CHAPTER 21 - Ind-ya
It was my close cousin’s wedding and she sent me a personal invitation asking to make it for the big day. I really wanted to go and this time, I wanted to take one of my girls with me. Katy has already been to India once plus her parents were coming over to the UK so she couldn’t go.
I really had to convince Grace to go with me, also she never visited India before. It was little difficult to take time off from her work, but upon my repeated requests, she managed to get two weeks off work. She tells me that she always wanted to see India and what better way than going with someone who knew the place.
There are a few precautions though and I had to make Grace aware of them. First, it was the vaccinations and she had to go to her GP to get it sorted. Then, Delhi Belly is really a thing. Every time, I go to India, even I take a few days to get adjusted, especially change of weather, pollution, which is a lot in Hyderabad plus the change in food, all this will make your tummy upset. I never even dare to eat from street food stalls, but even if you stick to nice restaurants, there still will be a little adjustment period and you will have to ask the chefs to reduce the spice levels because even moderate spice is really hot!
So Grace will have to go through all this and then the culture shock! The differences are immense, my entire family would not like the sight of seeing Grace with a glass of wine in our get-togethers. I had to ease Grace into this so I booked a room in The Grand Kakateeya, which is a five star hotel instead of taking Grace to stay in my home. I did this mainly because, at home, there will be few restrictions so besides getting adjusted to the new surroundings, she also has to deal with these new customs.
Now coming to washrooms and toilets, our Indian homes still use Indian style toilet, which is this hole in the ground, but it is actually porcelain with foot rests to the side so you squat on it. It is done that way because the posture in which you sit on it is supposed to help with the elimination. Whilst growing up, until I moved to this country, I always used that. Most of our homes didn’t even have western style toilets back then. We have flat screens and home theatre systems, but toilets were Indian style. Plus every toilet was a wet room and they seldom had showers cubicles or bathtubs. These things are still considered as luxuries and they were expensive to maintain. Water and electricity are still issues, especially during summer, so homes have generators to cope with power cuts and storage units for water as taps will not run 24/7. Thankfully, all modern constructions will have an Indian style and Western Style toilet, so I was covered as moving to UK and getting adjusted to this different style of toilet, it is really difficult to go back to Indian style.
With the five star hotels, all these things do not apply. They are same as anywhere in the world with super luxurious rooms and attached shower rooms. Grace’s room had this super king sized four-pillar bed with curtains and central air condition. It also had a mini bar. The washroom had a huge bath tub with power jets and a shower cubicle. It really felt a lot like UK and she was quite comfortable in there.
My parents wanted me to bring her home so she can stay with us, but I didn’t want that. My mom was convinced that there was something between me and Grace and that we are more than friends. I kept on denying.
For the first meal, I took Grace to the buffet at Grand Kaketeeya hotel and it was simply grand. There were dishes from every part of the world plus authentic food from Hyderabad. If you recollect about the Biriyani, this restaurant served the best kind. Chinese food also had the Indian twist added to it and it was totally unique. I never found that same taste back in UK.
Grace wanted to try everything as they were mouth watering even to look at, but I tasted it first to check the spice levels. Five star hotels often cater to international crowd so chefs usually check on the spice levels and make it suitable for the diners. So it wasn’t that bad. There was Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken and Grace was amazed at how it tasted nothing like what we get in the UK. The Chinese noodles were amazing but what she loved the most were Indian desserts. There was Kheer, which is this sweet dish made with rice and another authentic desert called Rasmalai, it is made out of cream and really is heavenly. One mouthful and it makes you forget Ben and Jerry’s cookies and cream!
Dinner was arranged at my house and it was first time Grace was going to sample our Hindu traditions. My mom and dad were delighted to receive Grace. Grace was very nervous about what to wear and about the etiquettes, but I asked her to relax and wear something comfortable as this going to be very casual. She wore a white shirt and sky blue denim.
It took a little time to adjust but soon, she was comfortable. My mom cooked all her specialities and she normally uses little spice, but she took extra care and her dishes were amazing. Let me give you a taste of that through words. Our staple dish is white rice and it was always there, plus my mom cooked vegetable fried rice, this Chinese dish which had a little Indian twist to it. She then made Dal, which is soup of pulses, which is another classic dish of the Hindus. We usually mix that with white rice and eat. She made her signature roast chicken which is chicken breast marinated in curds, then dipped in batter and breadcrumbs and pan fried. Then it is tossed in garlic, spring onions, pepper and tomato sauce. Then there was another classic called “Nati Kodi Pulusu”, which basically is curry made with chicken on the bone with a gravy made of cashews, spices, onions and ginger. It really goes well with Phulka, which is Indian flat bread made with flour, only it is wafer thin. So we had them as well. Then there was egg curry and this was my favourite. It's gravy was based on coconut milk and eggs were cracked open and dropped into the gravy and left like that without mixing. Then they are boiled in the soup for a while. It really tastes amazing. Finally, there were other populars like salad, poppadoms and yogurt. Now this yogurt is not store bought, it is cultured at home using milk and yogurt from previous day. It usually is warm in India, so it sets quite well without much effort. Most people do this and we call this curd. And this is eaten at the end before moving on to deserts, usually mixed in rice. The idea is that it cuts down all the spice and oils and aids in digestion.
