Mehendi Ceremony

The reddish brown colour of Mehendi which stands for the prosperity ,and  a bride expected to bring to her new house So mehendi  most  considered most auspicious for all wedding –related ceremonies. There are many customs and traditions associated with an Indian wedding and Mehendi ceremony is considered among the most auspicious ornaments in married women.
When I got married this is about 35 years back Mehendi function was not in much of status symbol ,mehendi was applied as a part of wedding. And it was considered most auspicious I remember I went to the beau ion they are known as Mehendi Designer who spent  5-- 6 hours to work very simple design on my hands

and I remember she has charged me rs 100.

However over the years, it has gained popularity even is south.The mehendi function is organized by the bride’s family and is a primarily women’s function,where the bride’s friends and family get together to bless her .As a part of of the  tradition  the women and the family blessing at the ceremony and everyone gets mehendi design applied on  their hands and feet as it is considered a beauty accessory and part of the wedding.
Mehendi function is very old custom which was followed very traditionally in north India.Even the groom’s hand is decorated with mehendi patterns.There is  strictly sacred or spiritual about it,but applying mehendi    is considered  as blessed and beautiful that is perhaps why Indian women are so fond of it.

A deeply colored mehendi design is generally considered a good sign for the new couple to start a new life.It is a common belief among Hindu women that during the nuptial rituals the darker imprint left on the bride’s palms, the more her to be mother-in-law will love her.

A bride is not expected to perform any house hold work until her wedding Mehendi  has faded .So wear it  deep and dark  girls don’t forget  he..he kidding.

Name Game- A bride's wedding designs usually includes a hidden inscription of the groom's name on brides palm.  It's believed, if the groom fails to find   his name within the intricate patterns, the bride will be more dominant in conjugal life.

 Another superstition regarding Mehendi is that if an bride, she will soon find a suitable match.The mehendi  ceremony is usually held a day or two before the wedding as after the mehendi is applied, the bride cannot step out of her house until the day of the wedding. 

Tips On Your  Mehendi Ceremony
This function was earlier a small affair with just immediate family and close friends being invited. However, nowadays, depending on how grand the wedding is, it is common to have a large number of guests even for the mehendi event. As a result, the venue shifts from the bride’s home to a banquet hall, so that the larger numbers can be easily accommodated.
If you are organising a mehendi ceremony for a bride-to-be, making arrangements in advance can help in ensuring that the event goes off smoothly. 

Keeping a checklist will help in planning and organizing an party to ensure that everything goes smoothly. In India, an engagement is one of the most important pre-wedding rituals across all religions. However, the customs vary slightly from one region or state to another. Here is a basic guide to help you keep track of the various things that you will need to take care of for an engagement fun.
 While choosing a venue for organising the ceremony, besides choosing a place that is large enough for accommodating the pected number of guests, you should keep the bride’s comfort in mind. It is often considered fashionable to hold the event at a remote farm house. However, before you decide to do this, visit the venue and check on its accessibility and facilities.

Whether you are having the event at home or in a banquet hall, it is important to have a special menu keeping in mind the fact that most guests will not be able to eat much at the function once they have mehendi on their hands.

Speak to the caterer and work out a suitable menu. Make sure there are plenty of finger foods and snacks such as chaat or kebabs.  

Since it is part of the tradition for women of the family to sing at the ceremony, get together a team of singers well in advance. If you aren’t singing, assign a family member or co-ordinate with Event Planner so they will take the responsibility of coordinating with the other singers so that they schedule enough practice sessions   or the  hired dance troupe are well-prepared for the event. 

This function was earlier a small affair with just immediate family and close friends being invited. However, nowadays, depending on how grand the wedding is, it is common to have a large number of guests even for the mehendi event. As a result, the venue shifts from the bride’s home to a banquet hall, so that the larger numbers can be easily accommodated.
If you are organising a mehendi ceremony for a bride-to-b making arrangements in advance can help in ensuring that the event goes off smoothly. 

