The classical Nadaswaram music played a final, joyous tune as the wedding rituals concluded. Siddanth and Krithika first action, was to seek the blessings of the parents.
Siddanth stepped down from the Mandapam platform. Krithika followed him. They walked over to Vikram Deva and Sesikala, who were standing near the edge of the carpets. Siddanth bent down and touched his father's feet, then his mother's. Krithika did the exact same, touching her new in-laws' feet.
Sesikala placed both her hands on Krithika's head, offering a quiet, emotional blessing. Vikram Deva patted Siddanth's shoulder firmly.
The couple then walked over to Subba Rao and Suma. They touched Krithika's parents' feet. Suma wiped a tear from her eye, holding Krithika's hands tightly for a long moment.
Once the immediate parents had offered their blessings, the extended elders formed a line. Siddanth and Krithika touched the feet of Siddanth's Pedananna (older uncle) and Peddamma (older aunt), followed by Siddanth's Menamama (maternal uncle) and Athamma (aunt). They moved down the line methodically, touching the feet of every Pinni (younger aunt) and Babai (younger uncle) present.
The process took fifteen minutes. Once the elders were done giving blessing, Siddanth and Krithika moved back onto the raised wooden dais.
A wide, intricately carved wooden throne covered in a red velvet cushion had been placed directly in the center of the dais. Siddanth and Krithika sat down.
The guests, recognizing that the rituals were over, naturally and politely formed a single, organized line leading up the short wooden stairs to the throne.
The first person to walk up the steps was Narender, Siddanth's very first cricket coach, accompanied by his wife.
Siddanth did not stay seated. He stood up immediately. Krithika followed his lead. They both bent down and touched the old coach's feet.
"Stand up, Sid," Coach Narender said, pulling him up by the shoulders. He looked at Krithika. "He was a very stubborn boy on the pitch. If he gets stubborn at home, tell him to run ten laps around the house."
Krithika laughed. "I will definitely do that, sir."
The photographer took a picture. The coach and his wife walked down the opposite side of the dais.
Next in line was Rajesh, Siddanth's first Ranji Trophy captain, holding the hands of his five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter, with his wife walking beside him.
Siddanth shook Rajesh's hand firmly. "Rajesh bhai."
"Congratulations, Sid," Rajesh smiled. He looked at Krithika. "You have inherited a lot of stress, Krithika. But he is a good man."
The two young children stared up at Siddanth's massive height in pure awe. Siddanth smiled, leaning down slightly to shake their small hands before the photographer snapped the picture.
The cricketing royalty followed.
Sachin Tendulkar walked up with Anjali, Sara, and Arjun. Sachin hugged Siddanth and placed a hand on Krithika's head, blessing her warmly.
M.S. Dhoni arrived next with Sakshi and Ziva. Dhoni did not offer any philosophical advice; he simply shook Siddanth's hand and offered a calm "Congratulations, Sid," before posing for the camera.
Then came the international contingent.
David Warner, Kane Williamson, Dale Steyn, and Trent Boult walked up the stairs together. They were all wearing traditional Indian kurtas, looking slightly uncomfortable but highly enthusiastic.
"Mate, you actually did it," Warner grinned, shaking Siddanth's hand vigorously. "We thought you were married to the cricket bat."
"He finally found a better partnership," Williamson added quietly, offering a polite smile to Krithika.
"Congratulations, mate," Steyn said.
They took a massive group photo, the international players towering over the traditional setup, before walking down the stairs.
Then came actors and directors.
As the guests finished their photos, they naturally migrated out of the main courtyard and toward the massive, air-conditioned dining pavilions.
The wedding feast was strictly traditional. There was no non-vegetarian food served during the marriage day. The heavy mutton biryanis and the country chicken roasts were reserved entirely for the reception. Today, it was an eighty-item vegetarian spread.
Inside the dining pavilion, there were no buffet lines. Long, continuous wooden tables were arranged in perfect, symmetrical rows across the massive hall. In front of every wooden chair, a fresh, wide, dark green banana leaf had been placed perfectly flat.
The serving process was highly orchestrated. A team of fifty servers, wearing spotless white uniforms, walked down the narrow aisles between the tables. They carried massive stainless steel buckets.
The first server walked down the line, placing a small pinch of salt, a dollop of sweet mango pickle (Avakaya), spicy gongura pickle, and a piece of deep-fried lentil crisp (Appadam) on the top left corner of every banana leaf.
Then came the massive variety of curries. The chefs had prepared over twenty different vegetable preparations. The servers moved with rapid precision, placing portions of thick yellow dal, spicy potato fry (Alu Vepudu), mixed vegetable kurma, traditional stuffed eggplant curry (Gutti Vankaya), okra fry (Bhendakaya Vepudu), and a rich, creamy paneer butter masala.
"What is this one?" David Warner asked Shikhar Dhawan, pointing to a dark, leafy green paste on his banana leaf.
