Laughter & Sunshine

 

The Invitation:

When Leela innocuously asked me if I’d be interested to attend a wedding this May, without even asking her the details, I said “No!  I’m busy in May”. “Oh”, she said, feigning surprise, paused a little and fired the opening salvo,  “the wedding is in Goa ... .”she paused again for effect and then landed the sucker punch, “our folks from Bangalore are all coming” She turned and pretended to walk away, fully aware that she had knocked me off of my high horse – yet again (sigh)

“Ah, I see...” I replied hardly hiding my disappointment at not listening to her fully – a folly, I still keep committing even after almost three decades of marriage. Quickly recovering, I asked her “when did you say the wedding is?  And the moment her reply came, I said:  “Oh I guess that week I should be home and not travelling”...With the mission accomplished, Leela gave me a triumphant smile and marched away.  

The Preparation:

Thus started the whirlwind preparations for travel. Making plans for travel is my playground and one department where I could trounce Leela without batting an eyelid – so I rolled up my sleeves and got down to business. 

First, I have to find out where the Dennis’s and the rest of the famous Bangalore gang are staying in Goa. One phone call to Sylvia and Dennis revealed much to my delight that they are all staying at the Calangute Beach. My efforts to book a room in the same hotel failed as it is already fully booked for the wedding group. Unnerved by this minor setback, I explored other hotels on the beach and managed to book a nice hotel close to where Dennis and rest of the group were staying. 

Next, I booked the flight tickets and sat back visualising the journey and the opportunity to meet up with our extended family ...Leveraging my enthusiasm for this Goa trip, Leela got herself some nice trinkets and accessories to go with her Silk Saree that she had already ironed - with 7 neat pleats she reminded me. 

Off we go:

It’s an early morning flight so we made the trip to the airport in good time. The Chennai airport was as usual milling with crowds of people. This time, it’s mostly families, signalling the holiday season.  The Hindi speaking security guard at the entrance gate scanned our tickets, our aadhar cards and our faces for over 93 seconds before he let us in. Next few hours, we emptied our pockets, our bags and our egos and sleep-walked through the entire security drill. We helped ourselves to  cups of hot filter coffee and the staple South Indian fare of Idly and vada before boarding - not wanting to subject Leela to the insipid food they sell at exorbitant prices abroad the aircraft 

It’s Selfie Time : 

As I had figured out from the sequence on our boarding passes, the flight was full – mostly families and young bachelors dreaming of their own fantasies and fenny in Goa...We settled into our XL seats and stretched our legs – after all we had paid fancy price to avail the extra leg-room and took the mandatory selfies for instant Facebook posts. 

The flight landed in the brand new North Goa Mopa airport. We got down and breezed past the miserable queues waiting at the carousels -with just our hand baggage. Leela helped herself to more selfies and coaxed me to join her in front of the famous Mario Miranda doodles on the airport walls and at the large art installation of a cool Goan dude playing a guitar right outside the airport. 

Our quick march past the waiting passengers at the carousel was nullified as we waited in the harsh sun at the kerb for the hotel taxi to pick us up. Finally the taxi arrived after a full 30 minutes delay. The cab driver grinned and mumbled in Hindi ‘late hogaya’ I did not have the energy nor the language skills to give him my piece of mind..so I nodded meekly and we got into the cab

The Fun begins : 

Lionel Mascarenhas, the genial host from the Hotel was able to spot us both weary and tired, making our way through the sands leading up to the colourfully painted Goan style cottages and welcomed us. Dressed in a beach shirt unbuttoned up to the waist and Bermuda shorts, Lionel is a harbinger of all things Goan. He quickly ushered in to our room and pulled aside the curtains revealing the clear view of a silver sea shimmering in the sun and myriad coconut trees swaying in the wind. 

No sooner did I unpack my bags, my phone rang and I answered with an emphatic “yes” when Dennis called to know if we had arrived and invited us over to his hotel which is just two minutes walk down the same road.  

Unmindful of the scorching sun and the searing sand, we walked up to Pedros’ place where Dennis and family and all others from Bangalore have laid anchor. We walked to a raucous welcome and knew at that moment that the fun has now officially begun. 

The Day before the Wedding: 

After a quick rest and refreshment, we hurriedly huddled inside the Tempo Traveller arranged for us to take us to the venue of the Haldi Ceremony at the groom’s place. We travelled up the winding streets lined with pubs and restaurants for almost an hour but nobody in the van complained. Laughter rose in a crescendo inside the van as the younger crowd kept the energy levels high with their banter and affectionate leg-pulling in English, Hindi, Tamil and Kannada languages...