 Customs vary slightly from one region or state to another. Here is a basic guide to help you keep track of the various things that you will need to take care of for an engagement fun. 

Whether you are having the event at home or in a banquet hall, it is important to have a special menu keeping in mind the fact that most guests will not be able to eat much at the function once they have mehendi on their hands. 

Speak to the caterer and work out a suitable menu. Make sure there are plenty of finger foods and snacks such as chaat or kebabs.  

Since it is part of the tradition for women of the family to sing at the ceremony, get together a team of singers well in advance. If you aren’t singing, assign a family member or co-ordinate with Event Planner so they will take the responsibility of coordinating with the other singers so that they schedule enough practice sessions   or the  hired dance troupe are well-prepared for the event.

   Give importance to the bride:

The main reason behind the mehendi ceremony is that the mehendi ceremony is that the family members and relatives can bless the bride. However, she will have to sit for hours while the elaborate mehendi designs are being applied to her hands and feet, which can be tiring. Make sure that she is  comfortable throughout the function.

MAMA

 Give one or two friends to assist bride throughout the event.

The Cost between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 10,000 for Bridal Mehendi.

For Mehendi functions and other parties their charges are Rs. 100/- per person.
A special combination package for Bridal Make-up and Mehendi comes at Rs. 21,000/-
Exclusive designs by Rajasthani groups.

Make your Mehendi function exclusive with the help of-

"Dron Events"
contact no-+ 9738229546  +9769215990
usha_nayak7@yahoo.co.in

My New Cell

I have been proud of the fact that unlike many of my friends, I  had  never lost my cell phone until I got a call one evening.

I had gone to meet  my  client 15km from my town. On my way back,  I got a call  from a my vender asking me whether I  had lost  my mobile. I checked my handbag frantically, yes it was  missing, that too my  business cell.(usually I carry 2 cells )

I used my another personal cell to dial  my own number, and a boy who answered said I found your phone he said excitedly. He spoke with a strange accent - I have been trying to find you here, it was getting late so I decided to go home he gave me the address of a coffee shop.

 Next day I went to meet him I didn’t dare go alone so took my  husband  luckily he was in town at that time. I needn’t have bothered   much ,after driving 15km we got a petty coffee shop where we met a laborer called Shiva and his friends, migrate labors would hang out after work. Shiva did not own a cell phone himself,  so  i had to call my own number to locate him.

My fears were unfolded, Shiva was just a young boy who addressed me as  “akka” respectfully .How did you inform my vender  I asked Shiva he explained that  when he found my mobile on the road side where I have got down from my car I went to see outdoor location with one of my client)And  he had called me in my personal number to inform me.

I was totally delighted to get my phone back with all contacts messages and  pictures of my stage decorations  and my bridals  snaps, I could have lost it forever .I am so happy to get back my cell, which had a very sentimental value too  it was  a gift from my daughter:))

mama

u can like someone with all your heart for all the 
right reasons.

My Jack and Jill Party!! (Bridal Shower)

A Bridal shower is one of those parties that are fun and practical at the same time. The obvious reason for a shower is to give things to the future married couple that will help them establish a home together.

 But the underlying reason for a bridal shower is that it's a nice occasion for the close family and friends of the bride to spend relaxed time with her before the big wedding day.

 It's a time for sharing funny stories, for relatives to give advice to the bride, and for friends to show their support. The bride is the princess of the day, so be sure that in your planning you don't do anything that will make her feel uncomfortable.

A bridal shower is commonly hosted by the maid-of-honour and bridesmaids. Although it was once considered poor etiquette for family members of the bride to host the shower, it is now acceptable.

 Here are some other considerations as you plan a shower:

The event is usually held within two months of the wedding up two weeks before the big day.

Invite guests to the shower who have been very close. These days you will need to decide whether this will be a traditional” girl” only or a couple party,often refereed as a “ Jack and Jill shower"

Any time of day is acceptable,but most often showers are afternoon event.

