FOUR cities and a Punjabi Wedding (Dho Adiyaa…….Bahuth Vaadiya)!

Well, after a huge gap, this one is meant to be chaotic and I hope would succeed in creating the same.

It’s been a whirlwind Vaadiya tour of Northern India recently and was certainly an Adiyaa (two half bottles of liquor in Punjabi), ending on a very high note in  Delhi, the Indian capital.The highlights obviously were:  The Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikiri, Amber fort, Qutub Minar, The Golden Temple and of course, the main motive and modus-operandi behind visiting these cities… a great Indian, Punjabi wedding!

12,000 kilometers by car, flight, bus and by train; four Indian states ( Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana) and straddling across four great  cities( Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Amritsar) ; and to cap it , an eventful Punjabi wedding at an hitherto unknown place for me, called, Bhatinda; in  a remote north western state border of north west Indian state of PUNJAB, bordering  PAKISTAN; and  for that matter I knew and safely assumed  from erstwhile Bollywood movies that Punjabi weddings were usually traditional and  simple but interspersed with a collage of fun frolicking with lots of whiskey; dance; sweets; food; more whiskey; more  dance etc…

However, no sooner I realised that it was going to be unlike what I assumed from Bollywood, we already embarked our journey on a bus, along with our smart and  a very helpful bridegroom , the journey originally envisaged would last for 6 hours, later turning out to be 13 long gruel night hours, which was not surprising, since we had to cover  around 600 kilometers; whilst 3 good initial hours alone were spent just to negotiate Delhi’s nefarious traffic snarl; we began in Gurgaon, Haryana, meandering to and through Delhi, only to begin our journey from where its ended, once again from Haryana, on the highway, to the other side of the planet. Mind you, the bus tour began at the late wee hours after lunch, with a sincere plan and aim to catch up with the Mehendhi and music night(!) ,the same evening at a remote far off town of Bhatinda in the north western border of India!! 

Well, that how we began our finale.

As the weather was getting colder, window panes getting icier and no sooner realised that I  was actually enjoying the organised chaos and the fact that the Punjabi weddings were possibly traditionally  meant to be  ;  dis-organised in an organised laid back way; very liberal cum orthodox ; and my stint at laid back approach to life, all these years, was beaten to hammer, given a rude jolt, by the Desi Punjabi way ; where matters  were seemingly  left to unfold on their own until the last few micro and Nano of seconds, before they were actually planned, conceived, organised and arranged to be executed !! Well, I liked it, as it was my style too; to swim with the tide and being carefree whilst rooted to the basics and it's moments.

Now, the colder weather was really getting on  few of our nerves in the bus; hence  few needed few shots of gentleman Jack, warm food which were duly consumed before the bus and occupants could land us no man zone; albeit safely reached the hotel in Bhatinda after meandering through few cities like Patiala en route; for a very early morning for a well-deserved dinner-fast (!);  the same late morning the wedding began in style; groom  received by his nearest and bests of relatives; greeted and hugged; sporting a new lovely suit (like us all !);  now turbaned with a seven long meter sacred cloth;  handed and handling a new sword; huddled by sisters and cousins alike;  taken out for a small procession to the nearby wedding hall in a car ; bride’s relatives receiving him with traditional aarathies and formalities; whilst brunch being served to us all; groom now  joined by his pride and  bride ,  photos taken by the professionals and not so us alike;  left for the Gurudhwara, accompanied by selected few from either side (including us the southern Madarasi strangers); soon  found prostrating in front of the Holy Granth sahib with rituals accompanied by musicians and keerthans alike; the ritual  was soon over  with traditional Prasad served to all us important people; more photos and videos of the couple; the bride struggling with a few kg of suit on her; headed back to the wedding hall for reception; dance; food; rituals; fun and frolicking ;partying began and continued the whole evening at the hall and hotel; more gentlemen consuming more of Gentleman Jack and Ballantine; soulful Gazal, Bollywood and Tamil songs flowing off from now lightened and more relaxed souls; family dynamics creeping up now and then;  kiddies on movies in their allotted rooms; and the party was on till late in the night and we met and made ourselves new and lovely friends ; whilst I was passive to the whole gambit of intense conversations in both Punjabi and Hindi, comfortably sandwiched between families; with little or no knowledge of what they were uttering; well,communication is 93% non-verbal, isn’t it?(a big paragraph too)

