67. When the Band Played On: A Wedding to Remember

In the village, it was the wedding of Ramu uncle’s son. The whole neighborhood was talking about how the wedding procession would go with great celebration. Ramu uncle had specially decided that this time the wedding procession would have a band so lively that everyone would feel like dancing.

On the wedding day, there was activity in the house since morning. The groom was sitting ready, but his face looked as if someone had told him that he had to take an exam and get married on the same day. His friends kept saying, “Brother, smile a little, the procession is about to start.”

In the evening, the band party arrived. The drummer was so excited that he started beating the drum even before the procession began. Ramu uncle said, “The procession hasn’t started yet.” The drummer replied, “Sir, I am just practicing.”

Then the procession started, and the band began playing loudly—sometimes slow, sometimes fast, sometimes crooked rhythm. The neighborhood children started dancing behind it as if it were a festival rally.

When the procession reached the main road, the band suddenly started playing a patriotic song. The groom’s friends were surprised because they had been dancing to a movie song, but the mood suddenly changed.
An uncle said, “The band is good, but the groom looks too serious.”
The groom’s friend said, “Brother, this is wedding stress.”

On the way, the band stopped at one place because the drummer said, “I will play only after getting tea.” Ramu uncle immediately arranged tea because stopping a wedding procession is considered unlucky.

Then the procession reached the bride’s house. The band started playing loudly again. People kept dancing, children clapped, and the groom kept thinking that the procession was noisier than the wedding itself.

During the garland ceremony, the band played music so loudly that the groom got nervous and stepped back. Someone joked, “It seems the band is making the groom’s heart beat faster.”

The wedding was completed, and people said, “Today, the band truly ‘played the wedding procession out’.”

Ramu uncle smiled and said, “A band is necessary in a wedding; otherwise, the procession is not fully enjoyable.”