BLOWING CONCHES AND TWO LEAVES

It rained and Chandigarh broke an all time record by experiencing 322mm rainfall in the span of 24 hours. The Tricity as Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula are called has never experienced such a spell. There was a lull in the afternoon yesterday, but it seems to have made up in the night.
We all went decked up for the Bengali-Iyengar wedding and since the muhurtam time was 6.23 pm to 7.15, we landed well ahead of time. The pandits came much later and started making arrangements. This was good, for one of pandit arrived from Delhi and few flights had been cancelled. We changed seats often for a good view. All went for a toss soon.
Rahul came looking handsome in a dhoti, kurta and angavastram. Not at all Iyengar. And then he sported the Bengali style topor. He still continued to look like a Sikh is another dress.
No food or booze. They had been asked to serve only after shaadi was done.
At about 8.45 pm the bride arrived and was made to sit on a small wooden patth (they probably don't make baskets in Chandigarh) and Jasmine's brother, male cousins carried her around Rahul seven times (maybe like the pheres), while she hid her face behind two betel leaves and giggled throughout the bumpy ride. Very cute, with conches blowing. And then they exchanged garlands, in the usual playful manner of who can carry whom higher and who can fling garlands higher and faster.
No sign of food or booze. Rain apparently had started. Finally they came to mandap, a small havan was there and because of the conch sound we knew something was happening. Enthusiastic Bangla women blew these tiny conches with great gusto. Disco music was playing on the first floor waiting for the marriage guests.
We shut that down to hear the priest. Could not but some women seemed excited and apparently maang mein sindhoor bhara gaya. A tad too much in fact. And then something shown and it was the mangalsutra attached to gold chain...we did not see it so we do not know if it had the Iyengar touch or not. No big ceremony. Methinks Iyengaars lost out to Bengalis.
Finally at about 9.15 pm the bar and chaat section opened, even as one gentleman tried to hustle us all to go to the party. Some of us dug our feet, had our drink, ate a little chaat, a small dosa and some curd rice.
Now the waiting game started to meet and greet Radhakrishnan and Nabhanita. It was 10.30 and the day began to take its toll. We collected our tambulam bag of goodies filled with Bengali sweets, savouries (from Adayar Anand Bhavan and I might add the only Tamil touch) and a special gift from our friend and cajoled one of the car drivers to drop us back.
Since Chandigarh has not had such a deluge in a long, long time every one was agog. Those not in the know of the record breaking events, encouraged us to step out and visit friends and relatives in Chandigarh from Panchkula.
It was only thanks to the taxi drivers that we acted sensibly. These guys had been doing the drudgery of dropping guests at airport, railway station, not realising that trains had been cancelled. Surprisingly all flights took off, though the airport did look inundated.
The Tricity has bad roads, full of potholes, plenty of low lying areas, weak bridges and an absolute lack of discipline while driving.
We would have seen the pretty, lipsticked girls, some cute guys and after having some chaat at some famous sector, decided that Chandigarh is liveable. For a Union Territory, I was sorely disappointed.
Am glad am returning to sunny Hyderabad. Missed you Vijaya and Pramod Pushkarna. Next time. Maybe.