Going, Going, Gone

Friday, January 20
Mata ki chokhi is a ritual observed by Punjabis before auspicious occasions. 8216;8216;Among Sikhs we have the akhand path,8217;8217; explained Neetu. 8216;8216;But in my in-laws8217; home it is the mata puja. It is believed that all will be well now that the goddess has blessed us with her presence.8217;8217;

The immediate family8212;Rishi, Neetu, Riddhima and Ranbir8212;sat close to the pandit, with the deity decorated with red fabric and flowers. The guests were spread across the lawn, while the seniors of the family were a little away, seated on chairs.

Bhajans over, the guests were treated to vegetarian food. Riddhima was in a jovial mood. 8216;8216;There is a nip in the air, and the weather is beautiful,8217;8217; she said. 8216;8216;Life seems near perfect, except I wonder what Bharat is doing just now. I have not seen him for four days. I8217;m missing him.8217;8217;

Sunday, January 22
At Krishna Raj. It was Neetu and Rishi Kapoor8217;s wedding anniversary. 8216;8216;I cannot believe that 26 years have gone by,8217;8217; said an emotional Rishi. Neetu and he had made it clear to their friends that they weren8217;t celebrating their anniversary. But as the evening progressed, friends dropped by and forced an impromptu party on the couple. The dholak guys sang shaadi songs and everyone joined in.

Around midnight, there were surprise visitors: Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan and Salim Khan. Salim Khan, who has an old association with the RK family, started humming Ramaiya Vasta Vaiya. Soon the others joined in. As the hours went by, he sang more RK numbers and by the end of the session everyone was in tears. It was a nostalgic night and when it was time to leave, a visibly choked Krishna Kapoor said, 8216;8216;You brought back the spirit of Raj Kapoor. I will remember this night forever.8217;8217;

Monday, January 23
The JW Marriott. It was the sangeet night and by 11 pm, the stage was set for the biggest show in entertainment. The dancers took their positions, while a galaxy of stars including Rekha, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sridevi with her two daughters and Maheep with her young one, cheered from the audience.

Show over, Karan Johar handed imaginary trophies to all the participants. Rishi8217;s sister Rima was adjudged best performer. It was almost midnight when Shah Rukh Khan strolled in. He led Sridevi to the dance floor and was joined by Farhan Akhtar, who won a 8216;trophy8217; for being the best dancer of the evening.

The music was loud and nobody could hear anyone but that didn8217;t prevent the bride and groom-to-be from snatching a moment for themselves. Standing in the passage amidst the crowd of guests, Riddhima told Bharat, 8216;8216;This is such an exciting ambience.8217;8217;

In the hotel lobby, journalists and photographers waited patiently for a sound bite. Rishi8217;s manager KS Sanjay advised the actor to make an appearance. Rishi obliged and led his wife, children and future son-in-law over for a family portrait. Photos over, Rishi folded his hands and pleaded for privacy. 8216;8216;It8217;s a happy moment in my life, please respect my space.8217;8217;

They did. All the photographers and journalists withdrew gracefully.

Tuesday, January 24
The mehendi ceremony at the RK Lawns in Deonar. Although the card specified a noon to 5 pm party, guests trickled in after 2 pm since the previous night wound up only around 4 am. There were canopies and garlands and a display of the choicest cuisine. One side of the garden was reserved for women applying mehendi. On the other side, there was a small dance floor. As the hours ticked by, the meals changed from lunch to tea to evening snacks, but the music never stopped. From a distance, I watched Lata Mangeshkar tap her feet to old numbers. Seated further away, Jaya Bachchan watched her grandchildren swing to Dus Bahane while two women painted her palms.

Inside the bungalow, away from the crowd, Riddhima, dressed in an orange ghagra-choli, was being fussed over by the mehendi women. Sitting beside her, feeding her, was Bharat. Riddhima admitted to grandmother Rajee Singh that the mehendi process would have been quite tedious if it weren8217;t for Bharat8217;s pampering. 8216;8216;Him feeding me is the only good thing about the tradition.8217;8217;

Wednesday, January 25
All roads led to the ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton. The baraat was due at 7.30 pm and Shantiji, Rishi Kapoor8217;s long-time secretary, supervised the preparations. The naach-gaana took a while, and the ceremony started late. Two hours later, the newly-weds were on stage with their parents. When it was time to come down, Rishi and Neetu, who were extremely brave till then, suddenly broke down. And later when it was time for the bidaai, Rishi looked forlorn but disguised his tears with anger. As the car pulled away, he hid his face to wipe away the tears while Neetu sobbed in her son8217;s arms.

The next morning, Riddhima Sahni came over for lunch with her in-laws and the following day, all of them left for Delhi for the wedding reception. Before leaving, Bharat admitted that though a wedding is usually enjoyed by everyone except the bride and groom, this was an exception. 8216;8216;And we are now looking forward to our honeymoon,8217;8217; he said.

Rishi and Neetu are also looking forward to getting away on location with Kunal Kohli8217;s Fanaah in Poland. 8216;8216;I8217;m travelling with my husband only so that I can sleep undisturbed and get over my exhaustion.8217;8217;

I think what Neetu means is that she needs to get over the depression of losing her prized possession.