Its been 15 days since I made the first post.About time I published another one!
So,a few weeks ago I found out that my mom’s Gujarati male friend’s son was gonna get married soon.Apparently,Gujaratis don’t believe in having a waiting period(where the boy and girl get to know each other) between the boy-girl meet and marriage.Boy meets girl,they like each other(hopefully),they get engaged two weeks later and get married 2 days after that.Instant Marriage!
Anyway,when I found out that there was going to be a marriage I was thrilled.Thrilled because there was no way she wouldn’t be attending it.My mom’s childhood bff’s daughter and a first cousin of the bridegroom.SK.And as she was studying in Australia,I knew this would be her vacation time.A few days later my mom told me that as the wedding was impromptu,she had already booked her airplane ticket to Australia.Cancellation would lead to considerable monetary loss.So,she wouldn’t be attending.I was very disappointed.My mom’s two female bff’s(including SK’s mom) had said that they wanted to eat my mom’s home cooked food when they were here.They were even prepared to eat fish(Gujjus are known for being strict vegetarians).
On the day the bff’s were supposed to come for lunch(the Friday of last week) with their families,my mom told me that SK would be attending the wedding(Yay!).I must admit that the elation I felt was probably more than that of the airline which had received the cancellation money and a seat to boot! They arrived,I met SK’s dad who kind of had the Bryan Cranston look from Breaking Bad(bald but his beard wasn’t as thick).I was able chat and establish a pretty decent rapport with him.I gazed upon SK’s lovely visage and daydreamed about a torrid romance between the two of us.I later asked her what she was studying and which university she attended.That was about it,though.
On Saturday last week,the Dandiya was scheduled to be held.Now,Dandiya is an integral part of all Gujarati weddings and I hadn’t witnessed one in 14 years.And knowing that she would be performing dandiya was an even greater incentive for me to attend.So, 8.30 on a Saturday evening I found myself at the Dandiya venue with my mom and sister.It was thronging with people,most of them Gujarati.It was like a mini Gujarat in Mangalore. All the women-from toddlers to grannies- were dressed from head to toe in ethnic Gujarati wear,which was either a saree or a ghagra. Then the dance began.The dancers swirled about and moved forward in a line,performing a smooth,graceful maneuver.The line gradually began snaking inward,with more and more people added to it.Their graceful circling and swirling produced a beautiful shimmering of their colorful clothing,and the entire room seemed to throb with a kind of ethnic vibe(Vibrant Gujarat?).As she danced in her beautiful ethnic clothing,I was enthralled by her moves and her tantalizing brown curves,which were glistening in sweat after a hour and a half of dancing.I was happy.We left at 10.30 but the Dandiya went on till about 1 AM.
On Sunday they came once again for lunch,and I still didn’t get to talk to her much.When they were getting ready to leave,I asked her dad for her number.It was only when she walked out the door that I mustered the courage to ask her for her number,along with her younger sister’s,who was standing nearby,so as not to make my interest in her obvious.I was so nervous that my hands were shaking as I typed in her number.And then we chitchatted briefly,but I was too nervous and not making proper eye contact.Not enough to establish a rapport with her,anyway.We texted back and forth a little bit,mostly thank yous and stuff and then I praised the Dandiya a little bit.
Today was the wedding and I thought of going quite early to see the dancing baraat but then ended up watching the Golden Globes and going there at 7.30 PM.I went to have dinner after a few minutes and boy was it a feast! There was everything,from snacks like Chats and Dosa to Salad bars.And the main course was pretty huge what with puris and naan and couple of curries and rice,sambar etc.And the crowd was really easy on the eyes,with lots of beautiful gujarati ladies.All in all,a feast both visual and gastronomic!
She looked gorgeous in a saree and I wanted to tell her that.But I couldn’t.I just chatted with her dad a little bit. When we were leaving,I didn’t even say goodbye to her or her family.I’ve gotta call Gujarati Bryan Cranston and say my goodbyes. I’ve gotta say goodbye and tell her how gorgeous she looked….on WhatsApp.I’m such a coward.
I wish a very happy married life to the bride and the groom.Doesn’t the title of this post say Gujarati wedding,after all?
p.s. German Class tomorrow and Hegde’s first class.Looking forward to it.
p.p.s. Boyhood won 3 Golden Globes(best supporting actress,best director,best movie).Yay!
And last but definitely not the least, #JeSuisCharlie.
VSK's blog 