So, this is a long time coming since I've been back for over two weeks, and forgive the terribly long post, but it's about time I blog about my trip to India. Mosquitos and stomach problems aside, it was a fabulous trip! It was the first time I got to see my mom, dad, and sister, Sabina, since we moved to Japan. India has changed a lot since I was last there - there are McDonalds and Dominos everywhere along with massive malls and girls in jeans and t-shirts. But, Bollywood music still blared, the food was still wonderful and fatty, and the traffic was still terrible.
The purpose of our visit to India was three-fold: (1) visit family that Sabina and I had not seen in 10 years (2) attend the wedding of my cousin, Parshav, and (3) wedding shopping! Though I wish Ryan had come along, my relatives were all excited to hear about our upcoming nuptials and the prospect of meeting their new
jija ji (that means brother-in-law in Hindi).
Our trip began in Delhi where we stayed with my
thaia ji, my dad's older brother, and his family. My cousin, Pankish
bhaiya (brother)
, has the most adorable family! He has two adorably smart children - Kavya and Krish. His wife, Ritu
bhabi (sister-in-law) took me shopping for all of my wedding needs including jewelry and outfits such as
salwar kameezes,
lenghas, and
saris. It was fun! I got to spend time with some of my aunts and cousins and it was nice to be dotted on like a bride. Wedding shopping was also exhausting and stressful! Sabina even fell asleep in more than one store. Thank God for Indian McDonald's to keep our strength going! All that time and angst was worth it though, because in the end I got some beautiful outfits befitting of a
dulhania (bride)! I'm not going to post pictures of them, I'll let you check them out in July! Thanks to Pankish Bhaiya and Ritu Bhabi ji - we couldn't have gotten all of our outfits, jewelry, invitations, or even Ryan's outfit, if it weren't for all of their advice and generous help!
My
bua ji (dad's sister), dad, and
thaiya ji (dad's older brother)
.
My mom,
phupha ji (dad's sister's husband) and
thai ji (dad's older brother's wife)
My adorable nephew and niece - Krish and Kavya!
Pankish Bhaiya enjoying a veggie burger at McDonalds during one of our shopping trips.
Indian McDonald's has pizza mcpuffs!
From Delhi, we traveled over 6 long hours to
Ludhiana in Punjab, where my cousin Parshav was born. Parshav lives in Buffalo now and we are very close. He is even one of Ryan's groomsmen! I'm so glad we were able to attend his wedding!
Punjabi weddings are multi-day, boisterous events. It started out with a
sangeet, which is a song and dance party. My mom even got in on the dancing!
The happy groom!
That's my mom in
bhangra-ing in blue!
The next day, they had
mendhi and
batna. For the
batna, relatives of the groom apply a mixture of turmeric, yogurt, oil, and henna, to the bride or groom's feet, knees, shoulders, and head. The females in the family apply it from the feet up while the men apply it from the ehad down. The mixture is supposed to give the person a healthy glow for their wedding day. For those participating, it's messy and fun!
He's clean.... for now!
It starts!
Me applying the
haldi mixture.
Sabina applying the
haldi mixture!
Time to shower!
Sabina getting
mendhi.
Me getting
mendhi.
My
mendhi when it was first applied (after a couple of hours the green stuff falls off and I was left with a beautiful dark red design).
Later that night, there was a formal ring ceremony where the bride and groom both presented each other with gifts. I have to say, my new
bhabi ji looked stunning!
Akanksha, the bride, being escorted in by her sisters.
Parshav and Akanksha exchanging rings while their sisters look on.
Sabina with our neices (from different male cousins) - Pratna, Noni, and Astha.
The next day was the wedding! We spent the day having fun with my mom's side of the family before the
shaadi in the evening. Since we were on the boy's side, we got to participate in the
barat!
Mom, Sabina, and me with the groom before the bharaat.
Anju
Bhabi fixing my sari for the 10th time. I am so not graceful in one!
Dancing with the
barat!
The
jaimala was really cool! They exchanged garlands on a revolving stage. Unfortunately, my camera died soon after that so I don't have any pictures after that. Also, in Indian weddings, functions tend to run late. The
pheres didn't happen until well after 2am. Mom and I were beat and headed home around 1:30am. We can't wait so see the video though!
The bride's entrance.
The bride and groom!
The next day, we gathered at Veena
massi's house (my mom's sister) for the
kangana. During the wedding ceremony, the priest ties a string around the bride and groom's wrist with seven knots. The next day, the bride and groom try to undo the knots and whoever can do it the fastest is said to have the upperhand in the marriage! Punjabi weddings are full of games like that!
The new Mr. and Mrs.!
We were then off to Rampura and Bhatinda where my father's family lives. To say Rampura is a small town is an understatement. But, everyone there is friendly and they treat my father like a hometown hero!
The local
gai (cow) like to lounge anywhere and everywhere.
My
thai ji (my dad's oldest brother's wife).
My cousins.
Dad, Surinder
thaiya ji and Kamla
bua ji.
Dad and Amrith
thaiya ji.
Dad with two of his sisters - Bimla
bua ji and Kamla
bua ji - and my nephew, Anmol.
Karan and Pinky
didi.
Sabina, Pinky didi, and me. She took me shopping for all of my Punjabi wedding items!
Sure, Ayush looks cute - but he's scary!
It was back to Delhi to finish my wedding shopping. After getting all of my outfits fitted and finding matching jewelry, we were finally (hopefully) done! We shopped right up until we left for the airport (my baggage was 16 kilograms overweight!). Ritu
bhabi sent me home with plenty of
kaju barfi (cashew sweets) and
besan ladoo (gram flour sweets), which Ryan loved! It was a wonderful trip and I can't wait to see my relatives again in Buffalo for our wedding!
Pankish
bhaiya, Ritu
bhabi, Kavya, and Krish.
Me with Krish and Kavya.
Dad with Santosh
bua ji, Paras
phupha ji, Swerna
didi and her husband.
Mom and her sister, Shashi
massi.
