Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

 After a Chilean wedding, I went to an Indian wedding...  

Two weddings in one month! And completely out-of-season with the Chilean winter and the Indian monsoon! 

 

Two weddings in one month! Me who went to like three weddings in my entire life and is not too fond of them (and here a beautiful understatement ;)).  

 

But you can’t say no to a wedding in Goa can you? J 

 

It was my friend in Delhi. A girl I met one year after her divorce with a Kerala guy and when I was in the middle of a break-up with mine – this 'anti-mallu' thing brought us together pretty fast ;) Back then she was trying to get back in the game – i.e. she was looking for a husband, had thus registered on shaadi.com (marriage.com), met a guy and deleted her account. Nobody in her entourage believed in this relationship nor wanted to accept it: an Indian guy, divorced, 8 years older than her, living in Hong Kong, and once again from another (inferior) caste. 

 

Except for me who, in my post-break-up madness, was seeing everything impossible becoming possible... She encouraged me in each of my delusions and I reciprocated very well! And now, ten months after they met, they were getting married in Goa! 

 

The wedding started on Friday afternoon with the mehendi ceremony (a temporary henna tattoo) which I missed but of which I got a picture! 

 

My brother and I arrived on Friday night, under a light rain, in a luxury hotel (all on the princess expenses – which is not just an expression since as a matter of fact the family of the bride paid for everything). Just in time to get into a sexy dress (or my disguise as an item girl (the half-haired bimbo of any bollywood film self-respecting)) and join the bollywood-themed party. Nice evening where the friends and family have prepared bollywood dances, texts etc.

 

The next day we had free time up to 2 PM, time of the actual marriage. And I am not sure I understood anything about it... Basically you spend hours getting dressed (in Indian clothes), putting makeup on you, getting your hair done etc. just to see the crowd of the groom passing by dancing to the (deafening) sound of the drums and this lasts for a very, very longtime. Because after that all the rites of marriage take place and you are free to attend them but the invitation states otherwise: “While we are getting married, you can pop over and get some lunch”!  

 

It was anyway 4 PM and after a snack we badly needed a nap. No way to power through another party night otherwise! The major event of which was, for me, a letter I got from my lover boy. An old uncle from the bride side who wrote to me on a napkin "I love you" followed by a love letter in Hindi he translated to me... 

 

And voilà! 

Four years ago I met a girl in Pune. Sweet fun girl. Sikh girl dating a Christian guy for like 4 years. Studying dentistry. We went for a few drinks. Normal student life…

 

Then one day she went home in Punjab. Told her mum about the boyfriend. Decision was taken: you finish your semester and you come back home. It then took a year to find the husband. The kind of guy who studied 7 years in the US, did all his rebel things and then came back to marry the Indian girl (who has some morality compared to those white girls) who “should stay at home and help my mum”. Deal was sealed. No more work. No more nothing. On top of that, she had to adjust to living in a joint family (big big family) she who is an army daughter (an army officer keeps changing posts and travels everywhere with only the wife and kids). I know it was not so easy for her. Maybe she felt fortunate because he is from one of the richest Sikh family in Mumbai? In any case, being the good daughter who obeyed her mum, she could only do everything to adjust…

 

Though it is beyond my understanding, I never judged. Her life, not mine.

And then today, we had this amazing (to me) text exchange:

 

-          Hey sweets, wanna meet up for coffee in the evening!

-          Sure. 7 at Moshe?

-          Can u make it at 6?

-          Not sure I have a meeting at 5

-          Then 7 at my place: what say?

-          You have timings to come home?

-          Yup, can go out post sunset only with hubby and hes out. Sounds pretty strange na! how life changes! Its perfectly fine at my place, my mom in law gets worried otherwise! what say?

-          It sounds horrible. We can meet in the week end, better

-          He he he, are sweet heart its not what ur thinking! precaution is better than cure!every one in the families is fine!ull surely like them n uve not seen my place,wanna show u my marriage pics as well.

-          I’m sorry this is crap. We are talking about Mumbai at 7 PM and 500 meters from your house… But well if you like it, good for you!

-          Sweets take a chill pill, life is a roller coaster ride! Whats the probs in coming home?

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-          Okkk,well catch up on the wk end for sure!

-           

Well she did not end up being a dentist, but at least a philosopher…!!