Megha's POV:

Today we were going to pound turmeric, there were only 8 days to the marriage. We need lot of things to be done. But here in Telugu families we don't start any marriage related works until we pound the turmeric.

It's been two days since the marriage was fixed. I applied to leave for two weeks from the college. I can always extend if i want as I was an assistant lecturer.

We got everything ready for the occasion. After we got call from the groom's side that they were already pounded the turmeric it's our time to pound the turmeric.

(Pounding turmeric is a tradition of our culture which takes place before everything was started. We need to invite some married women preferably 5 or 9 in number. And each took their turn to pound the dried turmeric roots into powder with the help of mortar and pestle with hands to wish for the marriage to be happy and prosperous. After that we use this turmeric to apply on bride and groom for three to five days before marriage on morning and evening, that event was called preparing the bride.)

After finishing the pounding of turmeric event we immediately started to shopping as we don't have much time and we need to done so many things, not to mention how much time would the tailors took to stitch a blouse, but here we need dozens of materials to be stitched as we have so many events in our traditional marriage and not to mention we are three women in this house and there are pile of clothes to be stitched.

It was a hectic day with shopping but completed all this with utmost difficulty as we have much less time. As me and raga have selected what type of sarees and dresses we would purchase and our designs for the blouses and dresses already, when we were free on the two days before the turmeric pounding event the shopping was pretty much easier and finished within time.

We went to different stitching places giving them the portions of work as we can't get hope on one person to finish all this as we have no time. We made sure to tell them as we need all our works done in four days, as we know they would take a day or two extra. After that we need to see the size to be fitted and have to make changes if we need anything. We forwarded the designs and work which we choose and they assure to give them on time. Ofcourse with some extra charge as we were in urgency, saying they have already piles of works for them and they need to say excuses to their customers to finish our things first and it will take many days and nights of hardwork for them. We agreed to them as we have no option left and went to home to get ready for jewellery shopping, in the mean time my dad had gone to book the venue and catering, decorations and what not. My dad and mom were only children so they have no help from the relatives. My dad was working restlessly as he have no time and help. Lucky that my father-in-law came to help him as his son, the groom himself taking care of their side of wedding preparations and the bride's side has lot of work as my dad wanted to do the marriage himself though my in-laws wanted to share the burden and expenses.

I was surprised to know that Ram was doing all the work as i couldn't believe that he likes me, and i wondered as he has no option left for him as maybe his parents wanted this marriage and he is forced to take part in work.

A tent with green coconut branches and palm leaves was taken place outside of our house, which was called pelli pandiri, it was decorated with glittering papers ribbons balloons and artificial flowers as it is going to be there until the 16th day after the marriage. We don't want to have the withering flowers in that so it was decorated with artificial flowers instead.

Soon it's the day of preparing the bride, we started to prepare bride and groom at their own houses from five or three days before marriage. In our case it was three days as we don't have much time and once we made into a bride or groom sewe wouldn't allowed to step out of the house, as to ward off the evil eye and spirits from the bride and groom for their prosperous future.

The preparing bride event comprise of, having a rangoli in the middle of the pelli pandiri with rice flour and they pour some turmeric powder and kumkum(vermillion) on that for auspiciousness. On that they place two wood flat stools(Peetalu), one for me and one for co-bride who happens to be a girl who doesn't hit the puberty (in the sense of coming to age) and relating as a cousin, but not those cousins who related to be like brothers and sisters, but those who are more like sister-in-law type and brother-in-law type, but small children as a girl. For groom it doesn't matter as the boys doesn't have the thing called coming to age.

All the married women put coconut oil and sunnipindi(bath powder) mixed with the turmeric powder on the bride and co-bride's face hands legs and back of the shoulders and neck. This event will be done both morning and evening until the day of marriage. They say it brings the glow of marriage on both bride and groom before marriage. After applying oil and turmeric paste on us they put some turmeric rice on our heads as to bless us to have a happy future. They says the more blessings the more happiness.

After that me and my co-bride went to take a bath and settled to have breakfast and chill as we don't have any work to do. They wouldn't allow us to do anything until marriage.

My sister bought the dresses and blouses we gave for stitching and check them for once and for all, they were very nicely done. As we have no need to adjustments we took a breath of relief as we have one less thing to worry. From the day of lagna patrika we shouldn't eat non-veg as it brings ominous prediction in the future, we shouldn't eat it till the 16th day of marriage.

Soon the wedding day had came and i was a bunch of nerves.

They made me bride as usual they were doing from past three days and then the mangala snanam takes place.

(Mangala snanam is an event in which the bride was showered with water mixed with turmeric powder and flowers by the hands of married women)

After the preparing the bride event i went to take a bath and wore a white saree with the jewellery made with artificial flowers for mangala snanam.
They made me sit on a high stool and my sister placed a mesh like bowl on just my head leving some place of like 15cms to not touch my head. Soon my mom, grandmothers,  relatives, neighbours all the married women came and pour the turmeric water in the mesh bowl for it to fall like a rain on my head, after sometime the photographer made us pose like some of the women pouring the water with small steel pots decorated with flowers while i was putting my hands in order to stop them and some other poses, the wedding events were taking place very enthusiastically and i was happy all the time.

After mangala snanam i went to take a shower and ready for another event which is called 'kaalla gollu'

(Kaalla gollu' is an event in which i made to sit just like other times on a flat stool but with two girls on my either side standing with a pestle each, which would almost be the length of 6 feet in a bamboo pots. For this event someone came to trim my finger nails and toe nails. Then they would take the two long pestles which were held by the girls in their hands and they place the round shaped end of the pestles in a plate mixed with raw milk and little amount of curd and then they made it touch my head, shoulders, knees and feet with the paste. It was an event took place in our culture.

After this there was only one event was remained which was called pradhanam.

(In this pradhanama event, some of the married women from the groom's side would come to our house and they would bought the wedding saree along with some daily necessary items in a box. I would made to sit on a thread woven cot with a bedsheet spread on it, with the pallu(loose end) of my saree spread in my lap, they place all the items before me. They let me mix the betel leaves, bananas, betel nuts, dried dates with both of my hands and pour five full handfuls of the mixture into my lap. After that i return 3 small handfuls of the same mixture for them to take return to their house, the remaining mixture in my lap would be remains in our home. Then they would give me the wedding saree along with gold nuptial chain in my lap and they would go back to their place.

And finally all the events before marriage was done and i soon got ready into my final attire. The wedding saree was beautiful, i didn't know that Ram has such exquisite taste, they only sent me the blouse for the stitching as they don't know my measurements so i was seeing the saree for the first time and i really impressed with that. My mother-in-law wanted us to go with them for the wedding saree selection but i insisted that i wanted to be in the saree in which they select for me.

Soon i was done with the saree draping and wearing jewellery, they made my hair braided into telugu bride style and decorated with Jasmine and rose flowers. Overall i was looking beautiful.

They made me sit in the car to went to the venue. We need to get there first to welcome the groom's family. I was sat alone in the chair of the room which alloted for the bride as everyone went to see the groom after hearing their arrival. I was nervous was the understatement to say about my nerves. I was a mess thinking that today is my marriage.