(Delhi)
The
small, simple yet elegant cottage that belonged to the Gupta family had been
decorated just as a bride who was going to get married. The whole house had
been decorated with beautiful lights of different colours which caused the house
to glow with all resemblance to the glow that prevails over a bride's features.
The railings of the terrace of the house had been decorated with garlands of
flowers which had been spiraled against the railings and topped up with garlands
of small bulbs. The windows and entrances of the house had been decorated in
the similar way as the railings of the terrace, with flowers and lights. In the
lawn that surrounded the house was set up the canopy made of beautiful cream
white silken cloth which was also decorated with flowers. The entrance gate
that led to the lawn was decorated in flowers and was so much clad with flowers
that it fully gained the appearance of being a gate of flower and the hard iron
frame was concealed somewhere beneath the flowers.
The
day, rather the night, was a very auspicious one for the Gupta family as the
night was going to see the most beloved daughter and the charm as well as life
of this house stepping into a new life which would bring her affluence as well as
all the happiness and love that she deserved and would also bless her with a
loving and caring companion who would guide her through the difficult of times
and be by her side throughout her whole life. It is the dream that every
parents dream when they entrust some other person with the responsibility of
their beloved daughter and her happiness and send the apple of their eyes away,
placing stone on their hearts. Yes the night was the wedding night of the
beloved daughter of the Gupta family.
The
guests had already started to arrive and Atul Gupta, who was the elder
brother of the bride and Shashank Gupta , who was the father of the bride and
of Atul, were welcoming the guests alongwith their relatives.
The
sweet fragrance of flowers, the beautiful glow of the lights and the glow on
the faces of the members of the family, relatives and other people were aptly
representing the ambience of wedding. Soon enough a silver colored scorpio
reached the gate of the "Gupta Nivas" and screeched to a halt.
Out
of it stepped a man with a striking appearance and personality who was in his
late 40s. He was the father of the bridegroom, Mr.Shailendra Mallik who was
also the most renowned businessman of the country and also had his business
spread over several parts of the vast world. He was followed by a pretty woman
who was in her early 40s, clad in a designer maroon saree and was looking
gorgeous in it, who stepped out of the back seat of the car, followed by a
young girl of about 19, clad in a gorgeous blue lehenga and looking very pretty
in it. They were the mother and younger sister of the bridegroom respectively.
Atul and Shashank Sishodia approached them and welcomed them warmly and cordially. The
affable and cordial behaviour that they received in return from the family of
the bridegroom astonished many people who were present at the very spot as the
snobbishness and the air of superiority that many a times the family and
friends of the bridegroom possesed was completely absent in them. The relatives
and the other people were whispering that the Guptas were lucky to get such
relatives.
Shashank:
"Samdhiji Armaan nehi aaye ab tak?"
Shailendra
smiled at his anxiety: "fikar mat kijiye samdhiji. Armaan bas aa hi raha
hain. (Just then a loud screeching noise caught his attention and he turned
back and a smile crept up on his lips) Yeh dekhiye aa gaye aapke honewala damad."
A
BMW screeches into halt just beside the scorpio. It was decorated with roses
just as a bridegroom's vehicle ought to be.
The
door beside the driver's seat opened and stepped out a chirpy looking boy.
The
boy: "oye sab bahar aa jao aur dulhe raja ko bahar le aao bhai. Hum pahuch
gaye."
Then
the door of the back seat opened and stepped out two other boys and soon after
them the tall and broad shouldered person who stepped out of the car was indeed
the bridegroom as could easily be deduced from the turban with the veil of
flowers covering the face of the bridegroom which was called "shehra". The
bridegroom was wearing a dark blue colored desighner sherwani which matched
pretty well with his fair complexion. Slowly he took off the turban which
revealed an incredibly handsome face with large, brown eyes, which possessed
the depth of the ocean and anyone could just drown into them without even knowing
it, and slightly pink lips for which every girl craved. A slow, gentle breeze
blew causing his jet black hair to fell over his forehead which was adding even
more to his charming and handsome appearance.
His
very appearance brought smiles in everyone's lips and whispers of admiration.
Both Shashank and Atul, alongwith their relatives, approached him to welcome him
and take him and his family inside the house. As Shashank approached him, the
bridegroom bent down to touch his feet. Shashank smiled proudly at going to have
such a son in law with such great culture. He blessed him by putting his hand
on his would be son in law's head.
