Hospital chapel

We were invited to another wedding last Sunday.. it was different than the earlier wedding .. the bride is from North India(Dr.)her family and grooms fly settled here (DRs), she had jewels and her wedding clothes with lots of beaded and other work shade of red.... (sorry just got a photo sat at a corner.wonderful chapel.)

when both of us arrived at the wedding place.There was lots of fresh flower decoration at chapel and rec.Beautiful. .(well ..it was at a hospital chapel-which could seat quite a no of people-which is near the emergency ward.. so was feeling queer!)They told us to look for center lobby.. we went to that entrance and saw there was just few car parking spaces.. went to ask directions..a couple with a child .. spoke to me as i was walking past.. i did not get it .. i looked at the attendant (security).. he said it was wedding.. Only then it stuck me.. the couple asked me if the queen was having a baby or what?..i thought they were commenting thanks to almost same color(as rosh churi-orange) with green border Saree..Poor things saw the bride with her troop all dolled up walk by..with flowers etc!..And i think they were just getting discharged with a new baby!It must be a eye full for them.

Found the parking only near emergency..then had to walk in through that.. so felt a bit queasy.. when we reached the first floor walked through some wards..and seeing many well dressed guests felt better..then saw the groom and groomsmen..they directed us to the chapel entrance.. can't believe such wonderful work inside and looks like a big church.

Wedding went off well with a good no of representative from grooms side.. they had earlier in the morning a Hindu wedding..so most of them looked already tired.. we went only for this.. and reception afterward at a place which is 1/2 hr south drive..

The appetizer was all high quality.. it was in one of the 5 star hotels here,from that room one had to move to another.. where reception was held.. there sit on tables allotted to u.. some wise person messed up the hard work of others, hence we could all not find our table nos.. so it got delayed.. we managed to find ours and just went in.But many did not find and they just gave up.. finally hosts told all to find a seat and apologised.There is introductions of both immediate family then others in the group.. then toasts , songs, dances, slide show, bride,groom dance,parents and others join.,then it becomes a open floor.. it was so late , kids were not with us.. we finally left with out eating dinner.

Met our former Principal , (even before i came to study),spoke a few words with him. Sir, was happy to see us their kids are here.. they visit once a year .Also met some other members their who are related to our family. Met few friends from a church we used to go at first when we first came here.

Rise and shine

Working in a large office with a sizable women workforce has its advantages. One being that at least one woman will give a positive feedback and make your day when you wear a new dress. While people closer to you are bold enough to give negative feedback, unalloyed compliments flow from an occasional stranger or passing acquaintance.

Feeling slightly embarrassed in a shiny kameez, which a friend of a colleague said reminded her of Hritik Roshan's outfits in Jodhaa Akbar, I proceeded to the canteen for a cup of coffee. An old face in the workplace, from another department, looked at my outfit curiously and smiled. That made me want to go under the table with the tea tumbler. A while later, she came over to me and said: "Your dress looks great!"

Phew! That was comforting to say the least. "Well, actually I was feeling a bit embarrassed wearing this to work." I didnt tell her that my hubby had forbade me from wearing it to church or anywhere I went with him.

"Did you go for a wedding?" she asked sympathetically. That is the only occasion journalist staff get bold enough to wear glitzy outfits or kanchipuram saris to work.

I let her think so. Anyway, she made my day. Or at least made it a bit better.

JACk of all scribes

Here's an article written by Glady, the TOI sports reporter on the IPL sporting extravaganza.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Get_ready_for_the_punchline/articleshow/2969279.cms

It might be a bit stale now. I hope I can net his latest bylines soon.

***

Chennai is getting a new Assembly complex by 2010 in the Omandurar Govt Estate, opposite The Hindu office in Mount Road. It is going to dward the LIC building in height and become the tallest building in Chennai. I hope it will look good and not be like the garish and huge, new Assembly building in Kerala.

Turtle watch

The turtle we saw on a Sunday just before going to church.
It was raining on that day.

Walking in the moonlight

I take my daughter for a walk early in the night, usually after I reach home from work. Say, between 6.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. It also helps me to prove to my maid - who is surprised and impressed that unlike Kerala, Madras after dark is a safe place for women - that I can do it without fear of being eve-teased or assaulted on the streets.

Yesterday I decided to take my daughter along as I went to meet my tailor in the quiet and secluded colony near my house . There are not many people on the streets there save for lovebirds looking for a deserted corner to chat, an occasional jogger or a couple of chauffeurs or watchmen in front of some of the bungalows on that dim-lit street.

I took Mira in my arms and hastened my gait as I saw an unkempt man coming behind. I wasnt sure if he had stopped to talk to the drivers and I hurried to keep pace with a jogger in front, who anyway was too fast for me. As I passed a house that was under construction, a man on a moped came and stopped near a truckload of bricks kept on the wayside.

"Would you be able to tell me this address?" he asked.

"Which address?" I asked thinking that he would read out some address.

"Will you look at it on my mobile?" he requested, switching it on.

I took in one glance that he was wearing a lungi and a t-shirt. There was something wrong about a man on a moped in a lungi. Of course, a mobile is as common as a watch or a pair of slippers. People might not have the latter two, but they will surely have the former. A mobile is indispensable even for the poorest of Indians.

"Huh?"

"You wouldnt know this address?" he asked realising that I was suspicious.

"No, I wouldnt," I said and hurried away to my destination.

I wasnt particularly worried or scared when I walked back home. But as I narrated it to my husband late in the night about meeting a guy who could've been a chain-snatcher, a fear came over me. It worsened when I woke up some time in the night. If he were more well-dressed or had passed on a piece of paper to look at, I might have been more gullible. And in the process he might have relieved me of a chain worth Rs.30,000. I should call myself lucky. Rather that God had protected me.

I am glad that I read the TOI article about chain-snatchers the other day. With all the hullaballoo that life with preschoolers is, it is not everyday that I get to read relevant news in the dailies.

Vacation Kerala

View from outside

A bigger house to accommodate a bigger family.

A Kerala wedding in the US

We went to a wedding on Saturday at St. Thomas the Apostle church in Ann Arbour.
The church was built in 1835 or so. With stones outside, beautiful high ceilings, and pipe organs. Reminded me of the churches we see in Kodai/Ooty. They had a singer who did a wonderful job. Our full attendance at the reception.

There stands the bride and the groom. The bride sports the mantrakodi, the sari that comes as a gift from the groom. The mantrakodi apart from the thali forms the essence of the Christian marriage ceremony of Kerala.

Altar, the wedding register etc getting ready.

Here comes the bride.

Bridegroom and his best men arrive for the ceremony.

The part which is still is in our minds was when one of the best men fell flat. The noise is still echoing in our heads. We all thought he had a heart attack. Poor man, recovered enough to stand but he was swaying, so we called 911.

We happened to be in the front rows. So hubby helped. We had water, so gave it to him. None of us saw it happen, we just heard the noise.

It was a hot day and a long one at that! I suppose no one warned the poor man how long Indian weddings can be. Or how long the best men/bridesmaids get to stand!

I'm back!

Did I tell you all that I got back to Chennai and the Internet after along break in Kerala?
p.s. And as fat as this person...