2 States The Story Of My Marriage (33 page)

will be what you managed to wrench out of a helpless father, who didn’t want a

drama at his daughter’s wedding to turn into a scandal.’

It was too many words for Duke to process at one go. He was stunned, like the

rest of the cousins, more by Ananya’s confidence and fluent English than what

she was saying.

‘Sit down,’ Ananya said. Duke complied instantly. Ananya turned to everyone.

‘Listen, all brothers and sisters of Duke, there isn’t going to be any Accent. The

elders have shown their true colours, now it is down to Duke and all of you. If he

wants to take Minti with respect, he should say so. If he doesn’t, then he is just a
schmuck and we don’t want the wedding.’

‘Ananya beta….’ Rajji mama came to us as the youngsters’ meeting had gone

for too long.

‘Almost done, uncle,’ Ananya said. ‘Five minutes, Duke. Make up your mind.’

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Everyone fell silent as Ananya Swaminathan, brand manager HLL, MBA, rated

best girl by popular vote at IIMA and rated best girlfriend by my own vote, forced

the younger generation in Duke’s family to think.

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49

The cousins fell silent as seconds ticked past. Duke wanted to say something,

but he noticed his parents’ sour faces from far and kept quiet. He huddled with

his own cousins as they exchanged whispers with each other. He stood up again

and spoke to Ananya after four minutes.

‘Excuse me, madam,’ Duke said.

‘I’m Ananya. What?’

‘Can we go to the grown-ups? I want to talk to my mother.’

‘About what?’ Ananya said and blocked him.

‘Why are you so dominating? Let me go.’

‘Let’s all go,’ Ananya said.

All the cousins stood up from their chairs. We walked up to the grown-ups.

Duke went to his mother.

‘Mummy, I want to marry Minti.’

Duke’s mother gave her son a shocked look.

‘But they have betrayed us, beta,’ Duke’s father said.

Rajji mama dived towards their feet again. Ananya stopped him.

‘Daddy, I have kept quiet for so long, no? everything you have decided. Now

whatever it is, don’t spoil my marriage.’

‘Beta, but hey promised us,’ Duke’s mother said.

‘Mummy, enough! And why this drama of keeping their jewellery? What do you

think? I can’t buy my own car?’

‘Five minutes are over,’ Ananya said, ‘should we pack up or….’

‘What kind of a girl are you? You are not even giving me time to convince,’

Duke said to Ananya.

One of Duke’s uncles stood up. ‘Let’s start-ji. We can’t spoil our children’s

happy day. We are already late for the jaimala ceremony.’

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‘Are they OK?’ Rajji mama said, looking at Duke’s parents.

‘Don’t worry, misunderstandings happen. We don’t have to spoil a lifelong

relationship,’ Duke’s uncle said as he signaled for all others to stand up.

‘Everyone , please enjoy the snacks,’ Duke said. It was enough cue for his

relatives to jump at the waiters. It is cruel to keep Punjabis away from their food

at a wedding, especially when most of them had no stake in the car anyway.

Our side of the family hugged Duke’s parents. They didn’t hug back, but at

least they didn’t push us away. Rajji mama brought a box of mithai and fed

Duke’s parents a piece each in their mouths. The sugar rush improved their

expression. The DJ started the music. The wedding was back on.

One girl stood back until everyone vacated their sofas and went to the stage. It
was the South Indian girl who had come with me all the way form Chennai.

‘What did she say to him?’ Shipra masi asked me. She took her bag back and

redistributed the ornaments. I shrugged my shoulders.

‘Very wise girl,’ Kamla aunty gave Ananya a hug. ‘Thank you, beta. You kept

our izzat.’

‘But tell me one thing, you earn twenty-five thousand?’ Rajni aunty asked the

question everyone wanted to ask.

My mother came and gave Ananya a smiling nod. Even though my mother

didn’t say anything, I knew it meant a lot.

‘She’s not that bad,’ Shipra masi told my mother during jaimala.

‘You’ve scored girl, you know you have,’ I said to Ananya as we tossed flower

petals on Duke and Minti.

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50

‘So, mom,’ I said, ‘as I was saying.’ We were in the kitchen.

‘You’ve said that four times. Do you actually have something to say!’ my

mother said. She removed boiling tea from the stove.

‘Ananya leaves tomorrow,’ I said.

‘OK,’ she said. She passed me a cup of tea.

‘I called her home to meet us before she left.’

‘And,’ my mother said.

‘We’d like to know your decision,’ I said.

‘It’s your decision,’ she said.

‘OK, your opinion, which is important for me and to make my decision.’

‘Uff, you and your MBA terms,’ my mother said.

Ananya came home in the afternoon. My mother cut a melon as we sat at the

dining table.

‘So mom, the unthinkable happened. Your relatives like Ananya. Now, do I

have your permission to marry her?’

‘You don’t need my permission,’ my mother said, passing me melon slices.

‘Not permission, approval. Do we have your approval?’ I said.

She gave a few slices of fruit to Ananya.

‘Is that a yes?’ I said.

‘Kamla aunty and Rajji mama are quite fond of her,’ my mother said.

‘Do you like me, aunty? Tell me if you are not convinced,’ Ananya said.

‘Of course, I do, beta,’ my mother said, her hand on Ananya’s head. ‘But there

are other people too, your side of the family.’

‘My family likes Krish a lot!’

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‘Yes, but what about the families liking each other? You two may be happy, but

we adults have to get along with the adults from your side. You remember

Sabarmati Ashram?’

‘Be patient, mom. Over time, the families will get close,’ I said.

Ananya brought up the topic of my father one last time before she left. ‘Krish’s
dad won’t agree?’ Ananya said.

