Morning coffee in Kiddo's room

I woke to the usual sounds of the village, and on this morning another sound which reminded me of new tenants moving in next door to me – a loud thumping.  It turned out to be one of the ladies just outside the bedroom door pounding spices in a really large mortar with a really large pestle.  This went on for a long time which is not surprising considering the number of people that were being cooked for.

On this day, I was to travel with Bhiv and the men of the village (Artiya) to Chandelao, which is the village where Arjun (the groom) lives and is now Rinku’s new home.  In the late afternoon we piled into a couple of Land Rovers and off we went.  We arrived and took a slow walk to the hotel to look around.  Chandelao is a popular spot for tourists and I must say the hotel is great.  We were to sleep over that night and I was told later that I was to sleep at the hotel – compliments of the Manager – talk about first class treatment!!!!

First things first though, all the men and me of course, were to have dinner at tables set up outside the house – it was “non-veg” which meant Lamb, which is actually Goat meat in India.  Once again I was amazed by how incredibly well parties are organised.  Beds for the male guests were lined up in rows right next to the tables.  The food and the company was great, and as soon as I had finished eating and drinking I was escorted to my hotel room.

Morning dawned and I woke up in my fancy hotel room with a cough that sounded like I smoke 4 packs a day, and snotty nose – charming.  To be honest, I didn’t feel bad but I sounded disgusting.  At around 9am I was collected from the hotel and taken back to Arjun’s home.  I should say now that no one really spoke English so communication was tricky.  I watched a ritual between Rinku and her mother-in-law and so badly wished I knew why it was being done.

There was also a drummer (naturally) and the ladies got to dance again – this I understood and participated gladly.  It was so good to see Rinku taking part because it had seemed to me that until this moment she was conspicuous by her absence.  I am used to Western weddings where everything seems to be about the bride and she is very much at the centre of everything.

For the remainder of the day it felt like a Sunday at home really.  Everyone was in groups chatting and whiling away the hours companionably.  The food was great, Tinu kept me entertained, Marudhar came to visit and after lunch beds were put out for us to have a siesta, where I got to watch 2 birds make a nest behind a picture in the house.

In the late afternoon it was time to make our way back to Artiya.  Rinku was going to come back with us – this happens a lot at the start of a marriage, if distance allows, which is pretty great for the bride and groom.  I’m sure it helps a lot in terms of getting to know each other and their respective families.

We got back to Artiya – this was my last night with my Kiddo.  Arjun was to arrive sometime later and a “non-veg” dinner was prepared.  Once again I joined the men and had a festive time with them.  I also got to meet Arjun properly, and sat chatting with him and his group of friends.

March 15^th dawned.  It was time for me to leave Artiya and my wonderful “family”.  All good things must come to an end…..hopefully to make way for more good things.

Vikram, his wife and baby girl arrived at around 10 or 11am – I was on Indian time so I really don’t remember too well.  I was going with them from Artiya to Pushkar where I would meet up with Himmat for the next part of my adventure.

Before I move on to the next part of my journey I feel I should say something more about the wedding.

For those who don’t know, the marriage of Rinku and Arjun was arranged.  The bride and groom hadn’t met each other before the actual wedding day.  Tradition, Religion and Superstition govern every part of a marriage from the choosing of a bride or groom to the departure of the bride from her parents’ home.

The following is the sequence of events with the correct names, as per google:

“It comprises a ceremony for the Tilak (engagement), the Ban (starting of the wedding ceremony), the Mel (the community feast), the Nikasi (the departure of the Bridegroom party for the wedding), the Sehla, and the Dhukav (reception of the wedding party at the bride's place by her parents). Solemnisation of the wedding is referred to as Fera.”

Being the special guest was truly a privilege, and I only hope I didn’t disappoint.  I had no idea what was expected of me or what to expect.  Experiencing an Indian wedding in a village gave me the feeling of going way back in time, and I feel like the luckiest person alive to have been a part of it.