Tête-à-tête with Tipri

I along with my 7 friends went to Tipri, near Tehri to attend the wedding of our friend’s relative. His native village is Tipri. Tipri, a veritable microcosm of rural India, nestled along the Tehri Dam and precariously situated on the mountains. Enshrouded by the mountains it exudes panache and is a nature lover’s delight It is also an ambient place for those city-dwellers who are enervated by the drudgery of their lives. It faces the reservoir, purportedly touted as the India’s largest man-made lake.

When we reached over there at the friend’s house, we received a warm welcome despite of missing up the soiree. Then we were ushered to a room where we were introduced to many of his relatives. Some of them blessed us and tousled our hair. After finishing the sumptuous food we pranced on some Garhwali songs.

Next day, we attended the marriage, a quintessential Garhwali marriage. It offered all the mirth of a city marriage and yet conformed to the indigenous traditions. Next day we ambled out of the house and drove away leaving behind lachrymose faces and tear-filled eyes looking in our direction. In a nutshell, it was a great, salubrious journey. And the most remarkable thing about Tipri is that the artificiality of city life hasn’t percolated down there as yet.