Shashank:
"Jeete raho. Humesha khush raho Armaan beta."
Atul came forward and both Armaan and Atul hugged each other. As they broke out
of the embrace, pratap asked them all to come in as the auspicious time for the
marriage was approaching nearer. All agreed to this and the bridegroom and his
friends and family were escorted by the bride's family and relatives, led by Atul,
Armaan and his friends and followed by Shashank, Shailendra, his wife
Anamika, their daughter Anjali and others.
As
they reached the entrance door to the house, a woman who was in her mid 40s and
another woman who was in her mid 60s came over with their faces shining with
warm smiles. They were followed by many other women, some of whom were
relatives and others were neighbours. Also there were some young girls among
them who were indubitably the friends of the bride.
The
older woman smiles: "Arey Padma, tumhare damaad bhi aa gaye. Ab toh tum saas
banne wali ho. Toh ab tum bhi burhi ho hi gayi."
Padma smiles back: "Agar aaj ki is khushi ke din ko dekhne ke liye mujhe burhi bhi
kehlana parhe toh mujhe wo bhi manjoor hain ma."
Her
mother in law smiles: "Hmmm…wo toh thik hain par kya daamaad ko yehi khara kar
rakhne ka iraada hain. Jaldi se swagat karke usko andar toh le aao."
Padma:
"Ji Ma."
Padma walked up to Armaan and performed the
rituals to welcome the bridegroom. Now as it was a part of the rituals, she was
about to pull the bridegroom's nose when his friends pulled him away and all
the people present their roared with laughter. She tried again but failed
again. It was now that Anamika, Armaan's mother stepped in.
Anamika:
"Chalo yeh rasam hain. Ab Armaan ko choro aur Samdhanji ko rasam poori karne
do."
The
earlier chirpy looking boy: "Par aunty isse toh humari haar ho jayegi."
Anamika
smiled: "Rahul, rishton mein haar ya jeet nehi, sirf pyar aur vishwas hona
chahiye. Aur jeet humesha uski hoti hain jiske saath pyar aur vishwas hota
hain."
Rahul smiled: "Ji aunty."
He
gestured the others to leave Siddharth and they all obeyed.
Now
Padma pulled Armaan's nose very lightly as such to fulfill the ritual and
meanwhile taking care to avoid hurting her would be son in law. Armaan bent
down and touched her feet. She blessed him happily. Now he bent down again and
touched the feet of the bride's grandmother who also blessed him happily.
All
the people entered the house. The hall was decorated with flowers. It was not
too large if it was not small. Couches were there, arranged in perfect order
for the guests to sit and rest.
Anamika:
"Samdhanji, humari beti kahan hain?"
Padma:
"Wo upar hain apne kamre mein taiyar ho rahi hain."
Anjali:
"Wow mujhe bhavs se milna hain. Plz auntyji."
Padma smiled: "Haan haan beta kyun nehi. (Turning to the bride's friends) Tum log
Anjali beti ko saath lekar jao."
One
of the girls: "Ji kakisa. (turning towards priyanka) hi Anjali! Main Muskaan hu. Tumhari bhavs ki best friend. Aur aaj se tum bhi meri dost ho. Kyun banogi
na meri dost?"
Anjali smiled sweetly: "offcourse! Aur mere dost mujhe Anji kehte hain."
Muskaan:
"Okay Anji. Lets go."
Anji:
"Yup."
And
all the girls left the place alongwith Anjali.
****************************************************************************************************
(The
bride's room)
The
girls entered the room, chattering excitedly. The room was decorated in a very
simple yet eye soothing way with yellow roses all over the place as it was the
favourite flower of the bride.
As
they entered, the women who were helping the bride to get ready parted to both
sides providing a clearer view of a girl sitting near the mirror with her back
turned to the door. Her head was slightly bowed and as her head was covered
with the "orhni", her face was not visible.
Muskaan smiled and approached her. She put her palm on the bride's shoulder.
Muskaan:
"Riddhima dekh toh kaun aayi hain tujhse milne."
Now
the young girl raised her face up to look at the mirror. Her reflection
mesmerized Anjali. Never before had she seen such an epitome of stunning,
dazzling beauty. She had two large beautiful black eyes which were shining with
happiness and full of life, glossy, pink lips and rosy cheeks. Two strands
of beautiful, black and silky hair
covered a part of both of her rosy cheeks, thereby adding to the charm and
beauty.
