The Wedding Day!

The day was Vijayadashami. It is said any ritual on this day leads to success as it is an auspicious day in our Hindu calendar.  This was the day set for my marriage 24 years ago.  Normally wedding rituals here in Karnataka start one day before.  But mine was in the Vedic style.  So rituals had reduced. However, we two had decided to make it more simplistic and had booked a small hall. The time fixed was late morning. People and people.  Relatives, friends, well-wishers. The hall was overcrowded. I could see people sitting closely one next to other.  I was in a different plain altogether. I was happily involved in the rituals and it looked very filmy to me. It was like a life time dream in reality.  I was not considerate of what was happening, how things were managed, who have come and what difficulties others are facing and what are their feelings.  My small brother who was a seven year old was very upset seeing this crowd and he kept on crying.

The rituals were quite different from our family understanding, I could not even think about it.  Could sense little agitation on my dad’s face.  However, he kept himself cool. The late start ended in late closure.  There was another ritual at my husband’s place.  We all fled from the marriage hall and assembled in his house.  As we came in, my parents made me sit on  their lap and suddenly dad started singing a song, “we are giving a flower bloomed in our house, a light glowing in our house to glow your house” and he broke down.  Tears rolled my cheeks.  I could not hold myself.  Since morning I never knew deep inside there are so much emotions hidden.  It was a farewell.  I could not console him, I said to him, please don’t let me break down further. There was no option at that moment to silence ourselves.  Evening a reception was hosted where we had to meet hundreds of people, and keep introducing each one of them to each other.  Big day. A day filled with several things and several emotions.  It just passed.  In a span of six to eight hours, it all started and it’s a life time relationship and the best one. Rituals are a reason but marriages are made in heaven!