Raj ki preet

wedding

KUNJ'S POV:

I'm sitting inside my car ready to leave to hotel for the rituals to start.

I've a small dagger in my left hand and a nariyal in my right hand.

I'm all ready in my sherwani.

My eyes teared up remembering my dad and bhaiyya.

We reached twinkle's place with full band baaja I got down from the car and tried to enter inside but was stopped by twinkle's bhabhis at door they were holding a ribbon to not let me enter inside.

I gave them some amount so I can enter inside.

They asked me to cut the ribbon with the dagger which is in my hand.

I did so and after that twinkle's mummy come forward and pulled my nose to which everyone laughed a little then she did a little arti as a ritual.

I placed that nariyal on the Hall's step and crushed it with my feet.

Then still standing on nariyal touched my dagger on the door 7 times.

Bride carries a small knife, while the groom carries a sword on the day of the wedding, In north Indian weddings, especially the sikh and Punjabi  weddings, a girl starts carrying a small knife with her from the day of her engagement till the day she gets married.

Even the groom carries a sword on the day of the wedding.

The roots of this tradition go back to medieval times, when Punjab was a gateway for Mughals and other afghan usurpers.

They usually attacked the wedding processions in order to loot them for their money.

Hence both the bride and groom carried these weapons for self-defense and protecting each other. These days, however, it is practices to ward off “evil spirits.”

After all the rituals they let me inside.

Then as per a ritual mother or father of groom gets angry and tries to leave the wedding hall and the family of the bride manao them.

Mumma did great acting leaving all of us in fits of laugher.

After every ritual ended twinkle came in the hall under flower chadar with all her brothers beside her.

By now I was sitting on a chair on the stage.

Her eyes down casted and swollen.

Maybe she cried..

Her brothers help her to sit in front of  me on a chair.

Then all her family sit behind her and my family sit behind me to start the rituals.

Her family sang some songs to defend her and my family sang some songs to blame and defend eachother.

Soon it was time for varmaala we did that ritual with lots of fun.

Then took 7 pheras around holy fire.

Soon it was time for sindoor dan.

I filled a silver coin with sindoor and applied in her hair partition.

"Beta do this 2 more times"
Mumma said and twinkle looked at her wide eyed.

"Mumma already he applied this much that it's falling on my nose to chin "
Twinkle whined making everyone roar in laugher.

"Beta let it fall elders says k jitna sindoor naak pe girta he utna hi husband loving hota he"
Mummy said caressing her head lovingly.

so  both second and third time I applied a little sindoor from coin so she can be comfortable otherwise she was sitting with her eyes closed tightly.