"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am brother no. 2 of Udayan's mother, Suneeti Kulkarni. In Indian languages the term for this uncle is "Mama" and there is a usage, 'I made a Mama of him'. That is, I made a fool of him. I think this relationship is peculiar. Mama may think of himself as shrewd and wily in front of the world, but when it comes to his nephews, the Mama becomes a simpleton and all naive. He becomes the keeper of nephew's secrets.
When I first came to US in 1996, my mother, that is Uda's grandmother, had asked me to hand over cash gifts to both Eddy, the elder one and Uda. I used to be a smoker then, not any more. So I stepped out with my two nephews and lit a cigarette at the first opportunity. I thought my sister and Mayur didn't know about my being a smoker. So when I smoked, I saw Uda's eyes pop up. I told him,' don't tell your mom.' Then I remembered my mother's gifts. I handed over to both Eddy and Uda. Eddy said, thank you. Uda said, 'don't tell my mom.' I don't know whether he trusted me then, but I kept his trust.
Both his grandma and Eddy are not there with us today. But I'm sure their blessings are with Uda and Manali today.
My mother would have been especially happy today. It was her fervent wish that at least one from the family should take up medicine as a career. There are some of us who are Ph Ds but we are paper doctors. Uda is the one who in a way fulfilled her dream.
My mother was born and brought up in Saurashtra, which is a part of the state of Gujarat. In our family and extended family, there are many matrimonial connections that link us to Gujarat. We are very happy that Manali is continuing that tradition.
The interesting thing is that being neighbouring states, Maharashtra and Gujarat mingle with each other readily, especially in matters of food. And this has been going on for centuries. Both are proud of their heritage. But there is a difference, When Gujarati's talk, it is sweet music to the ears. The language has that quality. When Maharashtrians talk, you might think a stone crusher is at work nearby.
Here in Atlanta we are witnessing a union in which both Udayan and Manali are transcending those boundaries. On behalf of our family I congratulate them and wish them a long, happy and blissful married life.
Thank you.
