I have been tagged by Monu, well actually even before she tagged me her post had already inspired me to write a post… I have already written about my marriage once and I suggest you guys read it so that I dont have to repeat things and write an epic ITS HERE …
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When I started writing this post it was all getting too loong… and while I was loving writing it as it was giving me back so many memories, which I thought I had forgotten, that I simply let go of things and kept typing… at the end I think its way too much information and a tad too personal.. ! So I am only posting a few bits.. However I must mention while writing this post I actually realised for the first time the joy of writing for one’s own self… I have a huge draft that I am sure my wife will love to read it !!!!! 😀 Thanks to Monu for this… 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
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Finally I decided to write about the most important figures in my wedding other than my wife… !!!! My dear friends !!!!!!!!
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One of the most happy memories of my wedding was the way all my friends pitched in… when I was worried about the budget a few friends promised to take care if things got out of hand… and never once did I have to actually ask… they sensed it and promised voluntarily to give me confidence to enjoy the wedding… and not to worry bout money… that re-assurance went a long way to ensuring that I was enjoying my wedding rather than cribbing about money !!!!! 😀 😀 😀
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For almost 15 days before the wedding all friends would gather at my house at about 8pm and we would all sit down, plan and arrange things and have tons of nashta and chai till late nights… Mom would always be ready to play the perfect host… looking back I realise that my mom has always been so so so great with my friends… always ready to cook and serve and stay awake till late nights and yet also give us privacy to go to the terrace and smoke… !!!!! 😛 😛 she was one cooool mom, must say that !!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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The fun on those nights sitting on our terrace pulling legs, arranging/planning things, simply laughing and being in the company of them all was a wonderful time… We had no relatives in Bharuch but I must say I never felt like I needed them… Infact my Mom still remembers and cannot thank enough my friends whose coming everyday for the 15 days made her feel like a WEDDING was taking place in her house… !!!! 🙂 In gujju words, “Evu laage che ke ghar ma lagan che !!!!”
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From my clothes to my wedding suite every damn thing was to be managed by us along with Mom… ! Being the first to marry in a group has its advantages, none of the friends were married so all had nights free, plus most were still not fully settled or not working so seriously as to not take leaves… I was most blessed to have all friends available at all times !!!!! 😀 😀 😀
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Soon enough a couple of my dance crazy friends suggested… that whats a wedding without a dance party… we were having an afternoon wedding and we must have a dance party or some event the night before… and so my Mom said we must have “Geet Raas” (its a custom of having Garba’s, normally before the wedding day) and I was worried… though my Mom always has loved dancing and has always complained that we three kids never let her go to Garba’s… the thing that worried me more was the budget was getting stretched… and I didnt want to spend one penny from my honeymoon budget for the wedding… ! You see from very early on I was quite clear that wedding wasnt as important as the honeymoon !! 
Even here my a couple of my friends promised me to take care if things got out of hand without me asking as they sensed what was bothering me… They told me to not worry and we will handle things… so it was Geet Raas to be… that too in a wedding of a guy who couldnt even raise his hand on a dance floor… !
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On the d-day we started dancing at about 8.30 in the night and it was one sooper cold November night with almost all participating in the dance … even my mom and the elders had their customary kutchi dances and loads of garba and bhangra in the end… the super star of the night was my FIL who did an amazing jig that night that was totally original and even today my friends demand to see that jig by him as it was totally GUFFAWABLE !!!!!!!! no no believe you me even Hetal laughs at that dance so much you wouldnt believe !!!!!! 😀 😀 😀 😀 😆
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By the way for a guy who cannot dance I danced too… that night… !!!!! thats the most dancing I would ever do in ten lives !!!!!!
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At about 1.00 am in the night my FIL gave up as none of my friends would let him get to hetal or take her from the dance… eventually he had to approach my mom to request her to instruct hetal to go home… and so at about 1.30 the night of garba ended… leaving about 20 of us friends … the garba were held in the empty plot next to our house and when all had gone, started the rowdy boy’s fun… In no time we had broken the stage of the garba as all the guys decided to catch one or the other guy and then pile on him… at times almost 7-8 guys would be on the guy at the bottom… thankfully it being my wedding I was spared… but I have been there at the bottom at times… 😐 😐 trust me you dont want to know how it feels there… 😐
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When the noise was increasing our neighbour complained and we all shifted to the terrace but one friend of mine, the strongest among us, decided no one would sleep and all would stand… it was quite cold and he insisted all remove their shirts… ! and spread their hands and stand… and from there on if any one would not listen he would be the one at the bottom of another pile… ! You were not to lean and take support of a wall either or you were going to the bottom of the pile… Even I had to stand without my kurta on the terrace with my hands spread wide apart and shiver.. !!! this all went on till about 4 in the morning at times you would have to relate a joke or sing a lewd song or explain to me that it was my last chance to run away or just crib about losing a bachelor to the uncle’s group all sorts of advice was flowing I tell ya.. !!! 😀 😀 😀 😀 They all even enlightened me that I am letting go of so many apsara’s and committing to this one lady… !!!!! 😛 😛 😛 sigh.. but I had transcended above all temptations at that stage !!!
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The madness on the terrace was so much that a few of my friends, who were given duty of collecting relatives from the station who all would arrive in different trains starting from 5 am in the morning, went to the station much earlier as coz they knew they might get some sleep on the bench on the railway station but none at all at home.. !
