On the first of the year, our friend got married in Mumbai. This is the story of a wedding in India and what came after it.
Mumbai is a fascinating, sprawling city with a fierce traffic problem. We spent a lot of time looking out the windows while stuck in gridlock. Every taxi we took had elaborate dashboard decoration.
Fortunately, if you get bored with taxis, you can also take a camel.
A few days before the wedding, the bride's hands, arms and feet were decorated with henna and set with a mixture of lemon and sugar. The mendhi ceremony took 4.5 hours to complete. The elaborate designs on the bride's arm incorporate symbols of good luck. The swastika means “lucky charm” in Sanskit and is an image that appears all over India without stigma.
The bride's female friends and family also took part in the ceremony. It took two women only ten minutes to complete both sides of my hands.
When the henna dries, it flakes off to reveal the design, which darkens with time. It's said that the darker the color, the more affectionate your husband will be.
One false move and the sari goes down! This is me having a sari emergency. Fortunately, several women came to my rescue and pinned the nine yards of fabric back together.
In an incredibly dramatic and exciting moment, the groom mounts a white horse. Following tradition, the groom sets off on a pilgrimage of prayer and contemplation. The bride's family convinces him to stay by promising him their daughter.
Even the horse looked fantastic.
The women dance as the groom approaches.
Fortunately, the groom decides to stick around. The families lift the bride and groom and they attempt to catch each other with their flower garlands. It's a rare moment of playfulness during a long day of prayer and outfit changes.
The bride and groom sit together on a swing. In the old days, the swing was meant to soothe and entertain the bride, who was often as young as five or six years.
During the course of the engagement and wedding ceremonies, the bride receives countless gorgeous saris, which she wears at various stages. Much of the ceremony takes place with the priests and family seated around symbols of a fruitful and healthy marriage.
With petals flying, horns blaring, and drums beating, the sheet that separates the bride and groom is lifted and they are officially married.
After the wedding, we make our way to Rajasthan in the north. Our first stop is Udaipur, the Italian Riviera of India.
Udaipur was so peaceful after the chaos of Mumbai.
A stately pleasure dome. Udaipur is a fairtale city of palaces emerging from the middle of lakes.
Elephants guard this palace, which is accessible by motor boat.
The City Palace is full of incredible ornamentation.
Color and light in the City Palace in Udaipur.
More color and light.
Udaipur
The next stop was Jodhpur, the blue city. Brahmins painted their houses indigo to deflect the blazing rays of the sun and repel mosquitoes. Other castes soon joined in.
It's difficult to capture the crush of people in Jodhpur's market. Often, there was simply nowhere to move.
Saris or street art?
Bangle mania.
I found myself wandering from the tourist market into the old town, where the goods on sale were more humble.
You can buy anything here.
Care for some rope?
How about some grain?
You'll definitely need rice.
And perhaps a burlap sack or two.
Flowers are not a luxury in India - they are everywhere. These garlands decorate Hindu temples. In the market, the scent of roses is powerful.
Stringing marigolds for temple offerings.
Jodhpur at work.
At the market, I circled this guy for a while before I could muster up the courage to ask for his picture. He thought I was nutso.
The turbans were fantastic in Jodhpur.
So were the mustaches!
This fellow is smoking an opium pipe. At work. Nice job!
I love this man's face and the color of the weathered wall behind him.
Vegetable seller in Jodhpur's market.
This is what these two women wore to go downstairs and buy a sack of lentils. In jeans and a t-shirt, I felt pretty drab.
Unexpected color combinations are everywhere. Somehow, they all go well together.
The potter's wife wears a riot of colors.
Jodhpur girl.
Dancing girls.
In a neighboring village, a woman carries firewood for cooking. Many of the women in this area wear stacks of plastic bangles like these.
We left Jodhpur for Agra, where tourists from all over the world pay homage to the Taj Mahal. This is not the Taj Mahal, which was the least interesting part of Agra.
What I found amazing was the pietra dura - the semi-precious inlaid stones arranged in intricate patterns all over the major monuments in Agra. This is a selection of shots I took showcasing the amazing stonework.
Pietra dura covers the walls of this magnificent monument in Agra.
Delicate decorative painting enhances the interiors.
You've seen it a million times...it's the Taj!
Outside the Taj Mahal, scores of Indian tourists wait. A lot of women got gussied up for their “Taj shot.”
A picturesque last look at India. The Taj Mahal - and love made visible.
