Snow Day, Reena's, and Vinod's Wedding

(Reena gets married)

It's been a while! The weeks are flying by and there are less than 3 months left in India for me! Which means there are only about 2 months to finish editing the documentary, ahh!!!!

Since school started in mid-Feb, it has snowed and people have gotten married. Here is a recap of the past month. First, two dedicated documenary students and I spent a week couped up in my apartment, editing night and day. Imagine a curly haired mad woman waking up in the middle of the night to log footage. Dedication! We did take a one-day break, however. Sanjeev brought us around the touristy spots of Mussoorie. We hit Kempty Falls, Everest House, Company Gardens, Mall Road, and the cable car. The funny thing was, every vendor and random villager we walked by, knew Sanjeev! So we were left alone!

(Kempty Falls)
(Everest House)


(Everest House -- dorks!!)

(Everest House grounds)

(Everest House Tibetan prayer flags)

(cable car in Mussoorie)

One beautiful day, it snowed! It was the perfect sticky snow to make a snowman. I was just itching...and rushed home after school. Luckily, there was still some snow left and my neighbor kids were really enthusiastic!

In the beginning of March, the school was kind enough to let 7 members of the documentary team and I to take a day off from school and film a double wedding at Sarab Talla. This was no ordinary wedding -- two of Grandpa's children were getting married! His son Vinod had met another villager and fell in love. On this day, they had a traditional wedding except that it was a love marriage!! Very unusual, especially in the village. His sister Reena had been matched up with a taxi driver from Mussoorie, and in arranged marriage. Grandpa's family is the one I am most attached to, and feel like they are my second family. So it was bitter sweet to see Reena leaving home to move to the "city". Vinod has already been working and living in Dehra Dun, a bigger city, for a year and so he and his wife were going to live there.

Our documentary is about exodus, how the villagers are moving out to the cities. We are not trying to answer whether the exit is good or bad, but just trying to pose the question for now.

(Vinod and his bride)(musician for all the dancing)

(my docu team)

(docu team filming!)

I got rather obsessed with taking pictures of Reena, I almost forgot to take pictures of her groom!

(Reena's photo shoot!!!) (She is supposed to look sad.)

(The pooja or religious ceremony)

("tied the knot")

During this very long ceremony where Rena had to walk around her platform 7 times, we had a lot of time to film "b-roll" of other scenes nearby.

(my neighbor filming)(Grandpa's oldest son Nagendra and his son)

(the village women crowded around the platform)

(the scene from a rooftop)

Next, Reena and her husband had to exchange bindis with everyone, which is putting the red mark on your forehead, using your right ring finger. When a guest gets the bindi, she is also handed a small envelope with 10 rupees inside. At the same time, the guest puts some small gift money on the table.

(Reena's older sister who now lives in the city)

(Now that Vinod's wedding is done, he attends his sister's)

(pooja at village center, wedding shoes)

Once all the religious ceremonies are over, this is when Reena's fake sadness turns into real sadness. It's time to leave her home...for good. This part is called the Barat. She is about to get into a taxi that will take her and her husband to his village. There, they will have another night of festivities and dancing and the day after more rituals. Reena will barely get a chance to sleep or eat. So the emotional impact of leaving her family is combined with meeting her "new" family for the first time, along with hunger and fatigue. Well, they are going to his village but will actually live in Mussoorie, the town.

(Reena is sad.)

(Sanjeev filming in the background)(leaving the village, there's the taxi)

(the women usher her out)

(getting into the taxi)

(the men follow the taxi out)

We are all sad, but the villagers are the saddest. It's like the entire village has come out to bid farewell to Reena. I wonder where in American society that kind of community and solidarity exists anymore. Of course, once an American gets married, we have the free will to visit anyone and travel anywhere we want. How many people really know the core of who we are? Everyone knows Reena, like they all saw her grow up and grew up with her. Survived with her.

Moving to the city, is this a good or bad thing? Everyone craves a "better" life, but what is that? Exodus, its motivations, and realities are full of contradictions.

Anyway, stay tuned for the documentary! I'm excited to see how it will turn out!! Above are only a fraction of the photos, CLICK HERE for the entire February and March 2009 album. There are 3 videos of some older women dancing inside a house too, socializing and celebrating during the several days of the wedding. Until next time!