aumshantih

So today's the big day. We're having a reception my sister and her new(ish) husband at the Astor Hotel in Kolkata. (http://www.astorkolkata.com)
The food there is insanely delicious, and it's got a great atmosphere. Around 60 people are coming, almost entirely family. There was quite a bit of rangling on who to invite and stuff, and when I tried to offer my relatively sane opinions I was violently rebuffed, so since then I’ve stayed the f*** out of the matter.

We’re all dressing up for the affair – my sister and husband are wearing super nice saris and sherwani’s respectively. I went looking for a sherwani, but oh my goddess, the styles that are “in” at the moment make my head spin. Think sequins and glitter, and nothing else. (It’d be useful for certain sparkly cupcake princes, but that’s not normally my style.) I wanted one in black, and that’s really not in, as sherwanis are usually wedding attire, and traditionally white and off whites are preferred. I found one that I personally thought was awesome – deep black, with a full front leaf brocade, but it was super pricey ($300 or so) and according to my mother, not “gorgeous” enough for me. Her tastes are more traditional. I finally found something for about a tenth of price at the mall that met with both her and my approval, and thus a catastrophe was avoided.

The last few days have passed in a blur of travelling and shopping. I finally got to see the Victoria Memorial. I mean, I've seen the building a bunch of times from a distance, but I've never been in there. It was built during the Raj to commemorate the Queen. I'm unsure if she actually ever came there, but wow, its quite a place. The grounds were rather large and beautiful, and the memorial itself had been converted into a museum depicting the history of the Raj. They had tons of statues of famous dead white guys, some with really impressive sideburns. I could have spent longer there, but my sister and husband had just finished touring historical sites in north India and were not hugely impressed by it. Also as it turns out the Victoria Memorial is a prime make-out spot in Kolkata, or in the local tongue, "prem". It was kind of cute seeing couples walking around or sitting in the shade. Scandalous by local standards, but positively prudish by mine.

Afterwards we did some shopping at Cottage Industries, a government run handicrafts store that I love. I spent some money, but I could have easily spent so much more. I think my favorite piece was a life sized Panchamukha Ganesha (Five headed) carved out of stone. It was a deal at 2.5 lacs rupees (250,000, about $5000). Of course shipping costs would have been exorbitant, and I'm not sure where I'd put one in my apartment.

My brother-in-law, who’s a business guy, wanted to get some suits here. We originally thought he wouldn’t have time to get one tailored, so we settled on getting some good ready made ones. As it turns out, the ready made one’s weren’t that great, and the suit shop was more than willing to construct him a suit in 3 days time, for a lot less what he’d be paying for a ready made garment, and made of the exact material he wanted. It was a cool experience watching them work and measure and what not. What is less cool is how many time we had to stop by the shop to check on the progress and pick up the final product. I just hope it all gets done before we get on our plane.

We stopped at a bar in downtown Calcutta called “Somewhere Else”. It was weird, in that it looked like “Cheers” type bar you could find in, um, anywhere in America or the UK. A normal beer here is served in huge bottles (like small wine bottles) and you’re expected to finish one by yourself. I’m not much of a drinker of these days, but luckily my brother in law and cousin are.more accomplished than myself.

My last big purchasing spree was at “Khadi Niketan”, a store that specializes in locally made textile and handloom products. Many panjabis and sheets and shawls were acquired – a veritable suitcase full.

I’m off now to go get my hair cut and a facial before the big night. After the party, I hope to go out and see some of the night life with my youngish cousins. Tomorrow we’re doing the polar opposite – we’re going to Dakhineshwar and Belur Math, two temples that are quite important to me. It’s all about combining the sacred and the profane for me, I suppose.