THE REAL ME...

Today we are back at our place after solemenising Nidhi's marriage. These two days of our life have been filled with diverse experiences. But the feeling that I experienced when we started our journey to back home, is something that is so new to me. Though I had mentally started preparing myself for Nidhi's marriage and the resultant effects, never had I thought of an extricating pain surge through my very being when the final moment would arrive!

Finally it is the time to start and we have just few more hours to go before we give away our first born baby girl to some one who, though not a complete stranger, is still not known to us that well.

Indian scriptures speak highly of "Kanya- Daan" that is to bestow your daughter to an eligible bachelor for the purpose of procreation and like a staunch Hindu fed upon the staple diet of the epics and Hindu philosophy I atleast have the courage to think about my contribution towards the creation of a new world and my daughter is the link through which I ould contbribute my mite in the universe.

I sincerely believe that had it not been the "Shakti" that women represent and stand for, the world would have been a dull and worthless place to live in. My Nidhi would also prove her worth as a woman and would provide much needed strength to her husband in time of need. All these thoughts have helped ne to take courage to initiate the first step towards the pilgrimage that we would take in few hours from now.

Nidhi who has been the most quiet and introvert child that I have, would definitely exercise her strength, that is inherent in all women, and would come out as a strong woman walking hand in hand with Vikrant not as a follower but as a friend and a partner.

So lets start the journey toward the pilgrimage with purity filled in our hearts and God's blessings!

Today, we finally decided to pack the trousseau of our daughter Nidhi's marriage. A collection of clothes that we had been acquiring for so many days, but somehow the final packing was all the time postponed as something or the other needed to be taken care of. But today being the last day to pack the things, the task copuld not be further postponed. Looking back and reflecting upon the fact that why we waited for such a long time to do the job could be one half of us telling us that this is final closing down of her relationship with us. Perhaps we dreaded the final packing up of her trousseau as watching all the colourful clothes spread around in all the rooms gave us the feeling of her being present everywhere in the home and putting them all in a suitcase would have given us a feeling of closing up a part of us!

Why is so that the girls of the home are to be sent to a different home that becomes their own?

You may go my dear but your fragrance has permeated the very essence of our being and it will remain with us through out!

Today we started with inviting friends for the marriage ceremony of our daughter. As this is the first marriage on the campus, everyone seems to be so excited about it! And when I have to tell them that the marriage will be solemnised at Palampur, a two hours drive from our place, a little excitement fades away from their faces. But still we had a mega time distributing cards. Nidhi's marriage is the event of the campus and more so as the groom has passed out from the same campus and everyone wants to learn more about it.

Marriage in Indian families is not only a solemn event to look forward to but some backstage happenings make such humorous situations that all the tension of getting apart from a loved one is relegated sometimes. These days we feel so tired at the end of the day that we just fall asleep the moment we hit the bed but before that it is such fun to be together. I am really happy that all of us are together at this momentous occasion of our life.

Yesterday Vikrant's sister and Anshu got to talk to each other as both are in the same situation. Both have to work very hard these days and both want to present the best picture they are capable of! And it seems both are a stiff competiotion to each other. Sheetal i.e. vikrant's sister wants to know more about Anshu's dresses and same is the case with Anshu. But these days both are so dead tired of the work pressure that by the D-day both would be just able to survive the day and this mutual feeling of care has brought them together. So, yesterday it was really interesting to hear both of them to talk of the futility of such a marriage where both parties have to suffer the heat of the work load. So both decided that they would go for a simple marriage affair instead of the conventional marriage so as to provide relief to persons working behind the scene. Such camaraderie coming out of the similar situation!

Ah, this marriage affair has really frightened the younger siblings on both the sides. Ashu has been busy distributing the invitation cards and in the evening told Nidhi to go for this assignment herself! Her papa is equally tired and as far as I am concerned, least said is the better. We all, I am sure would be a bundle of worn out creatures at the marriage. And all our plans to introduce our younger daughter as a suitable candidate for the prospective eligible bachelors would go down the drain.

And to watch KS so engrossed in making Kaliras for Nidhi, captured by Ashu on the new camera, is worth the effort. So busy was he in the work that he didn't even pay attention to say cheese! How excited were we earlier but the moment the D_day is approaching a feeling to get over with all this is gradually engulfing all of us.

Not only this another new experience has come our way these days. Everyday we go to market to fetch Dupattas, laces and gota etc. that by the time we get back home, the enthusiasm to put those on clothes just ebbs away!