–
The Indian Wedding, or Shaadi as its called in Hindi, is a feast-to-all-the-senses kind of an experience, delightful and fun filled, unless of course, you are the one getting married. Well, we are not going to talk about the aftermath just yet.
For now, here is a picture essay of a wedding I attended in India this summer. This visual experience would not be complete, without somehow including in your head, the sounds of the jingle of the bangles, the music of the folk dances, the DJ playing it up for us on Bollywood dance floor, the shrieks, the murmurs, the laughs and the sobs, the sounds of kids crashing into the tassels of the bead curtains and the plenitude of well wishes, the chants and the hums.
Enjoy!
* The Arrivals *
* The Bride *
* The Groom et al. *
* The Henna *

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
* The Wedding Party *
* Meanwhile around town *
* The Street Food *
* The Baaraat *

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
* The Welcome *

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
* The Decor *
* The Feastivities *
* How they hang *

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
* The Social Media Spectacle *
* The Knot *

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
* The brand new couple *
When we turned around to say goodbye one final time, we saw them carefully muttering what felt like, “Please leave now, and leave us both alone.”
– 0 –
The Indian American Life
The Chariot of Life: Ancient Wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita for Modern Living
I grew up seeing the image of Krishna and Arjuna in a chariot in cafes, restaurants, homes and function halls. I had no idea what it had meant until way into my 30's. The Chariot of life from the story of Mahabharata in Bhagavad Gita is a metaphor that explains the...
Why the World Is Finally Slowing Down: The Rise of the Slow Thought Revolution
I've been noticing an interesting phenomenon lately. The desire for slowing down and adopting an intentional way of consuming information. For nearly two decades the internet trained us to read faster, scroll faster, react faster. But lately something unexpected is...
Perimenopause: Not Global Warming, Just My Personal Climate Crisis
Hey, so I’m not “leaning into” some stream-of-consciousness writing style to sound cute or anything. This is literally what I’m going through. No, not as a raging maniac, although I do feel like I’m becoming one. And not even because my body seems to have forgotten...
Sunset at the Library of the World: Where a World of Words Meets the Mediterranean
I still get goosebumps when I think about the wonderous gigantic library I recently visited in Alexandria, Egypt. This modern library built in 2002, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, can accommodate 2000 readers in its main reading hall on any given day. It's located on...
Entamatramu Bhakti Keerthana: A 15th Century Song That Teaches the Secret of Being Limitless
Be Limitless - A 600 Year Old Definition Every day, I feel blessed with miracles around me. This past weekend, my sister sent me a link to a song I'd never heard before. The moment I listened, I was seized by its essence. It felt like a direct invitation to...
The Attachment Economy Is Here: What AI Companions Mean for All of Us – Part I
Parents, Get Ready To Welcome Your AI In-Laws There will be a time in the not so distant future, when your child will introduce you to his girlfriend. And there's a possibility, you will end up locking eyes, if that's even possible, with his AI companion. The...
Finding Your Alignment: An Indian American Woman’s Guide to Living Fully in America
Rooted, Rising, and Reckoning As a life coach and friend to many from the Indian diaspora, I often find myself in the sacred space of listening to Indian American women juggling life and priorities in America as mothers, professionals, and social change...
Human Slop: How This Fellowship-Winning ‘Satire’ Shows the Literature World’s Low Bar
Hey, sorry this needs a content warning. I'm about to review an unpalatable vulgar fictional story by a writer who has won a $75k/yr fellowship prize for this gem. A full 2-year creative writing fellowship at Stanford, nonetheless. The opening paragraph reads like...
Prabhu Ramachandra Ke Dootha: The Divine Power of Hanuman That Awakens Strength, Faith & Fearlessness
Hi all,I had so much fun practicing this. And my teacher asked us to imagine Hanuman sitting in front of us listening in on our devotion for him. Hope you like it. Here are the lyrics: Prabhu Ramachandra Ke Dootha Hanumantha AnjaneyaPrabhu Ramachandra Ke Dootha...
When Men’s Vanity Becomes a Requirement: How Social Media Turned Self-Improvement Into Obsession
A decade ago, I had a Korean coworker who put my skincare regimen to shame. I used to be annoyed at him for not leaving a single lick of hair on his perfectly groomed, smooth skin. He blamed it on his culture’s beauty standards — and the fact that his wife was a...
In Life, He Left Our Hearts Racing — In Death, He Broke Them
Back around 2005, my husband and I were still watching TV together in the evenings. One of the shows we’d tune into was Grey's Anatomy. Yes, we had claimed our solidarity and remained fully committed to each other in spirit, but there seemed to be an unspoken rule...
Love For My Lava – A Poem by Rachana
It’s not a recurring dream —it’s my childhood in technicolor. I’m in Eluru again,first-floor balcony,colored baby chicksstrut past the open street sewer. Over the brick wall,police cadets march —stiff, precise,the way colonizers drilled them,looking ridiculous under...









































































































































Classic. amazing. Change the camera settings. Don’t move the camera a lot.
Interesting visuals. Creative writing. Did you try any of that street food or merely photographed? Seems to be an interesting journey.
Thanks uncle! No, ha ha, I actually tasted a whole lot of sweets and snacks that evening. It was approaching midnight so owing to digestive limitations I had to curb my appetite on most of the food that was on sale. :)
Meticulously crafted! Your creative prowess is on the display. Keep it up!!
Thanks, I am glad you enjoyed it :)
Hello Heart,
I have just viewed the beautiful pictures of the summer wedding. They are stunning and really show the whole ceremony in all its dimensions. I also looked them eagerly for two reasons. First, I noticed that the wedding took place in Indore. Are you from Indore?! My whole family lives in Indore, well, at least most of them now. Such a coincidence! Also, my oldest son is getting married next August. His heritage is quite complicated . I am half Indian and he is one quarter Indian. But he and his fiancee know how I treasure my Indian heritage and asked me if there was some aspect of the Indian wedding ceremony that they could incorporate into what will be an interfaith, but primarily Jewish, ceremony. Knowing the length and complexity of Indian weddings, I was stumped. I don’t want such an incorporation to seem hokey or pretentious, but I would love to add a little something. I wondered if you might have any suggestions?
Very best,
Kalindi H.