For desserts, my mom prepared “Gulab Jamun”, this is another classic made with milk solids, made into balls, deep fried and then added to sugar syrup. There was ice cream and Grace’s favourite Ras Malai, which was store bought. Indians usually eat with their hands, all the time. Forks, spoons and cutlery is something which was introduced during the British rule. However, when dining with guests, we always let them decide and usually follow them. With Grace, I made sure that we all use cutlery, but still, Phulka cannot be eaten properly with knifes and forks. Grace did what most of the people here do, she took a bite of the phulka with her hands and then ate curry with spoon. I asked her to try my way, broke a piece of the phulka and then picked up curry using that as a wrapper and put it into her mouth. She said, “Wow, that tastes soo much better”. She managed to do that on her own after failing a few times.
So it was a fiesta and most of Indian families follow the same routine, they make ample dishes when they invite guests over. For Hinduism, giving food is considered the best, especially when you feed the poor. It is the best charity which you can do, even greater than donating money, or clothes. We strongly believe that by food we are born, by food we live and after dying, we become one with it (i.e. cremated or buried into the ground).
Also, food is always ready or prepared even for guests who arrive without prior information. And this totally is the norm, our family just comes over when they feel like it or just passing by our house and sometimes even friends do that. Now, after getting used to life abroad, I feel it slightly annoying but before, I never minded that even a single bit. And my parents totally welcome that and they even do the same to their family and friends.
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After dinner, we had a pleasant chat, my dad was curious about Grace’s job and was super impressed that she is soon going to be a full time lawyer. And Grace mentioned what a decent guy I was and she loves my company so much. My mom was chuffed to bits and she almost confirmed in her mind that there was something between us.
Then, we gave her a tour of our apartment, which was quite spacious. My mom showed Grace the small temple room, then I took her on a tour through my childhood memories. I showed her my room and told her if I could time travel and go back by 10 years, I would tell me younger self that I would be bringing a super hot/beautiful English girl here and make out with her, so my younger self could dream about that for the next 10 years. Grace laughed and kissed me. We had to keep it short as I didn’t want my parents to see it. I told her that I want to make love to her in this room, on my bed and that was my fantasy and I will make sure that will happen before we leave India. We both giggled on that.
Then I showed her my music, film and comic book collection. Then I took her onto the terrace, it finally got cooler and it was a full moon night. I told her how we used to play here with other kids and told her the first time I ever made out with a girl was here (remember Anitha?). I took her to that very same spot and kissed her. Nostalgia was sweeping through me and I just wanted that moment to freeze for ever. Grace looked beautiful, she looked amazing in anything she wears and she had this poshness about her. Everything she did had lots of finesse and she was every bit like the dignified, well-groomed, well-mannered English ladies whom we used read about in novels and stories. Plus that awesome English accent, that was something to die for.
It was time to call it a night and my parents offered Grace to use the guest bedroom and stay in my house. Grace was little uncomfortable so I jumped in and said, she will do that next time as she didn’t bring a change of clothes. My mom then gifted Grace an Indian Saree, complete with blouse and bangles. Grace was very reluctant to accept it, but my mom said that was tradition and made her accept.
Grace was soo delighted by the whole experience. She couldn’t stop mentioning about how warm and lovely my mom was and how great the food tasted.
Back in the hotel room, it was time for a quick love making session. I don’t know if it is the climate or food or something which made me more energetic and the session lasted longer and we were very satisfied by the end. For fun, I tried to put the saree on Grace but I didn’t know how to tie it together properly. Usually, men are not helpful in tying the saree, it is a trait only the women know, that too to the point of utmost perfection. Plus, there are so many styles of tying the saris, which depends on the location and their caste.
I had to leave Grace and go back to my house as I couldn’t spend the night with Grace, if I did, my mom would start the marriage preparations. LOL
Before I left, Grace said she will miss me and she loves everything about me and my family. I kissed her and said good night.