She
got up from the stool in front of the mirror and turned back. A smile of
recognition glittered in her lips.
Anjali approached her: "OMG Bhavs u r looking stunning yaar! I mean I have seen you
earlier also and that time too you were extremely beautiful, but today you are
just mesmerising. And that glow on your face is just spellbinding. I must say
Bhai ki toh nikal pari."
Riddhima blushed badly at such appreciative comments and mostly at the last comment made
by her would be sister in law. She went all red which added even more charm to
her beauty.
Muskaan:
"Oye hoye! Dekho toh jara dulhaniya humari sharmane lagi. Arey Anji yeh saara
nikhar toh unhika, matlab humare jijaji ke intezar ka, unke naam ke sringar ka
hi natiza hain."
With
this all the girls and women present there giggled, including Muskaan and
Anjali.
Riddhima slightly rebuked Muskaan: "Muskaan dekh maarungi tujhe main haan."
Muskaan giggled: "Haan toh maar na. Maar ne se sach thore hi na badalta hain."
Riddhima:
"Muski!"
A
voice startled them: "Arey larkiyon cherkhani baad mein karna. Ab jaldi bhi
karo. Muhrat ka waqt najdik aa raha hain."
They
wheeled around to see Padma standing there. As they parted her gaze fall upon
her daughter who was looking stunningly beautiful in her bride's attire. Tears
brimmed up in her eyes, tears of happiness offcourse.
Slowly
she walked up to Riddhima and on reaching her, she put her palm on Riddhima's
head affectionately.
Padma spoke up with tears welling up in her eyes and smile at her lips: "kitni pyari
lag rahi hain meri bacchi. Bhagwan kare teri khushiyon ko kisiki najar na
lagey. Tujhe ek saccha aur sabse accha jeevansaathi miley."
Both
the mother and daughter got emotional and Ridhima hugged her mother tightly
who embraced her back.
Muskaan slapped her arm on her forehead: "Yeh lo! aunty humein kehke aap khud beh gayi
ab! Arey jaldi kariye. Neeche bhi toh jaana hain na. Aur dekhiye aap meri Riddhi ko rulaiye mat. Saara make up kharab ho jayega. Aur fir yeh toh ekdum churail
lagegi. Fir toh jijaji bhaag hi jayenge darr ke maare."
Everyone
giggled while Riddhima pinched Muskaan who shrieked. However, Anjali came forward
in Riddhima's defence.
Anjali:
"Bhool jao Muskaan. Humne pehle bhi dekha hain bhavs ko aur bina kisi make up ke
bhi wo itni hi khoobsurat lagti hain."
Saying
this she walked up to Riddhima and gave her a side hug who responded with a warm
smile.
Padma smiled: "Chalo larkiyon. Muhrat ka waqt ho chala hain. Ab humein neeche chalna
hoga.."
Riddhima smiled and nodded: "ji ma."
Muskaan and Anjali helped her to get the veil over her head.
Then
Padma and Muskaan came to both sides of Riddhimaa and toghether they took her out
of the room, followed by the other girls and women.
****************************************************************************************************
(The
canopy set for the performance of the wedding rituals)
All
the guests were waiting for the arrival of the bride. The priest was sitting in
front of the holy fire in front of which the performance of the rituals had to
take place. Armaan was sitting in front of the holy fire and opposite to the
priest facing him while the seat beside him which was meant for the bride was
still vacant. Atul was engrossed in conversation with Armaan's friends and some of the relatives
of their own age. Shashank Gupta and Shailendra Mallik were engrossed in
conversation with some people of their own age while Anamika Mallik was
engaged with some women of her age. The other people were scattered here and
there, busy chatting with each other.
The
priest: "Kanya ko bulaiye. Muhrat ka waqt bita ja raha hain."
Shashank:
"Ji panditji. Wo bas aa hi rahi hogi. (And as he turned back to enquire he
caught glimpse of the ladies arriving with the bride) yeh lijiye aa gayi."
