Parmar house was also overflowing with guests on Sunday. They had a lavish lunch and sat chatting around for long. Shruti had been gazing at her hands. The mehendi colour had come out beautifully and her cousins teased her that it showed how much jiju loved her. Around 3.30 p.m., the make up artist came with her assistants, and amidst loads of gossip and laughter, they were finally ready to leave the house at 5.30 p.m.

To be continued….

Shruti had carefully wrapped the surprise in a polythene bag and kept in her handbag. She didn’t know when will she be able to give him, but she determined to find a way out. She had been sending messages to Atharva since afternoon, as talking in between so many relatives was impossible. She was waiting with bated breath to meet him after so many days. She felt the pangs of anxiety that every newly engaged bride must have felt. She was impatient yet hesitant for the evening to begin.

It was almost around 6 p.m. when the Verma family reached Atithi Banquets. Right near the main entrance, there was a soft board where it was mentioned in bold gold letters….

Welcome to the Engagement Ceremony of

Atharva
&
Shruti

21.5.2006

Shruti didn’t have words to describe the emotions she was going through at that moment. She hurried in with her mom, dad, Nainaa, Abhinav and Rohan in one lift, followed by her cousins and other relatives, as the Shah family had already come. They went in the elevator which opened on the 1st floor. The entrance was beautifully decorated with exotic flowers in different hues of pink and white. As soon as the Vermas stepped in the main entrance, they were cordially greeted by Mr and Mrs Shah. In a minute, Preksha, Shankar and Minish also came to greet them.

Once the preliminaries were done, Preksha took Nainaa and Shruti in the room marked for the bride. They entered and were asked to be seated for a while. Preksha complimented Shruti saying that she looked absolutely stunning on that day. Shruti gave her a nervous smile and asked about Atharva’s whereabouts. Preksha replied, “both of you are supposed to wait in your respective rooms till your entry is announced. As such, the photographer also wanted to click solo and couple pics as later you will be busy with the ceremonies.” Shruti nodded and meekly replied, “Okay… will wait over here with Nainaa.” Preksha left after a few minutes as she needed to check on Isha.

  Shruti took her mobile from the handbag and smiled to see a message, “Welcome Jaanu.” Shruti felt those goosebumps again… this was the first time he had used an endearment. Over the call, he did call her Shru a couple of times, but then she was used to being called by that nickname since she was a toddler. She couldn’t hide her smile and the love she felt for the person who had texted her, shone in her eyes. She messaged back, “Can’t wait to see you.” He replied, “you bet… I am equally impatient… wait.. kuch setting karta hu.”

Shruti sheepishly grinned, when Nainaa teased, “Chill Shru.. he is not going to run away anywhere. Thodi der shaanti rakh.” The sisters were catching up with general talks, when there was a knock at the door. Nainaa got up to open the door when Shruti looked up… there he was… resplendent in the sherwani. Shruti found him to be much more handsome than she remembered. Atharva looked dapper in the off white and gold sherwani. She was glad that he had clean shaven, just as she liked, although he preferred a light stubble, and looked dashing with his gelled hair.  His musk fragrance was creating ripples in Shruti’s head. She couldn’t take her eyes off him... this possessed man had become her heartthrob, driving her insane with all possible absurd thoughts. She realised they weren’t alone and lowered her eyes.

Atharva stole glances at her, his nerves going into frenzy. Even though he had seen her in the outfit before, today her looks knocked him out. She looked majestic in her blush pink attire, that had intricate floral embroidery all over it. The exquisite jadau jewellery complimented the attire very well. Her make up was deliberately kept subtle and hair were adorned with delicate pink flowers, so as to not overpower her natural charisma and grace, which was unmistakable. The smile that she gave him and her misty eyes made him insane.

Nainaa excused herself as the photographer wanted to click solo as well as couple pics. Shruti had always been very uncomfortable about getting clicked… today more so, as the photographer was asking them to pose in certain typical couple poses. Atharva could make out that she was feeling awkward and blurted, “Tarun… shaadi nahi hui hai.. and don’t make it filmy please. Let it be as natural as possible.” Tarun chuckled at his response… they had been friends for long and he was very well aware of Atharva’s preferences. He was a brilliant photographer though, and Atharva didn’t doubt his prowess. “Don’t worry… I won’t disappoint you.” They posed for a few pics and were done. He had left them alone for barely a minute before Minish came in to let them know that it was time for their entry. Atharva had been hoping for a moment of solitude, but it didn’t look possible. So when no one was looking around he just blew her a kiss, making her go weak in her knees.

They entered the hall… and Shruti observed properly for the first time that the entire banquet was well adorned with pink and white floral arrangements, with satin curtains, tables and chairs everything colour coordinated. Atharva glimpsed at her to see her reaction. She had pestered him many times to divulge about the colour theme and décor of the hall, but he refused to do so as he wanted to witness the look on her face for himself. The floral theme was as if tailor made to match their outfits. The décor was simple yet every bit magical, just perfect and provided a romantic and charming backdrop for undeniably one of their most important ceremonies, as an engagement is a once-in-a-lifetime event for every couple. She was ecstatic to see that the banquet was divided into parts with full length glass walls, over which artificial waterfall cascaded down, making it enchanting.

