over soon .i was becoming too conscious.

out in the front of the mandapam, S was waiting with a huge crowd of people after being brought back by my father half way through the ceremonial "kasi yatra".wonder why we stick to a few customs even when they are not really relevant in today's world. still it was a sight to see him in pancha kacham carrying the umbrella and the decorated fan.he still teases me saying "i wish your dad hadn't stopped me".

we exchanged garlands amidst the ladies singing "maalai maatrinal".when i had to be lifted up, my mamas couldn't really muster enough strength.but my dearest cousin ramana managed to lift me up really high, single handedly and he had to bring me down a few inches for S to reach me.that was fun and i felt a little relaxed after that seemingly childish and light hearted ritual.

we were made to sit on the "oonjal"(swing) and then started the intake of "paal and pazham"( milk and bananas).Every known/unknown person(strictly ladies) had to give us 3 spoons of this protein rich diet.thanks to my mother's idea that we could use some small "kinnams"(containers) instead of the hand , my saree was saved from being spoilt by dripping milk.

S was eating all of that happily and poor me.. i couldn't even raise my head enough to swallow the fruit due to the heaviness of my hairdo and had to be content with sipping the milk.we had to fast(starve!!! ) till the time the wedding was complete.in his enthusiasm S started swinging the oonjal fast enough for me to feel that i was going to throw up.

with the ladies singing "kannoonjal aadi irundal" (one of my fav wedding songs),small coloured balls ( not sure what they were made of, but something definitely soft and slippery) were thrown around in all directions.S actually thought that the yellow coloured ones were laddus and opened his mouth big enough to catch one of them.( Guys!!! )

we went back inside the mandapam and on the decorated stage. the "vaathiyar"(priest) started reciting the manthras which S had to repeat,which he did sincerely but it was damn funny.he has no inclination what so ever to the slokas and manthras and he was just blurting them out like a robot without the much needed stress on the words.i could barely control my smile.

i was given the wedding saree ( the 9 yards silk saree-also called madisar or onbadhu gajam) by S after duly falling on his feet( should have seen his face then!! :-) ).
time to wear the 9 yards..or should i say for others to wrap it around me while i stood absolutely clueless.

thank god for rajam aunty( our long time family friend),who was an expert in this.she managed to tie it around me in no time, and made sure that it wouldn't give up when i performed the countless namaskars and all that.i really tried my best to follow the method, but i could barely remember how she started and ended.anyway,i was decked up with more jewellery now.

nervous about my saree more than anything else, i went up the mandapam to sit with S. more manthras followed and then it was time for 'mangalya dharanam'.

i sat as lightly as i could on my dad's lap !!!( a ritual started when child marriages were the norm). first a wooden rod was placed on my head with mango leaves on it, and a few manthras were recited. the priest explained that the rod was like the one placed on neck of the bullocks in a bullock cart. this ritual signified that we had to balance our matrimony just like the bullocks did when one of them felt tired or that the burden was too much to bear.

a few miutes later the priest announced that 'mangalya dharanam' was to take place and nobody is supposed to shake the hands of the couple once it is over in enthusiasm, as we are not supposed to part hands.and then amidst a shower of flowers S tied the mangalyam and made the first knot, the second and the third were done by my 'nathanars'(sister in law).

everytime i try to recollect what exactly went through my mind at that point, i go blank..coz that was exactly how i felt.i tried to tell myself that i should feel elated, happy or atleast nervous.but i just went blank.i guess that is what one feels at the height of emotions.