May 15 - Mata ki Chowki

Current Tune: Lakhon Tar Gaye - Narendra Chanchal

With the 15th of May the beginning of the first night of marriage events (Mata ki Chowki), it just makes perfect sense that the music that should be heard while reading this post is my favorite Mata Rani bhent by Narendra Chanchal. As the day began, the feeling had changed within me. Relatives were pouring in the dozens throughout the morning, and it finally felt that I was getting married.

The first relatives that I saw that morning was Funny Aunty and Shyamlal Jijaji. Funny Aunty is Mumma’s masi (mother’s sister), and she is one of the two masis’ that brought up Mumma as a child. Mumma calls her Aunty, and so when I was young Aunty always made us laugh & laugh with us, so I gave her the name Funny Aunty. Till this day we call her by that name only.

The early hours of the morning was when we would find out who from Mumbai was coming. If you remember, my nani’s (maternal grandmother) was very down when we had left for Jaipur on the 13th of May. By the time when we had reached Jaipur, it was almost decided that she wouldn’t come and hence Raju Bhaiya (badi masi’s eldest son), Bhabhi (his wife), and Aayat (their small daughter) would not come either so that Lalit Mama & Anita Mami could attend my wedding. Upon the car arriving at the hotel in Jaipur, we saw nani. Unbelievably she had recovered in the two days that we were gone, and she was looking sooo healthy. I was really so happy to see her that I immediately gave her a big hug and smile, asked about her health, and listened as she told me that she wouldn’t miss my marriage for anything. All of three of them (nani, Lalit Mama, & Anita Mami), along with Raju Bhaiya & Family, had come by plane to ensure that nani’s health remained well. This was one of most memorable moments of my life — I have learned the importance of having elders of the family present at the most crucial times of your life, such as marriage. Its true that my marriage wouldn’t have been the same if nani would have not been there.

I was going to have a busy day — no, not with relatives, but with the beauty parlour ladies.

After a good start to the morning, it was time for a delicious breakfast, that I hardly ate :smile:, in the banquet room. I sat mostly with Dr. & Mrs. Katz during that time along with nani and Funny Aunty. My salon appointment was at 10 am; I didn’t make it there until after 11.15. Oopsy. I really don’t want to relive the salon day, but I guess I will share what happened. There were many other ladies there, I think a few brides even, that were getting stuff done.

I had about six facials done that day — whoo my face was tired. That definitely took most of the time, and then I had a foot massage, which was okay. Then came the waxing/threading and all that crap that a girl has to do. After four to SIX hours, I was finally done for the day. I had called back (Mumma had called me once because it was getting close to the time of the Mata ki Chowki to begin) to the hotel when there was about a half hour left to let someone there know that I needed to be picked up. Then Pooja Didi, Bobby Jiju, Chandni, and Heena came to pick me up. It look a bit longer than I had thought to get me out of the door hence Bobby Jiju decided to go to the men’s barber which was next door to the salon. Then I got to the Innova only to wait for Jijs, which felt like an eternity.

Bobby Jiju and Pooja Didi had just reached that day from Surat, so they really didn’t know how to get back to the hotel. The driver was from Delhi because the Innovas we had were rented from there, so he didn’t know how to get back to the hotel either (they had gotten lost getting to the salon). We were in the Raja Park area and needed to get back to Vanasthali Marg near the Central Bus Stand, which if you don’t know Jaipur aren’t really nearby each other. So we asked people all the way to the Jaipur train station, and then the driver knew where he was going.

Finally got to the hotel, got ready, with the help of Pooja Didi. I was going to be wearing a sari for the first time, and so I needed the help. You can decide how I am looking as you go through the photos in the gallery. Pooja Didi also helped me do my hair — which I think was looking great. The chowki began on time as the mundali had only a limited time to perform. The head of the mundali was from our Bhatia community so they sang mostly Punjabi Mata Rani bhents that were very well known to us. Mata Rani’s red chunni was put on me, and at different times throughout the night, I had the privilege to dance with various members of my family and even my American friends, dependent on what the bhent called out.

Mata ki Chowki is held as the first religious event to ensure that the rest of the marriage events as well as the new life that Neeraj & I would be starting is blessed by Mata Rani. We sang her bhents, we danced to her, in hopes that we would feel her presence. Now you must know that my marriage was mainly attended by Mumma’s side of the family (her brothers, sisters, and their families), and they all dance. Everyone was dancing, including me, throughout the night. At times it would be just me as Mata Rani’s bhents would bring me closer and closer to Her. It was an amazing feeling that I will never forget.

It was non-stop bhajans by the various members of the mundali, and they did a great job of getting the audience (all of us) involved in the singing, dancing, etc… Wonderful time! Then towards the end, one of the members of the mundali was dressed up as Lord Hanuman, and he had brought out my cousin-brother, Vidhur, who was dressed up as Lord Ram, and my niece, Muskaan, dressed up as Lord Lakshman. It was very cute, as Lord Hanuman fed them each a banana, and then tossed out bananas as prasad to the rest of us. Then came Mata Rani herself, my niece Chaahat. She was brought in the banquet room dressed up as Mata Rani on a tiger (one of the members of the mundali). She then was brought to the front where she sat, gave blessings to each individual person, and then gave them prasad. Beautiful! Then it was over — we danced some more, Neeraj and Satish Bhaiya came to chat with Papa, we talked for a bit, and then it was off to change clothes prior to dinner.

The rest of the night consisted of continuous masti by hopping from room to room, chatting up a storm, playing games, etc…

Next Post: Sagan/Lagan, Mehendi, & DJ Party.

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.