Mangal Sutra Mishap

My Mangal Sutra

I wrote before about the ways (at least in North India) that one can spot a married woman. One such way is the Mangal Sutra, a necklace that the groom puts on the bride during the marriage ceremony, equivalent to a wedding ring. Its made up of a gold locket at the bottom and strings of small black and gold beads connecting both sides; the black beads are meant to keep away evil spirits and the connecting of the gold pendant represents the union of husband and wife. Traditionaly, the wife wears her Mangal Sutra until death without removing it, but in today's world there are exceptions for removing it (necklaces break, girls want to wear other fashionable necklaces for different occassions, etc.), though one should avoid removing it to her best ability. Since our wedding day I have only removed mine once because I needed a new clasp on the back, the old one was irritating my skin and giving me a little rash. Yesterday I discovered that a string was hanging from my necklace and saw that part of it had broken and all of the black beads had fallen off. We decided to take it to a shop the next day to have it fixed...but what would I do until then? I was thinking it was no big deal, for less than 24 hours I could give my neck a little freedom, some fresh air, and return the necklace the next day.Wrong. A new bride should be without this Mangal Sutra. The cure? I would wear my Mother-In-Law's Mangal Sutra until mine could be fixed.

Mother-In-Law's Mangal Sutra

**May 27th Update: My necklace repairs are finished, now with a few style changes. Take a look:

Cycle Chalana!

Riding Bicyles! One cool thing about the city we live in is that the British once lived here and left a few neat monuments behind. One such 'monument' is a man-made canal that runs through the middle of the city. The canal runs more than 400kms (250miles) outside of the city and provides cool air during the summer season. The canal was first used for irrigation and water transportaion while the British were here, but now its used purely for recreation and enjoyment, swimming and other water sports.

Today Abhinav and I took advantage of his day off and decided to go bicycle riding along the canal. Here are a few pics.

Road along the canal where we rode bikes.

Bridge built by the British on the canal. 

Riding Bikes :)

Receiving Packages

While in India, its always a really awesome surprise to receive a package from home, full of goodies that can only be found in the U.S. Since I've been here I've had a few packages sent my way from family members but not all of them have had a very high success rate...take a look at this one I received from my mom around my birthday time...

 When my mom sent it there was no rope around it holding it together...looks to me like my package was opened and then re-"sealed." :)

Sadly, there has also been a package sent to me by my grandmother that still hasn't found its way to our doorstep...almost 3 months missing now. And although I really hate having packages picked through, I guess I'm glad that some type of thorough inspection is going on with the postal service.

P.S. Pop, if you are reading this please don't be worried. I'm sure the package you just sent me will get here safely, securely and in-tact. :)

Chandi Devi-Haridwar

This weekend the whole family took a trip to Haridwar. Haridwar is a nearby city, about a 1 hour drive, known for its massive amounts of temples and the Hindu holy river Ganga ji running through the city. Every year millions of people from all over India, and even foreigners, flock to Haridwar for different festivals and religious ceremonies. Haridwar is also the same city where Abhinav and I were married.

This weekend we went to visit a famous temple in Haridwar called Chandi Devi, devoted to the Hindu goddess named Chandi Devi. The unique thing about this temple is the way you have to get there. The temple is located on the top of a hill, requiring a 3 kilometer (1.8 miles) walk uphill. It took us around 40 minutes to reach the top, and by the end we were all breathing heavily and sweating.

Entrance at the bottom of the hill. 

Walking up the hill...anyone tired yet? 

Outside the temple vendors sell flowers and foods that are offered to the gods. 

Entrance to Chandi Devi temple. 

 Abhinav's father at the entrance of the temple, ringing a bell and holding some flowers.

Monkeys hang around, waiting for unsuspecting victims to steal food from. 

View from the trail on a hazy day. 

Pathway from Chandi Devi to a nearby temple on the other hilltop.

Inside the temple we did see a monkey steal a man's bag from his hand while the man was looking away. By the time he turned to see what was tugging at his hand, the monkey was already running away. Within seconds his wife came running saying the her wallet was in the bag too...these moneys really are well-trained.

Walking down from the temple was easier than going up, but by the time we reached home again we were all exhausted. 

Indian Easter

Yesterday was the first Easter I've spent away from home and the usual traditions of Easter. We didn't have a big Easter Egg dying event(though I did get an Easter Egg surprise), no Egg Hunts or Easter brunches with the family. Actually, it seemed like just another normal day going outside into the marketplace, with most people unaware of such a big holiday that I am used to back home. Abhinav and I went to Easter church service and had special "brunch" food outside. He even gave me one surprise that might not seem like much, but it actually meant a lot to me...

After hearing about our tradition of dying Easter Eggs, Abhinav set off to try it himself and surprise me. Since we don't have any Easter Egg dyes or other interesting things to make colors, he boiled this egg in black tea and dyed it brown...pretty creative, and I was happy to still have a little bit of home tradition here in India. :)


Happy Easter everyone.

Mac N Cheese

The other day while I was still feeling under-the-weather with my stomach issues hanging around, I was having unusual cravings for American food like never before. I decided to whip up a box of plain Kraft Macaroni and Cheese that I had brought with me from home to satisfy my craving and introduce a new food to Abhinav and his family.

I made it as is directed on the box, and happily ate until my stomach was full and satisfied. BUT when I tried to have Abhinav and his sister try it, the first question they asked was, "There's not even any salt or chilis in it? No spices at all??" :) They tried it, but wouldn't fully eat and enjoy it until I cooked some onions with salt and red chili to add to the macaroni. Its funny how different taste in food is across cultures.

Did You Say Stomach Infection?

Yes, stomach infection. Since Tuesday evening (which happened to be my birthday) I have had some slight stomach issues. Starting with loose motion (diarhea) and vomiting into the late night, the ending of my birthday is not one I'd like to relive. Needless to say I spent the whole next day resting with no appetite to eat or drink anything (though Abhinav and his family made it a point to make sure I was eating and drinking). On the third day I was still feeling weak with no appetite and lots of nausea, so we decided to go to the doctor. Apparently I have some type of stomach infection and stomach swelling; possibly due to bad water or food though I can't remember eating or drinking anything dirty or from the roadside recently (or could it have been the sugarcane juice???). Either way, the doc gave me four different pills to take three times a day now and I'm beginning to feel much better.

And I know, its a little ironic that my last post was about how much I like sugarcane juice from the roadside, and now I'm posting about my stomach problems...

Kabhi Kabhi Hota Hai...Sometimes It Happens...