Cochin Trip (Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi)

Kiran my colleague and a good friend in Satyam was tying the knot. It was at Cochin, a small beautiful city in Kerala sitting peacefully with its twin sister city Ernakulam.
So once I had figured out this, I could solve the mystery behind not finding Cochin station on the route the train taking me to Cochin from Bangalore. Me and my friend Sasidhar (better known as Sasi) booked tickets for Ernakulum. It was a tatkal waiting, and we were not sure till 2 hours b4 the departure if we are going or not. Finally as destiny would have it – we got them confirmed in Emergency Quota were set to leave.
The train was at 5:15 pm and I and Sasi reached station at 4:45pm. Just as we entered the station the rain started pouring in. We smirked at our luck and the fact that we could dodge the rains. But wait a minute – this joy was premature. Our coach was the extra one, and it was at the end of the train, even behind the coach where the guard stands and waves a green/red flag. This meant we need to traverse the entire platform b4 we reach our coach. The part of the platform which was not shaded helped rain catch us. It was a touch and go but ensured that we reach our coach a little less then drenched.
Luckily the coach was a very clean one actually a brand new one, it was still emanating the smell of the paint. But the luck ended there- it was not connected internally to other coaches, which made sure that we didn’t get any vendor for tea/coffee/milk/ water and even food. The train stopped directly at Salem at 10.00 pm where me and Sasi, after some serious and immense attempts to communicate with the vendor who could (or at least pretending to) speak only tamil, bought some food. That was pretty much the action for that day, and the next day morning we reach the hotel room at 5.30 and scared our friend Panneerselvam (better known as Panneer).
The room was at 12th floor and we just loved Cochin from there, it was like houses constructed between Coconut trees :) something u can’t find in Bangalore. At 8.10 am we met Mr Kiran Nair, the groom (hence forth also referred to as Bichara). We three performed our duty (pulling his legs) religiously and the fact that he looked a little tense added to our fun ;).
11.00 am at the wedding hall we found our Mr Bichara sitting alone in the center of the stage waiting for his bride Indu. It was a must-see scene as the hall was completely full with people staring at Bichara. All married men’s eyes in the hall reflected sympathy for Bichara who was on the verge of losing freedom, bachelorhood, all the beer flowing parties, carefree outings … (the list is long :D ). All the married women had a smile in their eyes, (y not – one more guy had succumbed to the institution of marriage ;)).
Their entered the bride with quite some people to escort her, and loads of gold loaded on her. May be now I know why the prices of gold are going sky high – more Mallus are getting married of late ;).
Jokes apart, she was looking beautiful and Kiran was sitting there with love in his eyes waiting for his life partner to join him. The marriage went on for some 20 minutes and all the rituals were preformed well.
Then started the best part of a marriage – the newly wed couple standing on the stage and exercising their facial muscles for the camera with all friends/relatives there to wish them (I guess this makes u feel like a celebrity for a day). Me, Sasi and Panneer sitting in the audience and watching the proceedings, and all the time discussing should we go and stand in the queue or listen to our stomachs and go for the lunch. And while we were in the process of evaluating the options the queue got over and the bride left the stage. We then went to congratulate Mr Bichara who was busy doing a photo shoot for his photographer. This Mr photographer was hell bent on taking some natural pics ;) (thankfully!! he only expected people not to look at the camera and nothing more natural).
We proceeded for lunch and left the venue.With band (which the communists love and thrive on I guess) declared for the next day we wanted to make the best of the day. We decided to do some site seeing in Cochin that day and leave for Coimbatore in the night. Most of the bus services by the state transport were withheld that day itself after 3.00 pm, Reason: there was a bandh the next day ..ha ha (this is why communists hate capitalism - I Hope Mr & Mrs Karat are not reading this). Luckily there were some private travels who had a service to Coimbatore in the night.
We decided to take the night bus to Coimbatore and went to a place called FortCochin in the afternoon. It was a beach and we, in all anticipation of taking a dip, packed extra clothes but the dirty water of the beach didn’t let us utilize them.
There we saw a palace which had beautiful drawings of Hindu Gods and Goddesses all over the walls, but for some mysterious reasons called a Dutch Palace. Also I believe those after Mr MF Hussain for his paintings of Hindu Goddesses should visit this place, they will find abundant material there to protest against. Apart from that we saw some huge fishing nets called the Chinese Fishing nets. That’s all time permitted us to see their and we returned to Cochin city and caught the Bus to Coimbatore.