India

Prologue

We had planned to go to India to visit Mukul and his family in August/September of 2014. We were going to spend some time in Agra and then go to Kerala in the south to enjoy the serene backwaters. When Mukul announced that his only child Sukumar and his wife Sonam were expecting their first baby in September, we suggested postponing the trip. Although Mukul was far too polite to suggest this himself, he was thankful that we were flexible. We certainly didn't want to intrude on this important family time for them. So we decided to postpone that trip for a year or two.

Now that Sukumar and Sonam's daughter Sara is a toddler, it is the perfect time to visit. We chose February because it is the cooler season in Kerala. Craig's multiple sclerosis makes him very susceptible to heat. It would still be hot by our standards, but it wouldn't be 110 degrees!

And the timing actually worked out perfectly for another reason. Our dear friends Jared and Dave got married at the end of August 2014. Since we weren't going to India, we were able to attend their wedding!

Thursday 2/11/16

We woke up at 5:30 a.m., and Steve drove us to the Logan Express bus station at 6:50. Just as we were getting out of the car, a car pulled up and who got out but Zul, a friend and former colleague whom we haven't seen in several years! She was going to Malaysia to visit her family, and it turned out that we were on the same flight to Dubai! What a small world! The bus left for the airport at 7:15, and we chatted the entire way.

There was some rush hour traffic, and we arrived at Logan shortly after 8 o'clock. Since we had checked in online, we went through a special line at the Emirates check-in. There was no wait and we checked one bag each. After going through security, we ate breakfast at Pinkberry: a blueberry muffin and strawberry banana smoothie for Craig, and , coffee cake and a peanut butter banana smoothie for me. The restaurant employed workers with disabilities who were very consciencious and polite.

We waited at the gate and I heard an announcement for MassPort SAFE (Security Awareness for Everyone). We are currently tarnsitioning to Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprise (SAFe) at work. I made a joke to Craig that I just can't get away from it!

The flight was 30 minutes late departing, but we made up the time with a 200 km/hr tailwind. The plane was nice but packed - narrow seats and my shoulders hit anyone/thing in the aisles. There were USB's and plugs available, with lots of enntertainment choices. However, my light didn't work. The food was good and there were many choices. I had herb chicken and Craig had lamb stew. We had pineapple juice to drink.

Friday 2/12/16

Later, individual pizzas came around and there were full sized candy bars and drinks available in the galley. I worked on our China 2014 trip for the web site. Breakfast was scrambled eggs with chives.

We landed in Dubai after 12 hours, at around 7:40 a.m. Our layover was only two hours. We had to go through security, and couldn't bring our large waters we had bought in Boston. So we chugged them. We saw Zul one more time and then went to the gate. Knowing that Dubai has a huge duty-free concourse at the airport, Mukul had asked us to look for a couple of items for him. It was almost time to board the flight, so I ran around the concourse, never finding the proper items. It was very hot and humid in the airport, and I arrived back at the gate sweaty and tired.

Soon it was time to board. We had to take a bus to the plane, and everyone were very strict. They restricted the flow of people from the bus to the plane, only letting us board a few people at a time. You couldn't take any photos. I got a very quick glimpse of the city skyline, but didn't see any of the iconic Dubai buildings.

We boarded the flight. Craig had a window seat and I had a middle seat. We got a nice chicken biryani with paneer to eat, and before we knew it, we were landing in Delhi. We went through immigration with no waiting, and our luggage was some of the first off the plane. We exchanged some money at the airport.

We exited the secure area and immediately saw Mukul who gave us humungous hugs. It was a lovely reunion after six years (in 2010, he visited us in Boston and accompanied us on a trip to Guatemala).

As it turned out, Mukul's uncle's grandson was getting married in Delhi this very night, and the family was kind enough to invite us to the wedding. We knew that we would be exhausted and jet-lagged, but we couldn't resist the opportunity to attend a traditional Indian wedding. Mukul gave us a bouquet of roses to bring to the wedding. He told us that his son Sukumar, his wife Sonam, and their daughter Sara had also driven from Agra for the wedding, and that we would see them this evening.

The driver from Agra (Bishan) took us to the India International Centre Annexe. The IIC is a non-governmental institition devoted to the exchange of cultural and intellectual ideas. Mukul's cousin, who is in the field of international art restoration, is a member, and was kind enough to book our accommodation there.

We hit some traffic on the way, and arrived at around 5 p.m. We checked in and were shown to room 84 on the 3rd floor. It was a comnfortable room with wi-fi, air conditioning, and hot water. We only had 75 minutes to shower and get dressed for the wedding, so there was certainly no time for a nap. I was tired, and I knew that Craig would be exponentially more tired, due to his MS. I asked if he would prefer that I represent the two of us at the wedding so that he could get some much-needed rest. But he insisted that he didn't want to miss the event, and that he would be ok.

