Vini's Engagement.

Its been more than fifteen days since the first engagement of a TLTE member. I am so sorry that I was lazy enough not to pen down the events of that day.

Plans were to meet Tirth and then, I had no idea. Left everything for Tirth to assure we reach the place by eleven. First time ever in this semester I had to wake up early in the morning. Had to place a knife on the neck of my friend to make him drop me at iima in the wee hours of the day. Tirth was ready and we were in the bus to Baroda within minutes. First time I was traveling to Baroda unlike Tirth who has already been to that city. It was one of the good highways I have seen in the recent past. Tirth dozed off soon as he was tired(lack of sleep last night) and I was left all alone to myself to watch the TV in the bus. And to my horror it was none other than Himesh reshmiyya on the video. I don't understand. What's with Himesh and the drivers ranging from autos to buses? They had a video casettee of his songs recorded!!

Brushing aside such never ending thoughts, I thought of the recent ceremonies I had been to. There are none where I had been before time. Every time I go, its just when the groom ties knot or the pundit shows them the star in the end or even worse just have the dinner and return. This time I am going to have the opportunity to watch every moment and event. Never ever in my life I attended any mallu wedding or engagement. For that matter, I never attended any engagement and I have no idea what happens and when, except for a few flashes of the ring exchange between the couple and plates exchange, with coconut in it and saree's and fruits beside it, between the parents of the couple. Tirth's knowledge in this aspect is even worse.

Meanwhile we were in the city and got down the bus to find an autowalah who led us to a restaurant as we were dead hungry. Tirth managed everything. I don't speak much Hindi and with auto drivers, never ever. Its a long story. Tirth had some work to do with internet and it is quite obvious that we had a difficult time to find a cyber-cafe in a city where people don't understand what a cyber-cafe or internet is. Thankfully there was a computer in the reception of the restaurant and it indeed had an internet connection. He completed his work and even checked orkut. Then we headed for the place and we were much much before time that we found it hard to get inside where a very few people were there whom neither I know nor did Tirth.

We headed for the best. Stand outside, wait for vini to come. Called her and heard from her that she will be there in ten minutes. Tirth called her again and I don't know what they talked(ask him) but it took more than ten minutes to wind up mean while I noticed a missing 'h' in the name of Vinitha nair on the name plate over there. They also replaced 'o' with an 'a' in Vinod menon. They later changed the 'a' but didn't place a 'h'. Unfair. tch tch! We waited in the adjacent hotel reception hall while she came and we then entered into the hall where the ceremony is about to take place. We see her and she see us. Laugh. Hi hi hi. She comes.. asks not to be terrified by the way she looks. But with all the jewelery adding a mere fifteen kgs to her already burdened weight by the Saree, she looks awesome and shy and kind of a bride :D. She is not at all tensed. We didn't talk much as she has to go to perform the rituals or whatever she has to do before the groom comes.

Still there was lots of time left and Tirth was on phone while Vini poses for the pics like a model. Though she asked not to tell anyone, haha, I don't care. The camera man asks her to place her chin on the hand and hand on the chair and pose with legs crossed and she obliges. Background was already setup with few pots with flower plants and fern. Lots of snaps they shot.
Yashu, bug her to release them out.

Clock is ticking and the hall is filling up with the relatives and few children are running around upsetting some of the elderly people around. We preferred to sit on the chairs at a particular place where we can see everyone. Tirth notices that we both are the only ones in our twenty's. Everyone else is either below ten or above 35. Then Vinod enters the room along with his friends. Figured it out from the dressing style. Before going on to the stage to perform whatever the pundit says, he talked to elders taking their blessings.. In fact he looked like he generally talks much. I fear what happens to him after sometime this year :P

Vini and Vinod are then brought together, onto the stage , and they then proceed to exchange rings. Cameras click, they smile, again the cameras click and pundit hands over few papers to the elders down there. Curious we went down to see what it was only to notice that is some kind of agreement on which they were signing, might be some documents to submit to the government that they are a couple now? Then the parents exchange the plates as I have thought. Now started the actual funny thing. Pundit then asked the couple to stand up and introduce themselves and their family members to other. It was something that should be seen. Vini saying I am vini, *mother name* she is my Ma, *father name* is my father and so on. After introducing everyone to everyone, a stream of relatives parade up and down the stage continuously making short conversations and posing for photographs. The couple smiled, received gifts, smiled and so on... Since it is daytime and there is no reason to rush, relatives and friends took their time to climb on the stage and talk to the couple and of course have them photographed with the couple.

The couple stood there while the relative kept coming and talking to them posing for the photographs.They should have been hungrier than all. Though they don't accept,its a fact and it should have been very hard to stand there all the time doing all that. Of course they loved that too, I guess. The rest of the ceremony was as you would have at any reception of any culture. There was a huge table with food, buffet style. People started dining merilly while soft sensuous music played in the background. The couple were still standing on the stage where they kept smiling for the cameras and kept getting gifts. They should be hungry but they waited a long time to start their meal.

The food was delicious, ice cream was good and the whole room was filled with kind of a delicious smell. Everyone enjoying their meal chit chatting with neighbours while we talked to vini and vinod. The talking part was done by Vini and Tirth while myself and Vinod did become good listeners for sometime. In the mean time, Kosha called and the once room partners talked for some time and then due to the packed schedule of Tirth and myself, we had to leave soon after the lunch. I had just seen a complete mallu engagement. It was indeed much more classy and much more fun than the typical ring exchange I have thought of. I loved the ambience, the lunch, the ice-cream and the chocolate topping. Tirth was talking about vanilla and wine(is it wine?) chocolate topping.

I expected a Chicken 65 or fish tikka to be served. So did Tirth, unfortunately for us it was only a rich, delicious, vegetable flavored meal and we had to be satisfied with that. :d

Back to home, thankfully there is no himesh reshmiyya this time and I didn't even know when I was consumed by the deep sleep. We were back to Ahmadabad. By the time the auto dropped Tirth at iim, I was in a semi-sleep state and yet again forgot to ask for the treat. Next time Tirth, treat first and then and then only, anything else.

Thats it guys, the engagement ceremony of our beloved vini. Congrats once again Vini and Vinod :)