I am on Cloud Nine with my Second Book Launch

Hola Loves, it gives me immense pleasure to share with you that my second book, 'The Fragrance of True Love’ was launched in the second season of Grand Blogchatter Ebook  Carnival a couple days back and I am so indebted to them for the same. This is my second book with them for the second consecutive second year and I value their vision and community power.

 Also, words fail me to express my gratitude to each one of you from the bottom of my heart for all your support always. I trust you would shower the same love to my maiden foray into the fiction world, a soulful novella which is the softest piece of my heart.

 This book is about a girl who is in search of herself despite of achieving all her goals. She feels compellingly jinxed under the trauma of her ugly past. She shudders, she sulks but sustains to give her mom and brother a better life.

 On the other hand there is lovable congenial lad who falls for this girl at first sight. Despite of trying hard he fails to break the walls she has created around herself. Dive into their world to read their divine enchanting love story, 'The Fragrance of True Love' available on Amazon and Blogchatter. You can also grab it's paperback version by clicking here.

You complete me love and my world is only in your Arms(11th Anniversary Post)

Wrapping a lot of hugs and kisses
I send you immense love on our anniversary eleventh

I weave a garland of chosen lilacs draped in ecstatic joy and gratitude

Caressing them fondly, I present it to you, reliving again our wedding vows

We love, we fight, we hug, we cry
But can there be a priceless friendship as divine as ours

Timeless memories we have woven
And need I say you are the most wonderful partner in life's journey

We are united in life and death for umpteen birth

You are to me life's most valuable gift

There are ups and downs, rough patches all along

But holding your hand makes life's most vicious trap a cakewalk

A Billion Thanks Almighty for giving me you
Happy Anniversary my love true

I have grown in your love as every year came on

You complete me love and my world is only in your Arms

What A Day It Was : A Decade Later I Relive It For You

Some Days are Real Pearls

Which when woven into a garland

Adorn life and make it beautiful

Our wedding was truly a dream come true and so was our wedding day. It has taken some real hard-work to convince our families and get their nod for us to tie the knot with everyone's blessings. And I am so glad our love did win and after a lot of discussions and rescheduling, our wedding date was finally locked. The venue for the same was fixed at bride groom's place as per the need of the hour and almost everyone was invited on either side. This being an extreme inter caste wedding, my mom has been meticulous in noting down all their customs and the essentials for them. On the other hand, I and S have been silently praying that all goes well. 

Flashback:  5 December 2005
The day began on a sweet note when my granny woke me up for the customary 4a.m. rose petals bath. I almost froze in the December chill but all for her love I did managed to smile throughout. Or was it the overwhelming feeling of eventually getting united with your love that made the sail through the infinite customs that day seem like a cakewalk.

It was a 24 hour wedding with Engagement, Pheras and the Reception all planned in the same day. This being the first wedding from our side and the last from theirs,the excitement was at peak. Almost every relative and friend on the guest list has made it and their presence and smiles were priceless for us. There was no differentiation between the hosts and guests and everyone was ready to contribute their bit on what was going to be a perfect medley, albeit a little confusing, of Kaistha and Baniya Ceremonies, in the pious city of Allahabad.

After finishing the early morn ceremonies at the guest house, I was clad in a blue Saree sent by the groom's side and escorted to the banquet. A mere glance at the banquet which was decorated in white and red flowers was so appealing and soothing. I ran my eyes through how huge and mesmerizing it was..I was living my dream. My prince charming would come in a while and complete our fairy tale and yes I could see him waiting on the stage.

 The next ritual that morn was God Bharai and Ring Ceremony. As I moved slowly on the red flower-laden aisle towards him, my heart started beating faster. It's a very special feeling words fail me to describe. We have known each other for umpteen years, but today when he looked into my eyes, I blushed. He kept smiling while talking to his cousins and friends who surrounded us. I am sure they were cracking jokes and discussing our love story as I could see them burst into laughter but I heard nothing, my heart was humming its own tunes and dancing in ecstasy. I was silent and if anything, they were my tinkling eyes that gave away all the secrets.

In a while, he has held my hand in his to skid the ring into my finger. The tenderness with which he held my hand and the earnest and candid gesture of very gently moving the ring inside touched me, for this warmth and care was the quality which I loved the most in him. Someone from the crowd shouted loud that now their boy was no more theirs and all of us grinned aloud crazily on many jokes which followed until our stomachs ached.

The day advanced slowly, we didn't speak much to each other and only exchanged some love tit-bits on our BBMs occasionally between so many outfit changes, photo shoots and customs from either side. I understood a few and did not many others but was elated, super-elated.