Next day, it was time for some sightseeing. My dad left me the new Hyundai car and took his old one to work. I picked Grace from the hotel and headed straight to Birla Mandir, it is this gorgeous temple completely made of marble, located on top of a hill, in the centre of the city. Grace was again worried about the etiquettes and rules which she didn’t want to break and the fact that she is not a Hindu, whether she would be allowed inside. I comforted her saying the only requirement is to not enter with shoes on, rest all is fine. She was about to get her first taste of what Hinduism meant. She was pleasantly surprised as there were no hard and fast rules and how everyone was genuine and nice. The priests welcomed her warmly, gave blessings, which they do by placing the gods crown over your head and gave her “theertam”, which is water mixed with basil leaf. Then I told her about our gods and their history. Birla Mandir is a perfect example of showcasing Hindu gods. It has small shires for different gods and the main temple was reserved for Lord Venkateswara, someone whom all Telugu people believe in and hold dearly to their hearts. There is a big temple on top of seven hills for this god, which is very popular and most Hindus, including my parents go there to pray every year. It takes about 18 hours by train or couple of hours by air to get there.
By the end of the tour, Grace was pleasantly surprised on how easy going people where. They were happy to see an outsider knowing about Hindu culture and warmly welcomed her. She even got extra prasadam, which is this sweet we get when we go to templates. Usually they are sweets prepared carefully, first offered to the lord and then distributed to all visitors. Don’t know if it is the intention behind it or divine intervention, but they always taste heavenly!
Once thing I must confess, visiting my parents and bowing before my gods, I felt soo guilty of going to the adult sex party. It was not who I am and what I believe in and at that very moment, I promised to myself that I will never repeat it. I was curious to experience the wilder side of life, I have done it and will never go back again.
We were sitting on the floor in this huge open hall in the temple, the marble floor was nice and cold and there was this gentle breeze blowing, it was really amazing, and when all these thoughts were going through my mind, Grace dropped the ultimatum. She said she loves me, she actually liked me the very first time and then fell deeply for me after spending more time together. She didn’t mention anything at that time as she was afraid of commitment and wanted to dedicate herself to her course. But now, being so close to me, she wanted to be with me all the time. She tells me not to give her a reply right away as she knows that I am very close to Katy as well. But she said she never wanted to lose me in her life and she always wanted to be dedicated to me.
I really didn’t know how to react, I love both Grace and Katy equally and didn’t know what to say! Grace saw this on my face and apologised for even bringing this up. I said that I love her very much and care for her, I told her I loved her right on the day when we met and got to know each other, and that I would be very, very lucky to have her in my life. I confessed that my hesitation was because I was not prepared and I didn’t know how to react especially when she knows about my relation with Katy as well.
Grace made it a little better by saying that she can understand and she knew exactly what she was getting herself into. But she had to speak her heart out and promised that she will never leave me. I promised her that too and actually meant it with all my heart.
She wanted to kiss me but I stopped her and kissed her hand instead. She apologised and said, “Sorry I forgot.” And I smiled back and said, “Just wait and see what happens when we get back into the car.”
I kissed her passionately once in the car, making sure that no one was looking at us. Next stop was the Birla Planetarium and Science Museum. That was one of my best childhood memories! The first time, when my dad took me to the science museum, I was in awe at all the science experiments on display. And the show in the Planetarium was out-of-the-world experience. I got soo interested about planets, space and galaxies, that I started reading all about of them from that point. I watched movies and spent countless hours in libraries browsing through books from Nasa. I even made a model of a Planetarium for school science project and won a prize for the same.
Visiting the place again bought soo many fond childhood memories and I was as excited as a kid at Christmas. Grace even commented the same. We watched a show at the Planetarium and went to the science museum afterwards. I told Grace how much fun we used to have there as a kid.
Next stop was my school, I even met a few of my old teachers who remembered me and I introduced Grace as my girlfriend to them. Grace really loved that. All my teachers were quite happy to see me and they even commented that we both make
a nice couple. (Yea right, light-brown chocolate and milk white goes very well together!! I wonder, can spots mix with stripes and live happily ever after???)
Next was lunch and I took her to my favourite restaurant, Ohris. This was a collection of eateries, one per each floor based on the cuisine which they offer. So there was authentic Indian, Chinese, Mughlai (which is food based on Mughal rule in India) and then a general snack bar. I really wanted Grace to taste the Indian Chinese, so we went to that. I had to ask the chef to be extra careful and add no spice at all. Grace loved the twist, this was nothing like the Chinese which we get in the UK, it was very Indianised, but still retained the flavour of China. I suggest all of you to visit Ohris and sample the food, it simply is awesome.
Actually, I come back to my statement which I mentioned in the initial chapters. Hyderabad is THE place for amazing food. I have travelled many places in India but I strongly feel nothing comes close to Hyderabad.
