The Celestial Wedding

Somehow, after a journey through India, my perception of humanity becomes clearer; my enthusiasm for life feels renewed. The more we come to India, the more we expect to be surprised. The visit to Madurai was already planned but we eagerly accepted our driver Raju’s invitation to attend the Thirukalyanam Festival. So often in the past, we were able to discover unsuspected aspects of India thanks to our driver’s suggestions. The crowd was all gathered in the stadium to attend the wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Shiva. So many people were there that we were not able to see the actual ceremony. Yet, we were very thankful to take part in such a moving scene, where devotion was palpable and faith was true. There was no need for us to understand; we focused on the beauty of brightened faces, read the gestures of hands, joined in prayer, open to receive blessings.