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At around 4 somehow some one found a tumbler and he sprayed water on a guy and that was it.. suddenly at 4 am on a chilly night it was Holi !!!!! soon enough glasses and bottles were being emptied and shrieks could just not be controlled any more… ! One of the guys even managed to find a bucket and it seemed like a Mass Flu was on the way… When I tried to reason that people will need water to bathe.. next morning… I was snubbed..
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“abe chinta mat kar, fire brigade ka tempo kal subah, bahar khada hoga… teri shaadi mein sabh naha ke jaayenge.. ! Main guarantee deta hoon…!!”
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This snarl came from a guy who is 6’3″ and weighs about 85 kgs… and he was half wet… so I decided that I needed to simply save myself for my wedding… and let him proceed to get his bucket thirsty revenge… ( Please to note not one of the blokes were drunk not one drop, they were high on just dost ki shaadi ! )
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Thankfully the splashing water and a lot of noise suddenly brought Mom up and Mom brought with her a lot of sanity… thankfully all the water was not wasted … at around 5.30 I was told to sleep so that I would be fresh and most of the other friends didnt sleep and went to their respective houses to get fresh after another hour at about 6.30 or so as all had to be present for serving breakfast at home at 8.
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Next day all went as per schedule… and we were to reach the wedding venue at 11.30 and at 11.30 we were there but alas there was no bride to welcome us !!!!! The bride was still in the beauty parlour, Hetal was busy getting ready and we all had reached… !!!!! My FIL had a near heart attack watching us reach there at right time !!!!! 😛 😛 😛 😛 coz its quite customary in Gujarati weddings to reach late.. !!! 😛 😛 😛
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Hetal made us wait for almost half an hour at the gate before madam turned up to welcome the already waiting dulha.. ! 😐 Please to read that earlier post about the wedding if you want more details…
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After our wedding was over we all went home… and all friends would not let me sit with Hetal… eventually in the evening they all had to get my room ready so they all went and I got atleast 1 hour with Hetal… eventually at around 9 we left our house to go for my hotel suite.. with a few friends… the one piece of advise I can never forget while leaving my house came from a 70 year old relative he whispered just as I left in my ear, “Jaa beta fateh karke aana !!!” (I couldnt believe this guy was real… it seemed I was going on WAR !!!) 😛 😛 😛 😛
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We were made to wait outside the hotel as the room was not ready… and my friends could see I was pissed of as I was being made to sit in the hotel parking in the car…They would ask if I wanted a sandwich or a ice cream and what not to just keep me quiet but hell I wanted to go to my rooooooooom !!!!!!!
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Eventually we reached there at about 10 but the guys and yes… all guys.. no girls… who all knew Hetal and Hetal knew her wouldnt go… they sat there ordered biryani and what not and stayed with us till about 11.30 teasing and irritating and no matter how cool you act… they know your itching to throw them out… ! Eventually at 11.3o they left but only after a hefty bribe..
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The next day I was to board the August Kranti to Delhi for honeymoon and I had a group of 25 people to drop me at the railway station, guys and this time with their girls to drop me off at the station and we did create a huge ruckus on the platform… it just seemed like I was a VIP going to Delhi to address the parliament with their worries.. 😛 😛 😛
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As I boarded the train the bye bye was so noisy and cheerful most passengers in the train and on the railway station were looking at us.. we all couldnt say bye enough to each other… they were instructing the pantry staff to take care of the kids.. ! some were advising tips for the honeymoon some jibbering laughter and a lot of hugs and hand shakes and what not !!!! 😀 😀 😀
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Just as my train began to move… I took out a cigarette in the door way and another guy who was standing there smoking told me …
“all those came to drop you ?”
sheepishly I said, “yea, made a lot of noise didnt they !”
The guy just replied, “your a very very lucky man to have friends like those!”
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I knew that all along but it felt really good coming from another person, who didnt know me or us but could spot the obvious fact so very fast.
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I had have the most enviable set of friends, who would do any and everything for me, be it turning into caterers or drivers they were up for it… ! We had tons of fun before and during the marriage and then we had a party once I was back from my honeymoon, but I can never thank my friends enough… They simply are the biggest treasure of my life… and guess what dude’s and dudette’s I am coming back to Bharuch !!!!!!!!!!! in 5 days time !!!!!!!!!! :D 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
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Seriously cant wait to get back .. like Tony Greig says.. they will be dancing in the ayles.. yes we will… !!!!!
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God bless our friendship and may it keep growing stronger with each passing day !!!!!!!! Amen !
Added later : I have to tag a few bloggers according to Monu and I find this difficult as I am not sure who will like doing it or not… but I will do my bit : I’ll tag the guys… !!!!
Masood
Rakesh
Vimmmuu !!!!!!!!!!! 😀 😀 😀
Soon we were in the metro to Purani Dilli, some might call Purani Dilli as dilapidated, maybe messy, unorganised, where wire’s entangle so much that they start seeming like un-ending Anaconda’s, however, once you soak it in and realise that a town that was built centuries ago is now still a thriving, throbbing market place you realise the method in the madness in this place. Travelling with Arvind and Sangeeta was particularly enriching as they pointed us out the left traces of the old world admist the hustle and bustle. 
Hitchy's World 