To a wedding in a Volvo !

Off to a wedding tonight. The wedding is in Karaikudi and the bridegroom is a friend of mine from school.

Two things have me excited ... Firstly, the fact that this is a Chettiar wedding. The Chettiars are one of the most prominent clans in Tamil Nadu and their weddings are a truly amazing spectacle of ostentation and organization.

And secondly, one a humbler note, I am going to Karaikudi on a Volvo bus. Having travelled every weekend between Bangalore and Madurai on an "Air Bus", I know how horrible bus journeys can be. However, now with KPN Travels introducing Volvo-made luxury buses on several routes, including Chennai-Karaikudi, bus travel has apparently joined the rest of India in its ascendance to the next level.



Feedback and photographs tomorrow !

Comments

Anonymous said…
Volvo? when did this start? Lastly I remember KPN and many other similar travel agencies used those tall buses built by 'Sutlej'. KPN was the first to introduce this 'air suspension coach' concept. I happened to travel on the first such journey when it was introduced a decade back on Madurai Meenakshi kalyana utsavam day in 1995.

First time here, just got too enthu to post, after seeing KPN on your post ;), was one time regular customer with them.

-narayanan
Ideamani said…
Yeah, Narayanan, Volvo buses have been launched about 2-3 years ago and they are great !! They are operated on several routes such as Madurai-Chennai, Chennai-Coimbatore etc ...

The driver wears a suit and you get a bottle of water each and a blanket !!
Anonymous said…
cant seem to find the feedback n photographs?
Ideamani said…
@Anon, oops, I totally forgot about feedback ... The ride was amazing - Very comfortable. The pushback was excellent. The air conditioning was optimal. The driver drove like an absolute maniac and there were cars and bikes literally scrambling to get out of the way !! Overall, I would do it again, IF I didnt get a train ticket.

Photographs - My camera conked out unfortunately :-(
Anonymous said…
Wokay..ur comment on how the driver drove really made me smile:-)..thanks.i was actually askin for feedback on the weddin u kno..i ve heard stuff like in chettiar weddings, they hav the dowry spread out on a stage for the world to c,is all tat true?
Ideamani said…
Oh yeah, the wedding was great - Like you said, there was something called "parapurathu" which refers to how they spread the dowry out in a room - Lots of gold, sarees, vessels etc ...

The food was awesome, and I like the way that Chettiars have their weddings in their ancestral home. Gives a very nice atmosphere.

One thing I noticed was that the dowry was discussed very openly, with the two fathers (of the groom and bride) actually exchanging a written contract which had details on the dowry !
Anonymous said…
Whew! so glad am not a chettiar, my dad wud hav becum a pauper by the time he got me married!but i guess it exsists in every community, mayb am jus not aware..hows it in ur community?
Ideamani said…
Our family does not give or receive dowry, but there are people in my community that do.

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