My daughter’s forwarded messages ‘save the date’ popped one after the other: Her school friends’ wedding invites! Only yesterday I dropped her to nursery and my gregarious cherub was pals with so many angels. Pretty soon, a coterie of these naughty elves emerged. Their bond strengthened as they strode through school. Often they would drop in for ‘group studies’. One candle added every birthday. As these fledglings spread across in pursuit of academics and later career, they have not only kept in touch (courtesy numerous social networking platforms) but also made it a point to get together whenever they come home for festivals or vacation. But how time flies! Time for wedding bells, unbelievable.
My reverie was cut short by my daughter’s call. She shared the colour codes for each event, type of outfit, etc. Her exuberant calls for the next couple of days kept me on tenterhooks. Who’s wearing what? Who is arriving when? The gist being friends would wear similar outfits. Bridesmaids in similar ‘mehendi’, design shared online among themselves. Since she would get limited off from her research work, the onus of shopping was delegated to me. I thoroughly enjoyed hunting for garments ‘cham cham’ ones and matching glittery accessories, shortlisting and making video calls for approval.
My share of customisation et al was done before hand. Together we surfed the net, shortlisted a few articles and saved them in the cart to be delivered on her arrival. I dubbed her arrival as OTP day. As she travelled home, one after the other articles were delivered home and OTP shared with the vendor. Oh! the fun we had as she tried the garments and ramp walked for me. Poor Daddy wondering what were the mother-daughter duo up to?
Back-to-back weddings; overlapping events; family invites and friends only functions: A little overwhelming to comprehend. A detailed Excel sheet landed for referral: Events, venue, dress code, pick up and drop, stay. So, all the theory you learn can be put into practice thus. From sharing airport rides to local travel, all meticulously planned, salon/parlour visits included. They had rehearsed performances and ‘mash-ups’ with cues to include their friend and spouse.
{{/usCountry}}Back-to-back weddings; overlapping events; family invites and friends only functions: A little overwhelming to comprehend. A detailed Excel sheet landed for referral: Events, venue, dress code, pick up and drop, stay. So, all the theory you learn can be put into practice thus. From sharing airport rides to local travel, all meticulously planned, salon/parlour visits included. They had rehearsed performances and ‘mash-ups’ with cues to include their friend and spouse.
{{/usCountry}}As parents we too attended the wedding festivities and I would invariably be drawn towards these giggling gangsters. Irrespective of their professions, they were all the little schoolkids. Enjoying, supporting each other, instructing one another and exuding unconditional love and camaraderie.
The sortie ended too soon, a week of eventful days and sleepless nights. As she packed for her departure to her institute, she had so many tales to share, experiences and what they did. Her gallery was full of pictures and videos: Solo, group but specially ‘us’. In between events, they managed rendezvous to their favourite haunts, too.
As I stacked the dry-cleaned garments in the closet, I offered a wistful prayer to the Almighty. May their bond remain unaffected by weathering vagaries of life, may they be friends forever. kalrasuruchi@yahoo.com
The writer is an associate professor of English at Hindu Girls College, Jagadhri.