Slippers - Lost & Found

Slippers - Lost & Found

The trip to Rameswaram for the wedding was very eventful, but the most hilarious thing was the story of lost and found slippers, not just one pair but two.

It started like this, when we were in the train on the way to Rameswaram, a couple in the same coupe got down at Ramanathapuram very early in the morning. When we reached Rameswaram, Amma got up and searched for her slipper and found that one was hers and the other belonged to the lady who had got down earlier. Lord knows how that lady who was at least 6-7 months pregnant managed to wear such mismatched slippers and walk!

As there was no other choice, Amma had to wear the other mismatched pair and walk down the station. She managed up to the Kalyana mandapam and gave up after that. Since it was quite early in the morning, we could not manage to find a shop to buy a new pair for her. Meanwhile I had left my slippers in the Kalyana Mandapam entrance like everybody else and after Vratham and lunch, I came out to find that mine were missing.

Now both of us were barefoot but managed to get into an auto to the lodge! Amma was too tired to go to the market and said she will manage without slippers for the day. In the evening we all got ready for the janavaasam and reached the mandapam. I had a casual look at the many pairs of slippers lying there and managed to find mine! Obviously somebody had worn them by mistake and had brought them back. First thing I did was to hide my slippers behind one of the pillars.

The story does not end here. Next day during the Muhurtham, I did the same thing of hiding my slippers behind a pillar and Amma continued to manage without hers. After the Muhurtham, Amma and I went to the market and bought her a new pair. We came back to the mandapam and had our lunch. We had to go back to the lodge immediately to pack as we had to leave for Chennai that evening. We came out to find that Appa’s slippers were missing! I began to wonder whether our slippers were jinxed.

I searched all over the mandapam and found Appa’s slippers lying in two different corners as the crowd had walked up and down pushing them all over the place!

I found the whole drama so funny that I could not resist blogging about it!

Wedding at Rameswaram

Wedding at Rameswaram

Last week was an unexpected sudden trip to Rameswaram for my second cousin’s wedding. My sister Jayashree was supposed to accompany my parents but she could not make it and hence I travelled with them. As soon as we reached Rameswaram on Saturday morning, we were put in rooms in the Goswami Madam. The wedding hall was diagonally opposite the Goswami Madam. I was asked to help the bride’s maternal aunt in doing the make up for the bride. It was good fun to get the bride ready. The bride, Gayatri, is just out of college and it was nice and refreshing to see a very young bride and groom.

Saturday morning was Vratham and Naandhi. The part I liked most was meeting up with many of my mother’s cousins for the first time.

 The breakfast and lunch was excellent. Post lunch we rested in our rooms and got ready by 4 pm for the jaanavasam. After a long long time, I witnessed a full fledged jaanavasam with the maapillai made to sit in a decorated vehicle and the procession went around all the four maada veedhis of the temple.

 It took more than two hours with lot of crackers, band, naadaswaram and dancing. The lady who danced most was the bride’s mother and of course a lot of young boys.

 It was endearing to see the groom being greeted with aarathi in front of many households in the four maada veethis. Both the bride and groom are from Rameswaram and practically known to all in the town. The procession stopped in front of the Goswami Madam where the bride was waiting. It continued with both the bride and the groom in the vehicle to the wedding hall for Nischayadartham.

This completed the functions of the first day and after another heavy meal, we came back to our rooms for a big gossip session with my mother’s cousins and their families. Finally all retired to get up by 5 am on Sunday morning for the Muhurtham. Muhurtham started with Kasi Yathirai followed by maalai maatral and then oonjal.

After oonjal, the bride and groom came inside the hall. Next was the most poignant moment of a wedding - kanya dhanam preceding the thaali tying ceremony and the saptapadhi

The hall was packed with most of the town people inside. All the elders heaved a sigh of relief that everything went off well!