3rd February - Wedding Day - Part I

The day before the wedding, just as they were leaving for the day, the vadhyars had mentioned that they would be arriving at the hall by 6:30 AM the next morning—that is, today. In other words, the bride, groom, and their immediate family were expected to be ready, bathed, and dressed by then. The vadhyars aimed to begin the Kasi Yathirai by 7:20 AM and had worked backwards to schedule all preceding rituals accordingly.

The decorators had done a splendid job. The entrance was adorned with fresh flowers and featured a display prop announcing the wedding, complete with the date and a charming icon. Several aesthetically arranged selfie points had been set up, adding a modern, playful touch. The large ground-floor hall, where the wedding ceremony was to be held, was tastefully decorated, elevating the grandeur of the occasion.

Though the formal proceedings were scheduled to start early, the day had begun even earlier for the bride, groom, their parents, and other elders—not to mention the makeup artists, who no doubt played a major role in preparing the women for the day ahead.

Kumara Bhojanam

The first formal ritual was a mini-upanayanam followed by Kumara Bhojanam for Sanjiv. Having worn a single poonal (sacred thread) until then, he now donned a second one, signifying his transition from brahmachari (bachelor) to grihastha (householder). This was followed by a light ritual breakfast shared by Sanjiv and his brother Sandip, served by Geetha with traditional delicacies.

For Priya, her formal day began after a couple of hours of makeup and preparation. Her mama (maternal uncle) escorted her to the temple, placed a garland around her neck, and brought her to the wedding hall. Traditionally, the bride’s mama and athai (paternal aunt) perform this role. In this case, the athai’s role was played by Lakshmi, Srini’s athai’s daughter, who had traveled from Trichy to be part of the wedding.

Kasi Yathirai

With Kumara Bhojanam complete, Sanjiv prepared for the Kasi Yathirai. In this symbolic ritual, the groom sets out on a mock pilgrimage to Kasi, renouncing worldly life—until he is intercepted by the bride’s father, who persuades him to abandon his spiritual quest and accept a wife instead.

Sanjiv was dressed in a turmeric-dyed panchakacham (traditional dhoti) and angavastram, with Sandip holding an open umbrella over his head, accompanied by relatives on all sides. His mama, Sriram, and Sandip escorted him ceremoniously. As expected, Srini met him en route, offered two coconuts symbolically, and requested that he forgo his Kasi plans and instead accept his daughter’s hand in marriage.

There was a brief moment of panic when the vadhyar asked for Sanjiv’s footwear — the brand-new slippers bought by the bride’s family were nowhere to be found. Thankfully, Priya’s mama, Harish, happened to have a brand-new mojdi (traditional footwear), which fit Sanjiv perfectly.

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