A Woman Moment

My daughter’s wedding date was nearing, the first wedding I will be conducting, I was delighted, yet a flutter in my belly awakened me to the many ceremonies which were confusing, especially since this marriage was going to merge two different communities, reflecting our rich heritage.

There were hurdles for sure! The first was the lockdown, it slowed the preparations. The second was the paucity in the selection, the pandemic had stalled production in the last couple of years, a nice pair of gold slippers was a task to find! That made me wonder how craftsmen managed without regular business.

Puzzlingly the purohit was adamant about finalizing everything online, and I barely understood the entails of pandakkal, saptapadi, kanyadhanam, and more. How do I prepare for them? It was the quandary I was riddled with as the purohit rattled off with practised ease!

‘Outdoor wedding!’ my daughter pleaded, looking at the canopy of trees and large verdant lawns. The Oberoi was delighted, which meant more guests, could be invited according to the pandemic guidelines because their convention hall was smallish, but my anxiety was big-ish, as I watched the rain in the next five months, it was a steady threat. The worries plummeted as the date neared, the wedding cards were stuck in transit and stalled at Delhi, and I in Bengaluru was sweating out the muggy rains, the slushy shopping and the smell of undried laundry!

My daughter was deep in work having taken another contract, so she had extraordinarily little time, therefore our trips to the boutique were rushed, and the alterations were many. There was no time for leisurely planning of the menu or the selection of floral arrangements, there were just too few hours between work and planning the wedding. In the end, we only achieved 80% of what we had planned. There were too many holidays in October in 2021 making the task difficult. Flower prices skyrocketed with the many poojas that month, the staff were constantly on leave and my days were packed with chores!

Torrential rains on the eve of the event washed away any hope of an outdoor wedding, what my daughter so wished would not now happen and the glistening in her eyes were indicators of her disappointment. This meant the mandap had to be smaller to fit into the convention hall. The nadaswaram troupe came in late because of the relentless downpour. But then, miracles do happen! Suddenly it all came together, even the sun came out and shown its brilliance. The bride and groom, soaked in its glory as they looked toward the star Arundathi, another ceremony, it was perfect! Though the ceremony happened in the cool air-conditioned convention hall, in flowery radiance and the nadaswaram bellowing triumph, the outside gardens were ready for the buffet, the lush green lawns looked sylvan dressed in blossoms. 

Relief took over me, though I still had to see to the guests through the muhurtham lunch, a visit to the temple and then to get ready for the wedding reception! ‘A break!’ my daughter suggested looking at me. She looked immensely happy! We giggled and snuck off to my room at The Oberoi, she lay against the head poster, and I opposite her, we had only five minutes to rest, we looked at each other gleefully. I took in the moment, we were two married women, my daughter had entered my fold, and poised at a new threshold.