Planning for the wedding….Radha and Leena came personally to our house to invite us for Priyanka’s wedding. They stayed in a hotel in T Nagar to complete their shopping requirements and came down to visit Sreemathi and Sampath, their immediate next door neighbors in Kuwait. We were a few floors above them. Radha and Leena are such a wonderful, hospitable and ever smiling couple blessed with two beautiful daughters. Priyanka being the eldest and Nirosha being the younger one. The wedding was to take place in Kannur in early Dec and it was peak season for Sabarimala. We did not want to miss the occasion to meet other friends coming from Kuwait. In addition, Thiagu Mama and Mami planned to join us for the wedding. Therefore, Sreemathi immediately booked train tickets for us and them on the mobile app. So the dates were cast and set.
Prior to the wedding, Vidya got the message that they were planning for a dress code for all the 3 days of wedding. This is the most interesting part which Vidya likes very much and gets her excited and rebooted to the hilt. She loves to dress up not only herself but also the two birdies in her life. Me and the little cutie pie. So she set out to decide on which wardrobe to use for each day and if anything had to be purchased etc.
On the D Day we set out to catch our train. She packed some food for dinner as it was an evening train and she did not want to buy anything during the train journey, lest it might upset the stomach and also the celebrations. Thiagu Mama, Mami, Sreemathi and her son Arjun joined us in our train journey. Get together with friends on a train journey is something to be cherished, especially when you catch up after many years, away from the chores and cares of home for a few days.
Leena had arranged for a cab to pick us up from the airport to the hotel. Once we arrived, we checked into our rooms. It was time to click some photos with the morning sunshine even though we were not refreshed after the overnight train journey.
The oceanfront hotel was truly lovely and mesmerizing as you can see from the photos. The vast expanse of the azure ocean and sky were soothing for the strained nerves. It was the perfect setting for the upcoming celebrations. One cannot ask for anything more as we eagerly awaited for another friend to join us from Kuwait.
The backdrop was just surreal and lovely. Since it’s a coastal town like Chennai, the climate is expected to be humid even though it was Dec. At least in Chennai it’s monsoon time whereas monsoon is over by Sep in Kerala. Weather was the only issue otherwise you can absolutely fall in love with the tranquil, serene and natural surroundings without the buzz of a typical city life.
The hotel had enough space in the front as in the courtyard, I guess, for various celebratory events, be it birthday parties, family, friends or office get together and small wedding reception it was an idyllic place, especially in the evening. You have to arrange for some fans or coolers to avoid the humidity and to keep it cool and breezy. Otherwise it was fine.
Once we checked out our photo shooting spots, we went into our rooms for bathing to refresh ourselves for breakfast and get ready for the day. They had arranged for vegetarian food and it was quite nice with a mix of traditional Kerala items as well.
Get set go, once we were ready, we planned to visit a few nearby places in the morning and return to the hotel by lunch time. Time to take some the mandatory selfies with the beau. We hired a couple of autos as Thiagu Mama, Mami, Sreemathi and Arjun accompanied us.
We first went to Payyambalam beach and from there went to one of the Drive in beaches….if was fun to ride on the beach…kids went a few meters into the sea to take a photo with the communist symbol that is synonymous with Kerala….
After wading into the water and taking photos with the kids it was time to sit on the boats of the fishermen that was full or color and life. As you can see, it brought a lot of color and life to the entire landscape so naturally.
After the drive in beach, we went to a nearby park atop a small hill overlooking the Arabian Sea. The whole atmosphere was quite balmy. It was time to simmer down from the various stress and pull of life, sit back and loosen oneself into the calmness of the unending ocean
Take some nice photos in the natural backdrop with your loved ones, friends or family and create some beautiful memories.
That is what this trip was all about, just letting oneself go and unwind in the most precious luxury of life….stillness and be at peace. That’s what we all yearn for in the midst of all the din and dust of city life.
By noon we returned back to our hotel for lunch. Rashmi had landed from Kuwait and so it was time for Vidya and Sreemathi to catch up with her. Rashmi, Biju and their daughter Prarthana were our neighbors in Kuwait. Prarthana and Anirud were the thickest of friends at that time. We expected to see her but she could not come as she had her exams and so only Rashmi turned up for the wedding. After that we played cards for a while and in the evening it was time to dress up for the reception. It was supposed to be Lehengas for ladies and Kurtas for Gents. Vidya bought a skirt and top for the occasion. And for us it was easy as we had our unused Kurtas that had to he opened up for such rare times
Okay, once you dress up what is next. Time to take your camera and go on clicking until you get the best possible shot. We are here to have some fun and to create lots of memories, remember.
