Next week I am off to Kolkata, and that too for a family wedding. Now it promises to be a lot of fun, meeting the long lost relatives I hadn’t met in the last decade, spending long nights with cousins discussing inane stuff, pondering over what to wear for the big event and fending off nosey neighbours who would inevitably make sly innuendos about “you are next” or direct character assassinations, “why are you not married yet? I warned your parents not to educate girls or send them away at such a young age.”
My hatred for weddings notwithstanding, I have come to enjoy the specific nuances of such family events which are typical Bong affairs which take you back in time and remind you of the not-so-glory days:
The days when you would look forward to traveling to Asansol in crowded local trains, just to be with your cousins…
The days when you would seriously start packing for your elder sister’s wedding due in six months…
The days when you would excitedly discuss the menu and make sure it included all your favourite dishes…
The days when you would run errands and feel important about making a “contribution”…
The days when you would monitor the flower decorations, gift wrapping and logistics, only to realize everything is screwed up anyway…
The days when you would have “deep conversations” with the bride/groom the day before the wedding and realize how freaked out they were…
The days when you would try to empathize with the said bride/groom and nod wisely, even though you had no idea what they were going through…
The days when you would dress up in your best traditional outfits, decide they are all crappy and then borrow your mom’s sarees, much to her annoyance…
The days when you would run away from the house without telling anybody and switch off your phone, just to catch some relief from the incessant cacophony…
The days when you would pose for endless photographs, worrying if the all wedding sweets were making you look fat…
The days when you would chat up with the random stranger and figure out he/she was way out of your league…
The days when you your relatives would try to set you up with the creepiest person on earth (even by Bong standards) and you would spend the rest of the days trying to avoid said creepy individual…
The days when you would feel sad thinking about how the bride/groom was no longer just your annoying cousin, but someone else’s husband/wife…
The days of mixed feelings and messed up make-up are back again…
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:)
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