Mumbai: Day 5 - Wedding Day!

Ok, so it was finally the day of the much anticipated wedding. All in all a fun, but tiring day.

I got up early, and had my complimentary breakfast at the hotel, and got back to the run to get dressed. Ma, although she wasn't really feeling well (feverish and stomach upset), got up early and dressed me in the sari, and put on some makeup and stuff. And when she asked for a smile while she took a photo, all I gave was a frown, and told her to hurry up! I don't even know why I was that irritated! Sometimes I think I'm the most ungrateful child ever born. My parents do everything they can to keep me happy, and I repay them with a frown and angry words. Every time I do this, I resolve never to do it again, but I just cant seem to help it!

While dressing, I got multiple calls from my friends, questioning the delay, since I was supposed to be in their hotel by max 8 am, but it was 8.30 am and I still hadn't reached. There was actually (!) a stunned silence on the phone when I told them I would come already dressed, as initially I was supposed to get dressed in the hotel with them, and a lady was supposed to come to drape the sari. Apparently, the lady had closed her parlor since she had to come to dress us, and so she would take the decided upon amount, whether the work was required or not!

Anyway, Pa walked me to the hotel where my friends were getting dressed. When I entered the room, at first I thought I'd got the wrong room, due to all the unknown faces staring at me in the doorway.But on going further in saw my friends. The unknown faces were the parlor ladies. Anyway, there was a lot of chaos in the room, stuff thrown about and girls in saris running around looking for things. Everyone was almost ready, and were just applying the finishing touches (of makeup). I spoke to the lady about the sari, and she agreed to do my hair for the amount she would have charged to drape the sari, so that wasn't a complete waste.

Anyway, when everybody was ready, we had a quick photo session, and left for the wedding hall, which was just across the road.

This was a typical Marathi style wedding, so not a lot of noise, but no dancing at all. The groom arrived soon after us. When he first reached the hall, the bride's mother welcomed him with aarti and stuff. For that, he needed to remove his shoes, and step on a small platform stool kind of thing. When he removes his shoes, the girl's side people (cousins, siblings, friends) snatch his shoes, and then ask for money in return for the shoes. Its tradition! I missed most of this since I was on a call, but one of our friends got the groom's shoes, getting scratches and cuts while doing it! She actually fought the groom's cousins and screamed "My Sari! My Sari!" when they tried to gt near her!! She was my hero!

 Colored rice to be thrown on the couple (like confetti?)

Anyway after that the wedding ceremony started. All the pooja, pheras and everything. We didn't get to see much of it since it was taking place at the front and people were crowding there. We just sat back and tried to take photos. After that a fabulous lunch, and it was time to leave.

Some of us:

The Couple

We went back to the hotel where I was to share a room with Mag. So, the two of us went to our room, and had yet another quick photo session, after which we washed and changed and went off to sleep. After we got up and had some yummy chicken sandwiches, it was time to get dressed for the wedding reception. There wasn't much chaos this time around since most of us weren't wearing saris, so we all got dressed in our respective rooms, and left for the Reception, which was at the same place across the road. 

We wished them again, another photo session and went to dinner, which was pretty uneventful. Caught up with some other friends who came late. With our stomachs overfull, we left the hall to say buy to the bride.
It was a very emotional farewell for her and her parents, lots and lots of crying and hugging, I don't really know why. I mean its not like ancient times, she'll keep meeting her parents and even staying with them and all. Anyway, to each his/her own.

We reached the hotel and with not much time to sleep, since we would be leaving for the bus stop in like 4-5 hours, we all gathered in one room and got to talking shit and stuff. That was fun, but I fell asleep halfway through! I guess everybody was getting sleepy after a point, so we just moved to our rooms and slept for like an hour. Got up and half asleep we left for the station. Back to Pune and back to work!

Mumbai: Days 2 - 4

There was a time
I used to look into my father's eyes.
In a happy home
I was a king, I had a golden throne.
Those days are gone,
Now the memory's on the wall.
I hear the songs
From the places where I was born.

- Swedish House Mafia

Ok, so for the next three days I really was a queen, as I always am when with my parents. After the big party, my parents, who were also in Mumbai that week came to pick me at the hotel. We had a quick photo session in front of the water fountain thingy, and then left. After a long long ride around Mumbai in the auto (everything was closed due to the bandh, even the malls), we finally got off at the Infinity mall, and had the best movie experience! Had a quick lunch and were back at the guest house where they were staying. It was a far cry from the hotel I'd just stayed in the previous night, but it was home for now.