Now, next was something very unique and funny which I put on the agenda. I wanted Kate to bear with me for about three hours and watch a Telugu film. She was all excited and ready to go. We went to the IMAX and picked a popular Telugu film which got re-released, now mind you, this was not even Bollywood (Hindi Film), it was straight up from my home language. Also, there will be no subtitles or translating headphones, I will have to tell Grace what was happening.
So we bought popcorn and sat in nice comfortable seats in one of the screens at the IMAX. (Actually, it is called Prasad’s IMAX and has a couple of screens along with big IMAX screen. It also had food courts, shops and an arcade area as well.)
The movie started and as soon as the hero showed up on screen, the audience cheered with whistles and claps. (There is very strong fan following for major heroes, there are even several fan associations and when their respective hero’s film releases, fans celebrate it like a festival, they even perform prayer so that the film succeeds! That’s how hardcore we are!!)
The first few minutes, there is a big, gravity/science defying fight, when the hero bashes dozens of goons single handed. Then its cuts to a hero's introduction song, which basically talks about how powerful, carefree and cool the hero’s attitude is, whilst he dances amongst scantily clad English/American models.
The heroine shows up and everything turns into slow motion, the hero usually falls straight in love with her at first sight. It soon cuts into another song where the hero dances with his friends and the heroine keeps walking past them, in various attractive outfits.
The main villains and the conflict points are shown and the hero joins one of this goon’s gangs but keeps eliminating them whilst covering his true motive. There are scenes of comedy thrown into the mix and heavy doses of sentiments added, especially where the heroine’s family struggle as they encounter goons in their lives and how the hero saves them from all of that. Romance soon begins and every time, the hero and heroine meet, they cut to a song in exotic locations. They go to Spain, Italy and when they are not jet-setting around the world for dream song sequences, they dance with a group of dancers amidst huge sets erected in film studios.
The big final reveal happens when hero’s father is killed as the villains learn that the hero is an undercover cop. The final battle takes place where the hero, again, single-handedly, fights and kills all the bad guys.
All in all, the film had all the usual ingredients of a Telugu/Indian cinema. There was action, drama, sentiment, romance, music, gorgeous actress (who wears seductive dresses but only in song sequences) and that big twist which no one expected. Truth to be told, I enjoyed the film as it had all of this in right proportions and it was fun to pass the time.
Katy had some really interesting and funny questions after watching the movie, first she wanted to know how can one single person dodge bullets and perform gravity defying stunts, to which I said, Telugu film industry assumes that they are always in “The Matrix” and anything is possible in here, all you have to do is believe! I couldn’t stop laughing after mentioning this.
Then she asked why there was a song even in middle of tense situations. To which I told her that filmmakers have to include six songs as an unofficial rule and sometimes, they don’t know where to place them! Actually it is soo true, not always, but this one film, the hero and the heroine escape on a motorbike from goons who are chasing them. When they lose the goons, the heroine casually asks what the hero wants to do next and the hero mentions he wants to sing a song. The scene cuts off to Australia where they both dance to a romantic song.
Then, she understood the comedy when I explained and found it funny, but what she couldn’t understand is why there were these totally unrelated comedy tracks with actors who do not contribute anything to the main storyline. I told her that it is mainly there to include light hearted situations amidst all the heavy action and drama.
And finally, she wanted to know what our obsession was with these British/American girls as they are randomly present in most of the songs. I told her that they look so good and hot plus the very same reason that I was there with a gorgeous English girl!! She couldn’t stop laughing at that.
But she confessed that it was fun, vibrant and colourful, plus she didn’t see the twist coming. She said she wouldn’t mind going to another film. I told her next time, I will take her another type of Indian movie, made by filmmakers who try to do things differently.
Oh, by the way, for all my Telugu/Indian friends, you probably know the name of the film by now, Grace simply loved the whole train-fight sequence!!
For dinner, I wanted to Grace to try yet another unique dining experience. This is what we call as tiffins, which we usually have for breakfast or light dinners. I took her to this restaurant called “Minerva” which I knew from my childhood days and was very popular.
First, we started of with a classic called “Idli” which are steamed dumplings made with mashed rice. They usually serve it with coconut chutney and “Sambar”, which is soup made of pulses with vegetables added to it. The combination is really amazing and I recommend everyone to try that. Then we ordered “Paneer Dosa”, these are pancakes made with rice flour mixed into batter, then spread on a huge pan and roasted to almost wafer-thin thickness. Paneer is cottage cheese which is made into a dry curry with onions, curry leaves and other spices and placed into the middle of the Dosa and then, the dosa is rolled into a roll. It is again served with Sambar and Chutney and is my favourite. Grace loved the dosa and she wanted to try that again the next day.
For dessert, I ordered Kulfi ice cream. This is ice cream with added flavours derived from Cardamom, pistachio, almonds and is really an amazing Indian desert. I strongly recommend all to try this as well.