It was now time for the Pheras which would unite us and our souls, at least for 7 births. The Phera Pandal was made of glass and was placed amidst huge lawns adorned with flowers of myriad shades. Now, I was dressed in a made to order half red half yellow Saree bearing in mind the colors required from either side for this ceremony.

 Words again fail me to describe my gratitude to my mom for doing all the homework so impeccably for every single custom so that no religious sentiments are hurt. The priest was a great learned intellectual who translated the sanskrit shlokas of Pheras in English  for me. He was a guy who has also conducted the wedding ceremony of S' s Parents and thus his connection to our family was deep as was evident from his love for us which oozed out of his eyes. 

He blessed us and concluded our wedding after kanyadaan during which I peeped into my dad's moist eyes. Though they were numb they also seemed confident that he was handing over his princess in the right hands. It was heartening that he trusted my choice but all said and done leaving mom and dad was a very heavy feeling. S sensed my anxiety and like a perfect partner tried to make the moment lighter. My little brother whom I didn't realize when had grown so sensible, realizing the gravity of the moment, picked me up in his arms and took me to groom's side for the next following ceremonies.

The party was in full swing. Yummy food was laid in the lawns and the Dance Floor was burning hot. While I walked down to get ready for the Wedding Reception, I could see everyone making merry. It was a pleasure seeing everyone happy on the happiest day of our life. My cousin helped me getting ready in the gorgeous orange lehenga(Indian Bridal Dress) my mum chose for me and then went to get ready herself.

 It was about 10:45 in the night when S texted me that he is waiting for me for a long time to which I replied in innocence that I have been ready for a while too but there is no one around me to fetch me to him. In just a couple of minutes I saw him bending in front of me as he whispered in my ears - "You are now officially mine! You need no one else" and then with his known gentleness he held my hand and walked me to the Reception stage. 

On stage, I met S' s dad,  a wonderful  human being at heart for whom we had squeezed all the events in a single day and preponed our wedding by more than 2 months as he was at the last stage of lung cancer. His last wish was fulfilled and we were glad we could fulfill it beautifully as he miraculously lived for many more days.

Next couple of hours went in meeting and greeting guests and full on DJ Masti along with the mandatory solo performance by the Bride. 

I performed on Kajrare Kajrare - Aishwarya Rai's most popular number of that time though it wasn't easy to do so in a heavy lehenga and heels. Nevertheless, I went with the flow of the moment and danced my heart out in which S joined soon.

 Post an exorbitant dinner, came the Vidai which was the only heart- breaking event of the day though my parents chose not to shed a single tear and bid me good times ahead.No doubt they are the pillars of all my strength. My little brother concluded the last ceremony by pushing our car out of the gate. In a few minutes, we were home, my new and forever to be home.

Everyone welcomed us with a lot of love and soon we were taken to our room. It was 3 a.m. by then...and we have to get up at 6 for the Pooja. So did we sleep for the next 3 hours? Obviously not...one and a half hour he spent in removing the not less than hundred Jooda (Hindi Word for a Hair-bun) pins in my hair and the rest one and half hour went in laughing at our bed with squeaked aloud at every single movement of ours.

Truly 'What a day it was'. It gifted me forever togetherness with the love of my life. It's been more than ten years since then but the memories of the precious and priceless moments of that day are forever imprinted on my heart and it was indeed a pleasure re-living them day here. Trust you enjoyed the sail-through as much as I did.

And yes, I would like to conclude this post with us of today who still bask in the glory of that awesome day which united us forever :)

© [Roma Gupta Sinha][Straight From The Heart][2016]Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material or pictures without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

Your Name etched on My Heart

Holding hands we walked on sand,

Stealing an occasional glance of our closest friend..

Overwhelmed were we in that entrancing moment,

And just let our smiles do all the talking..

The gentle sea waves kissed our feet,

As if trinkets of joy tickling us sweet..

Our eyes gave each other a warm embrace, 

As our fingers too spoke to each other...

Such was the impact of that silent hour, 

As he tightened his grip, striking my heart's already romancing chords..

Our love bore the advent and retrieval of the waves alike,

Proud of having overcome all the testimonies of time..

I don't fear of the ground underneath slipping away with the withdrawing waves,

For I reside safe in your heart for decades

Humbled by your infinite love, I carve on sand my gratitude to you, 

My penchant each time being erased by the rising water blues..

It was a heart with a 'S' and a 'R' that I embossed on sand, times umpteen, 

But the ruthless waves swept it away every time, so that my spirits dampen...

But my confident love, felt elated and on its own tune, it danced

 For it knew, no waves can erase your name that is etched on my heart.

(Love Notes scribbled recently on a beach vacation, dedicated to the love of  my life, my hubby, my childhood best buddy)