A Special Day at Red Fort Resort, Kaas

A Special Day at Red Fort Resort, Kaas

June 13

My whole family was busy preparing because the next day was my sister’s tila ceremony. In Marathi tradition, tila means that the marriage is almost fixed. Once it's done, the wedding is more or less confirmed. So yes, it was an important event for our family

We were all very excited, especially because on this occasion, my mom’s side of the family was going to visit us. My aunt, my cousin sister, my mama (maternal uncle), and his family. Usually, the tila program is held at home, but we decided to do something a little bigger. So we arranged it at the Red Fort Resort in Kaas 🌿

That day, I took leave from my class. Obviously, someone had to help mom with all the guests arriving. We were waiting for my uncle and his family to reach by around 7 PM. Meanwhile, I stepped out to buy some matching earrings and other things for my outfit. When I returned, my uncle had already arrived

I hadn’t seen him in years. The last time I saw him, I was just a kid, so it felt really different now. His daughter, my little cousin, had grown up a lot. But she still looked the same, just more beautiful now. I met everyone and we all chatted a lot. I was especially waiting for my aunt and my cousin sister Anuja.

My mom and my uncle were meeting after many years, and they were deep in conversation. I was chatting with my younger cousin while the rest of us kept talking and catching up. We had dinner together and even while trying to sleep, we couldn’t stop talking. We were just too excited.

After about half an hour, we heard that my aunt had arrived in the parking area. So all of us woke up quickly and rushed to meet them. My aunt, Anuja, and her little son Ansh had arrived. We hugged each other the moment we met, and from there, the real chaos began but the happy kind.

That moment brought such a beautiful feeling, like the entire home was now filled with wedding vibes. Everything felt more real now. Even though it was already 3 AM, the conversations didn’t stop. While the elders were talking in the hall, we cousins were deep in endless chatter in the bedroom.

Eventually, we had to sleep because we had an early start the next day. We woke up early, had breakfast, and then I helped everyone get ready one by one. We had to leave by 9 AM.

We girls decided that we’d finish getting ready at the resort itself. Two cars were parked and waiting, so we all got in and left. On the way, we stopped at a flower stall to buy floral garlands (gajras) for my sister. Then we continued.

The road ahead was quite long, and because it was monsoon season, everything was misty and magical. Just like a movie scene. The drive felt dreamy. Finally, we reached the resort.

Then we all went to our rooms at the resort and got ready. Slowly, more relatives started arriving one by one. Once everyone had gathered, we began the tila ceremony. The resort was huge, with open spaces and beautiful greenery all around. Lush jungle stretched out in front of us. It had just started to drizzle a little, and the entire atmosphere felt magical.

After the ceremony was done, we had lunch and took lots of photos. I was the one capturing pictures for everyone, so I barely got any individual photos of myself. Still, it was fun. Everyone was smiling, laughing, and soaking in the joy of the moment.

We left the resort around 6 PM. It had started getting a bit dark and the fog on the road was so thick that we could hardly see what was ahead. We ended up clicking photos from inside the car because the mist outside looked so dreamy.

As the fog slowly began to clear, we continued our journey. And what can I say. Nature looked absolutely stunning. Satara truly comes alive during the monsoon. The greenery, the cool breeze, the hills. It all looked straight out of a painting.

We finally reached home and rested for a bit. That entire day, I will never forget it. It’s one of those memories that stays etched in your heart.