Games that can serve as ice breakers for the party are a particularly good idea if a large number of the guests  who don’t know each other.

My  tips to the Bride

Encourage the bride to register for gifts. With so many couples living on their own before getting married, it's difficult for guests to guess which things they still need.Pl don’t forget to include reasonable number of inexpensive gifts on her registry for guest with limited budgets.

Decide whether the party will be held at a home or in a restaurant or other places.

These days many shower planners now choose activities instead of the traditional finger food/gift opening shower.
· .

 For example, many bridal parties take the bride out for a day at the spa instead of a shower. Or for an active Jack and Jill shower, the party could be a beach When you've selected a theme for your bridal shower, decorations will help to support your selection. Here are some decorating ideas for a kitchen-theme shower:

Make it Romantic

Romance is the underlying reason behind all showers, so why not celebrate it in your decorations?

·         Top your tables with pink linens.

·         Use white napkins that have been pushed through heart-shaped cookie cutters as a napkin ring.

·         Your centerpiece should reflect the ultimate symbol of romance - a clear vase filled with red roses.

·         Sprinkle the table with heart shaped confetti in assorted colors of pink, red and silver.

·         A small heart trinket box that has been wrapped with a red bow is a lovely favor for your guests to bring home a little of the romance for themselves.

·         Create place cards by folding over small paper lace doilies.

Remember the Bride's Interests

Consider the interests of the bride when you select your theme. Here are shower ideas for a bride who is passionate about the beach.

·         Cover the tables with blue, white and yellow striped cloths for a nautical feel.

Barbecue complete with music and dancing

         Unless you feel it's mandatory to surprise the bride, involve her in the planning.

Ask her if there's a particular theme she'd like for her shower. Some popular themes include lingerie showers, kitchen item showers, around-the-clock showers (where everyone is assigned a time of day for which to select a gift) and travel gift showers.

         Don't forget to give party favors to all guests. These can be traditional favors such as small boxes of candy. Or they can be something that relates to the theme of the shower, e.g. drawer sachets at a lingerie shower..

 

MAMA

My First Bridal Shower...party was amazing wish I had born 20 years younger...

P.S  It was an exclusive ladies party so pics are not permitted to display.

Happy birthday to a super special Two year old Dron

Happy birthday to a super special  My Two year old  Dron 28 May 2013

 It is a wonderful  blessing of being a Grandparents. who would have thought a grand child could do so much? I never would have guessed myself.  The special bond that forms between a grandparent and a grandchild brings so much life in our lives.
This relation is hard to express until it is experienced...A grandchild brings out the grand life style in grandparent's life.
My little boy have the ability to make my life worth living.  God sent you to me as blessings.You melt my heart with contiguous smile....

You help my eyes to see clearly when things are all a blur!
You help me to slow  my ageing process....

I believe  God uses grandchildren to speak to grand parents.Some of the best times I ever  had, have been with you.While holding your tender hands I feel I am holding the hands of God
I have truly have been blessed to have hold your hand in mine.As you grew I love to look  at the world fresh and new through your eyes you captured my heart and my life my liittle Donu...

YOUR AMA...LOVES YOU DONU

You have been a source of our Pride and Joy.

May the Lord's Blessings on Vishu.

If  your first step is wrong, the whole journey will be wrong, getting off to a good start is very essential.Indian astrology perhaps more than any other, gives very importance of beginning of the position of the stars and planets is taken into consideration to insure auspicious beginnings.

In Kerala the start of the Zodic New Year when the sun enters into Ashwini nakshatra is celebrated as Vishu.It is said that what one  who sees  the first Vishu in the morning is an indicated of what one can expect in the year to come.

Thus on Vishu effort is made to assure, one opens one's eyes before an auspecious image-The Vishukkani.
(I love this tradition)

While the festival is called Vishu across India festivals sharing the same spirit such as Ughadi in Karnataka and Andra Pradesh Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra,Bihu in Assam and Baisakhi in Punjab areceleberated around the same timee rice.of year.

