Annapoorani weds Vasudevan

He was not the most eligible bachelor in town. Very few know the facts that Vasu cooks well and he's been staying single most of his after-college days. Two weeks before the wedding, I happened to visit the house he'd recently moved to accomodate his soulmate. He was setting up things in the kitchen and still managed to prepare me a glass of hot milk mixed with Panankarkandu. Yes. He was not the most eligible bachelor in town. He was the most deserving husband-in-waiting.

The train to Tirunelveli was unusually quiet. Raja, Manikandan and I were reading The 3 Mistakes of my life, Five Point Someone and Pirivom Sandhippom respectively. Bhuvnesh and Ekta were comfortably (or conveniently?) seated in the next coach. Vasu's brother Karthi was also travelling in the same train. He's the one who arranged us boarding and lodging for the next two days.

We arrived at Hotel Sakunthala in the wee hours on wednesday. Vasu had phoned us four to six times before we reached the wedding hall. He is very much caring and at times, annoyingly caring.

We reached Sardar Raja Kalyana Mandabam in Palayankottai. Back in 1960s people travelled from Madras to Saidapet. Likewise, people now travel from Tirunelveli town to Palayankottai. We were there at the right time for breakfast. While Annapoorani was keenly looking forward to getting married, Vasu was constantly worrying about his guests. Typical Vasu.

The highlight of the day was, Vasu's father sang verses of Thiruvasagam in praise of Lord Shiva before and after the Muhurtham. The next best thing was the huge wedding cake that Vasu's friends brought as his wedding gift. The otherwise formal wedding came to a festive mood after cutting the cake. This is what you have friends for; to add spice to such occassions.

We returned to the hotel to take some rest for what seemed to be the last for many days to come. We were back in the wedding hall at the right time for lunch. From the hall, we hired a cab to Tiruchendur. Tiruchendur should be on everyone's list of places to visit. Lord Muruga has his second abode (of the arupadai veedu) here. Only that, on a weekday, there are more archakas than there are devotees. You've got to avoid them nonchalantly, if you're there on a peace-seeking visit.

There is a not-to-be-missed coffee shop in Alwarthirunagari on the way back to Tirunelveli. There is Iruttukkadai infront of Nellaiyappar temple or is it the other way? Naturally, Halwa took precedence over Nellaiyappar in the evening. We bought around 5 kgs of Halwa before we entered the temple. The hot weather, the inherently short tempered people and Lord Shiva cannot just be coincidences, I bet.

We were back in the wedding hall at the right time for supper. Thankfully, the supper was light. In silk dhoti and shirt, Vasu looked like the murai maaman in Tamil movies.

The next day was full of water. Bhuvnesh and Ekta set out to Kanyakumari. We got beaten up by Agasthiar Falls. My quest for an oil massage went in vain. A shower in the falls can be addictive. We should always have a big slot in the schedule for a Falls.

Paanatheertham - the upper Papanasam is a larger one. You've got to take a ferry to reach the Falls and still you cannot take shower in the falling water. The force is enormous. You've got to settle for the gushing water like you take bath in a river. Actually, you can spend more time in the flowing water here since it doesn't get furious on you like the falling water.

On the way back to Tirunelveli, we bought papads in Kallidaikurichi. At one point, I doubted if the driver had tie-ups with these shops. Murugan is a local guy and comes in handy as a guide. He knows the region inside out. He can be reached on 944XX XXXXX.