30 years to get to Mangalore!!!

Some of you know may know this friendly rivalry that Goans and Mangalorean Catholics have (about who is superior!). I love telling Goan folks, jokingly, that as a Mangi I visit their land religiously each year only to give them business. That's when they counterattack saying: When did you last visit the Motherland then?
 I have no answer.
Okay, so many of you would know that my native place is Mangalore but other than me visiting it when I was 6 months old (I can't even remember what I had for lunch), I have no memories.

 

It's been on my bucket list for ever and while I had planned to backpack to my native village and usher in the New Year, a family friend back home mentioned that their entire family was going to be attending a wedding and why don't I tag along?

Sounded like a great plan and since they are like family in Mumbai, it would be comfortable - I said: Yessss!
Soooo happy I did!
It was an epic journey to where so much of my history is rooted in. Taking the bus from Bangalore to Mangalore was a breeze of an eight overnight journey. Popped my pill and snoozed till I heard the bus navigator man (dunno what he's called) yell - BELMAN! It took me awhile to recollect that name for some reason.

Getting off the bus at a shivering 6.30am - it was love at first light and sight!
I had on my backpack and had carried just the one dress and pant-blouse for the wedding functions. Two sets of casual clothes. I had forgotten that this wasn't a backpacking trip where I HAD to leave an impression. Oh well, everyone was soooo drunk 90% of the time, I think we smelt like what we were drinking :P

Since this is my first actual visit to Mangalore this is also my first 'in all its glory' Mangalorean wedding. It was a fantastic experience. I thought I'd get a shut eye once reaching the bride's home, but my bubble went plop as soon as I saw the bride's sister and then the bride - all ready to head to church for the Wedding Mass.
So in the villages, wedding masses are in the day followed by the function as commuting is tricky for many who live far off.

It was a glorious, sun shining and weather perfect kinda day. The Hall was adjacent to the Church. I was really hungry and someone got us these real melt-in-your-mouth yellow bread balls - can't recollect what they were called. Oh but divine!

The wedding toast - I'll never forget. I couldn't stop laughing, because the whole family from both sides were made to stand up and be introduced to those present... till I was told that this is what our tradition is. Wow - I'm not marrying a Mangi from Mangalore at least for a while.
We snuck a couple of drinks soooo close to the Church (Thanks for the experience, Lorrie!) and well, I was in my happy high. They had these cute Old Monk pouches - I'd never seen anything like it. Going back in and dancing and eating three plates of food and just basking in all the merriment that weddings come with - PRICELESS!

Not only is Belman such a tranquil village about an hour and a half hour away from the city of Mangalore, I also got the opportunity to visit Manjalpalke and Karkala. Even though the Bridal party were exhausted with the running around, the traditions and ceremonies and playing and eating and dancing and drinking...

They still took me to see the 42 feet built in 1432 A.D. - Shri Bhagwan Bahubali Digambara statue in Karkala! I went up the hill just before a bus load of schools kids started climbing so I had the place to myself.

It reminded me of the view from the Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar (Kashmir), Buddha Point overlooking Thimphu (Bhutan), the city view from Amir/Amber Fort in Jaipur (Rajashthan) ... Basically, every monument that I've visited that has a vantage point overlooking the city.

You can see how much fun I had by the brown in my skin, the masala in my fingers from the ‘kuber (shell fish) sukka’ and the glass of fresh ‘toddy’.

After a heavenly 3 glasses of the potent liquid and wiping the masala stains on my pants... we headed back to give everyone a treat of what they'd missed.

I hadn't carried a wedding gift or anything to gift the families whose home I would be invading so I bought the one thing I thought was appropriate - Bottles of McDowell's Whiskey.

This was my first morning after a night of drinks and games (barely remember dinner). I introduced them to whatever games I could remember playing as a kid - Stick in the Mud, Colour Colour, 7 Up, Fire in the Mountain, Tug of War... man, I really really REALLY miss those moments.

New Year's was one crazy-wild-child-alcoholic-game addled frat party - with parents, cousins, religious looking folks, kids, a dog and loads of delicious wild boar and fried fish. From dancing and arguing about how it is impossible that I can be 30 even if my Driver's License says so till 4.30am to finally God alone knows how we found our way to some nook and corner with a blanket and pillow - I'll never know. But thank you, Vinit.

I also started the new year by making a pact with Birdy and letting it all go. A month gone - I'm in repair, I'm not yet better but I'm getting there (:Getting up at 9am to find 6 people squeezed into a bed and sneaking in three bottles of beer to gargle our teeth and begin our morning, if only life could be that way, every day. Sigh*

Truth be told, I don't think any of us began the year by brushing our teeth. We said goodbye to the first load of people heading back to Bombay and it really felt like someone had died, because suddenly there was so much silence. We still managed, however, to have one final kick-ass evening by getting coal and a fire burning for some barbeque time. Rum and coke with barbeque chicken and Surmai fry... Oh my...
From insane local bus rides with these huge windowless windows to some crazy driving to food, food and more food to driving past Kadri - the only name I had on my lips for 30 years but to which I had no sight off, to Gadbads and Parfaits at Ideals to finally buying macaroons and halwa at Taj Mahal...

I’ve been wanting to cross the Motherland off my Bucket List and I finally did it during the Year End Break - generously gifted by PwC.

P.s: I love you, Mangalore!