An Indian Marriage Scene Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

It was a show in a marriage hall,
Stuffed with the invitees all,
All the chairs were found full,
No more vacant chairs to pull.

The Bridegroom poured,
On the Holy Fire sacred
Melted ghee over its head,
As mantras the Pundit read.

The smoky air all around,
The pipe and drum sound
Of the party at the hall end,
Made it noisy, we all found.

Over the noise of these rituals,
The shouts of boys and girls
The chit-chats of everyone
Shook the hall up and down.

To tie the three knots nuptial,
The Pundit alerted the couple,
Close around them in a circle,
All were asked to assemble.

It was a moment of tension,
All gave their prying attention.
Once these knots were done,
Then showered flowers like rain.

The piper then sang a melody,
That brought tears to everybody,
The tears of joy and sorrow mixed
At end of this “Muhurtam” fixed.

Tears of joy because of union
Of the two bodies, but Soul as one,
And of sorrow for their separation
From their erstwhile relation.

His show the piper wound up,
For meals everyone rushed up,
The hall became empty soon.
The couple left for honey moon.

With a sigh of relief for the parents,
They started tallying the accounts,
The total spent by them how much
Minus gifts received how much?

(Muhurtam = Auspicious time fixed
for tying the nuptial knot to the bride
by the bridegroom)