Kelvin Luffs Photography in India - Traditional Sikh Wedding (Part 3)

October 05, 2016

Namaste!

First up, I have to admit these posts have been the longest ever written on this blog, but it is with utmost pleasure writing and I reckon this is one of the best ways to share my excitement and adventure recently in India. Although it is not quite possible to be very exhaustive, I hope the memories captured by my lens will share more than just a thousand words.

So, welcome back to Part 3 of Kelvin Luffs Photography in India!

I firmly believe that documenting an event like this will give guests and visitors alike the chance to reminisce and relive the moments during the wedding, or feel like being at the wedding itself even though one may be physically in front of the computer. And that's the power of still images - where photographs are a means of keeping memories fond, timeless and sometimes, priceless - because you can never re-create an exact moment that was captured on camera.

If you recall from the previous two parts, there were pictures from the Haldi ceremony, the Mehendi party, the Sangeet and the Traditional Sikh wedding (Anand Karaj). Hence, in today's post, I will be covering the finale of the wedding - the Grand Wedding Reception.

It was one of the most extravagant, classiest and opulent wedding receptions I had attended, with the venue being somewhere in the outskirts of Chandigarh. One could have mistaken that this was an event fit for a Maharajah! Which comes to my next point - What goes on during a wedding reception?

No prizes for guessing! Yes, it was time to eat up all that delicious gourmet, make merry and most importantly, to put on your dancing shoes and dance the night away! Having been to wedding parties before this, I can surely conclude that the Sikhs really do know how to P.A.R.T.Y.Y.Y.Y!! It was incredible! Where did they get all their energy from?

The pictures tell a brilliant story, and I guarantee you will enjoy them all! Presenting - the Grand Wedding Reception!

The extravagant, classy and opulent entrance to the main reception area. Look at all that gold.

Just take a look at how lavish the decorations are in this main reception area. The gold, the chandeliers, every inch of details covered.

The main stage where the bride and groom would sit most of the time in that evening to receive blessings and take photos with guests.

The secondary dining hall for guests who'd prefer to keep out of the cold while dining.

Sam! Whatcha doin' stickin' your head there?! Hahaha.

It was a chilling 7° celcius that day and these were what they wore to look good. Brrrrr....

Eugene and Leah having a run at the catwalk.

The lovely ladies from Singapore.

Look at those million dollars smile.

Milan & Raymi enjoying themselves in the winter cold.

G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S !

Honestly, I thought they were Bollywood actor and actresses. Such a good looking newly wed couple.

The lovely couple making their grand entrance to the reception.

Groom: And I love you so. But after this, I'm gonna DANCE BABY!

The newly weds sharing a moment together.

Shalini, Charmaine and Lavina (Bride) have known each other since they were babies! You ladies look fantastic!

Party all night long! Right Angus & Milan!?

You, and you, yes you, it's you. Don't look it's still you.

From way down under!!!

Party lah! Yes lah!

Oh hello hello. All smiles for the camera.

Shalini and Trent goofing around with the decoration. It's actually quite the LOL moment.

Group picture of the bride's parent's and the guests.

Bride's parents with the groom's first cousins.

This picture is a must for them.

WAhahaha!! Groom: Woahhh I'm married!

Cake cutting for the couple during the wedding reception.

Champange from the bottle. Come drink up Bride!

Dad: That's enough. Now you drink!

At this juncture, I have pretty much summed up the few days of a traditional Sikh wedding in India. This assignment has definitely given me a greater appreciation of the Sikh culture and tradition. In globalised Singapore, we may live locally but we may sometimes be able to celebrate such events globally, and in this regard, it is beneficial for one to be constantly mindful towards the customs and traditions of any wedding, festivals or events one attends. It is also a good practice to do your own research, or perhaps even consult the host to on things like attire, and some do's and don'ts. This will prevent any inadvertent insult/offence to people of that culture.

If you are still in the mood, and are craving for more, here's a sneak peek into the next blog post! I will be sharing some pictures of my trip (with some of the wedding guests) to the Wagha Border to witness the Wagha ceremony, followed by a trip to Amritsar, the spiritual and cultural centre for the Sikhism, and end with my solo journey to the Taj Mahal. In the meantime, stay safe and have yourself a wonderful mid-week!

Kelvin Luffs Photography in India - Traditional Sikh Wedding (Part 1)

September 22, 2016

Hi again! It's been quite a hiatus on my blog. But I have been very hard at work in the last 10 months at Kelvin Luffs Photography. For the very first time on my blog, I will include pictures taken from my mobile phone to depict the behind-the-scene situations I had encountered during the trip. This post will totally be different from the previous posts because it will include my own personal opinion, views and thoughts during and post-assignment.

