Tuesday 28 June 2011

The Wedding

Well, the main reason for me being here was today - having been given strict instructions to be at Sai Baba's temple by 11am it was mildly frustrating when my driver arrived at the resort at 11am - perhaps he got it mixed up but there's not much that can be done other than pray that the traffic will be slightly better than what I've gotten accustomed too.
By the time i found myself in the temple the events had already started (i was later informed by Raj's brother that it had only been 15 minutes of chanting although the intro is usually one of the more enjoyable bits) - the 1500 or so friends and family were sitting and chatting, wandering around, far more relaxed than at a western wedding - I was grabbed by one of the brothers when I walked in (I don't know how he knew who I was ... I'd never met him before) and introduced to a few people whose names were not that hard to pronounce but have already slipped my mind - i tried to get a better vantage and was promptly escorted to the stage where I got a great view of the festivities - lots of chanting, lots of colour, lots of noise - and after a few hours of this it was meet the couple and go to lunch. The thing i like most about Indian weddings (and having been to two I can rightly claim a bit of expertise) is that they're so relaxed - no need to keep quiet when the priest is talking, no need to sit in an uncomfortable chair for too long (unless you're the bride or groom I suppose). The food afterwards was all veg (which Priyanka, the bride, explained was necessary for some reason) but very nice - i had some green stuff and some orange stuff and, feeling adventurous, some yellow stuff as well. The ice cream for desert had dried fruits hidden away in it which was less than pleasant and i'd learned my lesson regarding the palm leaves (Priti would approve, I'm sure). I met some of the fambly from both sides (expect that I will meet more at the reception tomorrow - and that will be a different experience I'm sure) and lots of the friends - i found I got hijacked mainly by some of the younger guys (and the wait staff) - all of them curious about my level of education (none at all!) and the bidness I was in and, of course ... the major question, which I'm thinking I will get a few more times on this journey ... Where is YOUR wife?

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