Last of Arden for this round which was a reasonably tough round of four.
ACROSS
1 It is a sin when there is too much weight by day’s end (8) GLUTTONY {GLUT}{TON}{Y}
5 River discharge into institutional property (6) CAMPUS {CAM}{PUS}
10 One angry over worker remaining stubborn (7) ADAMANT {A}{DAM<=}{ANT}
11 Play reverted to a greeting (7) OTHELLO {OT<=}{HELLO}
12 A trainee comes up with some belated action (5) CADET [T<=]
13 Loved moving on a capital race track (9) VELODROME {LOVED*}{ROME}
14 Just starting off, having gone through quietly with a dessert
(5,7) BREAD PUDDING {B{READ} {P}UDDING}
21 She dances and after a dance gets home in time (9) BALLERINA {BALL}{ER{IN}A}
23 The goo is miles away (5) SLIME*
25 Ed Mcbain’s city gets a note to keep away (7) ISOLATE {ISOLA}{TE}
26 A weapon he pulls right away (6) DAGGER DrAGGER
27 Heavenly body gets a dope (8) ASTEROID {A}{STEROID}
DOWN
1 Look for the key weapon (6) GLANCE {G}{LANCE}
2 A state between a hug and a cuddle (6) UGANDA [T]
4 A creative man in trouble was brave (6,8) NATIVE AMERICAN*
6 Longed for a child, a little boy (5) ACHED {A}{CH}{ED}
8 In ancient times one was part of the drama (5,3) STONE AGE {ST{ONE} AGE}
9 Sweet women helping children on the way (8,6) LOLLIPOP LADIES &lit
16 “Sign of healing” by poet Pilcher (8) SCABBARD {SCAB}{BARD}
17 Returning love, giving the soldier away…It is all unfolding
(8) EVOLVING {EVOL<=}{giVING}
19 The sign about a domineering woman (6) VIRAGO {VIR{A}GO}
20 Story of a toe perhaps (6) LEGEND {LEG}{END}
22 Remove time and direction (5) ERASE {ERA}{SE}
Back home after a hectic 950 Km trip by road over two days to attend a wedding at Virudhunagar. Wedding ceremony in that area was a revelation with the Grooms party not being offered even a glass of water at the Brides Kalyana mantapam where the betrothal ceremony took place the night before and the wedding next morning. The groom travels to the Brides Kalyana Mantapam on an elephant escorted by a Brass band as well as the nadaswaram party who continue to play inside the hall kicking up a real din.
ReplyDeleteWow, did not know we still did the elephant thing nowadays. My ancestral village is from near there and I have been to many a Tamil wedding (including mine) with the other trappings and the melam still resonating in my ears. Sorry about the water, that is truly odd.
DeleteI was told that that is how it is done. I suppose though if one asked for water one would definitely be given some
DeleteDenied water? That's pretty strange. Why is it?? Is it some kind of a custom or something? Anywayz, you'd be safer carrying a bottle of mineral water I reckon.
DeleteThe belief is that if any food is taken BEFORE the wedding,it is inauspicious. Strange customs still being followed faithfully!
ReplyDeleteContinuing his tough run (although enjoyable thanks to the blog)leaving a few holes in my grid.
What about after the wedding then?
DeleteI understand that you are given a proper full fledged 'Kalyana sappadu' unless there is some other local custom for that also!
DeleteFor the 'kalyana sappadu' we had to go back to the grooms kalyana mandapam!!
DeleteDivide and serve...
Delete"Tumahare ghar ka ek daana bhi nahin kahoonga" seems to be the philosophy behind it. I think in some communities, there was also a similar quaint usage of not eating at a married daughter's house.
Talking of present-day weddings generally in our cities, I would say that they are nothing like what they were in the earlier decades.
ReplyDeleteThose were attended by many relatives. Now I attend weddings in which not even all the brothers and sisters of the parents on both sides are present.
Even 'nadaswaram' and 'melam' are played only to the minimum, the players responding to 'melam', 'getti melam' calls from the priests.
I don't like the 'reception' being held on the day prior to the muhurtham but that is becoming the norm, thanks to rising costs in hiring mantapams. It is a pity that the priests are ready to bend any rule/custom so long as they get work.
Customs peculiar to the region are ignored and extraneous rituals are used. I won't go into the details.
A majority of the guests have no manners. They don't even deposit used paper-cups in the dust-bins but simply put them down to be upset by their own feet or the legs of the chairs they were sitting upon. They shower akshathai not on the new couple but on the much-married couple sitting in a row or two in front.
"much-married couple" !
DeleteHow right you are. Agree with you for all that you expressed. At least I make sure that I go near the newly wedded couple and shower the akshathai only on them.
DeleteIsn't this showering of the 'akshathai' supposed to be done at the same moment, by everyone present?
DeleteYup, agree with all you say. In a reception prior to marriage, who is being received, the married couple or the affianced (of course, sometimes only for the last couple of hours or so, if engagement / nischitartham has just been held). And many times, the groom is a seasoned 'brahmachari', having been under the celibacy vow for a short time, that too after selecting the bride ! Wow ! Vinashkaley vipareetbuddhi !
DeleteMany are the grains that have landed on mine head many a times...
DeleteTalking of marriages reminds me of two pranks played at my marriage:
ReplyDeleteOne, by my mother, who when talking to my prospective father in law said "Par ham aapse ek baat kehna to bhool hi gaye". When the unflappable pfil inquired, she came back pat in the Shammi Kapoor style: "Ghabrayiye nahin ! Hamey kuch nahin chahiye ! Ham itna chahtey hain ki aap baaraatiyon ka swagat Pan Parag se keejiye".
The actual ad (which was on TV in those ancient days) is available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oysqXHG52G4
The second by me on the pfil. Having retained a platform ticket purchased at the time of picking up relatives at the station, I fished it out just after he mollified me and requested me not to go to Kashi, and requested him to send somebody to cancel the ticket.
Most joking at weddings happens at the time of the Kashi Yatra.
DeleteNot always. Once when I got the proof of a wedding invitation for a relative, I purposely got the printer to print one extra copy with b instead of w in the "A weds B" part of the cover to the utter horror of the groom.
DeleteI came here in the hope that someone may already have clarified my doubt re 'Native American', but the conversation seems to have taken a delightfully playful turn, what with naughty grooms and thirsty baraatis! But really, Native American = brave? How?
ReplyDeleteNative Americans = Apaches? Just my take.
DeleteKhush, you mean to say that the institution of marriage is being driven to ridiculous depths?
A native american is known as a 'brave'
DeleteThanks for that! And Richard, I didn't think you had to drive it there, the institution in question has an uncanny knack of sliding to ridiculous depths entirely on its own :). Weddings, on the other hand, they take work!
Delete18A A feature of Ajanta — a tease or a warning? (6,6) CAVEAT EMPTOR
ReplyDeleteLiked this clue. By the way, does this imply that it is the buyer's market, but creating a cave-like emptiness in the buyer's pocket?