Marriage: A bejewelled beginning.

Hello everyone! Its good to see you after a long gap.A major calamity in our state shook me well, but Kerala has risen again with full vigor and vitality.Pardon me for diverting from the topic. Now, let me take you to experience a Kerala Hindu marriage. I would like to specifically use the term marriage rather than wedding, as marriage refers to the long term relationship between two people.But my take on that day’s experience will be bit satirical.

I started my journey from home to attend the marriage of my DISTANT cousin.I barely knows my relation with the bride.In the car,stuffing earphones in my ear I am oblivious of the tiring trip.Reaching the venue, I was bit nervous watching the huge crowd. The entrance beam was covered with flowers which I haven’t seen in my life. Entering the auditorium I began to scan the happenings around me. The crowd can be divided into several gangs or groups. The first visible group was the Ladies of age 50-60s,they were busy passing gossips, sharing their sorrow on the end of their favorite TV shows and discussing about diseases and calamities.The next one is the Male gang ageing 50-80s,they were chatting about international matters,debating on decriminalisation of LGBT act 377, petrol hike and mostly about the good old days.And the young men talked about salary hike, day-to-day grievances,work pressure and so on. And the teenagers who were intently talking about their areas of interest. But the only group which gave me pleasure was the small kids, they were whizzing past like aeroplanes in front of me either to sneak another helping of the welcome drink,some throwing a mischievous glance or a generous smile at me.Then my attention was grabbed by the save the date,trailer and teaser videos of the couple.Even though we know that life can never be a fairytale,the whole idea of fairy-tale like teaser pacified my thought. And sorry for not mentioning the stars of the day, the marriage photographers. They turn the most-ordinary wedding to a ceremony that happens in heaven,something extraordinary. Such is the creativity of those people that almost everyone deliberately pass in front of them to get a seem-to- be-a-good-candid photo.And the helicam made me bit nervous as I thought it would land on my head as if its a helipad.And onstage the hero and heroine of the day were escorted by a group of girls with Thaalam-a plate consisting of lamp and flowers, the bride and groom were ready to pose for the photos until their cheek muscles got tired.We have to appreciate the jewelled bride for posing without showing a face.And the ceremony began with the couple seeking blessings of the God and their elders by touching their feet.The bride’s father hands his daughter’s hand to the son-in-law’s,this symbolises that he would protect and look after his daughter from then on.And when the right time came-muhurtham, the groom tied the sacred Taali-the thread that keeps them united for 7 lifes.And flowers kept showering from all sides was a visual treat.And side by side another major and my favorite event took place,the sadya.The not-so-close- acquaintance usually went straight to have Sadya. I love this one thing in marriage, especially all the curries placed in order.On top of the rice,parippu curry(dal curry) topped with ghee was put,this has a scientific reason too. It is to grease our gut before eating so that choking can be avoided.Similarly all the curries arrived in order due to such reasons. We Malayalees have Payasam(dessert) with pappadam and to avoid getting dulcified we lick a finger of pickle.Eating sadya itself is an endearing experience.Keeping aside sadya,the event was a huge social gathering of culture heritage.And in olden times when the bride leaves from the Mandapam she sheds tears of sadness as she is leaving her family, but I thought it to be dramatic.But now, brides get in the car with a content and happy face.

So the family spends their lifetime earnings to celebrate a marriage.But we cannot blame them as for some, the sole purpose of their life is the marriage of their children.And thus they lived HAPPILY EVER AFTER😂.