Neeraj aur Poonam ki Shaadi - Part II

Current Tune - Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam - Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge

That time was finally here. The time that Neeraj and I dreamed about for so many years was actually here. There were so many people around us, and I got one good glimpse of Neeraj as I stood next to him. He was looking dashing in his gold sherwani and pagdi; looking like a Rajasthani raja (king).

He whispered in my ear that we were looking so wonderful together, but there was only one problem: my family had already stole his jhutis, and he felt that he was looking shorter than me. So I told him that I would talk to my cousins, who were standing near me. I told Chandni to go get the shoes so that he could wear them right now for the photographs, but she declined. She said that she wouldn’t do it, and I wasn’t happy. Its my day, dang it, you should do as you are told. So I did the next best thing, I took off my gold sandals and put them underneath the decorated chairs. Now there should be no height issue, I was also barefoot.

Tons and tons of photos were taking place at this time, and soon after it was time for the jaimala. Now, like in many Hindu shaadi traditions, in our families there is also the lifting of the dulha/dulhan. Neeraj’s side was first to get him up in the air; in fact he was so high up his pagdi was touching the ceiling. Now on my side, for some reason Dr. Katz (one of the Americans) was asked to be in front. Being his first Indian wedding, he really didn’t know how he could lift me. Then Kishore Jijaji and Lalit Mama moved in and tried to lift me. My wedding dress was so heavy, that I got only to about halfway to Neeraj before I begin to go down. Neeraj had won, they brought him down, and we completed the jaimala ceremony.

After that it was full photo/video session as relatives came up to where we were sitting on the decorated chairs, gave their blessings to us, stood for the photo/video, and moved on. Many people were eating outside where the buffet line was setup. Others, mostly the younger crowd, was dancing on the dance floor in the banquet hall (to the left of the stage).

About halfway through photos, Chand and Deepu Bhaiya brought Neeraj and myself to the dance floor. We danced to a tune or two as everyone danced around us in a circle. Very fun:!: I got what I wanted, which I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen, and that was a chance to dance with Neeraj on the marriage day.

Then it was back to the reception area to meet and greet more relatives, receive their blessings, and take more photos/videos. The photographers, especially from my side, were a pain. They were taking dumb photos of just random people, and then when there would be people waiting to see us, they would start taking individual shots of us. Kishore Jijaji and Jugal Chacha were not happy with them, I wasn’t happy either. They didn’t do even a satisfactory job with the photos or the videos. Idiots:!:

After mostly all of the relatives/friends had come and see us, it was around 1.30 am. Jugal Chacha was trying to usher us out of the hall so that we could go outside and eat. The photographers insisted on taking more photos and finally Jugal Chacha put down his foot. We made it outside where there was tables setup in a U-shape where members of both families could sit and eat together.

The food was delicious, not that I had a lot just because it seemed that I wasn’t hungry. I had too many other things on my mind. There was pasta, paneer, mixed vegetables, stir fried vegetables, dal makhani, rasgoola, ice cream, and the list goes on. All that I tried it was very yummy. Am I making your mouth water???

Of course the photographers were not far away as they took photos as we ate. That was kind of interesting, its a good thing that neither of us dropped anything. During this time, my Mumma was so sleepy. She hadn’t slept for so many days, and even during the time that I slept during the 17th afternoon, she was still getting my bags packed, etc… So by this time, she was so sleepy, and she was fasting until the kanyadaan was completed. It was very difficult for her to sit at the dinner table without falling asleep; its also good that the photographers didn’t notice when Mumma dozing off, otherwise that would have been in the video as well.

Then there was some time until the pheres were going to start, so Lalit Mama told Neeraj and myself that we should go and relax. We had gotten two separate rooms, one for the dulhan and one for the dulha. He also told Mumma to come with me and try to relax as well. As we were going up to the elevator with Pooja Didi and Mitu Didi, the photographer from Neeraj’s side asked if he could take some individual shots. So I sat in the lobby area where he took my photos, and on the other sofa Mumma was fast asleep. When it was over, we woke her up and went upstairs.

Mumma immediately went to sleep, and you could see how tired she was feeling. I couldn’t really lay down because of my hair and chunni, so I sat on the bed with Mitu Didi. The next step at 3.30 am was going to be putting on the chuda. I had to take off the chudiyan that I currently had on, and as you remember from the previous posts, I had a horrendous time trying to get them on at the salon. Well, it was even worst trying to get them off now. It took me over a half hour to get them off because we noticed that there were a few that were a size too small:!: It was very odd and very painful. Both hands were all cut up from the sides due to the fact that I pushed so hard to get them off.

The knock was heard, and it was time to go downstairs. The night now had just begun.

Next Post: Saat Phere and Doli.

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.