Well, it’s been ages since I updated this thing and there have been several news worthy events that deserve to be written about. Firstly is the marriage of my host sister, Ramneet (Neetu).
To summaries past events; Neetu met her husband in early December in an arranged situation. The majority of Indian weddings remain arranged by family members or friends, though now the couple has more say in the matter. Some second-cousins-nephews-wife’s-brothers-sister-in-law, (or whatever) of the bride-to-be happens to be married to or know someone who also happens to know the groom-to-be and the two of them put their heads together and decide if they thing the two would make a ‘good match’. Then the parents of both the bride and groom are contacted and if they agree that it could potentially work out then pictures and basic information are exchanged for the young man and woman to see and determine for themselves if they want to actually meet the other person. If so, then a meeting is arranged and the families of the two people meet and talk and the girl and boy get sent off to a semi-privet place where they can try to get to know each other in a few minutes. After talking for a while, they return to their respective sides and everyone breaks into little groups to discus and gossip and then a decision is made, whether or not to continue on or not and if so, then arrangements are made. This is all according to my observation of Neetu’s engagement but, I’m sure that this sort of thing varies greatly depending on the families involved, the religion, and the region in which it takes place.
The wedding and surrounding ceremonies were simply amazing. The first ceremony/party was the Shagun that happened on the 7th of February. This was the one event fully hosted by the groom’s family and it took place at a small, but quite fancy privet party hall. IT was a relatively small gathering of close family members from both parties, yet there were still well over 100 people there. Our side came bearing MANY gifts and my host parents actually gifted all members of both party’s new suits men and woman’s). The dowry, including large amounts of money, clothing, furniture and sweet boxes for everyone, was given and everyone ate and danced. I left early with my host sister Harmeet (Meetu) and several other cousins and such, so we could go home and get our henna done with Neetu (brides do not attend their Shagun). Sometime later, all of the masi’s and uncles arrived and the party continued at home, until well into the morning.
The next day, everyone dragged themselves out of bed and started getting ready for the reception party in the evening. The party was held at a very large privet party hall and there were over 500 guests. Neetu had to stay in ‘The Brides Room’ until after Harshdeep (Harsh) and his family arrived. Harsh arrived on a horse and was accompanied by a band, despite the light rain. There was a small prayer held outside and gifts of gold jewelry were given to several very close members of Harsh’s family. Before Harsh could enter the building, the brides sisters, brother, cousins, aunts, and whoever else pleased, blocked off the entrance with ribbon and refused to let Harsh pass before he paid them. This part was quite fun and there was lots of friendly pushing, shoving and bargaining, before Harsh finally got through. Once Harsh was situated on his (for lack of a better word) throne, Neetu entered the hall and there was a small precession to where she and Harsh would sit. The bride’s brothers and male cousins hold up the four corners of a canopy that the bride, followed by her sisters and close friends, walks underneath. I was lucky enough to be a part of that and walk under the canopy with Neetu and Meetu. The party went until almost 3 am, when dinner was served and everyone went home to get what sleep they could before the wedding ceremony, later that morning.
The wedding was actually rather simple, compared to the parties of the previous nights. It was held at a nearby Gurudwara and meals were served before and after the ceremony on location. There were no more than 200 or so guests and the ceremony took around an hour, I think. After the lunch was served, most guests left and family members retuned to our house to send Neetu off. Everyone said a tearful good-bye, the band played and the (overly decorated) car drove off. Neetu and Harsh honeymooned in Goa and then moved to Bangalore.
There wasn’t much time to miss Neetu before new projects came up to keep everyone busy. My family sold our house and bought another less than a week after the wedding, but I’m not sure if we will actually move while I’m still here. On top of that, I had my final exams in school and am now done, at last until this September, when I start 12th grade back in the States.
After my school finished, my family, now Mom, Dad, Jasdeep (Honey), and I, went on an amazing 10 day vacation in Kerala, South India. We took a train to Cochin (on the south western coast) and then travel by bus throughout the rest of Kerala. The train ride down was a painfully boring 47 hour ride, but the rest of the trip more than made up for my suffering.
Cochin was colonized by the Dutch and is still a very important port for the trade of South India’s various spices, teas, and coffee. Cochin is home to India’s only Synagogue, vast amounts of spices and a large population of street goats. We spent one day in Cochin and did a lot of walking because there was a state wide strike on auto rickshaws and busses. The next morning, we took an early morning bus to Munnar, one of India’s major tea growing regions. The bus ride was about 6 hours of uphill driving and hairpin turns. The best part was that the drivers were really good at their jobs, but that was a bit hard to keep in mind when they were taking hairpin turn at full speed and you looked out the window only to notice that there was no guard rail. We spent two beautiful days in Munnar and I could have stayed much longer. It was rolling hills and mountains of bright green tea bushes, flowering trees, blue skies and gorgeous sunsets. Munnar has to be one of the most idyllic places in the world.
We left Munnar in the afternoon and then it was another 4-5 hour drive up and down mountains to Thekkady. Thekkady is best known for Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve. We unfortunately were unable to go on a safari in to the reserve to see the tigers, elephants, and many other kind of wildlife, but we were able to go out on Periyar Lake and spend a lovely afternoon in the park. From Thekkady, we took one last bus to Kottayam. Kottayam is near part of the Kerala backwaters, so we took an auto to reach the nearest section of backwaters. The backwaters are fresh water waterways that are eventually connected to the Arabian Sea. We rented a houseboat for the rest of the afternoon until the following morning. The house boat was amazing! The boat was maybe 36-40 feet long, (but I’m totally guessing on that) and had a bedroom with a double bed, bathroom and shower, TV and A/C. There was also a kitchen in the back where the crew of 3 cooked our meals (so good!) and a dining table, arm chairs, and lots of lounging area in the front of the boat, where we spent most of our time. The backwaters were so serene and relaxing, despite the other house boats on the water way. In the early evening, we stopped for the night and Honey and I were allowed to swim in the warm water as the sun set. That was the highlight of the trip for me. I enjoyed the water so much that I went swimming again at dawn, when there was still some mist on the water. Unfortunately, we had to go back to Kottayam and hang around at the rain station for 4 hours until out train to Bangalore arrived.
We only stayed one whole way in Bangalore to visit Neetu and Harsh. While we were there, they celebrated their 1st month as a newly married couple. We sadly did not get much time in Bangalore with Neetu because we flew back to Delhi the afternoon after we arrived. Flying domestically in India is actually quite pleasant and everything about our flight was on time and relaxed. It was the first time my Mom and Dad had ever traveled by plane, so I was really glad that they got such a nice impression of air travel.
Now I’m back in Delhi, finding ways to spend my last month and a half. I cannot believe how fast this year has gone. It’s so hard to imagine leaving India in just over 6 weeks. Part of me really wants to get back to my family and friends, but the other half would be quite happy to say here forever and keep exploring.
This is all for now, but I’ll try to update this at least once more before I leave and once more
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