As we arrived at the Groom’s residence Leela patiently re-introduced me to all her cousins and their wards who were already waiting there. I politely shook hands acknowledging their pleasant surprise at seeing me after a long time. 

Soon the dreaded time arrived and the groom was gleefully doused with liberal doses of turmeric paste by eager relatives who continued their antics of dumping the unsuspecting Groom with assorted pastes, eggs, tomatoes and other garbage(?) and ended with buckets of water poured over his head. Perhaps, they are teaching the groom that marriage will demand such monk like patience from him

We had our fill of fun and food and retired for the day making plans on the way back to our hotels for the wedding next day..

Soaking in the Sun:

With the wedding arranged for the evening, we had the whole morning and afternoon for us to goof around in the beach, do some touristy shopping and generally brave the heat...

The sun in Goa pierced through our skin making the Chennai heat and humidity feel quite harmless in comparison. The heat did not deter us from enjoying the waves teasingly lap at our feet. We soaked in the sun bravely and clicked more photos and did some shopping for beach shorts, I love Goa T Shirts, hats, dresses in beautiful pastel shades, beads, famous Goan cashews and assorted items to take back home..

The Wedding:

The van was waiting for us as we scrambled to get on to the comfort of the Air-conditioned interiors of the van. Again the van made its way through the weekend traffic and finally reached the venue after about an hour. At the church while we waited for the service to begin, Dennis and I had started watching the CSK vs Delhi Capitals match on our phones and were giggling like school kids as CSK trounced the hapless Delhi and made it to the playoffs. We lifted our heads only when the resounding organ notes of the Wedding March wafted through the pews, as the bride walked down the aisle her face aglow and looking all radiant in an off-white gown and flowing veil train carefully carried by blushing flower girls ... 

The ceremony was short and crisp and the jovial pastor kept the small congregation laughing at his wry remarks about wedding – of course, the newly married couple would not have minded, lost in their own thoughts ...

While the eager camera persons were kept at bay inside the church, once the couple walked down the aisle, they took over and the couple had to pose and smile a thousand times, before they could catch their breath. 

As for us, we left the hounding of the cameras and the harried couple and got into the van one more time to take us to the grand reception arranged at a nearby resort. 

A Taste of Goa:

We arrived early at the venue tastefully decorated for the occasion. We took several photos inside and outside the sprawling lawns and made our way towards the banquet chairs and tables arranged in clusters surrounding the dance floor and stage. The Goan band was conducting mike testing and the guitarist and drummers were jamming already...

The Open Bar beckoned in neon glory by the side and we made a beeline to the counter. Feasting on the short eats and snacks and cradling the drinks of our choice we were in high spirits by the time the couple made their way through the raining confetti and rousing applause. 

The MC ordered all the guests to stand in circle and encourage the couple to cut the ceremonial cake – but not before the theme music of the Pirates of the Caribbean played out announcing the arrival of Captain Jack Sparrow. The pirate looking fittingly menacing, walked up to the bemused couple, drew out his fake cutlass and mockingly threatened the groom to cut the cake. 

On cue, the uncle of the groom appeared with a Champagne bottle and showered the unsuspecting newly weds in a flurry of foam as they managed to cut the cake amidst the cacophony and eat it too. 

The animated guests by now needed no invitation from the MC and started dancing on the floor. The band picked up the tempo and hit the high notes as the newly anointed husband and wife broke into a lively jig. 

Young and old, couples and singles mingled merrily and danced away through the night inside the hall even after the band had to wind up in the outdoor arena by 10 pm.

We reluctantly plodded our way to the dinner buffet spread – prodded by our wives who were keeping a strict watch over the time and our frequent trips to refill our glasses. The buffet had a nice mix of traditional wedding food and Goan specialities including pork vindaloo and beef and many other items which we devoured without bothering to check out the details. It all tasted spicy and tangy and we forced ourselves to stop so that we could relish the desserts. 

The tired but happy groom stood gleaming with his lithe bride by his side and accepted our greetings and good wishes and blessings and obediently posed for the hundredth time for the family portraits. 

We left the venue almost past mid-night and made our journey back to the hotel. Though tired we regaled ourselves with stories and juicy gossips.  

Farewell: 

While the other families extended their stay for another two day, we had to leave back home. We hugged, kissed and waved goodbyes savouring the good times and memories we made together. Surely, we’ll remember the brief moments when we felt young and carefree allover again and thanked the couple and their parents for creating this wonderful moment of togetherness where we enjoyed the sunshine and the laughter, that lingered in our minds long after we laid our tired heads to sleep...