Oh. My. Goodness. What an incredible experience!
Ananya's mom reached out to me about videography for a special ceremony. I hadn't heard of this specific type of special event before, but a Half Saree Function (or Ritu Kala Samskaram) is a South Indian Hindu ceremony that acts as a rite of passage, and marks when a young girl becomes a woman. I know of similar events in different cultures, such as Bat Mitzvas, Quinceaneras, and in a far less legitimate sense, Sweet Sixteens; but I've never experienced something quite like the Half Saree Function.
You can view the video and read the story below!
Note: the photos included in this post are still frames taken from the video.
I shot video on two separate days. The first day, which was specifically for just the family, was the Tamil Manjal Neerattu Vizha or “Turmeric Bathing Ceremony.” All of the women in Ananya's family participated in this beautiful ceremony, first by painting her face, arms, and feet with a turmeric paste. Once everyone has participated, they shower the paste off by pouring water through a sort of colander. I was very curious about the symbolism behind this ritual, but wasn't able to find much information. Once Ananya was bathed, she was gifted with her first saree, a traditional garment worn by Indian women. From what I've read, the tradition is that a girl's first saree is supposed to be white to symbolize virginity (similar to the tradition behind the wedding dress).
Next, Ananya sat down with a priest along with her parents and brother. This portion was so fast, and - being unfamiliar with the Tamil culture and Hindi rituals - I wasn't quite able to follow much of what took place. If you happen to remember way back a few years ago when I photographed a proposal for Priyen and Hina, I had mentioned a small ritual with a coconut and rice; this ceremony also included those elements, so I'm curious as to whether the concepts are related! During this ceremony, Ananya was presented with many gifts that are traditionally supposed to be set aside as a part of the young woman's dowry, but I expect that in this case, they're just gifts.
That brings us to day two of the event: the party! The ceremony is traditionally followed by a feast, and this family did not disappoint. Many friends and family members were invited to this beautifully decorated, lavish party to celebrate Ananya's coming of age. All the decorations were done by her mother, Anupama. There was delicious food (I wish I could eat those samosas every day), face painting, henna, dancing, and so much happiness - not to mention a BEAUTIFULLY decorated cake for the special occasion. Despite running back and forth getting all the shots, I felt so lucky to have been a part of Ananya's weekend, and to have seen the beautiful ceremony.
This was my first videography job in quite a while, so I was thrilled, despite being a little nervous. The video linked above was actually only the first draft; after sending this version, Anupama and I worked together to make some changes, include a few more shots of certain things she was hoping for, and making some adjustments to the music. She was so patient and helped me get a perfect understanding of what she had in mind, while still giving me the creative freedom to do what I thought would be best for the video! It was such a wonderful experience, and I'm so proud of the final product. Not to mention the incredibly sweet response I got from Anupama about the final video (which you can find in my client testimonials in the About page!)