Poetry series:'between the lines'
EDEN: 'My Parents' wedding'
Maya Sharda
The first image of my mum was taken at her Gaye holud (literally “yellow/turmeric on the body”) in 1992, which is part of a series of celebrations that constitute a Bengali wedding. Turmeric is applied to the face to make the bride and groom “appear beautiful”, as told in old Hindu mythology. It’s a really fun and lively event where everyone dresses up in bright colours (red/orange/yellow) and often people sing and dance.
Although similar ceremonies exist in other parts of the Indian subcontinent, this is traditional to Bengali people. These photos show an interreligious marriage. Whilst my mum was born in Bangladesh and raised in a (not too strict) Islamic household, My dad, raised in Kenya - is of Indian, Hindu origin. Whilst organising some of these old photos, I was particularly interested taken by the old albums that were used to keep them.
This album in particular is a beautiful floral-styled book with old-style sticky pages that my mum says she has had for years. I feel that the way they have been kept over these decades in this format really encompasses the beauty and vibrancy of South Asian culture.