The finale however seemed  was over even before it began and sooner after an early morning tryst with  local cold weather , we (two families) left for Amritsar on a three hour trip; the motor road and journey being lovely with plush greeneries and farms on either side, strewn here and there with yellow mustard flowers; cabbage, Cauliflower and corn lengthy leaves;   cool and  crispy weather kindling  April’s  Manchester ;  few Parathas and teas at a road side motel en route  relaxing our souls and bodies alike; well we continued to move on whilst most of us snoring off; watched Sutlej, one of the five enriching Punjab economically and culturally; trailing us with lots of tributaries and canals all along ; and  we reached the famous  AMRITSAR,(city of nectar water) for the beautiful Golden temple; the most sacred for Sikhs;  missing the Wagah border and Jallian waalahbagh memorial due to time constraints;  hopped back on a seven long hour lovely  train journey back to New Delhi and Gurgaon on a sadahbdhi whilst  the Wedding party bus, with the newlywed couple and others from Bhatinda , after a 13 hour journey was plying back to Gurgaon; only managed to pip us by the post  by few minutes.!(oops)

After a day spent in frozen posture; more whiskeys and Biryani; and 10 days after our arrival in Indian capital, we were back to Singa the day after, for a slumbering next few long hours and days at our home. Kudos to our friend and his family for hosting us and this blog!

We arrived in the Indian capital for the first leg of our tour from Singapore on the first week of December; and immediately were met with a nice cold smoggy weather outside the New Delhi’s posh, plush and swanky new airport; were instantaneously happy; because we were back in India and for the first time in Delhi during December!

The city and Gurgaon, where we were holing up stuck me as huge; the fog was intense reminding us the April’s Manchester; the eventual smog was delirious with very intense traffic; took on easily to our friend’s family and also the city and Gurgaon  with unregulated madness; aptly suffocated by ever pervading Mall and Condo culture; seemingly omnipotent.

After a brief stint in Gurgaon, began the trip down south east towards Uttar Pradesh and for Agra; arrived bit late into the night and readied ourselves for an humongous sightseeing next few days; Kids surprised and overwhelmed by the India’s rich heritage, vastness of its canvas; Agra fort; the ultimate sublime of a beauty, the Taj Mahal; Mughal food; the Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra just reminding me of loneliness at the top; don’t matter alive or dead!

On the next morning towards Jaipur we caught up with the beautiful Fathehpur Sikiri; the walled city conceived and built to the perfection by Akbar the great; a treat for camera and eyes alike; heady mix of Persian, Mughal and Indian designs and architecture; which was lovely and nostalgic. A brief startling visit to the Local Balaji temple ( for hapless psychiatric patients) mistakenly visited as a Srinivasa Perumal temple; later arrived in the pink city , ended with   a  visit to the famous Choki dhani for a sumptuous authentic Rajasthani ghee laden meal to top up the evening.

The next day spent in around Jaipur, was great; whilst the magnificent Amber fort being the main torch bearer; city palace coming next and a very productive stroll along the famous Babu bazaar for few sarees and Lehengas; thanking God, as time constraint was saving my ever slimming down wallet along its aisles; also helped by a good soul, happened to be my brother’s colleague; ventured back to Delhi by road; arriving at Gurgaon the same night.

Our hapless Punjabi bhai took us around New and Old Delhi over next two lovely fog and smog ridden days; its unkempt Red fort; India gate; Raj path; President’s house; PMO; Parliament and its famous maargs;  capped it with a sumptuous meal at Chandni chowk’s Karim; magnificent Qutub Minar and the surrounding ruins ; later on Bikannerwala and its chaat items were spared for none over the evening; before we started packing and preparing ourselves for a not yet known roller coaster ride of a wedding two days later in Bhatinda.

Well, if you were too confused and not freaked out yet , let us begin from the first paragraph again……..