Annya's Enchanted Realities

I know you loved Jaldi Haldi — but truth be told, that was just a slice of the Madurai madness. It’s time I let you in on the full three-day rollercoaster. I promise, this one’s just as entertaining as the rest of my stories. (Oops… now I have to live up to that promise 🤞)

Bestie Getting Married In Madurai

My bestie Kavya called me about a month ago with some shocking but not-so-shocking news. I knew that she found herself a guy and things were getting serious. I even was expecting them to set a date, but when she called to announce the date, I was shocked. Because, I didn’t even have a month to make plans for her wedding. Anyways, I was happy for her and I promised I would make it to the wedding. She was getting married on the 9th of May, and when I looked it up, it was a Friday. I knew I had to make some arrangements for my work, but no matter what, I was going. I had made up my mind. 

Almost 3 weeks passed and I knew it was time to make arrangements for the trip. I called in a friend of mine to book my tickets, so that I can focus and stress on other things like what am I gonna wear? What am I gonna do to make the day special for Kavya? … So the tickets were booked from Nagercoil to Madurai for May 7th. I was taking the train. This gave me time to plan my work as well. And as the day was nearing, I had the whole thing figured out, until it was not… 

Change of Plans

Around a week before her wedding, Kavya called me to check if the arrangements had been made. During the conversation, I understood that  she was doing everything by herself and the bride needed to be cheered up. You all know how  I like to make others’ day special. So I casually asked her if she had planned any sangeet or haldi or anything of that sort. She sighingly said that she wished but I could sense that she would very much enjoy it. I asked for her close friend’s number so I can connect with them and plan something. She shared one of her contacts. 

You wouldn’t believe it. I literally did a lot of homework for this. Listened to songs, made a list, laid out a plan and coordinated everything with this contact. But it all lasted only for two days. I had to bury them since I got a sense that things might not go as planned. I was kinda sad, but then decided not  to say anything or complain and just be there for Kavya. 

Question: Have you ever had to scrap a big plan last minute? Did something unexpected and better come out of it?

Where’s my train? 

It was May 7th and my train was at 7:15 PM. According to the confirmation message, the train would be in Platform 1 at Nagercoil Junction Railway station. I worked almost till 1:30 PM that afternoon and then started packing. Kavya had gotten me a haldi dress when we planned thing originally, but I had a feeling that it might come in handy. So I packed that and a couple of other back up dresses, along with a bluetooth speaker. Who knows? It might just come in handy sometimes. My auto arrived at 6:15 PM and I rushed to the railway station.

On my way to the station, I checked the PNR status in Ixigo app and it said that the train would be in platform 3, and at the same time, my auto driver also checked his app with my train name to see which platform the train leaves, and according to the IRCTC site, the chart wasn’t even prepared. When I got to the station, there was no train on platforms 1 or 3. I was standing in the middle of the footbridge of the railway station without any clue as to what to do. My brain kinda froze. At that moment I saw a train that was on platform 2, and I wanted to check where it was going. As I climbed down the stairs I noticed that the train was going to Bangalore and so did my train according to the ticket. I immediately checked the train number this time, and there it was. The missing train was on platform 2 all this time. And thankfully I was standing right outside my coach. So I didn’t waste another second and I got on the train. 

Question: Have you ever had to scrap a big plan last minute? Did something unexpected and better come out of it?

Madurai Memoirs: The Friends Edition 

I reached Madurai without any hitch right about midnight. It was just me and Kavya that night. The rest of the gang was coming in tomorrow. We spoke for a few minutes and then she slept. I asked her too. Because she was getting married in two days and she needed all the rest she could get. The next morning her friends and family all came in, but most of them had plans. They all wanted to go sightseeing, and Kavya had arranged for  a tempo traveller for it. Now it was just me, Sai, Sushma and Kavya in the service apartment. Kavya had to stay in because there was someone coming in for Mehandi, Sai wanted to go sightseeing but couldn’t make it because there was no space in the vehicle, and Sushma and I decided to stay back for Kavya. Well, you all know what happens next, if you had read my ‘Jaldi Haldi’. If not, don’t hesitate to take a peek. 

