NEW: I am sure dedicated readers of this post will have noticed that the blog has been upgraded. The colour scheme is a little different and more soothing to look at. New features have been added like Eye Spy (for short & crisp observations of mine); A Penny For Your Thoughts (that's me being a responsible citizen of the world); What I'm Watching/Reading/Surfing (so that you can, you know, get inspired like... )
Please do write in and tell me how you like it.
Now, I was just reading about an upcoming wedding and it struck me how true it is, that time, indeed heals everything.
The wedding i am talking about is of Ms. Devyani R L Rana with Mr. Aishwarya Singh.
She is the daughter of Mr. Pashupati SJB Rana & Mrs. Usharaje Scindia-Rana and he is the grandson of the Indian HRD minister Arjun Singh himself a scion of one of the erstwhile families of Madhya Pradesh.
Ofcourse all of you may know Ms. Rana in a different context. When Crown Prince Dipendra shot dead (yes yes the Crown Prince. Sorry to all of you who think H.M. Gyanandra did it. You guys should probably get back to your vigil for Elvis to resurface again) his entire family over their refusal to let him marry Ms. Devyani Rana, it was hard to imagine how anyone could survive such notoriety & scandal. She took refuge with her maternal uncle Mr. Madhavrao Scindia the Maharaj of Gwalior. He too sadly passed away soon in a plane crash.
Now she is getting married to a person who will hopefully give her lots of love and happiness.
I dont know either of them but this example is just to illustrate how life gets back on track after even the worst tragedies. We just need to hang in there and more importantly move on. What If's.. are just a waste of time. (check out the pictures in this post for your share of What If's...)
what if......
By the way, quite a co-incidence wouldn't you say that she is getting married to someone named Aishwarya which would have been the name of her mother-in-law had she married the Crown Prince. What If...... Huh?
And i wonder if my friend His Serene Highness Prabir SJB Rana has been invited. He was, to Devyani's sister's wedding way back while in college. I had also tagged along and nearly drowned in champagne, to put it mildly. I think i'll leave the details for another time.
what if......
By the way you must also be wondering why i am being so particular over titles and salutations. Well for those of you who dont know, Prabir SJB Rana is my oldest and closest friend. Infact we have been friends for over 1 score and 3 years (A little nod to Lincoln there) and ever since we were in middle school, he has been quite clear in hammering into my head that honours and titles are 'earned' and should always be used.
"It is the 'propah' thing to do" he still insists today as he did while still in the 4th grade, twirling an imaginary moustache and all of 3 foot tall.
"I am His Royal Highness Prabir Shumshere Jung Bahadur Rana," he would bellow and turn to us, almost expecting to see us standing at attention. "We are 'Shree teen' as the British themselves christened us Ranas" he would add in a tone that hovered somewhere between ominous and theatrical.
However after the recent proclamation of parliament the Shree Panch Shahs themselves have been 'demoted' and so my dear friend too has been downgraded from Royal Highness and is now a Serene Highness. (Quite apt though, considering how much he likes to sleep or as he calls it, take 40 winks)
FYI, the royal family of Monaco are also Their Serene Highnesses, while the sheikhs of UAE are further down the protocal chain and are just Their Highnesses. No Royal no Serene. Just Highness.
So let me take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to our dear friend.
Footnote: 20 odd years down the line his moustache hasn't materialised but to be fair, he is now nudging the 5 foot mark.
The Royals are Dead. Long Live the Royals.
Ciao
Vish
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