An Indian ring ceremony

No sooner did I promise to write more often than we went off the grid again.  No regular Internet connection for almost 2 weeks.  Now we're back on line, in the megacity of Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay.

Our latest Indian Cultural Experience was the formal engagement ceremony of our young friend Arjun and his chosen bride-to-be, Deepa.  Those of you following us on Facebook saw an album called The Staring Party, about an earlier, pre-engagement gathering of the clans.

Monday, it became official.  In the presence of hundreds of guests (mostly relatives), the couple's fathers performed a 20-second ritual, pledging their son and daughter would marry each other.  Then the bride-to-be and groom-to-be took the stage and silently exchanged engagement rings.  Then followed photos of the couple with each set of guests -- an hour or more -- then the traditional festive meal of rice, curries and condiments served on banana leaves.

The wedding date will be decided after the groom's job offer in Malaysia is finalized and he's moved to Kuala Lumpur to start work there.  But it surely will be in 2011.  The bride's family's favorite astrologer says this year is the auspicious time for her to marry.

Now, a few photos...

First, the happy couple ... 

Then, the dads pose for a photo after their part of the ceremony.  I don't know what the cloths tied on their heads signify, but clearly, neither of them used a mirror when putting his on.

On stage, they tied on the head dress, the bride's dad mumbled some incantation over a plate full of something, then passed the plate to the groom's dad, who mumbled his own lines, then the two stood up, had their photos taken, and ditched the towels.  Or whatever the cloths were.

Next, many, many photos were taken of the couple with friends and relatives.  But not with us, alas.  We were so busy taking photos ourselves that we missed the opportunity.

During the photo session, the couple were mobbed by their college classmates and other mutual freinds of their generation, for one giant photo of the group.

Below. Deepa is surrounded by them, and I was lucky to get a (mostly) clear view.

Notice Deepa's hands, decorated with mehendi.  There likely will be more, and more elaborate, designs on her hands and feet at the wedding.

Next, Arjun's mom and dad, our friends Padmini and Rajan.  Padmini looked stunning in her new sari.

Speaking of saris, I wore one, too, and might have looked stunning if I hadn't tugged in the wrong place before my photo, and messed up the top.  But what the heck.  It's a pretty color. 

 Maybe some day I'll learn how to put a sari on, all by myself, instead of relying on a friend to dress me.  (Thank you. Geetha!)

There probably aren't many other women who wear a sari with Birkenstocks...