This should be a photo essay - 2

Jaya and Lagle are putting the pressure on - they want to see photos - THE official wedding album. I have all the pictures now, but I'm not that keen on sharing them in one go. Mibi agrees with me; we think rationing them out over a longer period will be like a balm for our acute shadi withdrawal symptoms.

Today though, I feel like I've forgotten already. I haven't looked at the photographs even once! I selected a few to upload yesterday, but today, I can't be bothered. London cold has begun to freeze my heart again. The climate is very different between London and delhi, even in March.

For the engagement party, which was the Beginning of the Official Parties, I'd planned to curl my hair with my straighteners, like i always do in London. I was feeling lackadaisical. The crash diet I'd been relying on had lasted just about until the bachelorette party, and i was hormonally swelling anyway. My father would give away a blob in marriage, but what the hey. So why bother doing my hair? It was 6 pm and the processional vehicles were about to arrive. we were in the bathroom of the control room, Nimeran, Mibi and I. I'd just realised that Delhi climate wasn't conducive to lazily twisting my hair with straighteners and letting them be. I should have gone to the parlour, and crimped or straightened them or somethign. As of now, my hair was looking amazingly limp for things that had just been subjected to hot tongs and torsion and my ends looked fried (and split). Nimeran said I told you so a few times, then took pity and began to do my make up in a resolute kind of way, perhaps thinking that if i bloomed and blossomed enough facially, people wouldn't notice my head. Mibi on the other hand, took an experimental turn. She had a vision and began, gingerly to unfurl it. Twisting a strand here, knotting a ringlet there, she slowly began to create a 'look'. I was strangely detached, even cheering her on when she got hot and bothered and almost lost her nerve halfway there. Somehow i didn't believe i would look terrible on my engagement day. clearly i had had heat-stroke. At the end of a gruelling half hour (for them, not me) i had fifty hairpins and nineteen joora pins stuck straight into my head, a glowing and healthy look that completely belied my many years of hard drinking, and two very pleased gal pals. There were a few cloudy moments when nimeran strove to bind my hair with industrial strength hairspray. then another round - spritzzzzzzzzzzz! my head felt like a nest, hollow and feathery, but it looked nice. The girls then struggled into their outfits hurriedly, and we set off. My mum had foolishly permitted us to come in Nim's car, so of course we had a few errands on the way. There was a memorable minute when mibi leapt across Prithviraj Road to pick up an essential work thing from a colleague, in full wedding party gear. Her boob tube held and she flashed no one, and we went on.

Things were going well. I was the queen of the moment, my hair had worked out, my sari was gorgeous and i wasn't nervous in the least! we got to IHC, the girls went to park the car, i went to Jacaranda, our venue for the night, .... and nearly swooned. Everyone was there. In laws, Brother and sister in law that i hadn't met physically yet, a host of relatives i haven't seen since i wore big loose woollen chuddies in public, so many friends, my parents, 50 photographers (or so it seemed..)

It may have beent he chuddy thought, but the first thing i did after my elegant entrance was to exit hurriedly to the restrooms. A good dump.

Anyhoo, the night floated past me. people blessed us with rice, grass, and thankfully cash presents. Babi didi and Jiju kept the dance floor gyrating - Mibi helped too. Oh she was everywhere, a blue blur, now changing the music, now getting drinks, now taking photographs, and then suddenly minxy in my Jiju's arms on the dance floor! That heroine. Our other heroine did her sizzling dance bit, gushed drunkenly to me (i wuv you, i haven't danced this much at any wedding, you are sooo cute etc) and then whooshed off home with her hubby, happy woman.

My hubby (-to-be at the time) was always by my side and in the corner of my mind, grinning handsomely and being sweet to the elders, a feat he excels in. The night was mostly a blur to be honest. I remember only a few frames - dinner and a make-out in the lift on the way down. We'd been apart for days, and it's always fun to get almost caught by parents.

We then went home to the bungalow and slept.