As a child of 10 I had already encounter many weddings, this is mainly because an Indian wedding is no normal wedding. For a start you don’t normally know whose getting married it could be your mums-uncles-cats-mother-in-laws-son and many were like this and so many happen that you don’t know where you are or why you are even there. The fun start when it is a close family wedding and this was as close as they came, my 1st cousin in India. The flight: The journey began with the plane journey from Heathrow. The plane took off and by this time I was already hyped up and raring to go.
I had never been to a wedding were I would be right in the centre of action. I had been to India the year before but had only stayed in my Gam (village) for a couple of days, but I knew it well enough to know that if you get a birds eye view it looks like a thermometer. But I also knew that my house was the tallest house in the village but not by much. The journey was agonising; tiring and over all boring especially for a 10-year-old who above all wants to run around. However I stayed in my window seat and watch the person in front’s head, as I could not see the screen.After 9 long hours we landed at Mumbai (Bombay) airport. We landed into a bright day already in the swing of things.
The journey to my village named ‘Mori’ took 4 hours in a hot car and by the time we reached the village I was completely exhausted. The first day: Today after I was fed, I was ready for the wedding however as I had discovered on my last visit not much happen in the house. Except for the swing chair in the front room which I would sit on and watch TV. Then when I was invited by my cousin (who was getting married) Samir to come and play cricket.
At which I jumped to the chance. Everyday around about 12 the local children would play cricket but this was only because they were all back from boarding school for a break. Cricket in India is fun because it is taken so seriously. As it is one of my favourite sports I loved it because after this you could be playing for hours, this is mainly because on the farming field, which is kept free, each year there was masses of space. All except for the sugar cane and mango tress, which surrounded the area with the lonesome tree on the left, hand side.The sun would blaze down on us and burn us but that never stopped them playing I was stopped after much persuasion after being dragged away by my dad as my face was body was already tanned. The second day: today was to be the start of the celebrations, I knew this because upon waking up and looking out of the window I saw that scaffolding had been erected which completely covered our house and most of the surrounding village. By the end of the day the area was a huge tent of red and gold and this to me was so amazing I had never had so much fun just watching something being built.
The third day: today my dad informed me that we had to go to another hall to have some sort of celebration known as a cha-pani we had to go because we was part of the grooms side. When we arrived there I was so amazed it was such a huge building, it was like house mansions you see with two wings on each side of the main part it was made of white marble and very cold when you touched it. Inside was even better then the outside, my dad and I went to one of the halls in it.
Which was covered in a quilted material but it had no windows with huge opening.The wind rushed through and it felt so smooth. At this we ate and drank lost of water and tea. It lasted most of the day. Apon returning home I found that the floor in the tent had been covered and lots of decorative objects and ornaments had been put everywhere. That night all of the villagers came to the tent like structure and there was a concert. With a popular Indian band who in my opinion weren’t well the spice girls but they were fun anyhow.
Day four: today was the start of the wedding, and it was fun.Anybody who walked in through the entrance of the tent found a small hallway (still in the tent) which sprayed him or her with tropical scents. Inside the tent you would be greeted by lost of chair, cushions and a square stage in the centre of it all with a swing chair on it. Before the ceremony everybody eats, eating is a new experiences in it self. Everybody eats in the field, which is free with covers all over it like another huge tenet but not as flash. The guest don’t just eat from a plate no, no we eat from dried leave sitting on the floor.
That put me off to start with and after this I really didn’t eat wells anything at all. After this I was in so many places having photographs taken, meeting relative, talking to everybody that I didn’t realise that it had already started. The bride and groom would be walking around a symbolic fire, ad saying their vows, of which I did not understand a word off but I smiled and pretend I knew what was going on. Then after the wedding the new couple went off in a horse and carriage, and well the rest of us partied.Day Five: today I woke up not to find a stream of red filling my room but instead sunlight. I looked out of the window to find that most of the tent has already gone, this didn’t please me in the least, but what could I do. For a start I couldn’t speak very good Hindi and I was only 10 ‘oh well.
‘ That day was well strange it wasn’t normal life with everybody sitting around and it wasn’t the hustle and bustle of the wedding it was well a kind off nothing atmosphere. I really didn’t complain much although during this day I had eaten next to nothing.This is because although there was plenty of food I couldn’t stomach it. It was terrible it wasn’t the normal cooking of my grandma, during the wedding the food was made by a chef and well it was tasteless, bland and gooey.
I only just survived on toast thank god for toast is there no time it doesn’t save you. No the whole village becomes normal again, sitting around not doing much, looking after the fields and cattle and playing cricket but we didn’t stick around for much of this, we went for some fun in Bombay.