Kolkata Wedding Videos + Priti’s Poem + Cheapest Travel + Podcast

Teaser: Happiness Between Tails – Happiness Between Tails

The Happiness Between Tails podcast speaks to and from the heart. Like its corresponding blog, HBT also connects book lovers and writers who'll enjoy the novels I’m drafting, which will soon become podcasts I will totally narrate. “Flamenco + the Sitting Cat" and “Tango + the Sitting Cat” are my love letters to all who fear they're too old, too damaged, too whatever to find love and happiness with or without a partner. HappinessBetweenTails.com • ContactdaAL@gmail.com Like what you hear? Buy me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/SupportHBT

Listen to posts at the Happiness Between Tails Podcast’s homepage at Spotify for Podcasters! Find links to subscribe, listen, and share episodes via most platforms; from Spotify and Apple Podcasts, to Google Podcasts and Pocket Casts, along with RadioPublic and Castbox and Stitcher and more, plus an RSS feed. The full list of 50+ places is at LinkTree.

Now that I’m back home from Giulia and Deep’s awesome-est of weddings, I’ve been working on getting an agent for my novel, Flamenco & the Sitting Cat. After doing a lot of research on self-publishing, I’ve decided that writing while at the same time publicizing literary fiction (marketing non-fiction seems like a walk in the park, by comparison) takes up more time than I have hours in the day. After all, if I don’t find a suitable agent, I can still try self-publishing. Wish me luck!

Lucky for me and you, Deep edited together the highlights into four videos!

Part 1 begins with the lighting of the co-op where his parents live. At around 27 minutes, guests colorfully express their heartfelt best wishes to the couple. Keep in mind that, as far as I know, none of the guests were professional entertainers, though I’d never have guests that doctors could sing so well…

Part 2 is more dancing nirvana! 2:43 minutes into it, note the proud dancing grandad. Mala patiently teaches some moves to the Italians at 6:18. Then she makes sure I’m on the floor too at 7:31 (I’ on the right). Just so you don’t think everything was Tollywood, Donna performs a Latin song at 10:00. Mallika, who kindly helped me with draping my saris, is the lovely woman who settles to the right of these amazing hoofers. There’s a glimpse of Giulia’s new mother-in-law, Bipasha, at 20:06, and father-in-law Malay at 23:05. Khashayar wiggles his hips Iranian-style at 24;30. Those striped shoes at 25:27 are mine. Our tango for the couple is at 28:05.

Okay, rather than further list frames, because even then I’m totally leaving out so much wonderfulness, I’ll just let you watch…

Part 3 is the Haldi ceremony, wherein turmeric root adds to the theme of wishing the couple beauty and health. Here in the states, few know that turmeric is mainly used to color mustard sandwich spread. Hence the turmeric-colored outfits. At 7:17, the couple is still on the rooftop, while I’ve joined some of the women for additional well-wishing ceremonies outdoors. Note construction of New Town’s freeway in 12:17. Later on, we head back upstairs…

Part 4 is when the real wedding happens — everything before was getting ready for this! As you’ve already seen, Indian weddings are all about ‘go big or go home,’ so no surprise, how the couple are brought to the priest is spectacular. Note the sindoor (vermillion) that Deep places at Giulia’s hairline around 29:00 and ensuing ululating. A guest shared that when she had that at her wedding, she cried. It’s akin to our exchanging of wedding rings. Oh, look, there I am in my other sari that Bipasha bought for me, a lovely sky blue one, at 35:18. As for the eating, many believe food eaten with the fingers of one’s clean right hand is tastier, plus that it also helps feed the mind.

More posts and podcasts about my visit to Kolkata here and here and here and here and here and here…

Today’s guest, Pritilata Nandi, a math teacher, as well as a blogger, homemaker, and mom from Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is also a poet! Her message to us is, “Endless dreams and boundless imaginations! We only live once. Hence, let’s not stop dreaming.” Here she shares this poem with us…

For anyone who wants to travel, but can’t afford airfare, there’s always walking! Check out this link that Deep just sent me for “World’s Longest Walk? The 14000 Mile Journey from Cape Town to Magadan.”

What’s your fave mode of travel?