Majlises and Lawns
Month long majlises, where friends, relatives, and neighbours would come to meet and participate in fun and merry making marked the order of the day. They were rather expensive gatherings, held separately at both the houses. For the rich it was, in a way, show off while for the not so rich it was a dreadful experience of being driven to a corner from where there was no escape. Typically the majlises were held after Isha prayers, in the pandal, after closure of the day's business, as Memons in those days were generally traders or attached to some trading establishments which worked until late in the evening. There would be no Majlis once the peetthi started. The girl was already restrained, and the boy too would be compelled to stay indoors and not to expend his energies by going out or contacting with outsiders. The confinement was known as Wannai – the process of making him a bridegroom. On non-marriage situations if a boy sat indoors, shying outside contacts, he was mocked at saying, “Chokro Wannai Vittho Ahe” (The boy is in a state of Wannai)
Visitors were served with tea and Nankhattai or biscuits, sarbats and pan of various descriptions - mittho (sweet), kharo (spicy), banarasi, khoprewaro (stuffed with dried coconut flakes) and khollo (free style, wherethe chewer could opt for well laid out ingredients of his / her choice. Large one foot high brass or enamelware Thockdanis (spittoons) placed all around in the pandal were a magnificent sight.
The majlises at the girl's had attractions of fun making and hilarious songs by Langhis, the traditional singer dancers. Admission was restricted to women, girls, and boys below 12. Yet the menfolk enjoyed the fun in the lyrics from outside. At times the songs assumed lewd dimensions but were relished by one and all. Burkhas were sparingly used; ladies arrived well covered, older ones in Millayos (black wraps), younger ones in fancy shawls, over highly embroidered Aabas (ankle deep gowns).
One of the common rituals associated with the Majlises was Lawn. Lawn had two components. In the first, platefuls of badam (almond), pistachios, cashew nuts, elachi (cardamom), toffees, lozenges or other sweets (one item per day) were circulated around the bride / bridegroom’s head and thrown upwards for the fun loving friends and children to pick them up. The second part, every visitor was presented with a plateful of the lawn of the evening, in silver, brass, ceramic, glass or enameled plates, sometimes wrapped in silk roomals (kerchiefs). Visitors also used to bring their own roomals, just in case they had to the carry plates and the contents. Paper, cloth or jute bags were not used. As the residences were fairly close to each other there were no much carrying problems.
Bride's Majlises had one extra item of Mehndi ji Lawn where cups of Mehndi paste were gifted to the visiting ladies. Some times women and children would gather early enough to have the Mehndi applied to their hands and feet, in situ. My Nanima possessed a small beautiful attar (perfume) bottle which she had received at an Attar Lawn, the only one extremely rare lawn she had witnessed.
​
With the previous evening’s influx of guests and allied halla-gullas settled, the Nikah day started with breakfast for the guests staying with the hosts. Traditionally the breakfast would include either mani (roti) or baked bread (double roti, the predecessor of today’s sliced bread) served with gravy or soup made of the offals of the goats slaughtered for lunch, such as liver and kidneys, all made in an adjacent temporary kitchen . If the barat (bride groom's party) came from outside then it was the responsibility of the bride's family to provide them with appropriate accommodation and food from the time of their arrival until arrival back home. As there was no system of hotels or third party function halls, guests used to be accommodated in neighbours' or relatives' houses nearby as well in the pandal itself.
​​