So back in December 2015, I flew for the first time into India, New Delhi and my assignment was to shoot a traditional Sikh wedding in the city of Chandigarh, further north of New Delhi.

Prior to making this trip, I encountered people who were really negative about the county of India. They were questioning, why why why? Why India? Some comments I received were; India is dirty; India is unsafe; there's nothing in India; you are going to get sick the day you arrive, etc. When I accepted this assignment, I knew it was time to debunk any kinds of stereotypes that people have tried to impress upon me. As a professional photographer, it is my duty to go anywhere the job takes me. And I wanted to see and experience how the India was like.

Arrival to New Delhi and onwards journey to Chandigarh

After 5 hours 40 minutes in the air, I finally touched down at New Delhi's Indira Ghandi International Airport. Quite honestly, the staff at the airport were not very welcoming. It had taken 1.5 hours just to clear customs and I couldn't help but feel it was parallel to some of the negative feedbacks I had gotten earlier. Apparently many tourist were caught up with e-visas and visa-on-arrival issues. So lesson here - always have your visa done at the Indian Embassy in your own country before the flight into India to avoid such problems.

*World's Number One airport? (Image taken with IPhone 6+)*

The bride and groom were expecting guests on the same flight as I was and had arranged for taxis to drive us into Chandigarh. The estimated time from New Delhi to Chandigarh was about 4 hours 30 minutes (NOT), all in, we took a 7 plus hours drive to get from New Delhi to Chandigarh.

Having hit the 299km/h mark on my Suzuki Hayabusa on many occasions in the last 11 years of riding, the experience I got while in this taxi was one of the most harrowing I have ever experienced in my life.

Could you imagine a fully-loaded 7-seater vehicle roaring down what seems to be a highway at 160-180km/h with the driver seemingly having a blatant disregard for the safety of anyone, let alone the passengers in his vehicle? Then as the sky turned dark, the driver shockingly continued speeding down the unlit highway at 160km/h on the fastest moving lane, only to come to a sudden emergency stop - because a COW was crossing the highway! Whew, I have never felt more relieved in my life reaching my destination in one piece.

*It's a common sight to have a vehicle fully loaded with passengers and their baggage placed atop the vehicles. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)*

Chandigarh and Sector 17 Shopping

Unlike the actual day weddings I cover in Singapore which are usually done in a day or in exceptional cases, two days, a traditional Sikh wedding can take up to four days long! That's four full days of formalities and parties leading up to the traditional wedding day and wedding reception.

As with all the photographic assignments, I do make it a habit to arrive early (1-2 hours earlier locally) and in this instance, I arrived three days ahead of the first scheduled event. This is to ensure that all my equipments are in working order, and for me to locate shops selling camera equipments in case any of my equipments were damaged en-route or stolen (which I have personally experienced back in 2013) needing replacement. Unfortunately there aren't any rental service in that part of India so buying would be the next best alternative should I need to.

In any part of my overseas assignments, I think the part I love most is getting to know people. Getting to know people surely has its perks - they share with you information which may take you to places to meet any needs you may have (for me, they are camera shops and tailors). Loving the jacket which was tailored to my liking and costing only SGD$70.

*Please pardon my distorted and frowning face in the picture above. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)*

Pre-Wedding Prayers & Party

Prayers before the actual wedding is actually rather common across most cultures. Whilst each differs in their own ways, the goal is the same - that is to give blessings to the wedding couple. Here in the next few photos, you'll be able to see Akhand Paath - the reading of the entire Guru Granth Sahib. You will also be able to see that the home (of the groom's parents) where the Akhand Paath was hosted had been cleared of furniture, and clean white sheets spread on the floor with fresh flowers placed beside the Guru Granth Sahib.

Notice the white clean sheets on the floor together with the fresh flowers placed beside the Guru Granth Sahib.

Mr. Charan reading the text consisting of 1430 Anks (pages). In my opinion, he read it in a rhythmic and poetic way, pretty much like a melodious tune.

Oh and if you think reading the text is easy, you're absolutely wrong - the reader can get pretty exhausted to a point where he loses his voice and momentum in reading.

Bride's mother shedding a tear as she was overcome by emotions during the prayers.

Groom's mother seen here offering her most sincere prayer for her son.

Groom's grand-dad also offering his sincere prayers to the couple.

At the conclusion of the prayers in the groom's house, it was time for the family members, relatives and guests to dance along with the couple to the Gurudwara (Temple) to collect water. So what happens here is that a special jug called the Gharoli is used to collect the water from the temple for the groom to bathe in later on.