Meaning Of Vishu

Lord Vishnu, the preserver of creation,is focused upon during Vishu.In Indian astrology,Vishnu is seen as the head of Kala Purusha the God of Time.

A rice mixture of turmeric is called as Akshata,which is devided into halves of husk and un-husked rice,is placed in a special bowl called 'Uruli'

The uruli traditional is made of pancha-loham. Panchaloham being symbolic of the universe,which is comprised of the five elements- Earth,water,fire , air and space.A nice well starched cloth is pleated like like a fan inserted into a sprouted puja vessel used for pouring sacred water. As special kind of mirror with an extremely long and thin handle decorated with gold is also inserted.and urli is placed on top of rice.

Gold-both in color and  coin is placed the central of the  Vishukanni .Kanikonna golden colored flowers, jewelry   gold, fruits and vegetables,such as banana, jack fruit etc.A spiritual Bhagavad-Geetha (symbol of knowledge) is made part of the arrangement.

Two Diyas which are from the two halves of a split coconut,are also kept in the uruli. The wicks are made from pieces of starched cloth. The lighting of the diyas welcomes God into our lives and it also symbolic knowledge and the remover of the darkness of ignorance.

Tradition of the Vishu 

 The women of the house who arranges the Vishukkani .On the auspicious hours she will light the oil lamp and take in the auspicious sight. She will then awakes  others (family members) and leads them to the pooja room, covering their eyes

Upon opening one's eyes ,one is overwhelmed with the darshan of the Lord the mirror which symbolic Devi -ma Vishukkani is not reserved only for those who come to the puja room,but is taken around for viewing of the elderly people.Vishukkani points to a year of abundance both spiritually and materially.Food,light,money and knowledge all should fill our life.

Vishu also means feasting that day!The items prepared for Vishu are of all tastes spicy,bitter,sweet and sour. Dishes are usually prepared from mangoes, pumpkin gourds and jack fruits.

Street Entertainment

There is abundant street entertainment during Vishu.Young people put up tradional dance performance after dressing up in a skirt made up dried banana leaves and wearing masks.

Legend of the Kanikonna Flower

The Kanikonna flower is an integral part of Vishu hasan interesting legend behind its origin.Once upon atime in a village a boy named Unni used to love the stories of Bala Krishna, he start visiting Krishna temple near his house.Lord Krishna moved by his devotion and offered  him his golden waist chain  it to Unni.

Next day when the temple was opened that the chain was missing.the news about the theft spread everywhere,Unni's mother was thought Unni has stolen it.She threw the chain which landed on the top of a tree,developed golden yellow flowers and Kanikonna flower was bloomed.

MAMA

Women n Self Improvement

Women loving  themselves is very important. Although self-love is very important for a woman's happiness.

 Self improvement calls for a positive change in oneself. You don’t have to be compared to anyone; it is just how you make yourself feel. If you have the ability to work towards bettering yourself, you can naturally see a change and will definitely stand out in a crowd.

The basic aims of self improvement should be positive thinking,good habits,happiness,confidence and leadership qualities and most importantly taking charge of your life.Think again,you can achieve all these things,by simply following some self improvement tips.

Self Improvement Ideas

         Meditation gives you that inner peace like nothing else can.      After some time, you will notice that all negativity will be removed and you become happier.

         Sleep gives you a sense of calm and freshness when you wake up. Wake up about 30 minutes earlier than normal and see how many more things you can do. Extra time gives you that extra edge to better yourself.

          Smiles make such a big difference, and when someone around you is happy, Accept compliments with a smile and thank people for them

         Principles must be set in a realistic way. It can be as simple as not wasting food.

         Rules are not meant to be broken. So if you keep your principles on, you’ve obviously becoming a better person.

         Have complaints about everything? Stop this. It is an extremely irritating habit.Find  a mentor or a role who can you had like to be.remove unwanted people and things from your life,you are better without them.Go to your room,remove all unwanted letters,posters and make more space for few things.

