G - Goosebumps

There were camera lights flashing everywhere. Excited cousins and aunts were vying to be in every frame. I stood there. Watching. As two people signed up for a lifetime of togetherness. The sudden outburst of shehnai gave me goose bumps. It was happening. At that precise moment, things changed. For the father, the mother, the daughter, the groom, their friends. Everybody close to the two people. I realized how everyone standing there lost a portion of something they had held so dearly for so long. And yet, there was happiness deep down. The promise of new beginnings and hope of lifelong love, perhaps.

In all the pretentiousness and extravagance of our Indian weddings, there is this moment of truth that goes unnoticed. It is so easy to lose this moment, lose it to the flashes of the camera and the hurried directions of the pundit. It is so easy to not see the pain and tear escaping the father's eyes. It is so easy to miss the earnest look in the bride's soulful eyes, looking for some kind of comfort that she is taking the right step. You have to look, closely. You might see yourself. Listen, and you might hear your own story.

As I battled my emotions, I saw my mom across the mandap. Tears welled up in her eyes too. Maybe she was reminded of the time she gave her daughter away.