Die Hochzeit von meiner schwester..

Just returned from Bhubaneswar - its been a week already since we returned and what a whirlwind of a time it was. Things are still etched in my mind..It all started for us on the 20th - Shveta and I left via Bhopal to Delhi, where dad and my sis were waiting. Ma had already been in Bhubaneswar for a week or more, shuttling between Cuttack and the Palashpalli house. We were to fly over the weekend to the City of Temples and a lot had to be done. The issue was not just packing - it was a last moment change of decision from travelling by train to flying - and lugging in some 200 kgs of luggage. The idea seemed daunting, and yet - by the grace of Amma, we could manage to carry everything and reach BBSR. There were a few people waiting for us at the airport - to take us straight to the CRPF guest-house. (And at this time, we were to discover the depths of dumbness in the drivers of our cars, but thats wholly besides the point..)...it was quite ironical, and comical, that we, the outsiders, navigated our car drivers to some of the most well-known landmarks of their city, and landed up at the CRPF guesthouse. The guesthouse, located at the CRP Chhak near Nayapalli, is in the midst of a vast, highly secure campus. There were hardly any local personnel there. We were to unload, carry a box of mangos that we were carrying with ourselves (incidentally, the mangoes were from our trees at the Delhi home) to Cuttack..cutting to the chase, we soon left for Buli mamu's place in Cuttack...a sumptuous lunch awaited us - couldn't thank Mili maeen enough for the highly unusual and delectable tandoori chicken (marinated in coconut), sausages, fish, etc that constituted the spread...however, I have been watching over my weight - which is a legacy of my wanton days in the US, so I ate moderately less than what my belly permits. A lot of things were getting discussed - politics, jobs, Shveta's under-lip piercing, Putun's marriage, Reeti's impending marriage next year - before we headed back, alongwith ma, to the guesthouse...ah well, before we had even gone to the CRPF guesthouse after our landing, we had gone to pay a small visit to the Palashpalli house. Its truly amazing how fast things got done in those few days before our relatives started coming - there were tiles getting fixed and in many places there was hardly any flooring...ACs got mounted, etc!!...It seemed almost like building a house in 2 days!!.This was the 23rd, and the mamus and Nilu were expected on the 25th. We were also supposed to scour the town for good accos for a lot of our relatives coming from all parts of the state - all kinds of guesthouses. Got to see some really seedy and unmanaged places owned by some of the richest govt. departments..i guess I'd be lynched if I disclose about them here...also, we were to distribute some cards too..so, a lot of stuff was there in our plates already when we came into the town..I guess I would post some videos and pics in my subsequent posts...its 2.30AM and I am going off to sleep - very bored, sleepy, depressed and lonely right now...hope to complete the posts in the next day or two....keep watching this space (if you have any interest in knowing about the "monsoon wedding")