"Gongura pacchadi," Sameer who was overseeing food section, warned him. "It is sorrel leaf. Very tangy, very spicy. Eat it with rice and ghee."
The servers brought the rice dishes next. They served steaming hot, fragrant white rice exactly in the center of the leaf. But the rice options did not end there. They brought large copper vessels filled with rich Vegetable Dum Biryani, heavily spiced Mushroom Biryani, tangy Tamarind Rice (Pulihora), and Lemon Rice.
The servers did not stop. They circled the tables continuously, bringing fresh, hot servings of Sambar (lentil stew), spicy Rasam (tamarind soup), and Pulusu, pouring it directly over the rice as the guests ate.
Finally, the sweets were served. The right side of the banana leaf was loaded with traditional delicacies: Bobbatlu (sweet stuffed flatbread) dripping in ghee, double ka meetha (bread pudding), semiya payasam (vermicelli pudding), and small, perfectly round laddoos.
The guests ate the eighty-item feast in quiet focus, the volume and quality of the traditional food silencing the entire hall.
Back in the main courtyard, Siddanth and Krithika were still sitting on the throne.
Rahul walked up the side stairs of the dais. He simply leaned down to Siddanth's ear.
"Boss," Rahul whispered. "The Chief Minister's convoy is at the main gate."
Siddanth nodded. He and Krithika stood up from the throne and walked down the steps of the dais to the stone pathway.
Two minutes later, the heavy teakwood doors swung open.
The advance security team walked in first, scanning the courtyard quietly. Then, the Chief Minister of Telangana, K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), walked through the doors, accompanied by his son, K.T. Rama Rao (KTR).
"Namaskaram, sir," Siddanth greeted, folding his hands.
KCR smiled, folding his hands in return. He placed a hand on Siddanth's shoulder. "Congratulations, Siddanth. You have brought a lot of pride to the state. Now you have a household to manage."
"Thank you, sir," Siddanth replied.
KTR stepped forward, shaking Siddanth's hand warmly. "Congratulations, Sid. The Kakatiya setup looks incredible."
"Thank you, Ram Anna," Siddanth said. He gestured to Krithika. "This is my wife, Krithika."
The politicians folded their hands, offering Krithika their formal blessings.
"We apologize for the brief visit," KCR said, checking the time. "We have a cabinet meeting scheduled. We just wanted to convey our blessings personally."
They posed for a photograph with the couple near the Mandapam. Then, surrounded by their security detail, the Chief Minister and his son turned and walked swiftly back down the aisle, exiting the courtyard exactly five minutes after they had arrived.
The regular guest line resumed seamlessly.
Another hour passed. Suddenly, the line halted again. The crowd near the entrance archway parted naturally, completely silently, out of sheer, unprompted respect.
An elderly man, walking slowly but with immense, quiet dignity, entered the courtyard in a simple grey suit.
It was Ratan Tata.
Siddanth moved swiftly across the courtyard to meet the industrial titan.
Ratan Tata smiled, extending his hand. Siddanth took it gently with both his hands, bowing his head in respect.
"Congratulations, Siddanth," Ratan Tata said softly. "I apologize for being late. The traffic was difficult."
"Sir, you being here is an honor," Siddanth replied genuinely. "Please, come to the dais."
Siddanth escorted Ratan Tata to the throne. Krithika folded her hands in a Namaste. Ratan Tata offered her a warm smile.
"You look beautiful, my dear," he told her. "I wish you both a lifetime of quiet happiness."
He posed for a photograph with the couple.
Siddanth had explicitly printed a strict rule on every single wedding invitation: No gifts will be accepted. If you wish to offer something, please make a donation to the NEXUS Educational Foundation.
Ratan Tata respected the rule perfectly. He did not hand them a gift. He simply offered his blessing, shook Siddanth's hand one final time, and turned to leave. Siddanth walked him all the way back to the entrance archway.
By 2:30 PM, the individual guest photos were finally complete.
"Group photos," the photographer requested, stepping back to adjust his wide-angle lens.
Vikram, Sesikala, Subba Rao, Suma, and Anjali walked up onto the dais. They stood beside Siddanth and Krithika, forming the complete, newly unified family portrait. The photographer snapped several pictures.
"School friends," Siddanth called out.
Arjun, Sameer, and Feroz walked up the stairs. They were followed by Sandeep, Harish, and Raju, Siddanth's friends from his childhood neighborhood and school days. The six men surrounded Siddanth, laughing and adjusting their silk kurtas. Siddanth stood in the center, resting his arms on Sandeep and Raju's shoulders for the picture.
"Krithika's friends," Sameer announced, stepping down.
Riya, Kavya, Priya, and Sneha rushed up the stairs. They surrounded Krithika, adjusting the heavy silk pallu of her saree and ensuring her jewelry sat perfectly before flashing bright smiles for the camera.
