Aik Vivah..... AUR

It's wedding time. Not for me but for my friends. It seems that god wants everyone to get tied in the knots on 25th and 26th April 2012. Proof was the number of invitation cards, I had for those dates. Even, Gyan was getting married on 25th. It wasn't his invitation but my past experience of the love of the people of that part of country, pulled me to attend his marriage. We planned the journey to go to Patna and attend Gyan's marriage but for return, we had different plans.

Place - Patna
Mode of Journey - Ofcourse, Flight
Number of people - 2! YAA_YAA, I asked a lot many people whoever wants to join but got a single , ONLY a SINGLE nod from Alok.
People - Alok and ME
Date: 24th April2012 @ 12 in NIGHT!

Day 1: STARTING DAY---
We had flight on 25th morning but we were not sure whether we will get BIAL bus or proper cab early morning or not so we boarded the bus for airport on 24th night and started the prime motto of this journey!! NAA-NAA... Gyan didn't got married in that BUS! We started clicking pics as we were going to capture the whole Patna in our camera, on this trip. We were two people and had THREE cameras!!

By 2AM, we were at airport and had to kill 3 more hours to board our flight. AS PER ALOK's CONSCIOUS MIND AND MY UNKNOWN STATE, I SLEPT(or keep falling from chair). Flight was on time. This flight runs on a close loop, started from Bangalore in morning, then KOLKATA, PATNA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI and then back to BANGALORE in night! Meanwhile, Again I slept for next 3 hours in flight while Alok was trying to save himself from my falling head and my KARATE practicing HANDS! We landed at around 11 and Gyan was at airport to receive us. His house was just at 20 minutes distance from Airport.
As soon as we reached Gyan house. we are in a chaos where children were running here and there to catch each other on their game. Elders were shouting to get things done. Gyan's Mom and Dad were making sure thing that all things for all rituals are at right place. Gyan's Brother and Bhabhi jee are taking care of all guests. After greeting everyone, we went to take rest in Gyan's room and slept for 2 hours. It was a freshening sleep where I didn't fall from my seat and even Alok has a good sleep.


As soon as we were UP, everyone was scolding us for not getting ready. We managed to get our face WASHED, SHAVED and got ready with the dance moves which we had planned for the marriage. Suddenly everybody noticed that Everyone except the THE CAR for groom is ready. Since everyone was busy in something so this task came in my hands to get the car DECORATED with flowers from a near by shop. As soon as we reached there, I saw lots of cars and lots AND lots AND lots of FLOWERS. I had never seen these many flowers at one place, these are far more than what a Hindi movie hero throws on Heroine. IF he throws these many flowers at heroine, HEROINE will get buried under the HUGE PILE.


By the time, I came back in my active conscious state, we asked the person to do his job on our car first. Bhabhi jee (Gyan's Sister in law) has already told him to do it first on call so he started the job and within 1 hour, he turned that CAR in rose ARRAY!( Sorry, I am a computer engineer and can't take that part out of me!!) After getting the work done, we head back to home where everyone was ready and were waiting for the car to start the Baarat. I quickly made myself READY and came out to show my DANCE MOVES in Baarat. As soon the Baarat starts from the house, people kidnapped the orchestra and asked(tortured in funny way) to play their selective songs. and more to add on orchestra's people wound, they dance like HELL and even kicked them by there so called MOVES. At that moment, I was a spectator and was thinking whether I should take that risk or not! Luckily, some elderly figure came out for there rescue and Baarat starts moving. within next 20 mins, we reached our first meeting point.

Again baarat got re-assembled and people start coming in their dancing shoes after one or two pegs. This time, me and alok were also dragged in by Gyan's cousins and exchanged few kicks( Literaly i got some and I gave kicks by my newly invented MOVES to someone else). Finally we got our rhythms and dance for around 30-40 minutes till we reached the bride's place.

By the time, we reached Bride's place, they were thinking that baarat will reach by INDIAN STRETCH TIME while baarat was on time. Credit goes to Gyan's father, who keep pushing all dancers to move quickly! Finally people came to gate and welcomed us all. Gyan was taken to his SPECIAL SEAT by his new relatives i.e. in laws! We ate few chunks and accompanied Gyan in his nervous moments. After few minutes, Bhabhi jee arrived with lowered eyes, garland in her hands and accompanied with a gang of her sisters/friends! She was looking gorgeous. As some one said that "MARRIAGE is THE SPECIAL day in a girl's life when she can win the MISS WORLD title. As the moments of nervousness, excitement and shyness adding loads of beauty to her natural beauty!"

As soon as she came on stage, we start cheering in double frequency as earlier it was only for our friend and now it was for the couple. :) Finally garlands got exchanged and people blessed them. After Garland round, couple was entered in posing round where every elder came on stage for giving their exclusive blessing to the couple and the couple receiving the same with a BROAD smile, in front of camera. I wonder how could they maintained that smile for 50+ times. (number is reduced to lower the pain of cheeks of couple in addition of back ache to touch the feets of those elders!).

Finally, everyone was off stage to start the rituals of the marriage. Marriage was started with blessings and gift from Gyan's elder brother for the bride. After that Panditjee starts his murmerring while few people slept, few were trying to understand what panditjee is trying to ask. Among them, I was in the company of Alok and few cousin of Gyan and watching all ceremonies. They were quite similar as ceremonies on our side qith little differences.

Finally, marriage was over by 5 AM in morning. Then comes the most sobby part of the wedding, departure of the bride and the way the relatives say goodbye to her. Sometimes I wondered(in every marriage) if they have so much pain for her departure why they choose a groom who they knew that he will take their daughter away. They could have searched for a son-in-law who would agreed on to stay in his in-laws house. BUT a condition like that will make groom's parents cry!! Finally someone has to cry in the mariage last stage!! What a CEREMONY!! :O


Finally, we are back to Gyan's house alonwith his WIFE. Everyone was tired apart from Gyan's mom and other relatives who were not the part of Baraat. They were ready to start the another set of rituals for the couple. Even me and alok were headed towards bed because of last night rituals. By the time, we were up, all rituals were over and lunch was ready. Marriage of Gyan was over and we were busy in making plans for our lateral part of trip i.e to roam the palces around Patna.


For next one and half days we roamed around the city to calm down the rats/lions of my belly. Most of the time we roamed around the station road, near Hanuman temple. As this place is known for its litti-chokha, samosas, chandrakala and other sweets. visited all nearby sites which includes Bodhi tree in gyaa- Place where Lord Buddha got NIRVANA, PAVAPURI - A Jain pilgrimage in one day. Even in this trip, we keep our hungry parasites quite with Tilkut, anarsa, chaat and other stuffs. Caution: 1 point, all this food made my stomach go WILD for next two days.


Finally we ended our trip with a final goodbye to Gyan's family, newly got bhabhijee, ofcourse Gyan too ANDDDD few new friends, Gyan's Cousin. Alok was heading towards Kolkata to continue his instinct to explore east india while I was heading towards Delhi, my native. With all newly and freshly baked memories, I was heading towards airport with Extra special blessing for me from Gyan's parents, new memories of typical Bihari style marriage, lots of new friends whose names are out of my memory but the time which I spent with them, has left a mark in my memories FOREVER ..... and ofcourse my clicks will help me to do so. ;)