It was time to head back to the hotel and Grace took a shower. When she came out of it, she said of all the dates which we have been, this was the best. I made gentle love with her and I wanted to show that I cared for her in every move that I made. She loved every second of it. From the time Grace mentioned that she wanted me as her boyfriend, I became more careful and cautious with my behaviour towards her. I wanted to make her very happy and show that I care in everything I do. She loved it and asked me to stay a little longer. We stayed in bed and chatted until she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Soon she dozed off and I kissed her forehead and slowly left without making noise. But I left a note on the bedside table for her, which reads,
“Did I tell you how beautiful you look, even when you are sleeping, I was staring at you for almost an hour and wanted to go on, but though it might come across as creepy -), so had to leave..I love you dear… a looot!”
(It was the first thing she
saw when she woke up and she absolutely loved it. She hugged me and didn’t let go for a few minutes after we met the next day.)
On my drive back home, I couldn’t help but think of what happened. I loved Katy and Grace equally and thought Katy would make a move first but it came from Grace. And just then Katy called. It was really good to hear her voice and she asked how things were going. That’s when I mentioned that Grace proposed. I told her everything we spoke of and Katy said she somehow suspected that was coming. She told me that Grace is a very nice girl and asked me to be dedicated to her if I made the decision to go ahead. I said I wasn’t sure if I was ready for commitment yet. And was afraid that my lifestyle after winning the lottery would interfere with the relation. Grace doesn’t know about the win, she only knows that I was made partner with a company and get huge payouts. I didn’t want to get into a serious relationship and keep lying to my partner but I didn’t want to tell her either as after reading so much about how the windfall affected relationships, I don’t want mine to follow the same. There was a lot to think of.
Next day was our famous festival “Diwali”. Grace had personal invitation from my mother so she can experience an Indian festival first hand. We also had a few cousins coming over so we all could get together. During my childhood years, Diwali was an amazing time. We had a week off from school and me, my cousins and our friends celebrated for the whole week. We loved pooling money together and buying fireworks. Our favourite were toy guns which can be loaded with reels which contained the chemical to light up and make a sound. We loved playing cops and robbers using them and I can still recollect the countless hours of fun. Then, the mouth watering dishes which my mom prepared and finally, the family fireworks time, where all my family would head for the terrace and from then on, it was full-on fireworks. We had sparklers, rockets which would fly up in the sky and explode into colourful flames, then we had flower-pots, they were put on ground and lit up, which emit colourful sparkles as a fountain. We had something called as Bombs (Lakshmi Bomb, Hydrogen Bomb, etc.) they used to explode making loud noise. I know this is totally against the law in the UK but mostly, people were very careful and I never knew anyone getting seriously injured with this. Then there were things called as “Boo Chakkar”, which mean something which spins on the ground. This was a top-like thing which used to spin and emit sparkles when it was lit. And then the “Vishnu Chakkar” which was more dangerous and my dad was the only one who used to try this. It is the same as “Boo Chakkar” only, the spinning top was stuck to the end of a thin metal rod and the rod was held in hand. We always used to end the session by lighting rockets, we used to stick them in used glass bottles so they stand upright and then after lighting them, they go high up in the air and explode emitting colourful sparkles.
I remember these good times as if it happened yesterday and also remember the wave of sadness that used to go through us when we finish burning the rockets as (A) Schools used to reopen the next day and (B) It marked the end of all the fun and we had to wait a year again for it!
It actually was first time being home for Diwali since leaving for UK, so I was excited to meet everyone. I took Grace to my house in the evening. She wore and long top with Indian design and tights and looked really pretty. My mom asked her to get the sari which she gifted along as well. We arrived to my house which was filled with my relatives. All of them got to meet Grace and the cousin who was getting married also was there. It was good to see all of them and most of my cousins reached their own conclusions about Grace being my girlfriend. All the men wore traditional Indian dresses, which was this long embroidered silk shirt and a trouser made up of same material. Women wore grand silk saris with gold jewellery and golden bangles. Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention about Indians and their obsession with gold. All golden jewellery which Indians wear is 22 carat pure. Gold is considered auspicious and people gift that to each other during occasions. During marriage, the bride usually wears about 50 to 60 grams of gold. Gold is like an investment for Indian families and my mom has a decent collection. Even I have a couple of gold chains and rings which my mom keeps in a bank locker.
So trying to make Grace sample the tradition, my mom and my aunt took her in and made her wear the silk sari which my mom presented. My mom even gave Grace her gold bangles and necklaces and put a bindi on her forehead. Bindi is this tradition which every Hindu woman wears, usually it is marked with red coloured powder but modern versions use stickers which have nice designs or colourful stones stuck on them. Grace looked totally transformed in this attire. She came over to me and asked me how she looked, I said very pretty. She did look gorgeous, the dark maroon sari was suiting her complexion very much.
