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We had a ton of great experiences in India. However, one cannot visit India without noticing the millions of impoverished people who live in shacks, or simply make-shift shelters on the sides of the road. One of these local residents is seen here sneaking a peak at the wedding activities on the other side of the wall. I felt happy that at least they could get some free entertainment.  

Mehndi

The first night we arrived in Baroda we attended the end of the first part of the wedding event which applies henna to the bride and women attending the wedding. The bride's henna is extremely ornate, although I thought mine (pictured below) was pretty cool too. There were two young women applying henna (ground leaves from the henna plant) from about 2pm to 9pm! They applied it almost as though someone would decorate a cake. You leave the green henna on for a few hours after dabbing it with lemon, and then the brown stains are left on the skin. They last about 2 weeks. I heard that the tradition is such that the bride is not supposed to do any work until the henna fades. :-) 

Bridal Cleansing

Now was Rhiddi's turn to be "cleansed". At this point it became very evident that the wedding event(s) is not so much for the enjoyment of the wedding couple as for their guests! Some of the applicants here were quite enthusiastic, but Rhiddi took it all quite well.  

The Hathi Apartment

Here Kamal and John are on the ground floor of the apartment building where Kamal grew up. The guy leaning against the car is the security guard/car cleaner. Believe it or not, on several occasions the 7 of us managed to squeeze into Kamal's father's white car (on the left). 

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other...

 

Hot Rod Mama

Motorcycles in India were a very popular mode of transportation, even for women in beautiful gowns. 

Shehnai

This is actually a quadruple reed instrument, with two top reeds and two bottom reeds. Along with drums, this instrument lead most of the wedding processions at various days' events. It was REALLY loud and had kind of an annoying, squauky sound. One time I jumped when it began playing because I didn't realize it was near me! As a performer on this instrument I would definitely recommend ear plugs. 

Cleansing

As part of the ritual this tumeric paste is rubbed all over the honored victim. :-) The paste is supposedly meant to cleanse them/purify them for their next step in life. 

Coming of Age

While we were in Baroda for Rhiddi's wedding (pictured with the decorative bun), her cousin also celebrated his coming of age ceremony as long as everyone was there to party. Herschel, who took a special liking to John, is being annointed by Chandana. 

Book Lovers

This was taken in Kamal's parents' apartment in Baroda. I don't remember what they were reading, but probably sometime about Thomas the Train. Swing chairs inside the home were extremely common. 

Watch Out Below

The shopping experience in India was quite unique. This is a picture taken in a shoe store in Baroda named Metro. Instead of going to a back room to get your shoes, the clerk would shout the shoe and size up through this hole in the ceiling. The people upstairs would toss down the appropriate shoe boxes. 

Out to Pasture in Baroda

This picture was taken in Baroda. Seeing cattle and other farm animals roaming around free was not atypical. It seems that to save costs on pasture rental, farmers will let their livestock graze on garbage and city refuse instead of renting pasture land. 

Indian Kitchen

This is a relative's kitchen in Baroda (Vadodara). Throughout India, we saw most dishes made of stainless steel. Given how tasty the home-cooked Indian food is, I found it interesting that many of the homes' kitchens would be considered primitive according to U.S. standards.