that I have loved you
since the dawn of time?
Do you believe
that we were destined
to be intertwined?...
~~ Muse, Enigmatic Evolution
"Sameera left because of her! ...Poor Sameera! ...Where would she go? ...By the way I can't believe Maalik let her go...Why wont he? The foreign girl worked her magic on our Maalik ... He was ready to go to war for her..."
As much as Geet tried to stay unfazed by these rumours and faint murmurs everywhere she went, it was becoming hard to ignore. It was there in the bathing baoli, in the courtyard and when she went to collect her things from the healing chamber. And even amidst the crowd of ladies whispering during the Grih Shanti pooja which marked the beginning of the wedding rituals. Since Maan and Geet were not supposed to meet till wedding, all the ceremonies were being held simultaneously at the central courtyard and great hall for Maan and for Geet in the women's parlour and the inner private courtyard for the women.
Champa took her away whenever people started gossiping around.
"Champa, who is Sameera to this family?", eventually Geet had to ask. So what she was going to disappear after two days to the marriage, she had every right to know about her man! HER man!!
"Sameera is Jai bhaisa's sister.", Champa said with a nervous smile.
"So, why is everyone expecting Maan to wed Sameera? Have I ruined that?", she need to know that. Did she make him throw away his real chance of happiness while fulfilling her selfish motives?
By now, getting naked in front of Champa was a normal routine for Geet.
She changed her clothes in the chamber and brought her a yellow ensemble of lehenga and light cream jasmine petal shaped jewellery as the Pithi Dastoor (haldi ceremonies) were about to proceed.
"Jai bhai sa and Sameera di were Bade Maalik's wards from the Krishnavanshis as a sign of peace. Would they ever think of a revolt, the kids would show alligience to Khuranas."
This was a new fact for Geet. Wards? Did that mean hostages?
"So Sameera was a prisoner here as well?", she questioned innocently.
"aye haye... Malkin! Why would you ask such a thing? Noo...of course not. They were brought here to be trained and raised like the rest of the Khuranas. Some ruler was about to invade Krishnavanshis years ago. They asked for help. The then Maalik, our Bade Maalik made a deal with the Lord of Krishnavanshis. They had to send their kids as wards instead of the help. These kind of exchanges help to create good relationships between the noble houses and their villages, it is said."
"I don't understand. I heard someone say that they were banished. Why so?", now Geet was curious to know more.
Champa fidgeted nervously. There were certain things that she was not supposed to discuss and Geet was asking exactly those things. Much to her relief dadisa, Anuradha, Amba and Malti enetred with bowls of haldi in their hand. It was time!
"Enough with the stories Champa. Now we need to start the ceremonies at the auspiscious time itself. This is our Maan's bride after all! The future of the house depends on them.", dadisa declared.
Geet sighed despite herself. She knew what the future was and it would be on her, their impending doom!
She wished she could tell them that the house and it's glory would all go away in just six years and then they are looking forward to more than a century of slavery!
"Ohh...look how nervous our bride is already!", teased Amba.
"Why not? We all know how passionate Maan bhaisa is, in everything he does", chimed in Malti.
The entire group of women giggled.
Anu shushed them, "you girls! Quiet now. My son is as gentle as a rose flower, Geet. Promise me, you will always keep him happy."
Geet pursed her lips and nodded her head in affirmative wishing she could cross her fingers at the moment. Anu smiled and applied the first haldi of shagun. It is the right of the mother! Anu who had no daughters already had so much love for her son's bride that she didn't mind doing the honours.
Then came the chunni which had Maan's right hand haldi imprint on it. Amba and Malti took it and pressed the imprint on either sides of her blushing cheeks. Now, Geet had to do the same for him as well.
All these while Geet didn't know what to feel. A certain kind of excitement wasn't totally absent. And she fought hard to restrain it. She wanted to abstain herself from joys of a bride for this wedding or the people or most importantly the man she was about to marry was not real! It would all go away once she gets back to her time. It was only good if she didn't grow any kind of attachment to this place.
Yet when the mehandi was applied and the first letter of his name was etched beautifully hiddine on her soft palms, Geet felt that tingle inside her. Nor did she realise that she who was planning to escape the other night of ghoomar was now trying to dance with the women when they arranged the function just for the ladies. It might be argued that Amba and Malti pushed her to the dance floor saying that was tradition but oblivious to herself Geet was genuinely trying to fit into his household and to be a part of the people who took her in despite knowing nothing about her. She struggled with her moves at first but then she found the rhythm and joined steps with the women as they danced to their traditional ghoomar song. Just like she fit into the lifestyle of the Khuranas and their traditons, Geet was slowly becoming a part of the nineteenth century Khurana household.
It was an elaborate wedding even thought arranged on a short notice. Geet wondered how people could call it a small wedding when the grandeur of that itself was incomparable to the kind of grandest wedding she could ever imagine in her time. The decorations were splendid. The clothes, jewellery, the sheer amount of effort and meticulous work behind each and every single custom astonished her beyond limits.
Dadisa took the role of performing the customs whatever necessary from the bride's family. Eventually Yash and Anuradha together visited Geet with Dev, Malti and Amba and other relatives for Palla Dastoor where they gift the precious jewellery and the wedding attire.
Geet didn't have the time to sit back and think that all this was very much than being a far away dream in another time dimension. It was as real as her very existence was and she was never able to see it for she was so drowned in all the rituals and ceremonies preparing herself as everyone else dierected her. She touched the feets when required, hid behind her veil when asked to and quietly did as she was told like the blushing bride everyone expected her to be.
