and then the sun did rise...

I'm at work and so don't feel like working right now. We've just celebrated "S.S"'s birthday at work with cake and my favorite "crispy corn with water chestnuts" from China Gate and I am not looking forward to doing anything the rest of the day.

Sure writing this post also means that I will be working overtime today but what the heck. I am just back from attending this big fat Indian wedding. My cousin "A" recently married her fiance of about a year "G" in a huge ceremony in Delhi. I have this love/hate relationship with Delhi. When I was younger (much younger) we celebrated a lot of my vacations in Delhi with cousins et all in tow. I loved Delhi then. Once I grew older I wanted to go other places and thus the distance with Delhi grew. Lately, I've met some super cool non pretentious people (very unlike Delhi I know!) and my love for the city has increased. Also even though I complain and sneeze, complain and sneeze I actually love the Delhi winter and the oh-so-beautiful boots these Delhi girls wear.
Ohh..k.. getting back to the point, to be very honest I wasn't very sure if I wanted to attend this wedding. Don't get me wrong here.I love "A". She's a fantastic cousin someone who I have been very close to when she lived in Bombay and her entire family has people who I am really really fond of.
But reasons for not wanting to attend the wedding were more my own issues than anyone else's. Anyhoo glad I did otherwise. I have now decided to do completely the opposite of what my mind asks me to. It works out for my better.
Just for your knowledge this was only a part Kashmiri wedding. "G" is not Kashmiri, not that it matters but just FYI.
As I landed onto Delhi airport (mom and dad reached that morning to attend the mehndi function which I kinda missed) I had missed calls from "V" already. V is the single most genuine cousin I have. She is honest, carefree and her jest for life, her positivity is something I secretly admire. I don't think she knows all this about herself either. V has the cutest younger sister "S" who I will always be partial towards but she comes in later in the post.
Anyway so as soon as I reached the "shaadi khana" I was surrounded by a whole set of people I didnt know (the known people were Delhi locals and had left already). I was chilling the rest of the afternoon with "A" her very pretty (and mind you I dont find girls pretty that often) friend "M", "A"'s sister "R" and few of their cousins.
"A" had sent me a you tube Bollywood song video which I was supposed to practice and perform that very evening with "A" and "R". I was having fun. "A" was telling me all about her love story, how he proposed etc and I found myself suddenly for the first time actually enjoying and being genuinely interested in a conversation of this nature. Also I promise you that all my "aww"'s were genuine throughout. There was apparently some Kashmiri eye-candy for us too present at the wedding but I failed to know who, hence my comments on that topic will be reserved although I trust "V"'s judgement and description on the topic fully and of course "S" and her "red moustache" story ( I wish I could reveal more but I cant) .AMEN!
Coming back to that evening the venue for the sangeet was spectacular. I was so pissed off with mom for not getting me a new camera, I hardly got pictures from my old one and "S" for some reason refuses to put up her pictures making it very difficult for me to actually describe that fairyland. The dances by the other cousins were spectacular but we did a fairly neat job too. To sum the evening in chronological order
1) phoolon ka gehna 2) sangeet 3) Dj night with crazy dancing. It was great fun catching up with all the cousins and having a blast. It was almost like catching up with old friends, bonding on secrets that we have shared and so many more things.
The next morning was the another pooja for "A" followed by smacking haldi and besan all over her. She is such an awesome sport, she took all of this so sportingly. After which we left to "G"'s house for the "tilak" ceremony. I remember the car ride to "G"'s house with "R" and her cousins "S.A" and "G1". We were so short of time and had to run back in order to get ready and leave for "G"'s sangeet that night. "Phew"!
I missed all my cousins in the night cause there were not too many people I knew that night but "S.A" gave me some great company. She is so fantastic and humble. I've really begun to like her as I know her more.
Ok so we had nothing to do the next morning when we popped over to meet "V" and see some fantastic jewellary and the cutest doggies. That evening was the wedding and it was spectacular. The bonding with all the cousins, eating jalebis with "S" to giving her some career advice (which I am sure she doesnt need). It's so funny how much of myself I see in "S" that I am forced to just try and look out for her (yes I know very grandmotherly but I cant help it), to
the standing with rose petals to welcome the guests and the chatting and laughing admist all that to watching mamu wiping a silent tear everytime he looked at "A" ever so lovingly.
Personally this wedding was probably the best thing that happened to me this year amongst all the dull, drab almost static life I was leading all year through. Though there were some things I would have liked to happen differently and would have liked to react differently to certain situations but I guess whatever happens its all good.
After the wedding I spent 2 days with chacha in Gurgaon, where I met "P" for dinner at Ruby Tuesday. She is such a great girl. I cant wait for her to come visit me in Bombay and share some more great moments with her. I also had an informal Big chill lunch with "V", "S" and V's friend A who seemed to enjoy scandalizing me with all their Delhi girls are not safe in Delhi stories. "A" was great too and I hope V and S actually plan a trip to Bombay with A in tow.
In short the sun did rise on me this year, better late than never I guess. I only hope it shines for a while before setting again.
There was only one abrupt ending in this whole almost perfect story. But that's maybe cause that abrupt ending will begin a whole story of it's own.
Maybe.. on the cost of sounding very SRK.. picture abhi baki hai mere dost!!