This chapter marks the end of Arohi's wedding celebrations. May not be able to update regularly, got travel plans for this week! Have a brilliant New Year guys, and don't forget me ; )

While the previous day's lunch had been a simple meal of khichuri and beguni- brinjal fritters, the wedding day lunch and dinner menus were sumptuous. The queen of the monsoon and the pièce de résistance of any Kolkata wedding during that season is the hilsa or ilish maach, an anadromous fish that like the salmon migrates to breed from the sea into estuarine waters where it hatched, in rivers such as the Ganga in India and the Padma or Meghna in Bangladesh. Bangals or people hailing from East Bengal proudly proclaim that those caught in the Padma (Podda-r Ilish) are the finest specimens but Kolkata markets depend for its supply on the Rupnarayan river in Kolaghat, located about 55 kilometres away.

Hilsa represents culinary hedonism, passionately pursued notwithstanding the premium prices it commands when in season. It is the only fish that is not pan-fried before being curried and needs a life time of expertise to be relished due to its numerous tiny bones. Buying a pair or joda ilish is an indulgence for a family of modest means, in the days gone by they would marry the pair in a mock wedding before cooking it.

After lunch the girls and women got busy dressing up. Vidushi, who was herself clad in a shocking pink lehenga choli, helped the bride don her wedding ensemble. Arohi wore fine gold jewellery including a nath, a choker and haar around her neck and several ornate gold bangles. She was helped to drape a red and gold Benarasi brocade saree in the traditional Bengali style. A sholapith tairaa was placed on her coiffed hair to match the groom's headgear called topor, and a red tissue veil called jore was fitted over it. She eyes were made up in kohl and the beautiful Alaka Tilaka pattern in sandalwood paste was painted over her eyebrows while her feet were coloured with alta, a red dye. During this time the boys and the men oversaw the arrangements for the nuptials.

In the evening the Bor Jatri or the groom's party was given a ceremonial welcome and were served refreshments. As he awaited the arrival of his bride the groom was presented with traditional attire and other gifts. The bride, who had her face concealed with betel leaves, was brought to the altar seated on a decorated wooden seat called piri carried by her brother and male cousins who ambulated her around the groom seven times in a ritual called Saat Paak. This unusual custom dates back to the era when girls were married off before they reached their teens, and carrying a child bride around would have been effortless. Randhir wondered why this archaic practice was continued to date and was glad Arohi was a slender girl; it would be a tough call to hoist a hefty bride.

The bridal couple then glanced at each other in the Shubho drishti. This was followed by the exchange of garlands or Mala Badal, Sampradan, Yagna,Saptapadi and Anjali- the ancient enduring Hindu rites solemnising a marriage which culminates in the Sindoor Daan where Amal filled Arohi's hair parting with vermilion, mark her as his wife.

A wedding is a great look-out opportunity for young singles, and a number of interested people managed to find prospective matches at least for the occasion. That Vidushi and Parth were a number was common knowledge, but Randhir was still an eligible young man, and many keen eyes tried to draw his attention, but the boy was seen spending his free time with either his cousins or speaking to someone on the phone. Other than Vidushi no one knew about him having spent a memorable night with his lover, and that there was no scope for any other girl around him, at least for now.

The lavish dinner which followed saw the bride's family plying the groom's side and other invitees with food. Vegetarian fare opened the feast with luchis used to accompany dishes made from fried greens and pumpkin; bhajas of potatoes, potol, brinjal and squash flowers. Tedious recipes like banana blossom cooked into a mochar ghanto and lentil dumplings as dhokar dalna were vegan choices, along with cholar dal or Bengal gram.

Hilsa was centre-stage for the feast, featured in dishes such as sorshe bata- in ground mustard, ilish paturi-wrapped in banana leaves and steamed, doi ilish-in curd gravy and the bride's favourites fried ilish and dimer jhuro or fried Hiilsa roe, equivalent to caviar in Bengal. Even the fish heads were cooked together in Malabar spinach or pui shaak. Katla fish kalia accompanied an aromatic pulao. Prawns were cooked in tender coconut flesh to make dab-chingri. Shrimp cutlets and bhetki chops were served with the sharp and tangy kasundi.

While poultry did not feature much except in the Kobiraji cutlet, meat was represented by kosha mangsho, a rich lamb curry. Renuka instructed the cooks to add less sugar in the recipe as Harsh preferred it so; he relished it but really disliked the Bengali obsession of a touch of sugar in nearly every dish as his palate had been honed on savoury and spicy Rajput fare. His children smirked to see him pass any fish heads which appeared on his plate to Renuka, besides assuring her that he would relish the hallowed hilsa if it was served deboned, restaurant style.

Harsh nudged his son seated next to him, warning him to get home a Rajasthani bride or suffer in silence. Randhir grinned at his father's words, thinking of how much his companion's food resembled his home cooking, as if she had personally trained in the Haveli kitchen, surely his father would approve of her! When the meal was almost through dried fruit chutney, papads and a variety of sweets like chomchom, khirer chop, payesh and mishti-doi appeared followed by paan.

Since the groom lived not far from the wedding venue, the bidaai or seeing off the bride happened after the other invitees had left the venue. An emotional moment as the bride and her mother had tears in their eyes, the entire family bid Arohi a fond farewell with their blessings and wishes as she was embarking upon a new start in her life as a wife and daughter-in-law. Nobin da was particularly moved as this was the first wedding in the family after the demise of his wife; Renuka remained at his side to comfort him as the  others retired for what was left of the night.