Year 2024 another year of Fabulous, Marvelous, Magnificent Wedding Event!!!
Year 2024 another year of Fabulous, Marvelous, Magnificent Wedding Event!!!
About a ix months back, my friend Shirish called me from US “Shapu we are all coming to India in November for the wedding of Tanvi & Keerthi (his son-in-law)”. This in itself was a big news for me as almost after over 20 years we would meet with our families. Ice on the cake was the lovely news of Tavni’s wedding event. My dear friend and grooms family are settled in US and my friend wanted to share the joy of this once-in-a-lifetime event “Wedding Ceremony” with all close knit family & friends.
It was truly a great and wonderful wedding ceremony. We all had great time together enjoyed to the fullest. It was the best wedding and a good ending to the year 2024.
Just to take you back to the friendship bond references – we all started our careers in Lupin Aurangabad around 1990 – a young boys came from Marthwada region someone a B.Sc, someone an M.Sc… etc. and we all started working in Lupin. After working over there for 4 to 5 years.. everyone has moved out to different companies, cities and countries. However, through some or the other way we could remain connected with the strong bonds we have had.
One more point would like to touch base today…in the past our own people have started going away from the “traditional wedding event” and converted it to a registered marriage followed by a Reception in all western style…. then the Era came where people have started destination weddings.. then came the Era of doing the destination weddings that too following our own traditional rituals of … Vagnishchay, Sumhurta, Saptapadi, Madhu Park, Kanya Dan, (please google for the meanings of this if you would like to go in detail…) .. and I started loving these events wherein the Vedacharya conducting the events by explaining importance and significance of each ritual… I can not elaborate here…
The most important fact here I would like to highlight is that both Tanvi and Keerthi are brought up in the USA and their families are also settled there for over 20 years now.. but they have agreed with their parents to conduct the wedding in the mother nation India … this is the power of our Sanskaras which parents have inculcated in their next gen. Proud of you all parents following this.
As I said time flies, it was almost running with a big bang speed and the day arrived wherein @ The Vivanta by Taj Hotel, Sambhajinagar the Haldi and Music event was organized. All friends and families gathered at the event and spread the fragrance of relationship, friendship bonds to the fullest. With Shirish there are other friends who are is settled in US and they all are tied in a bond so strong, that let it be a time of difficulty, festivity, happiness and what not, they all come together and luster the event. Here again I could not join, as was busy at work. Other friends Sunil Deshpande & Girish Deshpande who are bro-in-law of Shirish and also common friends were there enjoying the Music as Abolee- Girish’s daughter who is a renowned classical singer now was performing in a chilling weather @ The Vivanta’s poolside lawn – the space itself is so rich in terms of greenery, hills, water bodies and swimming pool in surrounding – the saptaswaras started mixing the wave which added to the overall flavour of the wedding event. I was getting the updates and pictures during my journey and I have internally started to be enjoying the event though was not their directly at the venue. This was also a get together of old friends from Aurangabad ...sone pe suhaagaa.
In a full of traditional, shiny, gloomy attire my car stopped at the Vivanta Taj and mixed well like all fruits mixed in a jar for the mixed fruit juice. Tight hugs to break the long gaps of meeting each other we all have started usual pulling each other legs in the event, fun, frolic cherishing old golden days.
We all a group over 5 to 6 have been meeting together after decades… from a bachelor life to grown up (?) parents… wherein the next gen is getting married… how time flies… though It may be repetitive but fact remains – I have no words to capture these moments in words….
By the time the wedding rituals were happening, we could not stop by clicking the photographs and happy gloomy faces wiped off the wrinkles and grey shade by the happiness around and we captured those beautiful pictures in our phones. Soon music vibrations have started entering and the body started moving in a rhythmic manner – an inner dance. These moments are rare and you feel you are walking in skies …. Ohh.. what a feeling.
