Wow. WOW. And WOOOW!
Those were some packed days!
The highlight?
The wedding on Sunday. And what a wedding that was.
One location. Thousands of guests.
The biggest I've been part of so far. So big it caused a traffic jam.
Few words do not make it justice. So rest assured, You'll get the full story.
Up to that point I'll be wondering:
How shall I put it into words?
Right now it's not clear as I'm sitting here in a lush tropical evening after a monsoon rain shower hammered on the leafs, the earth and the metal roofs so you needed to shout in order to speak.
Poor guys who needed to drive during that time. Especially since most things are done on a scooter.
But I'm digressing.
Yesterday was wedding day. Today is hangover day.
Not the traditional western hangover you have in mind, because alcohol is no part of anything we do here.
It's just a slow day. With progress regarding Light on German, deep talk, good food and rest.
And funny thing about India, even a slow day tends to turn into a special day in a matter of seconds.
Kalyanam
So it did at the dinner table. The mood shifted within one heartbeat. Hari saw it coming. It explained why he brought up that topic mere hours earlier.
We finished eating. Amma started talking.
In Malayalam. One of India's dozens of languages.
Either Amma and Achan believed I don't understand anyways, or they didn't mind and view me as real family. For me not even a question.
We are family.
For them seemingly neither. Any last doubt were answered not long after. It was made clear when Achan listed their son's names with a big smile on his face: Jayakrishnan... Harikrishnan... Felixkrishnan.
And they've seen me. They knew I'd understand the gist. And although it was a very new topic to me, in Malayalam, I actually understood it immediately. And just like that I became part of maybe one of the most intimate matters:
Hari's wedding. Or in Malayalam: Hari's Kalyanam. It's time.
All their lives Amma and Achan spent preparing for this moment. To find and wed Hari with a proper life partner.
The scene was unique. It was serious.
Amma left, Achan right, Hari in the middle. Me opposite of them.
I didn't get all details, but from what I understood and from what we discussed earlier Hari's innovative mind didn't exactly match one by one with the current way of doing things. Not because he sees a problem in it, it's just it didn't feel true to him.
And that didn't exactly match with what Amma and Achan initially had in mind either. From my perspective it seemed like a very "holy" topic was discussed here and for anyone who has seen the culture here, the people are really proud of it. Change happens, but there are rituals and traditions which cannot be touched, traditions which must be respected.
So what played out in front of my eyes was a serious, heated, important discussion to be had within the closest circle. I just kept watching, Amma and Achan putting loving pressure, Hari standing his ground. One turn after another.
It didn't get quieter. It got louder.
I was just sitting there, thinking "oh my god. Now that are the closest and most supportive people he has. This is more like a negotiation, than planning a wedding." Knowing that if this is already that tricky, what would others think? What would the family of an eventual spouse think about it? Skillful communication will be necessary. Full trust in Hari though in regards to that. There was one more thing I noticed. I saw the tremendous respect and love they have for another. It was so easy to notice and it was very evident in it, because Achan would repeatedly brighten up the mood and everyone would start laughing wholeheartedly.
I still don't exactly know how Hari did it. But somehow he actually opened Amma and Achan up, and made them warm to his ideas.
Impressive.
It felt special. Apart from that, it's beyond my border to comment on details.
Only thing I can say, coming from Germany, and experiencing plenty of weddings already I feel like Hari's suggestions make a lot of sense.
A Fingerprint
And then, there was another noteworthy thing happening.
We needed an inkpad. And my right thumb.
For the Palm Leaf Reader. Because it's actually true.
Those places exist. Places where myths claim time doesn't exist. Like a chronicle of life paths. Recording events. Storing them until the time comes.
And a deserving mind arrives at a deserving time.
I can't wait to actually see the place with my own eyes. It will surely not be impressive to the materialistic mind. But reign supreme over the immaterial space.
The door is open.
The palm leaf reader is available and awaits me on Sunday.
Special. What we need the fingerprint for though is a matter for another day.
And with that being said. It's time to close the Inkpad. And conclude this post.
I decided I'll publish today's post today. And fill in the previous days chronologically.
There's a path leading to the wedding.
And this path is worth exploring.
