Our Engagement – A roller coaster journey of Emotions !!!

13th of September, a date which would never be the same my entire life, now that there is so much value, so much love and meaning added to it ... Its amazing how life and your destiny are dependent upon each other, and how certain events in our life can suddenly change the way we perceive a particular moment ...

A date to remember, a moment to cherish, an event to mesmerize, and a post to pen down and describe those emotions, here on my blog, will always keep the weekend which just went by fresh in my heart, all my life, needless to say in Dipali's heart too, which by now has already picked up the rhythm of my beats, and in response my heart has started singing the same melody as hers ...

The stage was all set, the invitation had been making its rounds, the shopping fiesta got over, family, friends, relatives, everyone showering their blessings and wishes from all around the globe, all trying to express their happiness for D-day, for the next big step for me and Dipali, a step towards realizing a life full of love, emotions, happiness and above all a life to be lived together as one ... A month full of preparation, and finally it comes down to just a few anxious moments, and all one could think of was, the lights, the moment, the cameras clicking, the flashes, and the applause just as me and Dipali exchange the rings and make a promise to be with each other till the end of the life ...

Yes your guess is correct, the D-day, the day when the vessel of life, takes a different turn, takes a different path, embarking upon a different journey, was the 13th of September, when Me and Dipali got engaged officially, thus marking a union of two families, two souls and two hearts into one ...

Let me not rush into the celebrations from the ceremony itself, but let me take a step back and unwind the few glimpses of moments spent before the engagement and the prep up till the last minute ...


A Week Full of Preparations, Anxiousness and Love ...
Well my parents had arrived a week before the actual ceremony, to join me for this occasion and without whom I might not have been where I am right now... I just wonder how my dad has played a role in almost all the important decisions so far in my life, with my mom being the backbone in guiding me and him ... Bachelor's in Nirma University, Master's in USC (Los Angeles) and then finding the right life partner for me - Dipali, all of my life's major choices came from my Dad with the support of my Mom, and so I was the most happiest person on this earth, when Dipali met them for the first time ... Seeing 4 of us together, I truly felt that my family is complete, with my mom and dad not finding a daughter-in-law, but a daughter itself.... (Psst: Many say, that Dipali resembles, my mom a lot, leaving apart the eyes...lol )

The week that followed after my parents arrival,was a week of roller coaster rides for me, a test of my emotions, my feelings, my temperament, and somehow I felt for the first time, after a gap of almost one and a half years since I left USC, the real tension, anxiousness and pressure, the same type of moments I had gone through during my MS in USC ... I just would see myself standing in front of the mirror taking deep breaths, going over each and every single details about the function and its preparations one by one inside my mind, and it seemed as if my mind and my heart both are gonna pop out and dance hand in hand in front of me, teasing me to the extreme ... It seemed from inside that I must have lost 2-3 pounds just thinking about the engagement day itself, not worrying about what is to come next once I get engaged (as all my friends used to tease me about me being a Martyr after 13th sept), but being tensed about how the function would be, how things would go at the final moments, and how everyone would be able to enjoy, whether or not I would be able to attend to everyone, have I invited all who are supposed to come, and about the makeup girl for Dipali, about the apparel for her, the ornaments and the various jewellery, my own clothing combination, my footwear, her footwear, the venue, the ceremony itself, the gifts to be exchanged, the menu for the dinner, dad's friends, my friends, my relatives, her relatives, her friends and the long list just goes on and on and on ... Its surprising for me to even sit back and think, that how much effort and how much planning goes into getting two people engaged or married, uniting two families, taking care of both sides of the families, friends and finally ending everything on a happy note, seeing to the fact that no one gets offended by any wrong doing, or any misunderstanding ...

PHEW !!! I can still feel my stomach churning in pressure as I pen down these anxious moments ...

But from my side, almost half of the above concerns were handled really effectively by mom and dad, as they had come prepared from India in full strength and with multiple options which I could never even imagine ... So it did ease out my pressure a bit - but mind you this feeling of relaxation was only for some of the preparation issues, but I was still feeling the butterflies in my stomach for the actual engagement ceremony and how things would be after the engagement ... Ofcourse around me almost all my friends have been married for over an year now, and some more are on their way to that road of bliss, after being engaged with their better halves for a long time.. So it was nothing new for me to actually see and feel those moments, but when it comes down upon one's own self, then it seems as if the entire story line is different ... lol ...


