2 events, 24 hours

I have two events to share with you today.

First of all, Ms. Bopanna has finally made her transition to Mrs. Bopanna-Das. We attended the cocktail on the 27th evening and the main wedding ceremony on the 29th. The former was a relaxed affair with the bride and groom playing hosts to the 100+ odd guests who had gathered to be a part of their happy union. I was expected to dance, like I did for Patrick in Bhubaneshwar, and the truth is I was pretty pepped up had it not been for my busy schedule in the run up to this night. The bride's sister and cousins presented an opening dance act after which the sangeet got underway. The highlight of the evening for us was the song the groom sang for the bride. It was extremely touching and romantic.

The main wedding ceremony was a learning experience for me. The Coorgi saree is worn the opposite way. The pleats are arranged at the back.I wanted to wear my saree the Coorgi way but there was no time to ask for favours then. The traditional Coorgi attire for men was extremely elegant. It helped that the men themselves were really tall and regal. The women, on the other hand, looked sophisticated in their sarees. We were asked to pick up some rice and sprinkle it on the bride and groom's head before placing the same on the envelope/gift we presented to the newly weds. After the Coorgi session, it was now time for the Oriya side of the tradition, the groom being Oriya. I was expecting some water works towards the end but surprisingly there were none, or atleast none that I saw. There was a brief moment I felt like Aunty was trying a bit too hard to look happy when on the inside she was overcome with sadness. Maybe this had to do with parting with her first born. This is the sad story about us girls. One day, whether we like it or not, we have to leave. Coming back to the wedding, by the time we left, it was well past 10:30pm, and this brings me to the second event.

Mr. and Mrs. Das

April 30th is the day my beloved Dengyal was born. His cousin and I had planned a small get together at midnight, for which I cooked my share in the afternoon and she cooked her share while we were at the wedding. When we got back to the flat, I was already super tired. Some friends and cousins came over for a brief while and I somehow managed to stay awake till about 2am. The next day, we went out to the mall for our movie date at the PVR Director's Cut. I had been meaning to enjoy this particular experience for the longest time and finally the day had arrived. We watched Iron Man 3 amidst enjoying the royal treatment. For dinner, I thought it would be best to eat home food since Dengyal hadn't been feeling too well in the last few days. Although we weren't able to do a lot on his birthday, I felt happy to have bridged the distance on this special day. This makes it three birthdays and counting.

LOVE his expression after reading the card!

Every year has been a different story. I wonder what is up for 2014 already!