The next day I had my quarterly doctor's appointment, which went pretty well except for the fact that a Thyroid problem was detected in my blood test. Since I was doing well from the looks of it, she (the doc.) asked to repeat this test in a month, preferably at another place, to verify the results. So, although I was a bit disturbed with this new problem initially, I have since decided there's no use in worrying about it now when it is unconfirmed. I will worry when there is actually something to worry about!

After another quick lunch at a nearby place and a hunt for the best concealer, we went home and rested (read lazed) around for the rest of the day. The next day we were told we had to vacate the room, since due to some mis-communication the room had been booked only till the previous day. So, we moved across the city, from Andheri, to Dadar into a a nice hotel. Ma was feeling pretty sick by now, due to something she ate. So we stayed in the hotel the rest of the day.

Continued at: http://pitchdarkroom.blogspot.com/2013/07/mumbai-day-5-wedding-day.html

Mumbai: Day 1 - Bachelorette Party!!!

Ok, so I've had a  busy busy few days last week. Was in Mumbai for a college friends wedding and also then met my parents and went for the quarterly Doc's appointment. Details follow...

Friend "P" was getting married, and she was the first of the college bunch to be married. So, there was much excitement and all! Planning for the Bachelorette party had started months ago!!
We left Pune early in the morning (6.45 AM) by Neeta Volvo, which BTW, are most unreliable (Our earlier bus -  6.15 AM  - got cancelled and we were informed just the night before the journey about this!), and reached Mumbai Airport by around 11 AM. We'd booked a hotel for the night of the party, and what a hotel!! A few pics:

Entrance of the hotel:

Close-up of the Waterfall thingy:

 Jumping on the couch as soon as we entered the hotel:

Opposite side of the couch:

View of the cafe from the corridor on our floor:

So, this was one of the poshest hotels I'd ever stayed in, and we took our time exploring the place. Went out for a quick lunch, and had a near-death experience with a crazy-fast auto driver!! Got back and we were off to bed, except for one who had to work from home! Poor thing.

After the restful nap, we were woken by the working lady's loud conversation on the phone to some aunt!!I know her whole life-story now! Everything! We then left the hotel to buy some juice/sprite, chips, etc. But owing to the Bandh in Mumbai, had to search and search until we finally found some shops that had these things! Phew!

Got back to the hotel and started prep for the party, on the to-do list:
- Make a poster saying Welcome
- Mix the drinks
- Blow the balloons (which were not really balloons!)
- Clean up the mess in the room
- Put up the posters/balloons

Only once everything was done did we allow the bride to enter the room. The poor thing was waiting in the corridor, and talking to us through the door for a long time till we were ready! Must've looked funny to people passing by!

As she entered, she was welcomed with a garland of balloons, a drink, soap bubbles and loud shouts. We had her change into the t-shirt made for her, and then put on the sash and garland. And after a round of shots, the games started! Planned were:

- The Questions Game (Questions on how well they know each other, every wrong answer had her taking a vodka-cranberry shot).
- Pin Ups (A naughty variation of the traditional pin-the-donkey's-tail).
- An educational game on how not to get pregnant (involving a banana and the balloons)!

The games were a lot of fun, but she got too many answers wrong in the first game, and so being pretty much sloshed by the end of all the games, went to sleep. And it was only 11 PM!
Anyway, the rest of us were doing ok, not too high, so the party continued, with a bit of dhak-dhak, and lots and lots of pics! As it got later, it got more personal, talking and catching up. All that talking made us hungry, and with no other option we ordered Dominoes.

The hand-made cardboard invitation to the party:

The glitter drawing on the T-shirt:

Creating/Decorating the main poster:

Finally it was hung-up:

The disappointing cup-cakes:

I finally went off to sleep at around 3 AM, though some of the others were still awake, since one had a flight early in the morning and so had to leave by 3.30 AM, another left at 5 AM, and the others by 9 AM, till there were only the three of us left when I got up! We had to scan every square inch and clean up the entire room on waking; there were a lot of of balloons (which weren't really balloons) around, and tiny cardboard heart and stuff like that.

Later the three of us went for the complimentary breakfast for two (I know!). Everything looked really good, but apart from the scrambled eggs, there wasn't anything special. Still, seeing that we didn't pay for the third person, it was very generous of them!

Entrance to the hotel cafe for breakfast:

 

Continued at  http://pitchdarkroom.blogspot.com/2013/05/mumbai-days-2-4.html