First it was time for prayer, my mom did this quick prayer and gave prasadam to everyone. Then she and my aunt arranged lots of diyas (lamps in clay saucers with wicks and oil) and lit them. Then they were placed in all rooms and outside the front door. We then headed to the terrace and burned fireworks.
We took a break in middle and then had a huge buffet-style dinner with traditional Indian festival dishes. We do not cook meat or egg during festivals, so it was pure vegetarian. All of my family members chipped in and everyone bought a dish. It really was years since we had such get togethers. So it felt great and it brought back all childhood memories. My mom insisted Grace to sleep in the guest bedroom so she obliged.
Soon, all my relatives left, my parents retired to their room. Grace changed her sari and wore the Indian long top without the tights as it was light enough to sleep comfortably in, but I had other plans. I stayed in the guest bedroom with Grace for about an hour or so, just long enough to make sure my parents were fast asleep and then took her to my bedroom. My childhood fantasy of making love to a gorgeous girl in my very own bed was going to come true. And yes, I was full on and made sweet love with Grace. We had to keep it very quiet, but I was on cloud-nine and had this huge grin on my face once the deed was done. Grace got dressed but still lay in my arms and asked me if it was like everything I used to fantasize about, to which I replied, it was everything and even more. Then I looked into her eyes and said, “I love you Grace”. She replied, “Love you too” and kissed me.
Time to reflect, it was the same bed, the same room, where I spent countless hours fantasizing about the one true love of my life, I used to based my imaginary girl back then on actresses or characters from films that I liked and now, when it was the real-deal, it almost felt surreal. It almost felt that I would still wake up and find out all of this was a dream. But it was the tender kisses from Grace which bought me back to the reality and I cannot help but feel how lucky I have been and if I have several births after this, I would want to come back as myself and no one else!
Next day, I took Grace for shopping. We went to popular stores in Hyderabad like “Life Style” and “Shoppers Stop”. I got Grace this gorgeous Indian traditional dress called “Ghagra Choli” for my cousin's wedding. She looked like a princess in it. We did a little more shopping and Grace bought some more Indian tops, they are called “Kurtas”. They are long flowing figure-hugging tops with nice embroidery on them.
Next, it was wedding time. Indian weddings are usually huge, like I mentioned before. My cousin’s wedding was held in a wedding hall and about 2000 guests turned up. Grace was overwhelmed by all this. I explained her all the traditions which happen in Hindu weddings. She loved how the bride looked beautiful with her makeup and “Mehandi”, which is henna tattoos and the traditional jewellery like the nose ring and waist/arm bands.
I explained how “tying the knot” works. In Hindu tradition, we exchange rings during engagement. I mean this is the modern interpretation, usually, families meet along with the priest, check for auspicious days and then fix a date/time for the wedding. That is what engag
ement ceremonies are like, but we added the modern twist to exchange rings. Now, auspicious days are very, very important. If the priest says there are no auspicious days for the next 6 months, we have to wait for that long to fix a wedding date. All this is based off Telugu calendar, which is sun-based and it also depends on the date/time of birth and horoscopes of both the bride and groom. Sometimes, their horoscopes do not match and it is considered inauspicious to get them married. So the priest usually proposes a solution, which mostly will be offering prayer to some god at a particular temple. All our people believe strongly in this and they abide by the suggestions of the priest. I mean look at our ex-Miss World Aishwarya Rai, when she wanted to marry fellow actor Abhishek Bacchan, they had some astrological differences, so to get rid of that, they got her married to a tree first as a solution to appraise the gods. And then she got married to the actor in a normal ceremony.
I do not want to divulge deeper into this as even I am unaware of all the traditions, but yes, this has been passed over from generations and people still follow it.
Coming back to tying the knot, in Hindi culture a marriage is not complete until we tie the knot. We take threads, bunch them together, dip them in turmeric and make that into a chain. We add two golden pendants, one given from the groom's family and the other from the bride's family. These pendants are specially made by jewellers. And after finishing all the customary rituals, the groom ties this sacred chain onto the bride's neck and ties exactly three knots. This completes the ceremony and signifies that they are bound to each other for the rest of their lives. The threads are removed after a few days and gold chain is added to the same pendants so it lasts longer. Married women are supposed to wear this all the time, but now-a-days, they keep it in reserve and wear it only on occasions.
After that, the bride and groom are made to sit on chairs on the main deck area which is beautifully decorated with flowers, garlands and even pictures of gods made out of flowers. All the guests form an orderly queue and give their blessing along with gifts to the bride and groom. They sprinkle rice on top of the married couple’s head as this signifies blessings. This is rice, again mixed in turmeric and placed before god, so it is considered very sacred.
