The wedding had been planned months ago and we were all excited as it would give us a chance to meet and connect with family members, especially those who had settled abroad. The venue was another reason as the marriage was going to be solemnised at one of Bengaluru’s well-known landmarks—The Art of Living International Center located on Kanakapura road, Bengaluru. Both the bride and the groom were frequent visitors to the ashram.
Finally, the day dawned nice and clear; the city had experienced rain thanks to cyclone Gaja’s presence. Just as we were nearing our destination, I spied the words emblazoned in the centre of what looked to be a mall—‘The Art of Shopping’, a cheeky but rather misplaced ode to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s internationally renowned institution.
Weddings are a platform for family members to display their talent. So while the audience cheered a four-year-old dancer, I in my supreme wisdom sought to critique an older participant’s performance and nearly had my head bitten off for it. Ah well, I had no business usurping Simon Cowell’s role! After the previous day’s fun and games, it was time for the nuptials. My aunt, the bride’s mom, looked resplendent in the traditional madisar bringing back memories of her own wedding three decades ago. The boy’s side declared their Marathi heritage with the groom arriving atop a horse, with the wedding itself being solemnised as per the rituals laid down in the ashram.
The arrival of a snake inside the mandap created a scare with many guests sitting cross-legged on the chairs, with the reptile in question beating a hasty retreat to wherever it had come from perhaps. After all, the place had once boasted a forest. The rituals continued one by one with everyone dishing out their smartphones to capture the proceedings.
Soon it was impossible to even get a glimpse of the bride and the groom surrounded as they were by the crowd. There seemed to be a commotion and I preferred to keep to the back. After some time, one of the cousins asked, “Did you not see him?” “Who,” I asked. “Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. He came and blessed the couple,” she replied incredulous that I had missed that moment. For me, it was enough that the wedding had ended on such a propitious note.