My mother gave a wry smile. ‘He won’t let us watch TV, forget Krish Choosing

his bride. It’s fine, my siblings are enough. Otherwise, it will never happen,’ my

mother said.

Ananya nodded. My mother went to her room and returned with two gold

bangles.

‘No aunty,’ Ananya said, even as my mother shoved it down her wrists and

kissed her head.

Happiness floated like rose petals in the air and I imagined fist pumping my

hand three times

~

‘So what’s the next step? The wedding date?’

Ananya and I were on our long-distance call from our respective offices.

‘You know your mother is right, there is a gap here,’ Ananya said.

‘What gap?’ I said.

‘My parents like you. Your mother likes me. What about them liking each

other? Remember the Ahmedabad disaster?’ Ananya said.

‘Yeah but,’ I said. ‘Oh man, I thought we were done.’

‘No, the two families have to unite. Trust me, it will be worth is. We should

make them meet,’ I said.

‘Where? I’ll come to Chennai with my mother?’ I said.

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‘No, let’s go to a neutral venue without relatives.’

‘Good point. Let me organise something,’ I ended the call.

I went back to work. I didn’t have a fixed division or boss in Citibank Delhi yet.

I floated between departments, pretending to be useful. I had a temporary stint in

the credit cards division. I had to come up with a credit card promotion plan,

something I had no interest or expertise in. I opened the existing brochure of

offers for our credit card customers. We had a special deal on a package to Goa.

I picked up the phone and called Ananya again. ‘Goa,’ I said. ‘Let’s all go to

Goa. Nothing like the sea, sun and sand to make the two families bond. Plus, it

will be fun for us, too. What say, next month?’

‘It won’t be cheap,’ she said.

‘Isn’t love the best investment?’ I said and fumbled through my cards to call

the travel agent.

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ACT 5:

Goa

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51

‘I am telling you now only. I don’t like her mother – arrogant woman,’ my mom

said as we waited at the taxi stand. My mother and I landed at the Dabolim Airport

in Goa two hours before Ananya and her parents did. I had tried to time the flights

as close as possible.

‘It’s not arrogance. They are quiet people,’ I said.

‘Don’t be under their spell,’ my mother said.

‘I’m not. OK, here they come, remember to smile,’ I said.

Ananya’s parents came face to face with my mother for the second time.

‘Hello Kavita-ji,’ Ananya’s father said. They exchanged greetings, not warm

and cuddly like Delhi airports, but not completely ice-cold either.

I had hired a Qualis. I helped the driver load Ananya’s bags into the car. My

mother gave me a puzzled look.

‘What?’ I said.

She shook her head.

I sat in front. Ananya’s family took the middle seat.

‘Oh, I’ll sit at the back,’ my mother said.

‘OK,’ Ananya’s mother said.

I realised the faux pas. ‘No, mom, I will take the backseat,’ I said. My mother
declined as she had already taken her place.

‘Park Hyatt,’ I said. The driver turned the car towards South Goa. My mother

took out a plastic packet from her bag.

‘Here, for you,’ my mother said and passes a sari to Ananya’s mother.

Ananya’s mother turned around and took the packet. ‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘It’s tussar silk,’ my mother said, ‘I bought it from the Assam emporium.’

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‘Silk is very popular in the South also, we have Kanjeevaram saris,’ Ananya’s

mother said and she kept the sari in her bag.

We didn’t speak much until we reached the resort.

Hotel staff received us with a garland of flowers and a fruit-punch welcome

drink. None of us had ever stayed in a five-star hotel.

‘Isn’t this expensive?’ my mother said.

‘They gave me a deal. I promised I’ll get Citibank to do their annual conference
here,’ I said.

‘Welcome, Mr Krish, we have two garden view rooms booked for you,’ the

receptionist said. ‘And I have some good news. One of the rooms, we are offering

an upgrade to a larger, sea-view room.’

‘Wow,’ Ananya said, ‘I’ve never stayed in a sea-view room.’

Of course, Ananya and I weren’t staying together. I was to share a room with

my mother while Ananya would be with her parents. And since they were three of

them, I made the choice.

‘Ananya, your family can take the larger room. Mom and I will take the other

one,’ I said.

The bell-boys carried the luggage to our room. ‘Nice place, no?’ I said to my

mother as we passed a flower garden.

My mother didn’t respond.

‘Everything OK?’ I said.

My mother gave a brief nod. She kept quiet until we had reached the room.

‘They are very rude people,’ my mother said.

‘Who? The hotel staff?’ I said as I opened the curtains to see the garden view.

‘Shut up, these people you want to make your in-laws. Are they in-laws? They

are making their son-in-law pick up luggage?’

‘Huh? When?’ I asked.

‘At the airport. You don’t even realise you have become their servant?’

‘I….’ I said, searching for a response, ‘I wanted to help.’

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‘Nonsense, and why did they take the sea-view room? We are the boy’s side.’

‘They are more people. Besides, do you care? Isn’t the garden pretty?’

‘Whatever, have you noticed their biggest blunder?’ she said.

‘What?’

‘They didn’t get anything. I gave their daughter two bangles. They should have

some shame.’

In Punjabi terms, Ananya’s parents had committed a cognizable offence. You

don’t meet the boy’s side empty-handed. Ever.

‘And I gave her a silk sari for two thousand bucks. She didn’t even appreciate

it.’

‘She did.’

‘No, she was bragging about her South saris,’ my mother said.

This is one of the huge downsides of getting married. A guy has to get

involved in discussion about saris and gold.

‘Mom, we have come here to get to know them. Don’t pre-judge, please. And

now, get ready for dinner.’