Every
single face turned towards the entrance and was enchanted at the sight of the
stunning beauty of the bride. Whispers of admiration and excited buzz filled
the ambience. The ladies at both sides of the bride led her to the place where
the bridegroom was sitting in front of the holy fire and made her sit by the
side of the bridegroom. The priest then began the rituals of the wedding. One
by one all the rituals were performed and then the priest asked the bridegroom
to put the vermilion on the bride's head and tie the "mangalsutra" around her
neck.Armaan did so and then he and Riddhima also performed the
ritual of the "saat phere".
After
the fulfilment of all the rituals, the priest finally declared them to be man
and wife.
Priest:
"Saat pheron ke saath hi yeh vivah sampann hua aur aaj se aap dono pati patni
hue. Aaj se aap dono ek dusre ke jeevansathi, ek dusre ke har sukh dukh ke
saathi ban gaye."
All
the people began to congratulate the bride and the bridegroom and also both
families. Every single face was shining with happiness. The bride and groom
came down from the platform set for the wedding and one by one they took the
blessings of their elders.
Padma
gestured Muskaan to come near her and when Muskaan approached her, she whispered
something in her ears. Muskaan giggled and immediately consented and then she
whispered something into Anjali's ear and both the girl grinned. They
alongwith some other girls went to Riddhima and took her to one of the two
chairs situated on a raised platform for the bride and the bridegroom and made her sit on one of them while
Armaan's friends alongwith Rahul took him and he sat down on the other
chair.
Rahul:
"Arey yeh kya baat hain bhai? Humare dost ki shaadi hain aur koi gaana bajana
nehi hoga?"
Anjali and Muskaan replied toghether: "kyun nehi hoga bhai bilkul hoga."
Rahul grinned widely: "Toh what are we waiting for? Lets go for it."
The
girls led by Anjali came down from the raised platform and after walking a
few feets they turned back and smiled and Anjali clicked her thumb and index
finger toghether. The music began.
Anjali pointed towards Armaan in a dancing gesture:
Pyare
bhaiya mera dulha raja banke aa gaya
Pyara
bhaiya mera
Pyara
bhaiya mera dulha raja banke aa gaya
Pyara
bhaiya mera
Resham
ki pagri mein sara ghar aangan mehka gaya
Pyara
bhaiya mera
The
other girls sang in chorus and started moving holding hands around Anjali:
Pyara
bhaiya mera dulha raja banke aa gaya
Pyara
bhaiya mera
The
boys then entered the ground and the girls dispersed while the boys came to the
fore:
Resham
ke pagri mein dekho ghar aangan mehka gaya
Dekho
yaara mera
Again
the boys dispersed and the girls came to the fore led by Anjali.
Anjali put both of her hands on her left waist and tapped her right feet:
Aaj
kaisi dhoom hain goonj rahi sehnaiyan (Anjali twirled around and continued
dancing)
Aanchalo
ke chao mein baitha bhaiya saiyan (She stopped and pointed again to Armaan)
Sajke
doli aayegi lautke jab saath mein (Anjali walked to the raised platform and
approached Riddhima who was smiling sweetly)
Pyari
si bhabhi ka haath lungi apne haath mein (Anjali took Riddhima's hand in her
own hand)
Fir
ek din arey kya kehna ek phool sa khilega aangana (Anjali winked at both
Armaan and Riddhima and folded her arms in the manner of craddling a baby.
Riddhima blushed and dropped her gaze while Armaan rose his hand playfully
to hit his naughty sister but she managed to scuttle away.)
Pyara
bhaiya mera dulha raja banke aa gaya
Pyara
bhaiya mera
Anjali returned to the other girls and resumed
dancing.
The
girls dispersed and the boys again came to the fore led by Rahul:
Dekho
kaise saj rahi surat mere yaar ki
Masti
mein kya jhoomti shaam aayi pyar ki
Goriyo
ke beech mein baitha kaise shaan se
Aise
hi poore ho din mere bhi armaan ke
(Rahul rest his face on his palm and feigned being engrossed in dream and let out a
fake sigh)
In
haatho mein bhi koi haath aaye
Apne
bhi suhaag ki raat aaye
(Rahul stole glances at muskaan who was standing with Riddhima and smiled)
Resham
ke pagri mein dekho ghar aangan mehka gaya
Dekho
yaara mera
Now
the girls joined the boys and holding hands toghether and all started dancing
toghether.
Finally
the dance came to an end and the whole place echoed with rounds of applause.
In
this festive and rapturous ambience, time seemed to flew by and soon approached
the time of departure in what seemed within no time.
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