REFLECTIONS : The Sangeet
by TERESITA BACANI-OROPILLA , MD
The immense hall was festooned with ribbons and decorations , people dressed in colorful saris , sherwanis and evening clothes danced and sang to the tune of drummed songs . Guests gravitated to two sets of tables loaded with Indian and Filipino delicacies .
The guests were friends , colleagues and relatives of the groom and bride , some of whom had flown from India and the Philippines to celebrate the impending wedding .
At one point , the wedding pair sat at a place of honor where they were entertained by their parents , cousins , siblings and friends with traditional dances and songs . To see the parents dancing before their son and daughter , not vice versa , was both sentimental and revealing of their love for these whom they raised . They were celebrating “ Sangeet ” an Indian wedding tradition derived from the Sanskrit “ to sing together .” The purpose , thus , of getting to know each other was being accomplished by this joyful affair .
The wedding that followed was a solemn religious ceremony at a cathedral that sealed the promise of the bride and groom to honor and love each other and be a boon to others for the rest of their lives ! A tall order , indeed !
These ceremonies , lavish parties and bonding entailed a lot of planning , travel and interaction among and between the two families in order to be successful . The obstacles were myriad and detailed , entailing cooperation and patience over a period of time . We hear of many relationships between others that are fractured in the process of preparation of such events .
That these particular pleasurable events ( the Sangeet and the wedding ) occurred without rancor is testimony to the character and flexibility of the parents and the now-wedded couple .
Congratulations ! God ’ s blessings ! Dr . Bacani-Oropilla is a retired pediatrician and psychiatrist .
July 2023 27