The Korba Wedding.

The small wonders of life constantly surprise me. 

I still smile thinking of how worried I was about moving to Delhi at the end of my post graduation.

Little did I know that these would be some of the best years of my life. 

Like I always maintain, the people matter most and this post is about one of the most amazing people who I came into close acquaintance with, during this time. 

Allow me to introduce Ankita Chopra, aka Chops or Chopper. 

One has to be tremendously blessed and fortunate to have such people in one’s life. And I’ve been just that. 

From the mouldy paying-guest residence at Sector 14, Gurgaon to our cozy little apartment in Sushant Lok C Block, we’ve had the time of our lives. 

Chops is family. She is my friend. She is the one of the few people I write to first when something good happens to me. She is the child. She is the Master Chef. She is the person I can speak to without the fear of being judged. 

Her most admirable trait is the courage that she bears. I’ve hardly met anyone who has been through so much adversity and still kept cheerful. I have been able to learn so much from her – about life, about love, about friendship.

When she told me that the wedding was scheduled in February 2013, in Chattisgarh – I knew that there would be no way that I was going to miss it.

I had to go.

For all the times when laziness overcame and I only had to mention that I was hungry and a plate of something would be placed in front of me. For all the rubbish television we watched together, and rolled off our chairs. For all the rodents that scurried around the apartment and sent us jumping on the bed – holding on to dear life. For all our little parties and late night chats on the verandah with wine in a steel tumbler. For our Jolly Rogers evenings. For the multitude of times we have watched crap movies together on impulse and consoled ourselves at Coco Palm or Ruby Tuesdays. For the sake of all these memories and many more to come, I had to cross borders and be by her side on her important day. 

So I made the journey – travelled from Mangalore to Delhi to Raipur to Korba. And all the way back. Apart from the early morning travel and the fact that it is most uncomfortable to carry large bags in a Chair Car on the Janshatabdi Express – I  found nothing to complain about!

Beginning from the Punjabi hospitality – ‘Beta, ek aur phukla?”, to using a room heater to dry bridal mehndi, the scenic Chhatisgarh rural scape and the roads from Raipur to Korba which can give serious competition to any adventure ride (Yes, my bones are still creaking from the six hours of non stop bouncing around in a Bolero).

So yes, I was the dutiful maid of honour and was joined in later by Ridhima in making sure that February 08, 2013 was the happiest day in Chops’ life and even though, while we left she looked dreadfully tired – I could see that she was at peace. 

Once more, there is so much more that I would want to write here – the littlest of details, each joke, every moment that made the few days I spent with her special. But all that I can manage now is that I wish her all the happiness in the world and she will always be in my prayers. 

Onek love, Mrs. Chopper.