All Because She Selected Her Own Kanchi Wedding Saree

Inspired by mithila and a continuation to the article never stunt them with your over powering attitude.[BLOG]

How I conducted my sisters wedding:

The joy of conducting a marriage especially one when we were pretty young and inexperienced is something I rejoiced.

My father Krishnamurthy was down with cancer and wanted that he should conduct at least one wedding as I was given away to his elder brother and they conducted my wedding.
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Sathya’ s was a love marriage and I was in kolkata then, when I arrived for my brother’s poonal, there was a talk about getting sathya married and my father called me over, as the eldest in the family he said`` look ma I want that you and kannan (my husband) to take responsibility and organize the wedding as I am laid down..’’

My husband was jumping with joy vow what a role now as he has already conducted many weddings for his friends as he had all the contacts in kolkata with the milk man flower man and cook and so on as a hotelier, it was a lot more easier to conduct, now but this is Bangalore and none of his chelas and he has to do work from scratch still it is a role none can deny..

So we started calling vijay over and we had a talk with him. (that day we added six to eight teaspoons of sugar to one tumbler of milk and vijay didn’t notice it at all cool cool sipping it…!!)Vijay’s people had just seen sathya’s photo. Time was short. Even in those days mandapam had to be fixed well in advance and the owner of the mantap wanted our immediate consent on the date of marriage. My father was too ill to travel so we called up vijay’s people to know if they can come over for `ponnu parking…!!’’ and can we please fix the mantap before that?

Sathya’s father in law was very accommodative and agreed to fixing of the mantap before they could get to see her. Sathya’s brother in law vasu was in Bangalore and he said the girl has a smiling face so go ahead you have nothing to worry..!!!??? they came down to see her.. and that day was a rehearsal for our conducting the marriage… nice people.
Just the four of us my husband vijay , sathya and I went to a restaurant on M.G road where my husband had arranged for a nice quiet eat out. My husband gave the orchestra people a set of hindi songs and they were quiet some apt tunes that were sung that day… they began with `gori thera gaun bada pyara’’ and almost all numbers saying this is from vijay to sathya,, then this one from sathya to vijay… and we all had a memorable day out.

My father Subramanian,[Appu] who adopted me played a very important role in the family, none can question him about his authority in organizing and none should even go against,
That was his stand in the family, now during my wedding he ordered his jain friends to get some nice silk sarees suitable to my complexion and the blouses were also stitched!!.. I didn’t have any say…!!

Now the turn of getting the saree for sathya was raised and before my dad could approach his elder brother I butt in and told him dad let sathya select what she wants and not somebody else, dad felt that is also true so gave us the money to go shopping just the two of us…we went and brought all her favorite color including mustard with black which all were howling so I told mom, relax this is only for her nichyathaambulam later she will wear all the colors which are right, but I must mention she looked heavenly with that black blouse and mustard color saree with black polka dot all over..

Now as I had taken over Appu felt it has been an insult and none should help us out, now this is something I never anticipated, still we were young and with my husband’s help we went ahead with organizing the wedding with mandapam all booked we had to send the loads of vessels and other things from home, and poor fellow none to help as my brother was very young so carried all the stuff on his back and loaded the tempo to take it to the mandapam.

Appu just came sat down among the invitees and watched us go about doing it, my father was so weak with cancer had no strength to even object or say anything, we saw to it Appu got his cool drinks his paan was given and all the other upacharangal along with the rest of the organizing.

Now we had to organize the mappillai azhaippu and my husband could not get the lights needed for that one as some other festival was there and none was available, so he just got two of them which was not adequate, vijay was a little agitated. After the formalities in the temple he was wearing his shoes in the open car when the camera went click click click. Even today we keep chiding him …look even during mappillai azhaippu you have to go checking if we got the right size shoes….!!

Now the menu was another thing our periamma from trichy wanted all tanjore menu and my husband who is from palghat all kerala menu and so there was a big tiff so the madyasthar was vijay’s mother who said she preferred palghat meals avlo daan there was a loud karaghosham from my husband and the lot as to his list got approved so it was double payasam, chakka pradhaman, and paal payasam for the after noon menu along with avial and the rest of the food. My husband went kindifying the jackfruit and jaggery along with the head cook in a big Anda much to everyone’s surprise. The lunch was a gala function with quite a few rounds of eating. The menu as my husband said was hit with everyone as it was new to them having been used to tanjore meals.

We skipped the nalangu because sathya was too tired for that.

The preparation for the evening reception was another real drama, each of us had a nice hairdo at the parlour and looked like people from the cine field had landed. I had organized a nice orchestra as my friends were in that line, and then all had a chance to show their talent and sing, and the group played. Vijay also sang manaivi amaivadellam iraivan kodutha varam, it was more like an evening with fun filled all youngsters organizing and ball room dance all couples on the floor including the new ones dancing away, waltzing..(?) swaying to the melodious numbers. The elders stayed away perhaps thinking my my nothing like our regular orthodox way which was there in the morning, my ramachandra mama was in the airforce he also had a mimicry session and the lot were laughter the atmosphere overflowing with joy.
The dinner is yet another feat that my husband arranged. For my wedding my dad appu had arranged a poolside dinner with eats supplied royally by the famous amber hotel staff. He chided my father whether he could arrange sathya’s wedding anywhere so high as he had conducted. My father was fast to reply. Yes I can but differently that they remember all through their life. So he challenged the head cook one mr Krishna iyer. Whether he can make sevai of different kinds. The menu card was right out of a five star hotel. Sevai of four flavours one sweet the others lemon, coconut and dahi. Poori and kurma, pulao and some subji’s too. for people from pudukkottai this was indeed grand as they were used to regular usual meals and were in for a pleasant surprise. Sathya’s mother in law and vijay’s brothers and sisters thoroughly enjoyed the eats with the dance. Family members and friends were seen dancing to the tunes with a plate in their hands.

