#168:From my unlocked diaries: Monsoon Wedding – Part 3 !

Just in case you missed Part 1 & 2 of Monsoon Wedding series, here’s the link to it …?

https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7073615628800049152/

We were now entering the last leg of the wedding Bandobust. The many silk saree shopping trips had finally taken its toll on me; by now I had memorised the number of mannequins on each of the floors in Vijayalakshmi Silks showroom on Sampige Road in Malleshwaram !?

Being witness to all the wedding saree shopping with the ladies, I became poetic with this expression …?

I don’t belong to their ilk ?

For them, it’s all about Silk ?

As they look for a matching Pallu !?

I just hang around like a Lallu !!?

From Kashi to Kanchi ?

They sell silk sarees so crunchy ! ?

On the sales counters, sarees just swell ?

Ladies say - ‘all of them look so well’ ??

This saree ‘sale’ in my front ?

To infinity, it just seems to tend …?

But these salesman, will never bend ?

While in agony, I just wait …?

I have no other choice, but sit tight … !!!

The only work that was now remaining was to ‘hit the street’, to personally invite friends & relatives for the upcoming wedding. ?

By now the Karnataka state election campaigning had reached a feverish pitch.?Even Amul Malai & Peda had entered the political arena, fiercely pitted against - Nandini Milk & Peda !?

Our wedding sweet selections also had entered the final round as we wondered - is there still room for a 3rd wedding sweet??Even as the state voters mulled – is there a room for Gowda led 3rd front ??

As the 3rd wedding sweet debate raged on between Chandra Hara and Chiroti, but Chiroti it was that won ; it got more votes & we decide to go with it ! ?While the ruling party sulked, the ‘hand’ doled out many a poll guarantees. But for us, one thing was guaranteed ; rain on the wedding day on May 21st & 22nd !! ?

Ok, let’s come back to wedding inviting from politics …?

Charu, my wife put me behind the wheels of the car after carefully working out the route-map for the ‘door-to-door’ wedding inviting trips ! True Bengaluru darshan it was.?Driving around Bengaluru, I was discovering two things – varieties of coffee & tea at each of the homes we visited on one side; and on the other - discovering new areas in Bengaluru that I had never visited for decades … of course all that with the help of - Google Amma !!?

It was great to catch up with many relatives & friends during these home visits. ?We had some strange encounters too …?

It was a late Sunday evening.?I was tired and hungry having been on an inviting spree since morning.?I was relieved as it was the last ‘pit stop’ at a relative’s house in RR Nagar in Bengaluru. ??

Parking my car nearby, we headed straight to the rickety elevator in the basement of the apartment.?I confidently pressed my floor selection - # 2.?After making some funny sounds the elevator seemed to finally warm up … to take-off.?From the vibrations it seemed like a space shuttle taking off ! Too tired to notice anything amiss, Charu & myself eagerly waited to exit at 2nd floor.?But the wait seemed a tad too long for some reason …? ?

By now we were inside the elevator for almost 2 – 3 minutes.?In this day & age where space rockets escape earth’s orbit in about 5 minutes, there we were, in an elevator struggling to get to 2nd floor even after 3 minutes ! Something seemed seriously wrong ... the elevator door refused to open. Both Charu & me were stuck in the 2.5 feet X 3 feet elevator !??

For the next 45 minutes, inside the locked elevator, Charu & myself had our Ek Duje Ke Liye moment !?

But outside the elevator there was total confusion & pandemonium. It seemed like the residents of the entire apartment block were out there - for our rescue !?So near, but yet so far ; our elevator had stalled on the 2nd floor (our destination), is what we learnt from inside our dark interiors. ?

By now there was a lot of 'activity' outside the elevator to get us out, by hook or crook. ??

Few it seemed had gone up to the lift room to 'release' the lift, even as we held our heart in our mouth fearing a sudden collapse. Few others outside were trying to force the door open !?Some restless on-lookers seemed to try their hand at the famous Indian juggad ; by switching the power – off & on !!?Every time they did that, the elevator seemed to move an inch lower, and our hearts missed a beat !!?I could hear someone outside suggest to call the fire engine services for our rescue !!!?

Almost about 45 minutes had elapsed by now. Air inside was getting hot & thin as there was no fan inside, and just ‘us’ for company.?Romance was now slowly tending ... to rage ; Finally, out of sheer desperation using my phone torch I looked for the ‘brand’ of this famous elevator, or look for an emergency contact numbers, but with no luck. Suddenly someone outside called a local ‘mechanic’ !

After about 10 minutes of total silence, we head some sounds of rejoicing outside.?It seemed like a mechanic had finally arrived outside the elevator door. Our saviour – ‘Lord Hanuman’ had arrived.?And yes, he performed the unthinkable ! ?

Like how Hanuman opened his heart to show Rama & Sita residing in his heart, the mechanic finally succeeded in throwing open the elevator door – and out we came - like Rama & Sita to everyone’s delight, and our much needed relief !!!

All this excitement and driving around Bengaluru's narrow roads constantly listening to Google Amma’s directions had taken its toll on me.?That unique voice of Google Amma’s instructions had started to haunt me in my sleep – ‘take left, take right and take the 3rd exit in 200 meters’ ! ???

By the way ... I still can’t figure out how to find out the 3rd exit on these Bengaluru roads …??

Our door-to-door inviting spree soon shifted to Mysore. Travelling around Mysore, I was suddenly stopped on Mysore - Nanjangud road, at one of the election check posts.?

Two fat police men approached me - one with a lathi, and the other carrying a ‘register’ in his hand.?I soon realised they were looking to catch people with ‘return gifts’ from an election rally, or carrying some return gifts …for further distribution ! ?

I promptly got down from the car and opened the car boot.?All I had in the boot was about 12 - 14 coconuts and about 2 kgs Bananas (all given by my relatives in Mysore when we went visiting them !).??

Seeing my rather ‘poor’ consignment, one of the fat cops smiled at me & shouted at the other cop holding the register and said - ‘Bido evarannu, evaru bari tambola davaru, bottle noru alla’ (let them pass.?They are just coconut people & not people carrying whiskey bottles !)???

Friends, the rain did come on May 21st & 22nd ; in fact it rained cats & dogs on these two days.?True Monsoon wedding it was !?Grace of god, the wedding ceremonies went ahead without much disruption.?Nidhi & Ashutosh tied the nuptial knot !

We kept our tryst with our ‘green wedding’ promise.?And for statistics, about 1 tonne waste did not make it to landfills around Bengaluru, but instead was all segregated at the venue and sent to composting centres. ???

A big thank you to Mr. Vasuki Iyengar who personally was at the wedding venue to ensure it stayed green, every step of the way.??

A big thank you to - Adhamya Chetana who supplied all the steel tumblers, spoons and plates by which we managed to keep all plastics at bay at the wedding, including that dreaded plastic Bisleri bottles. Last, but not the least I should mention Anupama Harish (grooms mother) it was who seeded the thought of making the wedding green and silently worked to plan, coordinate and execute this to perfection.

And as regards Karnataka polls, Yes the 5 - guarantees won… at least for now !

Balu

June 18, 2023?

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