Then there was a photo with Sameer, Arjun, and Feroz with their families.
"Indian squad," Virat yelled from the bottom of the stairs.
The entire Indian national cricket team swarmed the dais. They crowded around Siddanth, leaving almost no room on the wide platform. They posed for a massive, chaotic team photo.
As the national team stepped down, David Warner led the entire Sunrisers Hyderabad squad up the stairs. Kane Williamson, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the rest of the franchise players took their positions around their captain, grinning widely for the final group shot.
Then Indian coaching team who came after the wedding rituals are over also took a group photograph.
The courtyard was practically empty now, save for the logistics staff clearing the dropped flower petals.
Siddanth and Krithika sat heavily on the throne. The exhaustion had completely drained them.
"We are done," Siddanth sighed, leaning back. "We just need to eat."
"Not yet."
Sameer's voice interrupted them.
Arjun, Sameer, and Feroz were walking toward the dais. They were not smiling. They had completely serious and suspicious expressions on their faces.
"We know you printed the 'No Gifts' rule on the invitation," Arjun started, standing at the bottom of the stairs with his hands in his pockets.
"We respect your charitable boundaries," Feroz added smoothly.
"But we are your oldest friends," Sameer concluded, crossing his arms. "And we couldn't help ourselves. We completely ignored your rule."
Siddanth sighed heavily. "What did you bring?"
"You have to come outside to see it," Sameer grinned.
Siddanth looked at Krithika. They stood up from the throne and followed the three men across the empty Kakatiya courtyard, walking out through the massive stone archway toward the gravel driveway of the estate.
A large crowd of people, who had finished their lunch, were already gathered in the driveway.
Parked in the center of the circular driveway was a large, enclosed, heavy-duty transport truck.
"Open it," Arjun instructed the driver.
The driver unlatched the heavy metal doors and swung them open. He climbed inside, started an engine, and slowly reversed the vehicle down the heavy metal ramps.
The massive, incredibly long, flawlessly polished machine rolled onto the gravel driveway. The sunlight hit the deep, striking Custom Royal Blue paint, making it gleam like liquid sapphire.
It was a Rolls-Royce Phantom VII.
It was the extended wheelbase version, customized for ultra-luxury. The massive chrome grille dominated the front. The interior, visible through the slightly tinted windows, featured deep, hand-stitched tan leather and polished mahogany wood paneling.
Siddanth stopped walking. He stared at the massive royal blue car.
He turned his head slowly, looking directly at his three best friends.
Arjun, Sameer, and Feroz were standing in a line, offering sheepish smiles.
"You bought me a Phantom," Siddanth said quietly.
"It is not just for you," Sameer argued quickly. "It is for Krithika also."
"Mainly for Krithika, actually," Feroz added, pointing at the bride. "You just get to ride in the front seat."
"Sid," Arjun said, stepping forward. "You run a multi-billion dollar company. And you drive a very practical SUV. We couldn't let you start your married life without proper transportation. You can't say no to the gift."
Siddanth looked back at the Royal Blue Rolls-Royce. He looked at his three friends, who had pooled their resources just to force him into a luxury car he would never buy for himself.
He just smiled.
"Idiots," Siddanth muttered affectionately.
He took Krithika's hand. "Come on. Let's look at it."
They approached the vehicle. Krithika looked at the massive chrome grille, running her hand lightly over the flawless royal blue paint of the front fender.
"It is huge," Krithika noted, looking inside the window at the spacious rear cabin.
They did not get inside. They did not take it for a joyride. Siddanth was exhausted, and Krithika was still wearing her heavy bridal saree.
"Put it in the garage," Siddanth instructed the transport driver.
The driver nodded, getting back into the Rolls-Royce and slowly maneuvering the massive vehicle toward the secure underground parking facility of the Shamshabad estate.
The crowd began to disperse.
Siddanth looked at his friends. "Thank you. Truly."
"Alright," Siddanth said, clapping his hands once. "The guests have eaten. The photos are done. We need to eat."
Siddanth, Krithika, Vikram, Sesikala, Subba Rao, Suma, and the core group of friends finally walked toward a private, secluded dining pavilion.
The servers immediately prepared fresh banana leaves for them. They sat down in a single row. The hot white rice, the melting ghee, the Vegetable Dum Biryani, the Mushroom Biryani, the spicy Gutti Vankaya, and the sweet Double Ka Meetha were served with rapid efficiency.
They ate in silence for the first five minutes, letting the comforting food restore their depleted energy levels.
Siddanth mixed the rice and Sambar with his fingers, taking a large bite. He looked down the long wooden table. He saw his parents eating quietly. He saw Krithika eating the spicy potato fry. He saw Sameer and Arjun already asking for second servings of ghee.
The marriage was done. The massive event had been executed flawlessly. But as Siddanth finished his meal, he knew the day was not completely over.