ONLY BLESSINGS







Pic.: Usha Prasadh

Some days ago, we attended a silver wedding of a lovely couple we knew. While wishing, I gently tried to place the gift envelope (cash) in the gentleman’s hands.

“No, no, no… Please, please, please!!!” the gentleman made me feel as if I was an alien around there…

It was then, it sank into me that on the invitation, it was ‘clearly’ written:

‘ONLY BLESSINGS’!

Well, two days earlier, the gentleman had called my wife to say that they had come to our residence with the invitation and our door was locked. “Please don’t bother about the invitation,” my wife had assured him, “we would be there to wish you.”

So, that night, we were, indeed, some aliens out there, as no one else had turned up with gifts and envelopes… and we didn't even notice that till “No, no, no… Please, please, please’ happened!

It was Friday night…

The next night, there was another wedding… a real wedding, not a ‘Silver’ one. In this case, the card had come, and, nowhere was it written:

“ONLY BLESSINGS!’

So, on stage, we pushed the envelope…

It was accepted!

The following morning - a Sunday. I saw a write-up in TOI about the new trend in our city (Mumbai) to inform the guests – in the invitation cards - to turn up with empty hands so that they could use those hands to properly bless the couple, child, the birthday-boy or girl, or whoever it is…

I muttered in my mind, “Good news!”

To my knowledge, this trend called ‘ONLY BLESSINGS’ had started in my hometown, Mangalore, at least a decade ago. Be it a wedding or a Jubilee, be it a birthday or a religious ceremony, the card would proudly announce - ‘BLESSINGS ONLY’…

‘YOUR BLESSINGS ARE OUR MOST CHERISHED GIFTS’…

‘WISHES IN BLESSINGS ONLY’…

‘NO PRESENTS’…

‘NO GIFTS AND BOUQUETS’…

‘SOLICIT YOUR BLESSINGS ONLY’…

And, even this: ‘PRESENTS ARE STICTLY NOT ALLOWED’!

In fact, I have witnessed some very hilarious – rather embarrassing – scenes on stage when the gifts and envelopes are being rejected…

Recently, I had been to someone’s house. The second son was to get married in a few days. The invitation cards were printed… but without ‘ONLY BLESSINGS’. What I saw in one of their rooms, really, surprised me. Their first son was married three years earlier… The room had scores of wedding presents still unopened!

“Why did you accept those presents, then?” I was asking in my mind, “At least, now, you should have written in the card – ‘ONLY BLESSINGS’.”

But, then, who was I to advise them?



GERALD D’CUNHA



Comments

Anonymous said…
Well-said, enjoyed reading.

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