Two Weeks on the Wedding Road

The last two weeks have been fun, I travelled, met some very interesting people and just had a ball. We photographed two weddings at two corners of India and each was so different.

We started our journey with a quick trip to Kovilpatti my 'sasural' or as I see it my second home. From there on to Tuticorin for Hemanth and Mala's wedding. Theirs was a simple wedding yet 'hat ke' or different. Hemanth and Mala added a little bit of themselves to the wedding process and I was glad to be a part of it.

It was a simple 'nadar' wedding where an elder gives a little speech and blessing followed by the boy tying the 'magalsutra' (its the Indian equivalent of a ring) or thread signifying marriage around the girls neck. There are some more speeches and the wedding's complete. Hemanth and Mala added to the ritual by having a fusion wedding the day before with a bridal march to choreographed music and a theme. That was a nice twist to it all!

From hot seaside Tuticorin we rushed to freezing cold Jaipur for another wedding. This one was on a grand scale in palaces and heritage resorts. North Indian weddings are long affaires that go on for three to fours days. They are a riot of color and ritual. I don't know if I'd like to be the bride in all of that but I definitely enjoyed watching it all through my viewfinder.

After almost four years I picked up a camera again and saw the world through a viewfinder. I hadn't realized just how much I had missed photography in the last few years. Telling a story with pictures the way I see it unfold is cathartic. It gives you a voice beyond words, and I love hiding behind my camera and seeing the world unfold in front of me.

Its been a great two weeks filled with so many things I love - travel, people, places, rituals. I realized I enjoy weddings, they say so much about people and our culture. This year is a year of experimentation for me. I want to try out as many new things as I can and find myself in it all.

Of course all this travel also meant that I didn't have internet connectivity everywhere so I've missed putting up a few blog posts. I hope to make up for this in the next couple of days.

Here's a quick photo journey of the last two weeks... [These's are Che's pics, I hope to put up mine soon :D]

Its been a great two weeks travelling across India, meeting friends and seeing places after years. I'd gone to Jaipur last 5 years ago and so much has changed! This year has started of so well, can't wait for the adventures to unveil through the year!