My lady is always ready to stand in front of the camera, born for it, I guess, tireless and unflinching as far as my memory goes. Gents and the kids get fazed out quite soon after a couple of clicks. They can neither stand still nor give a wide smile or grin. It’s mostly enforced unless you get it through same candid shots when they are chilling out with friends over some silly meaningless banter.
As for the ladies, it’s quite easy to get them to smile and do whatever you want them to do, when they are in front of the camera. I guess that is the only time you can get the woman in your life to do what you want to do without a retort or a question because they are the subject in line. So you can make them do anything and everything so long as you can make them look gorgeous.
The evening sunset was a mesmerizing sight as the sun set over the Arabian sea. After the photo shoots with friends, we were transported to another beach side resort for the reception. They had planned for dance by the bride and the groom to some romantic and peppy Bollywood nos. And their friends came along and lit up the show. It was quite cool, full of cheerfulness and exuberance. It was time for laughter, liveliness and leisure amidst friends. As the show neared to an end, it was time for dinner and return back to the hotel for night’s rest.
Anirud always gets excited when there is a swimming pool be it a hotel or a residential complex. He likes to jump into the pool and just laze around for hours together. As soon as we entered the hotel, he took a survey with his friend and discovered that there is a swimming pool. Since, we did not plan anything for the next day, he told us that he wanted to get into the pool. It was a beautiful morning and what better way than to take a breather and cool off in the pool. Arjun also joined us later on…after a while it was time to take bath and go for breakfast on time. Thereafter it was time to play Rummy (Cards) with friends with much amusement and excitement.
In the evening it was a gathering at Leena’s parents house which was quite far away from the hotel. It was about an hour’s drive, typical village atmosphere with lots of trees around. Basically, they had to call the village folks and inform them about the marriage in the family. So it was more of a traditional gathering where the elders and others come in to bless the family. On this evening she wore an Anarkali full length dress while we wore matching shirts. Our room was on the mezzanine floor facing the sea. Therefore, you could take some amazing photos from the balcony with the Arabian sea as the backdrop and with the evening sun setting and lighting up the sky and us.
In the evening, we boarded the bus and the ride went on for some time. After a while, it had to stop somewhere with some rerouting and for almost a KM we had to walk our way to the house as it was a narrow village road. Since village folks were invited it was non veg biriyani and lots of booze to keep them vivacious and in high spirits. Loud music was played out by a local band and folks danced away with vigor and vibrancy. The ladies danced inside the house in all liveliness. Sampath picked up his daughter from Coimbatore and reached the place directly. After all the mirth and merriment, it was time to head back to the hotel.
It was the D Day of the wedding. Time for traditional attire. Silk Sarees for ladies and Veshti or Dhoti for Gents. As you can see from the photos, they are truly colorful and look in their splendorous best in their sarees. Everyone looked simply captivating and breathtaking. Each one in a different color, shade, glow, charismatic and enchanting. There was a reception planned in the hotel where we stayed and so they had put up a canopy and some other decorations for the occasion. So we used it optimally for some fabulous photos.
The wedding took place in a big auditorium. It was really huge and there again it was time to take some photos before we took our seats. We went there early so that we get seats in the front to witness the marriage from close quarters. The stage was beautifully decorated and after a while the bride and the groom arrived for the final show. The auditorium was packed to the hilt. It seemed as if the entire town had come to join the party, whether invited or not. The wedding went on as scheduled as per their traditions and finally we could see the relief and happiness in the parents face when their sons and daughters get married and are ready to move on to the next stage in their life.
Once the marriage was over the main aspect to is to savor the sumptuous delicacies of Kerala cuisine. That’s where we had the big surprise. Even though the dining hall was huge and there was a queue outside, it seemed like after every other session, the queue never seemed to move on and remained still. Then someone mentioned that, you just need to barge in and find your seat. Otherwise, you will stand where you are. That’s how it works there…..and literally we had to grab our seats….food though was truly awesome and we filled it to our heart’s fill. Thus we had 3 days of great and amazing time. Afternoon, we checked out of the hotel and went to the station to return back to Chennai and our routine life. This was one memorable wedding as elaborated above. Truly fabulous and fascinating.
Beautiful Life 