Charanjit & Karishma's Wedding

and so it was the engagement ceremony according to sikh rites this morning at the gurdwara on wilkie road.

i got up at 8am, shaved, powdered my nose, and put on a champagne coloured kurta suit, and headed for the gurdwara. and they gave me a pink scarf to have my head covered, as per sikh rites and custom upon entering the gurdwara. so totally my colour!

pretty much a free and easy morning. the day started with yummy breakfast in the communal kitchen - think samosa, halva, semolina, sweet cakes, tea and the works.


groom-to-be charanjit - pink turban and pink shawl - that's him alright, campy!


radha and hubby... negotiating who gets the first bite on the samosas

and the ceremony started proper on a very free & easy note...


i presume that's the priest, reciting verses from the guru granth sahib. on intervals, he'd take out a gorgeous looking fly whisk and he'd whisked it all around him in the air. oh-i-so-wanna-do-the-same-too!


lots of kirtan (hymns) followed suit, three dudes (extreme right) did the gig on tabla and the whatchamacallit accordian thingy... trippy! on hindsight, it sounded very much like ghazal.

after almost an hour of trippy hymns, the ceremony came to an end, and charanjit was formally declared as engaged to karishma...


and some warrior looking sikh dude (and he had a dagger slung across his chest i swear!) offered us a lump of warm sweet milky semolina... i reverently accepted and chowed it down there and then... lest he finds an excuse the draw his dagger.


the blushing groom-to-be...


and families of the groom and bride-to-be


and the rest of us - i looked pregnant in this shot lor... damn irritating can!

and then...


the langar lunch followed at the communal kitchen again... sweet rice, yellow rice, chapatis and vegetarian fare... one's gotta love sikh ceremonies for all of its trippy hymns, pink head dress and lots and lotsa food!

i like!

oh by the way, karishma was not present at the ceremony... due to some customary requirement i guess.

she's having her bridal shower tonight but no men allowed... but i'm ghey! dang!

meanwhile, pavithra touched down in singapore from delhi for the wedding and she's staying with me for the celebrations.

gotta go get ready for the big partaaay for the lovebirds at attica tonight... another posting to come for the traditional sangeet pre-wedding celebrations at the hyatt tomorrow evening.

what to wear? what to wear? what to wear?