My Grand Indian Wedding: The Engagement Ceremony

In Odiya culture, the engagement ceremony symbolizes many recent additions to the older customs. In the past this as an occasion where the parents of the bride and groom used to initiate the auspicious process of the marriage by offering prayers to the Gods and exchanging items that will be required in the Wedding process.

Ananta Basudeva Mandir, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Interestingly this did not require the presence of the bride and groom. However, with more and more cross-cultural mixing the exchange of rings has been added among the bride and groom.

 

On 11th April 2018, both our families gathered at the ancient Ananta Basudeva temple in Bhubaneswar and started our Wedding ceremony. It was a great occasion as we could meet our extended family again and also get in touch with our future families. The whole set-up was filled with laughter and enjoyment.

 

After the ceremony, everyone had prasad from the temple as lunch and we then started our pre-wedding shoot. It was really embarrassing for us doing all the poses in the public. But looking back, I think they were also some of the most memorable moments from the wedding.

 

Next time, there comes the Baraat procession, stay tuned! :)

10 years blogging! (2008 - 2018)

When I started blogging 10 years ago on 26th January, I simply wanted to express myself. Looking back, I have had times when I have blogged prolifically and times when I have not been able to pen down nothing at all. Even now, as I fight life/work related stress, getting myself motivated to write something of quality is a challenging hurdle. But in spite of this, it gives me pleasure that I have sustained and completed 10 years of blogging. I can only promise myself, that I get better and continue with this further. Here goes 10 years .... Truly, time flies!

Players to watch out for

Nitish Raalte - great technique,  good at touch play ad at big hitting. Reminds of Yuvraj
Washington Sunder -  good too order batsman and excellent offspinner
Rishabh Pant - good around attacking batsman
Shivam Mavi - great rhythmic action and good pace. If he takes care and strengthen his body he can be a great fast bowler for India 

Thought of the Day - Human Compassion

“Our human compassion binds us the one to the other - not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.”


― Nelson Mandela

Annabel Lee ( by Edgar Allan Poe)

I really liked the following final lines by the character Poe in episode 10 from the Netflix series 'Altered Carbon'

But our love it was stronger by far than the love 

   Of those who were older than we— 

   Of many far wiser than we— 

And neither the angels in Heaven above 

   Nor the demons down under the sea 

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul 

   Of the beautiful...

When I started digging I found the whole poem (below) which was written by poet Edgar Allan Poe. Interestingly he seems to be the inspiration behind the name of the character in the series. The full poem is as follows

Annabel Lee 

(by poet Edgar Allan Poe)

It was many and many a year ago, 

   In a kingdom by the sea, 

That a maiden there lived whom you may know 

   By the name of Annabel Lee; 

And this maiden she lived with no other thought 

   Than to love and be loved by me. 

I was a child and she was a child, 

   In this kingdom by the sea, 

But we loved with a love that was more than love— 

   I and my Annabel Lee— 

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven 

   Coveted her and me. 

And this was the reason that, long ago, 

   In this kingdom by the sea, 

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling 

   My beautiful Annabel Lee; 

So that her highborn kinsmen came 

   And bore her away from me, 

To shut her up in a sepulchre 

   In this kingdom by the sea. 

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, 

   Went envying her and me— 

Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know, 

   In this kingdom by the sea) 

That the wind came out of the cloud by night, 

   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. 

But our love it was stronger by far than the love 

   Of those who were older than we— 

   Of many far wiser than we— 

And neither the angels in Heaven above 

   Nor the demons down under the sea 

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes 

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; 

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side 

   Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, 

   In her sepulchre there by the sea— 

   In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Do not go gentle into that good night!

Recently remembered this beautiful poem by Dylan Thomas, as I was watching the movie 'Interstellar' again. These are lines which must be shared ;-)

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

9th Feb 2018 - Thought of the day!

“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.”

― Zig Ziglar