Though I was not there the day prior, but with photos and videos I witnessed the entire area was Yellow Yellow – on Haldi all were yellow outfitted… variety of sheds in Yellow and mix and match of Kurtas, sarees, suits and jackets…. Wow.. I could still feel that yellow tinge when I am writing this. Again music – dance – group photos, single photos, selfies, and what not. The rhythmic pulse fuelled with the fun and frolic supplemented with the food, beautifully decorated buffet stalls was real cherry on the cake. Mobile phones were bouncing up and down, right and left and all possible corners to snap out every detail, every emotion, every moment in and around. What a fun man.
Music Night arranged for both the families. Throwing yellow outfits and all again geared up with new outfits and with the additional lighting at the venue it was just sparkling and eye catching. The musical outfit at the venue whilst the groom performed with his Guru, Abolee singing, and mixing was poised more graceful as all in all we were enjoying it from within. The fun was more as the two families are belonging to a different tradition.. one a typical Maharashtrian and other a South Indian – a mix of two cultures in to to, language, attire got so gelled well in each others… this was not enough there were many who are of USA origin enjoying this to the fullest. Though they are unaware of whats going – with curiosity they were watching and enjoying each moment around this event.
Next day started again in another traditional outfit. All shining, cheerful faces again went in photography – this time FETA was an add-on by the organizers and it added that tomb in the attire and enjoyed the photography to the fullest. Needless to mention beautiful tea, coffee and cookies on the wake up in the chilling weather of Sambhaji Nagar and followed by a varied itemized breakfast. An exquisitely, gorgeously and charmingly pandal was another site of attraction to click the pics wherein all the rituals were happening. We all were also on all time high in terms of the attire and looks and some with goggles and some without it. In all possible bearings, we posed for the clicks and by the time all our GBs data was about to die with the loads of pictures we were adding to it. Then the barat, dance, Mangalashtak – the actual wedding ritual. I always get very emotional at this whether its my own daughter or any other, but I could see the feelings of all the responsible people out there and imagine what they must be thinking at this moment in time and soon a set of drops started flowing over the face and out and a big applaud of claps with music woked me up and finally Tanvi and Keerthi were officially tied together. I must not repeat about the food…. As in every event the number of dishes and variety was increasing and the stalls were many that I could not catch them in all even in a Panorama view in the photo.
All the chairs in the pandal were decorated with a small card with a bar code scanner wherein we would get all the event photos, a tiny decorative pouch with flower petals, a bell was kept. Soon the Lagha Ghatika got over everybody showered the petals and all bells were ringing in a happy node made the “Mahol” entirely emotional. Shirish took the mike and announced that no one would come to stage, the newly wed couple will come to your chair to get the blessings… wow.. what a thought !! the happy faces then started moving around all chairs, introduction, blessings, wishes, photos !!! again and again…
What an artistic arrangement @ Shirish – supported by @Bodhankars and contributed by Deshpandes, Pedgaonkars & Shirsikars… Puraniks and Patils were witnessing it a big way. Every arrangement was designed and executed differently… the Barat, Doli (the song that was played when Tanvi reached the venue in Doli)… selection of songs… even the band played good songs… energetic Keerthi was also dancing in every moment and the followers in traditional Lungi were promoting him and participating in it by raising their hands the way they could dance…. Mesmerising…
तदेव लग्नं सुदिनं तदेव ताराबलं चंद्रबलं तदेव । विद्याबलं दैवबलं तदेव लक्ष्मीपते तेंघ्रियुगं स्मरामि।।
वह लग्न (मुहूर्त ) शुभ होता है , वह दिन मंगलकारी होता है, उसी लग्न में तारे, चन्द्र, विद्या और देवताका बल होता है जिस समय हम लक्ष्मीपति श्रीविष्णुका स्मरण करते हैं ।
(That alone is the best time, that only is the best day, that time only has the strength bestowed by stars, moon, knowledge and Gods, when we think of the feet of Lord Vishnu who is the spouse of Goddess LakShmi.)
In all it was an awesome, fantastic, fantabulous, mindblowing event arranged by all Valsangikars & Ramanis - the heads of families and their close family members – I may miss few names, please forgive me but I should not miss few key members who were kind enough to take care of the entire arrangements ... hats off to you guys for closing our 2024 with big bang fond memories to cherish for longer times…
Sharad Puranik
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