......was too excited and overwhelmed when I reached there.
Everyone was dressed their best. And surprisingly I could hardly find
anyone whose dress I could critic. The color palette was wide and best suited
for the evening. From sleek, to trendy, to vintage to royal all had one thing
in common " ELEGANCE". Yes!! Each
dress was elegant, which is a rare sight in any community wedding. One tends to
find at least one outlandish or over the top loud dresser. But this was a
special wedding and a special crowd and I was lucky to be part of it. Being a
first timer to attend a Goan Catholic wedding, I had to be observant and adapt
to their cultural etiquette. Live music playing, people greeting each other
and smiling faces, put a smile on my face too. I walked towards the sitting arrangement and choose a
chair positioned in front of the dance floor. I had only attended Hindu traditional weddings of my community,
and so I was happy to be able to experience the Goan Catholic wedding which was
a completely new experience for me.
My thoughts and moving eyes were interrupted with the
welcome snacks& drink. It was a neat dressy plate with a variety of
munchies, tikkis, tarts, rolls, etc. I
stretched my arm to pick one but stopped midway, wondering which would be a
vegetarian.
Smiling I gave a glance to my saree pallav* resting softly on the green lightly moist lawn. I
lifted, and brought it to rest on my lap. How I had been worried a week back as
I was unable to decide on the write outfit to wear for this wedding. And today
I was happy I made a right choice by wearing my blue silk saree with a modern
motif. The dance floor came alive and couples matched the beats of the music with
their steps. I was sure that today I will leave this venue only after the bride
& groom and be part of the entire event.
Still engrossed in observing people around, I picked the
cylindrical rawa* coated roll from
the snacks and took a bite. Hummmnnn……yummy…. Goan snacks were definitely
tasty. I kept chewing. The roll was chewy and juicy.
I had turned a
vegetarian 7years back. I had taken a badha*
to turn vegetarian for the longevity
and well being of my family. When I was a
non-vegetarian I loved chicken. I still remember the taste and texture….juicy
and chewy.
Oh !!! I was gripped
in shock……my heart thumped……
I realized the rolled I just took a bite of, tasted like
chicken. Same texture, same taste. I had
already swallowed some of the portion in my mouth and the rest was immediately
taken out on a tissue paper and bundled up. I swallowed an entire glass of
water but was still feeling very uneasy on the thought of swallowing the
chicken roll.
I called out names of as many Gods as I could recall at that
moment and asked for forgiveness for breaking the badha. I wanted God to know that I didn’t do it purposely, it was
an act done unknowingly. I was quick to stop one of the nearest waiters and ask
him to what were the contents of the platter. He explained one by one….chicken
tikka, fried prawn roundels, vegetarian mini tart, grilled sausage…. I waited
eagerly for him to come to the cylindrical roll which I had eaten……… he spoke
loud….. “it is a beef roll madam”.
“Hey bhagwan*, I ate meat
of a cow*????!!!”
Glossary
*saree pallav- saree
is 6 yard draped traditional Indian costume. Pallav is a loose end of the drape
*badha – a religious
oath
*rawa – Hindi name of semolina
*hey bhagwan – Oh my
God
*mother cow – Hindus
worship Cow like God and it’s a sin to eat cow meat