Once this is done, it time for the grand feast. Caterers provide food and there is huge variety. Most people again do not serve meat during weddings, so it is all vegetarian.
Grace had an amazing time and she loved every minute of it. I do recommend all to attend an Indian wedding if you get a chance, it really is a very unique experience.
We then attended the reception, which usually is much more relaxed. This is usually held in huge halls at star hotels and only the close family and friends are invited. Food is again amazing and yes, non-vegetarian food is severed as well. The bride and groom again take the centre stage and all their friends and family give blessing, gifts and take pictures with the newly wed.
It was time to bid goodbye to Hyderabad, I told my mom that we are heading to Goa and meeting a few more friends and then from there going to Rajasthan and then heading off. Both my mom and Grace were in tears at the send off. Grace followed our Indian tradition, which is, we bend down and bow to the feet of elders to take their blessing. Grace did that to my parents and they hugged her and gave their blessings. Even I got little emotional seeing all this. See, told you right, we are very emotional and we turn others into the same, because by the time you leave, you will be loved and cared to the extreme that it makes it very difficult to bid goodbye.
Grace promised that she will return again and she was totally in tears even after we boarded the aircraft. She thanked me many times for this wonderful experience and said everything else India or any other holiday has to offer after this will simply pale in comparison. I couldn’t agree more with Grace.
Seeing all this and seeing how Grace loved every bit of my culture, my family and all my traditions, I made up my mind. She is going to be the one. I am going to slowly work my way towards being seriously committed to Grace. My heart was filled with joy and I quietly kissed Grace without making any statements.
Next stop was Goa, it is the go-to party place. It took about 3 hours to get there by flight (or will take about 20 hours to go via road/train). Goa is very famous destination for international visitors as it offers amazing beaches, booze and parties on the shore. We stayed for two nights in Park Hyatt resort. Our suite offered gorgeous views to the beach, Goan food offered an interesting variety, unique flavours and everything was super relaxing. The weather was perfect and watching artists perform on the beach, snuggled against warm bonfire provided the perfect setting.
It was time for a nice Bollywood movie and the film “Jodha Akbhar” was showing on the television in our hotel room. So I cuddled up with Grace in bed and made her watch her first Bollywood movie. This was a very well made love story depicting the love of Mughal emperor Akbhar and his Hindu bride Jodha Bai. Yes, it was a musical with songs but they gelled very well with the film. Grace really enjoyed the film despite its 3 and half hour running time. She liked the male lead, Bollywood hero Hrithik Roshan. This star looks part European and he also was considered for the new James Bond role and for prince Dastan in Prince of Persia. The female lead was played by former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai and she looked stunning in these grand periodic Indian dresses. The movie had subtitles option, so I didn’t have to explain the story to Grace. And I was ready for the funny Q&A at the end, but there was nothing. She loved the movie and it provided insight about Indian rulers and kings.
Next, we jet setted off Rajasthan, a state located in Northern India. It is very famous for its history, amazing palaces, pink cities and sand dunes. We checked out the pink city Jaipur which is completely built using pink sandstone, hence the name.
Then we went to Jaisalmer, this gorgeous city and its vast sand dunes. We stayed in this huge palace which was converted into a hotel and it was simply spellbinding. We took camel safaris in the sand dunes, sampled the delicious Rajasthani cuisine and saw the performances of dancing gypsies.
Next was something which I always wanted to do since I saw a documentary on TV when I was a kid. I never could do it as it was luxurious and very expensive. This is the Palace on Wheels, an amazing/luxurious train which takes you on a 7 night journey from Delhi and ends with a visit to the Taj Mahal. It costs about 4000 dollars per person for the 7 night trip and provides an extraordinary experience. I really wouldn’t have spent 8000 dollars on a train journey had it not been for the windfall.
We went to Delhi to get the train. First, there was this royal Maharaja (King) welcome given to us with red carpet walk and garlands. We booked a two bed coach and it was tastefully decorated like a King's bedroom. The train has two awesome restaurants and takes you through a journey across the heart of Rajasthan, covering places like Udaipur, Jaisalmer, and Agra. It really was one of the best experiences of my life and with Grace beside me, it was simply magical. We really had an amazing time and wished the tour never ended. It was simply magical, looking through the train windows on full moon nights and learning about the history of these magnificent palaces and the top of the icing was The Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World and the symbol of love. I never seen all these places even though I am from India and I lost count of how many times I was thankful to the gods for being given a chance to do all of this! We were treated like royalty aboard the train and our 2 bedroom sleeper coach was very comfortable, it also had a door so we can shut everything off and be in our own world. We were so excited and in love with each other that I lost count how many times we have amazing sex in our private sleeper coach! I couldn’t thank Grace enough for making this already extraordinary trip all the more magical. I really feel for all those people
in this world who cannot simply live out their dreams and have to compromise. I only say that please do good things, be kind towards everyone and then just believe. Anything could happen! Miracles happen everyday, I am a LIVE example for that, so please start believing in them!