We each enjoyed a nice, revitalizing hot shower and then got dressed. There was a pleasant chill in the air, and Mukul had been afraid that Craig might be chilly. He gave Craig the gorgeous wool Nehru vest off his back, and insisted that he keep it! Craig wore it over the Lacoste shirt that he had purchased from Mukul's friends' pashmina shop in Udaipur on our prior visit. I wore an Indian skirt and blouse (both of which I had purchased at home, and have gotten compliments about from my Indian colleagues at work), along with a light sweater.

Mukul and Bishan arrived at 6:30 p.m. to pick us up. The guests were all supposed to assemble for the wedding procession at 7 o'clock, but everyone (including the bride and groom) got stuck in traffic. Since we were running so late, we skipped the procession and went straight to the wedding venue, arriving shortly before 8 o'clock. Craig and I were dozing off on the ride. The driver pulled over near the SK East End, a reception and banquet hall near the Crowne Plaza.

A gentle tap on my car window startled me from my nap. I jumped and looked out to see the mustachiod smile of The Colonel, the husband of Mukul's niece Dipika. Looking styling as always, the Colonel greeted us warmly. We had met him and Dipika on a previous visit, and it was very nice to see him again.

It was at a nice venue that had an indoor reception area and an outdoor banquet area. We saw Mukul's son Sukumar and met his wife Sonam and their 17 month old daughter Sara for the first time. Sara cried when Mukul first brought her over to us, but soon she was smiling with a twinkle in her eye and even let me kiss her on the cheek before we left. We saw familiar family and friends, and made new acquaintances as well (including Mukul's brother and the grandfather of the groom).

We parked ourselves on a couch near the front entrance, enjoying delicious food and people-watching. Turbaned servers circulated with amazing appetizers: fritters, paneer on a stick, 2 layered fruit sodas, and cappuccino (a lifesaver after being awake for so long!!) Craig was really tired at the wedding and didn't have much of an appetite due to his jet lag on top of MS-related fatigue. He wished he could eat more food as it was so delicious.

Everyone was exquisitely dressed and blinged out. Some men were in western suits and some were in traditional outfits. The women's saris were unbelievably beautiful. We must have looked a bit out of place as everyone walked in the front doors to see these two jet-lagged Americans, but everyone was incredibly nice to us.

A nice Muslim gentleman spoke to us. He is familiar with New England as he has a daughter attending Tufts and another in Bar Harbor. We met Mukul's cousin who is involved in art restoration and had booked the hostel for us. The servers and busboys were very attentive to us and we spoke with them. Everything seemed a little surreal in our overtired state. Mukul called us outside to witness the arrival of the groom on horseback. He was in front of the building, riding a white mare, and was wearing a headdress with strings of white beads obscuring his face. There had been a procession of lights, and the groomsmen were frenetically dancing to the percussion of drums and the strains of a brass band. Wow!



The groom arrives on a white mare


We passed through the indoor reception area out to the back garden area to socialize. We sat at a table with Sonam, Sara, and Cheena (Mukul's friend Jagdishji's niece, whom we had met on a prior visit). Craig impressed her by remembering the delicions specialty pumpkin dish that she had prepared when we ate dinner at their house.

It was a lovely event. We were served a cold cauliflower dish which contained cream and chilis. It tasted like a spicy ice cream...delicious! The party would last all night, but our hostel required us to be back by 11 p.m. The festivities were a bit delayed due to a big traffic jam, so we didn't get to see the actual ceremony. It was probably for the best, as we were exhausted. We left at 10 p.m. There was still a lot of traffic, and we arrived at the hostel at 10:40.

We had now been awake for 31 hours, so we were exhausted! Craig fell asleep as soon as we got back to the hostel. I am very proud of him for being such a trouper and insisting on attending the wedding even after such a long travel day. We have always wanted to attend an Indian wedding, so even though we only stayed a few hours, we were grateful for the opportunity. I uploaded photos and wrote up a Facebook post. I went to sleep at midnight. It was actually chilly overnight so I got up to put on my fleece. How refreshing!




India International Centre (Our hostel)




SK EastEnd Banquet Hall
An unexpected reuinion with Zul on the bus to the airport

An unexpected reuinion with Zul on the bus to the airport

Reunited with Mukul at the Delhi airport

Reunited with Mukul at the Delhi airport

Arriving at SK EastEnd for the wedding

Arriving at SK EastEnd for the wedding

The Colonel and Mukul

The Colonel and Mukul

Enjoying the wedding reception

Enjoying the wedding reception

Sukumar, Sonam, and Sara

Sukumar, Sonam, and Sara

Cheena

Cheena

The groom arrives on a white mare

The groom arrives on a white mare

Wedding reception

Wedding reception

Enjoying the wedding reception

Enjoying the wedding reception

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