Then came the evening and we had to arrange for the first night, how could I remember what they kept so asked all elders there and all had kozhakattai in their mouth I think as none wanted to help us, then I remembered my mama asking what do u want from outside as the sweets that are there in the mandapam is not supposed to be kept for the first night.

I sent my husband packing he approached sathya as to what she wanted she asked for some sandesh Bengali sweet and some icecream and we arranged the first night room the way we knew, (not the way the kiddos recently did for my daughter priya my my it was like a film set up for them…)so the next day we sent them on their way and it took a long while for my dad to cool off to talk to me and I had to manao my Bengali mom telling her come on take it in spirit but I know the line was crossed and they never forgave me for this…I accompanied her with prido to pudukkottai. Going to a late show cinema with vijay’s brothers in law and friends by bicycle is another story altogether..

sunkan

Dear Sunkan,

I read your blog and enjoyed it too!
Well after reading this post I was almost about to write a thankyou note to you saying I enjoyed Sathya's wedding, since youve written it so wonderfully I almost felt i was present there.
I liked the fact that you encouraged your Father to let Sathya buy her own Saree. Wow a polka dotted mustard one with black blouse .Mustve really looked very beautiful
This reminds me of my relation wioth my sis.Being the eldest one,my choices were very limited, but when it came to my younger sister I always saw to it that she gets more liberties , that she thanks me for it till date. Your writeup took me down memory lane. Very beautifully written Sunkan.I truly enjoyed reading.

Love,
Devika

Dear Sundari,

A nice writeup. At first I was under the impression I was among your guests n enjoying the marriage especially the food fare. Real great!

You have written very beautifully bringing all the minute details to light. Thanx for the same dear.

Dear Sunkan,
It was very nice to read , how you conducted Satya's wedding.Your narration was so lively, that i enacted each scene in my mind I liked the mustard color +black combo... wow...Let me look out for one the next time i shop.

dear sunkan,

aha enna nalla sappadu..............nalla kalyaanam...............it was as if i just came out of the kalyaana mandapam, with the heavy food....................vow, such an eloquent write up..................

love
padma

Originally Posted by Devika Menon

Dear Sunkan,

I read your blog and enjoyed it too!
Well after reading this post I was almost about to write a thankyou note to you saying I enjoyed Sathya's wedding, since youve written it so wonderfully I almost felt i was present there.
I liked the fact that you encouraged your Father to let Sathya buy her own Saree. Wow a polka dotted mustard one with black blouse .Mustve really looked very beautiful
This reminds me of my relation wioth my sis.Being the eldest one,my choices were very limited, but when it came to my younger sister I always saw to it that she gets more liberties , that she thanks me for it till date. Your writeup took me down memory lane. Very beautifully written Sunkan.I truly enjoyed reading.

Love,
Devika

dear devika,
the courage we can muster for our sisters we can never do this for self, and when i felt cheated in my wedding i wanted her to enjoy always look and take care of others as u would want to be taken care of, i practise this always, so sathya was in heaven and just passed through the wedding like a princess, she is the fav among the lot that is she is the magnet for all of us here...like my second daughter...thanku for reading and enjoying, yes little sis are always dear..sunkan

Originally Posted by lalitha shivaguru

Dear Sundari,

A nice writeup. At first I was under the impression I was among your guests n enjoying the marriage especially the food fare. Real great!

You have written very beautifully bringing all the minute details to light. Thanx for the same dear.

thanku lalitha,
so happy u enjoyed all this so when r u visiting this vishu will u come we can have a good fair for you..sunkan

Originally Posted by aishu22

Dear Sunkan,
It was very nice to read , how you conducted Satya's wedding.Your narration was so lively, that i enacted each scene in my mind I liked the mustard color +black combo... wow...Let me look out for one the next time i shop.

dear aishu,
they say in tamil podavai vaikkaradum aambadayan vaikkaradum oru adirshtam venum and i must say my sis sathya has both, may god bless them and u too wish u all the best for the saree...sunkan

Originally Posted by padmavathi m

dear sunkan,

aha enna nalla sappadu..............nalla kalyaanam...............it was as if i just came out of the kalyaana mandapam, with the heavy food....................vow, such an eloquent write up..................

love
padma

thanku padma,
sathya was very lucky to have an athimber like him so pally and a hotelier imagine planning all in detail and trying to do that too he used to be very active with sastha people and while making the aravanai in a huge uruli so big that one needs real power to even wade through and mix and he used to do that, so u know to impress sathya he went into the kitchen and mm with paan in his mouth sweating away doing the chakka pradaman, the personal touch none forget, things could be made anywhere but when it is done with your own hand, goes on to show the attachment of that person to the family....regards sunkan

Dear Sundari,

Thanx for your invitation. Would love to meet you n enjoy the feast also.

I think vishu is on the 14th, and no holiday for me.........