Our flight back to UK was from Delhi and I could feel the sadness within my heart as this magical trip has ended. I remember seeing this ad of India tourism as a kid, where they showed all these beautiful tourist spots of India and spelled it Indya, reflecting the fun it offers. That got registered in my mind and I thought to myself that one day I am going to visit all these places and my dream finally came true, that too in the grandest way possible. Now you know why I named this chapter as “Indya”
Getting now back to my normal life, which I shouldn't call it normal anymore as I am going back to doing whatever I wanted. I keep reminding myself that it is not like before, I could really come back in a month if needed, my monthly interest would be more than sufficient to do all of this and I feel happy again!! Really, how much ever I write about this amazing feeling which the windfall brought, it is not sufficient. This is the best part of winning a lottery!
Things have definitely changed, I saw a whole different side of Grace who embraced my culture and traditions gracefully and loved every bit of it. I thought it would be too much for her to handle but seeing how she reacted to everything, I now know that spots can mix with stripes!!
This will be my biggest decision yet, to commit to Grace with all my heart, which means I have to bid goodbye to Katy (and Maya, Amy!!). I know I will still be friends with Katy but not sure how Grace will take all of it. This change is going to be a very big internal struggle and I know I will have to face it, one way or the other. There is no avoiding it. I really love Grace whereas Katy comes with no strings attached. Emotions are down on the low with her and somehow we managed to make the “Friends With Benefits” thing totally work!
So is it time for me to move on and really commit to this amazing, gorgeous girl who shows that she loves me in everything she does!!! I do have an uphill struggle but I know one thing for sure, I will be very sensible and make the right decision. The windfall sure made me more confident and sensible.
For now, I will end this incredible Indya chapter here, hopefully it was fun to read and provided how culturally different both our worlds are. Yet, we are really warm and caring people deep down.
CHAPTER 22 - “Twenty Two”
Ok, I wanted this, to make sure that I get twenty two chapters. After all, this is the number that changed my life in the most brilliant way ever! And this also means it's time to say goodbye to you all. I am not sure if I would write a volume two at this moment, but I have just started living. It’s only been 3 years since the windfall and there is still a long road ahead.
I, once again thank my gods, my guardian angel and the United Kingdom for providing me with something this extraordinary which only a few get to experience. I would like to thank the lottery company for actually acknowledging our dreams and providing a chance to make them real, I would like to thank the lottery machine at Tescos to give me the winning ticket and I’m ever indebted to Katy and Grace for looking past the boundaries of race, colour, religion and being the most wonderful people ever! I would like to thank you all for sitting through my entire life’s journey, patiently. And finally, would like to thank the digital medium, which allowed me to share all of this with you.
I know there are a few things which I have done, which I am not very proud of, especially the sex party, but there are loads of things which I think I have done correctly. I am proud of the way I handled the win and made sensible decisions. I am very happy about all the charity, I didn’t want to mention all of it all but yes, I did a lot more and that probably is the best thing which I could do with my money. I don’t want to mention the exact figures, but I tired to offer my help without expecting anything in return and most who received my donations, do not even know my name.
I found great companions in the form of Katy and Grace and done some amazing things with them, fulfilled all my dreams that were stuck in my mind for the past 20 years.
Life is really beautiful and every moment, I take time to appreciate that. I did not want to totally lose touch with the reality, so I still read about stuff, technology, science, space and keep myself occupied with these amazing new things. I am going to write novels and short stories about things which I always imagined in my mind and hopefully, tell a nice story some day.
And to all future lottery winners, I humbly request you to never forget where you came from, make very sensible decisions so that you live the rest of your life comfortably without having to worry about money. And to donate generously, the sense of humility and happiness which you get from it is incomparable!
So here’s me signing off, wishing and praying that each one of my readers will get a chance to experience what I have been through and make their lives amazing, just like a beautiful dream. After all, we all are made up of dreams and nothing more!!
Bye for now! 22!
Disclaimer -
All characters mentioned in the novel are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is totally coincidental. This novel is an imaginative piece of work based on author’s own life, his imagination and experiences. All thoughts and ideals expressed here are the Author’s own, and do not reflect general opinion. External content is used only for references and the copyright for all of that belongs to respective authors, actors or studios. Please direct all queries and questions to
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