Ok, so I am back home. Madhu & I decided that we would leave at around 4:30 pm from Kalamassery in a cab that he had arranged for the day. Joining us for the trip to Thrissur were Madhu’s wife & a former colleague of Anil’s & Madhu’s. So I had a leisurely morning and took a long shower in the afternoon and after a late lunch I started getting ready to go for Anil’s wedding.
By 4pm I was ready and headed out to HMT junction and waited at the predetermined spot for the car in which Madhu, his wife and the other dude were coming in. They had also hired a driver for the evening. Just around 15 mins after I reached HMT, the car reached me and I jumped in to the passenger seat in the front. We headed off for Thrissur in what was one of the longest & lousiest traffic blocks that I have ever seen. The buses and trucks were kicking up a sandstorm of dust and visibility was getting quite difficult. It was terrible. A usually 1 hr 30 minutes drive turned into 2 hours and 15 mins. Getting out of the car as we reached the church and hall was a relief.
We ended up missing the church functions and by the time we reached the hall Anil was a married man. Yikes, a happy go lucky bachelor no more. The four of us made our way into the hall for the reception, nicely decorated and feted for the occasion. Lots of people climbing up to the stage and greeting the newly married couple and getting their photos taken with the two. People getting introduced and lots of talking going on. I would hate this part if I ever get married in this style! Anyways, we waited a bit and then walked up to Anil & his new bride. Boy, was he happy to see us. We shook hands with him as he introduced us to his new wife. I can’t remember being this happy for him. Can I say that she seems to be a perfect match for him? I never thought that I’d ever see the day that my buddy Anil settles down and becomes a married man, standing up there all snazzy in a suit.
The four of us then went to get dinner. We were soon joined by a couple of people we knew; the only people we knew at the hall. A former colleague of Madhu, Anil & myself, Ramakrishnan was there with his wife, son & baby daughter. We caught up while we dinner from the buffet – naan, chicken roast, fried rice and pork something. I ate a little and then moved onto dessert. We said our goodbyes to Anil and headed back to Cochin. Coming back home was much easier as the roads had mostly cleared up.
Our driver made record time and drove as quickly as possible without getting us killed. We dropped off the 4th person in our group first, all the way at Thripunithura. In fact we almost crashed into a guy on a bike who was about to do a quick turn to the right but he managed to control his bike and moved out of the way. After that they dropped me at home and Madhu & his wife made their way back to their house.
Sounds like a fantastic day. I wish Anil and his wife much happiness!