The Night Before D-Day ...
Friday night !!! I wondered how all the friday nights are no where even close to being similar as each weekend unrolls ... There were some friday nights before I even knew Dipali, when a couple of us, the "party" people, used to end up enjoying music and what not, back in the discs/clubs in San Jose and the city - San Francisco ... Then there were the sober friday nights when the gang used to get together for hours of poker and masti ... And then there was this particular Friday night, the 12th of september, the night before a bachelor was going to be a martyr, and things were not as rosy as it seemed ... I just could not sleep well, eat well, breathe well ... Dipali had already arrived in San Jose driving from Los Angeles, with her parents, and I thought maybe just seeing her for a few minutes would bring down my anxiety level to something normal and worth surviving, but my parents told me that before engagement we cannot meet each other ... There went another pound of my weight down the drain (if you know what I mean) ... lol ... So I was on my own, my friends were enjoying seeing me freaking out, my parents were quite cool, ofcourse imagining that now there will be one more leash on their son who might have got out of their control since leaving home in 2004 and that too staying in the US, the land of freedom ... But somehow I managed to grab some sleep ...

Even while I was in deep slumber, I just went through all the things one last time, especially the guests list and people arriving from outside San Jose and outside California... My dad's friends were going to show up from NJ and LA, my uncle (mama) from Seattle, my aunt (masi) from Sacramento,, my cousins from Kansas... But the rest of the gang was going to be from the bay area itself ... That was the only reason I was inclined towards keeping this function here in the bay area, so that I can enjoy it with everyone, as one never knows, who might be able to come for my marraige later next year ... So I mentally checklisted each item and went to sleep ...

The whole week I was suffering from the pains of catching cold, sore throat and mild fever ... There were some names which popped up from my friends, to name this disease of mine ...

dipali-dur-odrome
engagement-fever
end-of-bachelor-day-strauma


THE D-Day - 13th of Sept ...
The Day when Life experiences a different emotion, a different feeling ...
The dawn came early due to my lack of sleep, mixture of anxiety and happiness ... The night before my dad just told me, that your countdown now begins, and withing 24 hours, my life is gonna change ... ;-) It was still 24 hours before I would be actually standing with a ring in one hand, and Dipali's hand in the other and just picturing that moment, made me smile and made my day ... Nevertheless, I did not knew that those 24 hours would pass with 24 different emotions a normal human being could possible go through... I am gonna try and put those different emotions and descirbe them relating my experience of that emotion unfolding these 24 hours ...


Tenseness - As the prep up had already been over, I was still undergoing tenseness about the whole event itself ...

Worry - I was worried the whole week, and especially on Friday night, thinking umpteen times about the next day as to whether everything is done or not and if there is anything else remaining ... I just wanted everything to be in the right place at the right time at the right moment ...

Gloom - I really wanted to meet Dipali the night before, but due to certain traditions I was not able to do so, and felt so gloomy about it that I sulked for almost an hour, but finally gave up ... To add to it, my friends did meet her the next day before the engagement and I felt like kicking them all ... lol

Delight - I had woke up in delight, thinking about this new big step for me and Dipali, imagining a new life knocking on my doors ...

Elation - I was elated to find my Dad's friends coming from far corners, just to shower their blessings and be a part of this memorable event ... That's when I really felt the importance of relationships and bondings which stand testimony over time ... These friends shared almost 25-30 year old friendships and I was blessed to be a part of it ...

Uneasiness - Overall I was always feeling uneasy about the event, and would take deep yawns to gather the lost breathes ...

Anxiety - I must have walked almost 6-8 miles the whole afternoon, pacing back and forth in my apartment, while the rest of the people living with me were taking turns in teasing and making fun of me ... For once I did not mind that, as it did bring my adrenaline back to the normal for few minutes, but the next moment thinking about what is going to happen in the next few hours, it would shoot up in anxiousness...

Panic - I panicked when I found that I might get a pimple on my forehead ... But after a nice bath, all went away and there I was standing in front of the mirror, looking all clean, shaved and worth presenting ...

Amusement - My dad and his friends were trying to amuse me, but in vain...But yeah, I did find them getting amused looking at my face, and the way I was cooking up in a pressure cooker ...

Bliss - The venue, the center stage, the imagination ... Walking into the venue, and standing under the spot light where in some moments I would be holding Dipali's hand and getting engaged - that feeling was totally bliss ...

