First view of the bride

I have a quick drink to cure me of my lumps. It works. In about 20 minutes we'll have our first non-Facebook view of the bride at a gathering for - how one elder put it - the "younger generation." Do people still say that?

Pooja, the bride to be, is all grace and looks charming in a rose pink salwar/kameez. We're at Sayaji Hotel that's packed to the rafters on a Monday evening. There's light Hindi pop and ghazal being belted out live from a few rows behind us. I will not comment here on how the music has engrossed me.

We're six stomachs visiting from Bombay, but sometimes we have the occasion to bask in our Mumbai halos. Despite our august company. No one's saying that they like it.

The evening passes eventfully for me - I'm able to say "goodnight" to the royals. There's some talk of raiding Sarafa for jalebas and gulab jamuns, but the wives quickly quash the plan. They're already living this wedding by the events of their choosing.