𝗠𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝗳 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂

16. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑎𝑙𝑑𝑖 𝐻𝑢𝑒𝑠

Saransh's POV

Finally the day has arrived. Today she'll be mine. Mine for eternities. Today I'll make her mine. Only mine. And today I'll become hers. We would complete each other today.

Our haldi ceremony will commece this morning and it will happen in both of our respective houses. This is because we both can't see each other after the ceremony.

I stood in front of the mirror, clad in a traditional ivory kurta intricately embroidered with gold thread. My reflection revealed a mixture of nervousness and excitement dancing in his eyes. Today was not just about the haldi ceremony; it was about embracing the journey that lay ahead with Divisha ji, my beloved bride.

Maa called me downstairs to start the function as the haldi applied on my body would be sent for Divisha ji to apply as it is a shagun.
I went downstairs to see that the entire mansion is decorated with flowers. Badi maa made me sit on a little stool and started to apply haldi on my body.

Author's POV

Haldi rasam, tel-baan or manjha is a pre-wedding ceremony performed a day or two before the wedding. Family members and friends playfully slather the bride and groom in a paste of turmeric, oil, and milk. In some customs, sandalwood, rose water, and gram flour are also mixed in the paste. The atmosphere is fun, lively, and filled with camaraderie.
It is believed that haldi rasam is done in order to prevent evil spirits from harming the to-be-wed couple. As a result, the bride and groom are typically not allowed to leave their home after the haldi ceremony until their wedding mahurat.
In Indian customs, turmeric's bright yellow colour is highly auspicious. The couple, who are beginning their new life together, is blessed with prosperity thanks to the good fortune of this element and its colour. For this reason, the groom and bride wear yellow attire for their wedding haldi ceremony.
When cosmetic beauty treatments and salons were not common in the past, Indians relied on their own natural beauty secrets to make sure a couple looks stunning on their wedding day. Haldi is well renowned for its ability to make skin fair and radiant.
In addition to its ability to beautify, purify, and detoxify, haldi is also thought to lessen some of the anxiety that the bride and groom experience. Turmeric contains an antioxidant called curcumin, which has been shown to have mild antidepressant and headache-relieving properties.
It is well known that turmeric is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. Before the wedding, they apply turmeric paste to the bride and groom so that they can achieve blemish-free and radiant skin on their wedding day.

The oils and milk in the paste help moisturize and brighten the skin. When the paste is rinsed off, turmeric gently exfoliates the skin, cleansing it of any dirt, grime, sweat and dead skin cells. The traditional haldi ceremony is also an icebreaker between both the bride and groom's family which is celebrated with laughter, love, pomp, and colour.

Saransh's mother, Amrita, took special care in applying the turmeric paste to her son's face, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She couldn't help but marvel at the man her son had become and the beautiful woman he had chosen to spend his life with. As she lovingly caressed his cheeks, she whispered words of blessings and guidance, her voice filled with maternal affection.

As the haldi ceremony progressed, the atmosphere grew livelier. Saransh's cousins, notorious for their playful antics, couldn't resist the opportunity to tease the groom-to-be. With mischievous grins, they smeared turmeric paste on his face, laughing uproariously as he tried in vain to escape their clutches. Saransh laughed along, enjoying the camaraderie and love that surrounded him.

"Chalo chalo mere bacche ko aur tang na karo." His Dadi said laughing a bit.
"Karne dijiye na dadi. Kahan humein roz roz bhai ko aise pareshan karne ka mauka milta hai." Sroth said putting a bucket of water on Saransh's head.