That Unique Wedding Pandhal

I am not sure how many of the readers here would understand exactly what a "Pandhal" is. Well, it is a temporary erection (has nothing to do with male anatomy here!) on poles with shamiana (or thick cloth covering) generally created to host community events like weddings, bethrothals etc or political events like seminars, rallies etc or even commercial events like exhibitions etc.

The reason why I am talking so much about pandhals today is a wedding that I attended early last week. A team member of mine was getting married and when she handed over the invitation card to me, she had informed me that her wedding is supposed to take place at her home which is in the sattelite town of Kakkanad, in Kochi. Considering the topography and the kind of houses at Kakkanad, I was left wondering how a Malayalee wedding can be conducted at home!

However, there I was on Monday last to attend the wedding and I was in for a pleasant surprise. Mercury was rising like anything that morning and M and I were in M's car driving towards the wedding venue. Right at the beginning of the road which was to take us to the bride's house was a large hoarding, well decorated, with the names of the bride and the groom. We took the road and there was a security guard who directed us towards the parking area. M parked the car and both of us walked down to the house. We could hear the nagaswarams and that gave us confidence that we were on the right track. When we saw the pandhal erected right across the bride's house, we went "Aah!"

It was a huge one with a capacity to seat at least a 1000 with a very lavishly and beautifully decorated Kathir mandapam (the holy platform on which the wedding takes place). The thalikettu (ritual of tying the chain around the bride's neck that solemnises a Hindu wedding) was over and the bride and groom were busy with the following rituals. 2 Air coolers were set up on either side of the mandapam to give some comfort to the bride and the groom who were tirelessly smiling to the video cameras! The floral arrangement on the mandapam was beautiful, to say the least.

Moulded plastic chairs were neatly arranged in rows for the guests and there were ample ceiling fans and pedestal fans to keep the crowd cool. White cloth was used to create the sides and they were tied long and wide to avoid sunshine creeping into the mandapam. Considering the muhurtham (which was around 11.15 AM) it was quite a relief!

On the left side of the pandhal was the dining area with tables and chairs neatly arranged. The caterer had brought in the food and only minimal cooking was being carried out on the premises. Temporary hand wash arrangements had also been made with huge sintex tanks full of water and row of taps attached to the tank. Despite the high temperature, people were looking calm and fresh and full credit to the way the pandhal was erected.

Apparently, a JCB was brought first to level the vacant land and then only the pandhal was erected. To avoid our footwear getting dirty due to the clayey soil, carpets were neatly laid down all over the pandhal. I would say I was so happy with the way the whole thing was arranged that I thought the Wheat payasam and the palada pradhaman were sweeter than what they actually were!

A very novel way of conducting a wedding where the bride and family would have the satisfaction that everything happened right across their residence...