In the background, her most cherished music started playing.. it was a beautiful composition by Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, who was a maestro in playing the musical instrument santoor. She marveled at the thought that he remembered it so well about how she revered this music. They slowly moved ahead amidst much clapping. The banquet was live with laughter and giggles, the guests admiring and gazing with adulation at the lovely pair. They went upto the stage and sat on the sofa. She couldn’t hold back anymore and beamed, “Atharva… it’s truly breathtaking … you have coordinated everything so well… thanks.” He was glad that she liked it and teased her, “You are most welcome Jaanu.” She didn’t dare to look up, that one word eliciting too many emotions and desires in her. She was aware that hundreds of eyes were observing them and became a bit alert, although all her efforts were in vain.

While they were seated, Shruti could barely control her laughter as a couple of her cousins were making fun of her. She knew they were doing so, as it was not Shruti’s cup of tea to behave herself or sit quietly for long, as a bride was expected to. On the other hand, Atharva was feeling out of place and generally tensed. She even teased him, “Already tensed that you will have to tolerate me for a lifetime, is it?” He gave her a wry smile and relaxed a bit seeing the way her cousins were playing pranks sitting amongst the guests. Shruti was considered to be an immature, bubbly girl, and much pampered. So it was difficult for all to digest the fact that she was finally getting hooked.

They were waiting for the Panditji to come and start with the ceremony. The immediate family joined them on the stage and the rituals began. The male members from both the families were called up on stage as well. Panditji chanted a few mantras, after which, one by one, the male members of the families got up and greeted each other. Once this was done, Mrs Shah put Tilak on Shruti’s forehead and blessed both for their future life. Then, she made her wear the elaborate traditional gold kadas, which she was told was their family heirloom. She along with Preksha and a few other relatives, adorned her with a beautiful red sari. Preksha proceeded to make her wear the silver paayal. All the while, Shruti was just going with the flow of rituals, and Atharva was keenly observing everything.

It was his turn now. Mrs Verma put Tilak on Atharva’s forehead and put a decorated coconut in his hands as a part of the ritual. The Vermas gifted him a gold chain with ‘AS’ letters done in an artistic way and showered blessings.

As the ceremonies were over, it was time for the ring ceremony and the love birds couldn’t wait a moment longer. It was like a fairy tale that had come true. Amidst a thunder of applause and whistles, they exchanged rings, binding the two hearts forever.

Atharva indicated Minish to arrange for the cake cutting. A beautifully decorated table was arranged on the stage. In another moment,  two helpers got in a huge cake, in  baby pink color which made Shruti gasp with happiness. However, what she most liked about the cake was that it had the letters A n S adorning on top. The couple together cut the cake. They fed the first bite to each other and then to the immediate family.

The guests started pouring on the stage, congratulating and blessing the couple. It was a tedious job being introduced to all the guests, and impossible to remember so many at one go. However, her interest perked up when she saw Minish coming up on stage with his huge gang of friends. There were one or two girls amongst them as well. One of them caught her interest and she waited to be introduced to her. Minish personally came up and said, “This is Shalini and her name is Rhea.” Shruti smiled at both and before she could ponder over the matter, they moved ahead, got the group pic clicked and went down.

It took more time than expected as a lot of guests had been invited. Eventually, all formalities were over and it was time for some fun and frolic. The DJ started with a peppy number, ‘Kajra re’ which made the crowd jump up from their seat and in no time, the floor was filled with enthusiastic dancers from both the families. They drew in Atharva and Shruti from the stage. All had a gala time dancing, although Atharva was not too good at dancing. Suddenly, he switched over to a romantic number. Slowly the youngsters dispersed leaving the couples on the floor. Atharva, shedding all his inhibitions, confidently took Shruti in his embrace, much to her amazement. She looked up at him questioningly, when he held her by the waist and slowly swirled around. She softly murmured to him, “Atharva… I am sure looking at us, people will think ke in logo me kuch toh hua rahega.” He raised his eyebrows, deliberately trying to goad her. “Kuch as in?” She said exasperatedly, “You very well know kuch as in what.” He shrugged, “Don’t think too much… itna toh chalta hai… we haven’t gone beyond a kiss anyways.” She grinned at his unabashed attitude and enjoyed their closeness.

As is the case with all gujju functions, the DJ switched over to garba songs, so that the elders of the family would also join in.

All in all, it was over an hour before the guests started moving towards the dining area. The buffet was a lavish affair which catered to all possible cuisines. The guests had a scrumptious meal and enjoyed the function to the fullest. The immediate family members and friends joined Atharva and Shruti at the table. Shruti was extremely tired by then, wearing the heavy ghaghra and the jewellery since so long. Atharva coaxed her to eat a bit, when she refused to have most of the food being served. She didn’t want to argue with him. She had lost her appetite somehow, but still had little for his sake. It was almost 11 p.m. by the time they were done with the dinner.

Shruti requested Atharva in hushed voice, “I wanted to spend some time with you.” He smirked, “Teri neeyat toh theek hai na?” She glared at him and was about to hit him, when she realised about her surroundings and said, “Arey, how will I give you that surprise if we don’t meet up alone?” He nodded, “Chill.. I was anyways not going to let you go just like that. Let me seek our elders’ permission.”

To be continued….

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