On Sunday, 28 years ago, I wed a man who would become my best friend and soul-mate, in life, love, music and the good, bad, beautiful and ugly, how one looks at it – a matter of perspective. We have weathered many storms, had ups and downs but have come out stronger and all the better for it. And we have two angels-at-times Anusha and Vindhya. I refer to them as AV audio visual, one being highly audio, the other quite visual in your face type.
Met him when I was 12. With a large group of close knit friends. Geeky, gawky, witty, fun, charming, wrote letters for years. Our group met whenever he came down. Found a letter from me to him, in his wallet a few months into our marriage.
And a decade and a few years later, double wedding with my sister and my best friend. Love blossomed over orchestra rehearsals. We’ll leave that story for another day.
Ours was a double wedding with over 2000 guests. Planning was doubly special, doubly tense, doubly wonderful.Thaya and I argued at one point on the grooms’ attire and went so far as to vow not to get married together. I remember us warning each other not to appear at the same resort the next morning. But after that, we actually celebrated anniversaries together. One particular anniversary, Nagen, Thaya’s husband and I were in town, while Thaya and Suresh were in 2 different continents, well, in actual fact, we were all in 3 different continents.
So the both of us went out for dinner, and video chatted with our spouses.
A month ago, He’d asked what I’d wanted for my birthday. I answered “treadmill”, so off he went to get that specific brand I’d mentioned. He couldn’t get it so wanted to get me gym membership, which I flatly declined as I preferred a brisk walk in the fresh air.
Told him I’d love a new veena and would like my other veenas repaired, especially
my favourite veena, which my father had gifted to me in the early 70s. Melam had been done up many times, then when the kudam was lacquered during one such maintenance session, the veena sounded as if it had a cold.
Over that week, after work, my husband dismantled, sandpapered, polished, dismantled and reassembled the melam, painted, fixed fresh strings, tuned the veena,
And then asked me to test the sound.
I was elated, and played Lalgudi Sir’s Thillana in Desh, and the Veena sounded absolutely divine.
That’s how he underplays what he does for us, no hue and cry, just goes about his work in a matter of fact way. A side of him, am truly grateful for.
Our anniversary weekend was like any other weekend, the Saturday was spent cleaning, setting up the house for a Chamber Music Concert for our young teen students. Heartening to hear vocalist sing beautifully,accompanied by talented violinist and mridhangists. A Sunday of classes, then a Thai dinner with the girls, great company, food, conversation.
Am in a kizhi pacchai/parrot green kanjivaram silk with dark magenta one sided border and pallu, for the In house concert. Body has gold buttis, pallu has mango and lattice designs in gold. This beautiful drape was gifted to me by a dear friend Mangai akka, when I had been the accompanist vainika for her daughters’ Bharatanatyam arangetram, I believe two decades ago.
An additional photo is of me and sakhi Mahe Nayagam whose sons were the young mridhangists at our Saturday’s chamber music concert. As luck would have it, well actually no – there are no such things as coincidences – we wore the same parrot green deep magenta combo!
(Comment has a photo of my beautiful veena, all done up).
Bavani’s Happy Place 