Bride and groom fathers having a ball of a time dancing in the streets outside their the groom's home.

Likewise for the couple who were getting married, they were having lots of fun dancing in the streets towards the Gurudwara.

A female relative carries the Gharoli on her heading walking towards the Gurudwara.

A picture of the Groom's mother holding the Gharoli on her head.

Family, relatives and friends having a great time dancing away.

Picture of the Gharoli being filled with water at the Gurudwara.

Groom immersing himself in the celebratory dance.

The bride having a great time dancing too!

A heartwarming picture of the bride (back-facing) dancing together with her siblings.

Groom's father happily dancing.

The bride's mother carrying the Gharoli on her head while heading back to the groom's place.

Did I mention that a Sikh Wedding is all about prayers and... PARTIES? Yes, it was literally non-stop partying and boozing and here are some pictures from one of the many parties leading up to the wedding.

Partying under the lovely cold winter weather.

Let the beat rock!

The bride's 2nd older brother claiming the dance floor.

Booze anyone? From the bottle PLEASE!

Let's rock the night away!

Haldi Ceremony & Mehendi Party

Some facts about the Haldi Ceremony which I learnt while I was covering the event - Haldi ceremony is basically an act of smearing turmeric paste onto the bride and groom's body and the significance to this ritual is really to ward off evil spirits that may affect the union of the groom and his bride.

Apart from warding off evil spirits, the paste serves as a cleanser for the body and soul and signifies the bride's preparation to be welcomed into adult married life.

This Haldi ceremony was definitely a mood lifter because it's when the bride can have some fun amidst all the tension and chaos of planning her wedding. Here, friends and family of the bride (including me) can take part in it and apply the haldi paste on the bride.

Brothers of the bride marching her into the Haldi ceremonial location.

The bride prepares herself for Haldi.

And so the smearing begins!

Guests of the bride having a great time smearing paste on the bride.

The bride's youngest brother putting a good amount of turmeric paste on his sister's face.

Before the bride's older brother could smear the paste on her face, he was attacked by the youngest sibling in the family. Take That MASH!

Brother Mash says - "It's my turn Now!"

The hair isn't spared!

Bride's Father adding to her blessing.

The aftermath.

What's an extremely fun event without a group photo?

Bride being escorted by her brothers back to her room.

Mehendi Party or better known as Mehendi Ki Raat is when the gorgeous bride-to-be adorns her hands and feet with different designs made out of henna. The entire ceremony is one that's filled with endless fun and laughter as every family member and close friends of the bride and the groom can have the mehendi done on themselves too.

Even I had the privilege of getting a small mehendi done on me by the groom himself. Haha.

Before the start of the Mehendi Party.

Honestly, I'm not sure what the bride was feeding this dear friend of hers but what I got to know is that the recipient of whatever the bride-to-be is feeding will be the next in line to get married. All the best Shalini!

Aww that lovely smile!

All brides are pretty in their own rights.

Friends of the bride having their henna done.

As per the traditions, even the groom applies a bit of mehendi on his hands too.

The bride-to-be's mehendi is the most intricate and most time consuming to execute hence the need for 2 professional mehendi artist for this bride-to-be.

Check out those striking designs! Did you know that in order not to smudge the fresh henna, the bride-to-be must not move. She would need people to feed her water and even scratch her nose.

Did you know that - Mehendi represents the bond of matrimony?

The bride-to-be giving her husband-to-be clues on where his initials may be.

Groom trying really hard to locate his initials. Actually I heard that if by the end of his wedding day, the groom is still unable to find his initials, they aren't allowed to consummate. Whoops!

I hope you are still following by now. It will be easier if I break this article up into a 4 parts for your easy reading. For now, do enjoy the above photos and stay tuned for Part 2 of Kelvin Luffs Photography in India!

I've Fallen In Love With You Again

November 19, 2015

"What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility." -George Levinger

It is always interesting to witness how couples treat one another. Some show love by the tenderness of their touch and words, while others can be less ostentatious.

Meet Alvin and Cheryl - these two are the most funny couple in the way they express their love to each other. For example, Alvin would 'disturb' Cheryl, who is no-nonsense kind of girl. She would often 'respond' with a death stare. In return, Alvin would go all giggly and admits to Cheryl that he just loves to see her angry face. How would you get infuriated with such a lovable and sweet response?

That's what love is all about. You don't marry the person you can live with, but you marry the person whom you cannot live without.

Wishing this gorgeous couple many great years ahead!

Here are some photos of Alvin and Cheryl during their recent group-of-four European trip, that included Santorini (Greece), Rome and Venice (Italy)!