If someone has been bothering keep him/ her out from your life.Television is for the utterly bored!! It is junk for the mind and body.If you feel like you need entertainment desperately,then watch something educative for about 30 minutes or so but don't drown in the idiot box. A little bit of pampering is great for women,taking the extra time to fix their hair or make up can make a real difference in the way they feel about themselves,but it can help to make them feel more confident.

A nice massage from  time to time is great as well.This is can help women to relax and unwanted at the end of a stressful day.  

mama   

 
Behavior is a mirror in which everyone displays his own 
image. 

Trend of Engagement Ceremony

I never got the big deal about the Engagement  Rings  it is not that I don’t appreciate  sparkle and  bling...
Because trust me I do it is just that I never quiet understand how one object could be such a defining function of a marriage from the way some girls going  about  it, you  would think the ring is ever more important than the –hubby- to-beJ.

 Though most of the people believe that  this trend of- ‘Engagement ceremony’ came from the west  but if you look deep into the Indian traditions the engagement ceremonies exist in one form or the other in different communities of India from a long time.,One of the most important pre-wedding rituals amongst them is the Engagement  Ritual.

An engagement ring is a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married.  Engagement rings are traditionally worn only by women.

 It is known as ring ceremony, Aashirwad and  Mangni in different Indian communities.One of the most the engagement ceremony is the ceremony that restores - the fact from the family ancestors, which means they bestow good luck and blessings on the bride and bridegroom.


In some families the sagai ceremony is clubbed with the engagement itself. This is another pre- wedding ceremony, which strengthens the bond  between the both families. In sagai, the bride is given jewelry, clothes, make-up kit and baby toys  by the mother of the groom.A havan is also performed at times.

 On the other hand, the groom is put tilak and given gifts by the family of the bride. A havan is also performed at times. Here also a lot of gifts such as fruits, sweets, clothes are exchanged between the two.However,the essence of all these ceremonies is the same.Besides quiet often ,the date of te marriage is also decided and confirmed at these ceremonies.These ceremonies thus,conclude with the blessings of the elderly and the Almighty. 

Different Kinds of Engagement Ceremony

Christian Engagement

It is usually a small formal party. The church priest is invited to preside over and bless the couple. The date and venue for the marriage is formally announced to all present. The couple exchange rings and cut cake .Wedding preparations usually start after the engagement ceremony.

Gujarati Engagement

The Gujarati engagement is called as “sagai” or in some parts as the ‘gol dhana’ which literally means jaggery and coriander seeds referring to the practice of distributing a small amount of jaggery mixed with coriander seeds during the ceremony. The bride’s family presents the grooms family with a steel container filled with sweets and gifts and is called as the ‘matli’.

North Indian Ceremony

The engagement ceremony of north India is very different from the south. The engagement ceremony is performed soon after the marriage is finalized  The ritual of applying Tilak, followed by the exchange of rings by the bride and groom. Baskets of fruits, dry fruits, sweets etc. are exchanged between the two families. The bride is also gifted with a dress and jewelry by the groom’s family.

Muslim Engagement

The Muslim engagement ritual is usually with a ring exchange between the future bride and groom. The grooms’ family then presents the girl with a dress and jewellery.









 Different regions have different rituals.According to their community and family rituals.Generally the bride's family is organizing the place (their house) or some banquet hall.The family and relative of bride  and bride groom  gather for the forth coming wedding ceremony.Both then families exchange exchange sweets and good wishes.

A formal ring ceremony is then done to solemnize the engagement ceremony.A prospective bride and groom are introduced to each other's family. 

 A  lunch,dinner(depending up on the time of function)or high tea is organizing for that event.The engagement ceremony in South India is more like a commitment between both the families .The most important ritual is south Indian engagement function is the exchange of Traditional Plate

'Engagement plate' which consists of coconut, flowers, turmeric, beetle nuts  beetle leaves and sweets.

MAMA
 What gets to me even more about the engagement ring is that most people think there is only one way to go,the Solitaire.