The wedding was to be taken place at a grand stage (mandap) arranged near the Shankar temple. The hall was enormous even though it was built within two nights since the announcement was made. There were traditional decorations of handcrafted works and crafts. The smell of delicious meal was making it only rather tempting an occasion. It seemed like the entire Samaypur had put in a collective effort to make their Lord's wedding beautiful. On the backside of the grand stage was the dressing room for Geet at the farthest end. The guards were placed on all the exits and entrance.
Geet was wearing a peach and gold grandly embroidered attire which made her look like a newly blossomed tulip in all its sweetness. The border of her lehenga had heavy kundan stone work which included pearls and diamond. The Aad, a heavy necklace, had five glowing fire opal stones that shone like Sun, to the bride who was to be the wife of Maan soon. The borders had amethyst an diamonds in mix.
When Geet was finally ready, she looked nothing less than a princess. An emodiment of divine beauty, she personified the rising Sun in all its glory, just the way a Khurana bride was intended to be. Geet herself was so caught up in the moment she didn't realise how she was slipping away from her plan of taking none of it to be real. It wasn't the luxury that caught up with her but the love and prudence beahind every single endeavour moved her unknowingly. She was herself looking forward to comepleting the ceremonies without much fuss as everyone else wanted her to. Not once did she have the time to sit back and think that however real or unreal, a marriage was never a small commitment from which you can run away that easily. Geet in reality was having an out of body experience, as if she were watching a medieval video and was only imaginging herself in it. The reality of it never sunk into her.
***********************
Eventually it was time. The evening of the wedding had arrived. Maan and the entire groom party had arrived in a grand baraaat. Riding on his favorite horse Veer, Maan was wearing a golden yellow and dark green colour heavily embroidered sherwani and light cream pyjama. He had a red turban which was decorated with precious stones and gems and a heavy sehra across it. Just like the day of Shankar pooja, his attired was completed with the shoulder belt and the sword. Geet too was handed a dagger as part of the ritual. It was expected of the lady of the house to be trained in using weaponary such as daggers and swords none of which Geet was aware of.
Maan almost let out an inaudible gasp as he saw her for the first time descending that flight of steps, to the centre of the grand stage where he was standing, with the veil over her head dressed up as his bride. He could barely see her angelic face which was partly hidden behind the veil except for those rose petal like lips. It tempted him in strange ways. Maan didn't know that such easily could his feelings be swayed. Perhaps, the knowledge that she was soon to be his wife was doing this all of a sudden. Or, eventually his mind was now free of the inhibitions owing to which he was prohibited from looking at her that way.
Together they completed the rituals, jaimala, the hawans and poojas one by one which stretched on for hours and then came the moment of "pheres". Adi did Kanyadaan for Geet. Anu tied the ghatbandhan. And then something that Geet didn't expect happen. The priest asked them to say their vows out loud before the pheres. Now, she had heard the pheres actually symbolised the sacred promises of marriage but she had never seen anyone saying their vows.
The priest isntructed to repeat after him. Geet had the veil lifted just so Maan could see her face for the first time in the whole night. Maan and Geet looked in to each other's eyes as if they were seeing through each others souls and never once looked anywhere else as they took their vows.
"I Geet Handa/ Maan Singh Khurana take you Maan Singh Khurana/Geet Handa as my husband/wife according to law of the land of Samaypur in the kingdom of Mewar."
"I understand that by accepting you as my life partner I am being one with you in body and soul, mind and matter, words and silence in this life time and all the times to come as long as the time exists."
"I am you and you are me. I will have nothing to hide from you nor will you do the same. There will be no lies between us. I will be loyal to you and embrace whatever it is that represents yourself."
"Your pride is mine and mine yours. I shall guard your honour and be an equal participant in your duties just as you would be in mine."
"I shall be your foundation and strength in both joy and sorrow. I shall tend to you when you are weak and will let you care for me when I am so."
"I promise to love you with all my heart and might, stand by you in all times as your better half and cherish you as the precious being that you are and have been bestowed in my life by divine powers."
"I shall be your man/wife and I will have the witness of Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Space. "
By the time they were done, Geet had her eyes filled. She was overwhelmed by the emotions that hit her like a wave. This moment was as real as reality could ever get and she realised that she meant every word she said. Since the veil was on, no one could see the inner turmoil in those almond eyes.
They took their pheres and when they were back, Geet Handa, the woman of 21st century, was officially married to Maan Singh Khurana, the Lord of Khurana clan, from the 19th century. She closed her eyes with reverence and devotion when he made her wear the mangalsutra and sindoor. At that moment, Geet Handa was not just officially but also physically, mentally, psychologically the wife of Maan Singh Khurana in all true senses.
In order to make it official, Yash Khurana produced a piece of animal skin paper and made them sign on it. Geet had the presence of mind to sign in Hindi and it amazed her how she was getting accustomed to this era.
It was then Yash declared in his deep voice, "To all who are present here as witnesses, I now delcare Geet Handa and Maan Singh Khurana as man and wife!"
The crowd cheered and applauded. It was festival all over Samaypur to the thousands that gathered to witness the ceremony. While everyone got busy, Maan and Geet were standing on the stage alone sharing the most awkward moment of their own togetherness for the first time. Through her veil she could see a faint smile forming on those perfectly shaped masculine lips. Geet blushed as she realised she was gazing at her husband. Maan threw a sideways glance and could make out that his bride was blushing behind that veil.
*********************************
Do you think the plot is lagging now? The wedding itself took around 3 updates!! But its the wedding 😳 😆
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