First solo long drive in India

After so many years of driving in India, this is the first time I did a solo long journey. Last Saturday I drove from Bangalore to Coimbatore on my own, non-stop for a total of 6 hours averaging at 70kmph.

I was a little apprehensive about it when I had planned it , because I haven’t done something like that before and I wasn’t sure how to handle any problems in my car, if that happens. But then I did not find an alternative option to leave my​ car with my sister, now that I ain’t using it anymore. 

I started at around 8.45 am after a couple of eggs as breakfast. I decided to stop somewhere if I felt hungry. But then I just kept driving on and on and when I felt hunger I was close to my home town. So decided to just get there and have my lunch. 

I have always enjoyed driving. But driving on my own with just me and my thoughts and my songs, and sometimes the lack of it,  it’s like a meditative process. I loved it. I had a good old playlist which has always helped me with my driving and I used it this time too. I thought that after a non stop drive like that I would be sore. Thankfully a couple of stretches helped me with my stiffness. Now that I have done that I am a little bit more confident about my  driving. And my good old car supported me like a champ that it is. 

Vows

Me and my husband got married recently through a civil ceremony. Or in other words, we got our marriage registered in front of a marriage registrar with only the witnesses and the very important and close family members with us on that day, just how we wanted it to be. The process was a little tedious given that he doesn’t live in India and isn’t an Indian. I will explain you the drama that happened around that sometime later. But there was one very funny part in that whole process which I still cant help but laugh out loud whenever I think of it.

The day of our registration, we were almost done with all the formalities and stuff. We were waiting for the registrar to sign our marriage certificate and that’s that. But then the guy who was getting our signatures suddenly said to us and to the people around us that we need to take our vows. We were all like, what vows? We didn’t know anything about that? (Sidenote: in Hindu culture we have only Saptapadi as part of the wedding rituals) What are even gonna say. Everything was going on so smoothly…Now what!? But then this guy gives us a form and says to my husband… read your vows…He started reading it,obviously not out loud. So this guy says…Sir, you have to read it out loud…that is your vow. We both look at each other and try so hard not to laugh. And he turns to my aunt and says, you can record these if you want. We were like…no, please, don’t record this for god’s sake. Given no choice, we both read our vows out loud…much to the amusement of every one of our family members gathered round. Wanna know what they were. Here are the vows:

1.I am at the present time a divorcee (since we both were).

2.I have completed <xyz> years of age.

3.I am not related to <each other’s name> within the degrees of prohibited relationship.

4.I am aware that, if any statement in this declaration is false, and if in making such statement, I either know or believe it to be false or do not believe it to true.I am liable to imprisonment and also to fine.

For some reason saying these out loud made it more funny than it is supposed to be. We could have just signed it and left it at that. No idea why he wanted us to read it out loud. And no idea why he called them as vows. They are clearly declaration that the bride and groom should sign as part of the process.

Once we were done, my aunt looked and said…is that it? Nothing more? I lost it there. I laughed at that. I bet no one has had to say such vows said during their wedding. Have you said anything funny or unique?