India: Monsoon wedding on Malabar grounds
By
Chaya Mathew
Rains create unexplainable magic, if you weren’t watching the news of the floods on television, and the devastation that usually follows in India. You will fall in love with the constant rhythmic downpour of rain, and would not want it to stop.
The way to happiness, laughter and happily ever after is during the rains, which is why the family wedding ceremony is set during the monsoons in Kerala. People have no choice but to visit the southwestern Indian state on the Arabian Sea, bracing oneself to confront the different moods and attitudes of the rain clouds.
A man stands next to damaged cars after a landslide caused by torrential monsoon rains at Puthumala near Meppadi, Wayanad district, in the southern state of Kerala, India.
Visiting the green carpeted land of Kerala with the southwest coast’s airport getting closed temporarily, is a hassle. Somehow, you reach the closest possible airport that’s operational, you are for sure to confront, or so it seems, the entire population of the state when you get out of the aerodrome. If you are planning on snoozing for a while in the taxi, forget it, the Malabari drivers have not slowed down a bit to obey the monsoon rules, they maneuver the potholes with high speed.
Usual preparations for the important day get altered based on the flood news. There are no casual meetings and get-togethers like before, even if you invite the relatives to come over, you can’t counter argue the rain problem excuses. You don’t get to do trials; you can’t wear high heels but most importantly, you don’t get the required beautician to set your hair, and end up looking like a mess, an Indian version of Edward Scissorhands.
Before you know it, the wedding day arrives and is spent creating laughable memories. You wonder why you were stressed in the first place. The day goes by just like any wedding does.
On the bright side, travelling to Kerala during the monsoon is good because you get to enjoy the glory of the gorgeous waterfalls, relish in the cascading mountains, the lush green trees look even greener, you will get to see millions of butterflies fluttering just about everywhere, but most of all, make sure to stop at a “thattukada” or tea stall, before you board the flight back home. Relishing the wet season probably becomes the finest unforgettable experience, more than attending a monsoon wedding.