Happiness - is Dipali. The first glimpse I had of her, that is when I really felt happy, after so much of tensed and anxious moments ...

Excitement - Meeting all the relatives and friends, and with Dipali arriving, I really was excited for the ceremony to start...

Jubilation - With the traditional ceremony beginning, I felt jubilant that finally the moment had arrived... Both families exchanged greetings, gifts and blessed us with love and affection...

Euphoria - Lights, Camera, Action ... There it was ... After a few traditional ceremonies, the moment finally came, and I found myself facing almost a dozen cameras, people cheering me and Dipali, and as we exchanged the rings, the silence broke, and the applause finally brought me back on ground after a great ride to the heavens of love ... Finally, the moment had arrived - Me and Dipali were holding hands, the rings exchanged, and officially - We Were Engaged !!!


Thrill - I was thrilled with the ceremony being over in a nice way and everything going smoothly ... The only thing remaining was the cake cutting, and for the first time I did not feel the urge to smear cake on someone else, especially Dipali ... lol ... The cake was absolutely stunning - looked awesome, the bakery guy had done a great job, and the coffee flavor was something new which I had never tasted before...Somehow I also got my appetite back as everything was over now ...

Adoration - I simply adored the way Dipali was looking, and as soon as the ceremony got over, I just wanted to grab her hand and run away from the venue to some place quiet ...

Enthusiasm - It was really a blessed feeling to see all relatives, friends and family getting enthusiastic about the ceremony, and all of them trying to make this occasion a memorable one in their own way ... Friends teasing me, realtives blessing me, and I felt really happy watching them in full zeal ...

Blessed - I felt really blessed, when almost all of the guests, including close family members and friends, took their turns in wishing us love and happiness ...

Mesmerized - The cameras were clicking, and I knew what was to come next once this ceremony is over ... Sitting back, and mesmerizing these moments would be something me and Dipali were looking forward to ...

Hungry - I was so damn hungry, as I had lost my apetite for the past 15 odd hours and had hardly eaten anything due to the excitement and anxiety ... The food was nice, and inviting, but I had something else in my mind, as I knew what was to come next once my friends were done with their dinner ...

Nausea - The worst feeling or the emotion that I could experience was feeling nauseated after getting stuffed with 16 gulab jamuns (indian sweet), and that too in quick succession ... My friends, who were all pumped up waiting for this moment, to take out all the wrath they had for me due to my "Ha Bhai" trauma given to them, left no effort and made sure that my mouth never got a chance to even chew the sweet, and after 16 down the stomach, I just felt the urge to vomit but somehow I was ok after drinking a pepsi ... Before this, I was also stuffed with the cake which was meant for about 5-7 people and I had to take all of this all by myself and everyone spared Dipali with just 2 or 3 gulab jamuns ... But nevertheless, the nauseated feeling was enjoyable this time ...

Sacrifice - I somehow felt that I had sacrificed my bachelorhood, had became a martyr (shahid) or a scapegoat (a bakro) ... But the feeling this time was for good ... lol ... I was just resonating my friend's voices - "Beta tu toh gayo", "Man you are dead meat" ... lol

Contentment - I was contented seeing a big smile on my parents faces and on Dipali's face ... That feeling of contentment and pride made me lose all my fatigue and tireness vanish in thin air ... I had made them happy and that is the biggest happiest feeling I could ever imagine ...

Relief - What a relief !!! I Said finally to myself, and to Dipali and to my parents, as we headed back home ... Everything went as planned, went smoothly, everyone enjoyed, we enjoyed, got engaged, a new life starts, a new phase begins, became a martyr, and now begins almost a year of courtship ...

How is it going to be ??? Well no more anxious moments ... Life will be pleasant and even with its significant eventful ups and downs, now I have not only my parents but Dipali too by my side to keep the Shah's ship afloat amidst all the waves of happiness and storms of sadness ....

Such were my 24 emotions for the 24 hours, that I could not help but give in to them without much effort of holding back ... Ofcourse each emotion I felt had its own sweet taste and its own value ...

But at the end - everything just turned out to be perfectly good !!!

Let me just simply end this post and start my courtship period, with a quote -
Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. ~Henry Van Dyke


Love
Samkit-Dipali

(PS: The pics and the video of the ceremony would be coming up soon in another blog post as soon as I get all of them sorted out, and are ready to be shared ... )