Anyways, the next morning was the big day. Kavya woke me up at 5:30 in the morning. The make up artists had come in for the bridal make up. I told her I’ll join her in an hour and freshened up. I was in a dilemma as to what to wear for the wedding. Madurai is a traditional place, but it was a Christian wedding. Also, for the Haldi, I had already worn a western yellow dress. I didn’t wanna repeat the fashion the next day as well. So, I decided to go with a traditional outfit-a saree. It was a black sequence worked saree, which used to be called an ‘Ayan Saree’ as the female lead used to wear a similar one in a famous song from the movie. But that’s not the best part, it was my mom’s and I stole it. 

You must see Kavya in her wedding dress. She looked like a princess, and she was filled with joy. Myself, Sushma, Kavya and one of Kavya’s cousins and her friend’s husband headed to the wedding hall in Thar. The rest of the gang was to reach the destination by Tempo traveler. When we reached JC residency, Kavya was called in for photography. First her single shots were taken and then couple shots. As the pictures were taken, the rest of the family and friends assembled at the wedding hall and it was almost time. So we wrapped things up and headed to the hall. 

They had a program sheet and the wedding ceremony was very beautiful. During the ceremony, the groom’s family had a lot to say about the groom, but there was no one who spoke about Kavya. And since there was time to wait till lunch, I seized the opportunity to say a few words about Kavya as a friend and as a Christian, I felt that I must sing a song as a sign of happiness and blessing. Not long after that, the food was served and it was really delicious. Still can’t believe that the day trip almost came to an end. 

Madurai Memoirs: The Family Edition 

After lunch, me and the rest of the gang (Sushma & Sai) bid adieu to Kavya, wished her a happy married life and headed back to the service apartment. From there everyone was going their separate ways. I decided to head to my uncle’s house since he already knew I was in Madurai and he’d definitely be hurt if I didn’t go visit them. Also, I haven’t booked my return ticket. So I decided to stay the night there at his place and then head home the next day. I slipped into the other dress that I had because I was feeling very uncomfortable in saree. This dress is a sleeveless black & white western wear with a plain georgette black shrug. This dress was custom made from one of the instagram pages I followed. 

I then said goodbye to my new friends and got into a cab, headed to my uncle’s house. Both my uncle and aunt welcomed me home and we spoke about Kavya’s haldi and wedding, then about Erin, and family stuff. That evening, everyone together decided that we will watch a movie together-and Netflix had recently added Good-Bad-Ugly. I purely watched the movie for Arjun Das, not because of his looks, but just for his voice. I even told my aunt and uncle that I’d die happy, if he just says my name. That’s how starstruck I am with him these days. 😂

After the movie, we all had dinner and hit the bed. But that was not the freaky part for me. They had a pet dog named Miffy and every time he came near me I freaked out. Also, when my uncle told me that at night he might hop on the bed and sleep beside me, I was freaked out even more. But I didn’t notice anything because I was so exhausted from traveling to the wedding, and I basically passed out within a couple of minutes and woke up only the next day. 

Question: Have you ever had to scrap a big plan last minute? Did something unexpected and better come out of it?

I was taking Vande Bharat to head back home. I must say, I was impressed with their services. Especially the food and the trip was also very comfortable. I finally reached home by 2 PM in the afternoon.

Best Bits of Madurai, If You Ask Me

Though the trip came to an end, I walked away with some beautiful memories. For one, I made new friends — Sushma and Sai. Then there was the haldi, and that impromptu speech at the wedding. I got to wear a new dress and loved the compliments that came with it. After three long months, I finally travelled solo again. I even tried a bunch of firsts — like Jigarthanda, Vande Bharat, and Nalangu. I’d never watched a movie with the Jacobs family (uncle and aunt) before, and now I have.

And there were so many more little moments like that.

Overall, I’d say this trip was a blessing in disguise. I smiled wholeheartedly throughout — it felt refreshing.Some trips stay on the calendar, and some stay in the heart — this one did both. See you in the next post!