A fiction to change the mood yet again!...but hopefully relateable for most people of my generation!!! Happy Reading...
It can be an extremely satisfactory feeling when you sit back someday on a free idle Saturday or Sunday afternoon going over past events and reminisce experiences…academics: school life, college life, little work stint, post graduation, friends you made along the way, relations you nurtured while progressing…the little ups and downs while you made some important and not so important decisions, how it got more confounding with every passing year , the complexity of issues to be resolved grew in proportion to the candles you added on the birthday cake!!
Riya was finding more such reasons to feel proud of her life…lazing on the cold floor of her room. She felt content as she sat recollecting the way she had always remained focused and steadily achieved her dreams and also got a chance to be a part of some great moments with all her friends that she will cherish for eternity. Her people always remained at the centre of all ‘things’. She was beginning to drift away in a different era and world when…
Her mother entered the room and slowly sat herself down on the little couch behind where Riya was lying down at an approximate 120 degree or so!!! She gently started pressing Riya’s head and that started to make Riya suspicious that there was a difficult conversation in store…
‘What do you plan to do now Riya?’ asked her mother.
It can be an extremely satisfactory feeling when you sit back someday on a free idle Saturday or Sunday afternoon going over past events and reminisce experiences…academics: school life, college life, little work stint, post graduation, friends you made along the way, relations you nurtured while progressing…the little ups and downs while you made some important and not so important decisions, how it got more confounding with every passing year , the complexity of issues to be resolved grew in proportion to the candles you added on the birthday cake!!
Riya was finding more such reasons to feel proud of her life…lazing on the cold floor of her room. She felt content as she sat recollecting the way she had always remained focused and steadily achieved her dreams and also got a chance to be a part of some great moments with all her friends that she will cherish for eternity. Her people always remained at the centre of all ‘things’. She was beginning to drift away in a different era and world when…
Her mother entered the room and slowly sat herself down on the little couch behind where Riya was lying down at an approximate 120 degree or so!!! She gently started pressing Riya’s head and that started to make Riya suspicious that there was a difficult conversation in store…
‘What do you plan to do now Riya?’ asked her mother.
‘Umm, just meet up Isha and Pooja over coffee…it gets really difficult in the week days you know right ... And there is SALE at Mango…I have some of last month’s salary saved!! I have been meaning to shop there forever … I’m thinking I must go to Mango this time before the sale is gone and I’m left admiring those pretty price tags!!! '
‘Oh!!… But I meant LIFE Riya… What do you plan to do in life …?
Riya sensed a l’il tension now… ‘Mom I know this might sound highly confused…but I DON’T KNOW…I seem to be expecting and wanting a lot from life…I don’t know if most people my age have as many dreams…I don’t know if its good or will it cause disappointment. I always wanted to reach a few milestones in most areas… my education, my professional life, all my relations…I took several intermediate paths to reach my DESTINATION. But at the end of everything, I yet feel, there isn’t a destination really’... Riya was simultaneously nurturing a feeling of embarrassment over this idea or the Lack of it! She still continued talking as she assured herself that her mom would never judge her…
‘But all throughout, I knew I wanted to reach a point when I can stand up all by myself and DO everything that makes me feel content forever and never REGRET my CHOICES. I realize that there is so much for everyone to do and become…some decode those clues life throws and some miss it tangentially and never apprehend what they LOST…they harbor the disappointment of never having figured why they feel incomplete … they are content with what life throws at them and justify it saying “sometimes there aren’t many choices".
I always fancied doing so many things once I was through with the difficult times… I always dreamed of a good holiday with you’ll when I was free with my examination burdens, my project deadlines, when I made enough money to indulge myself with some good things in life. I always kept waiting for a right time; when life was blissful, hassle- free and granted me some leisure time to search for my calling… I have always been committed t the most mundane causes and have given myself entirely to everything I took up … but so many things remain to be accomplished… I still feel RESTLESS…A lot of things that make life worth cherishing and meaningful'...
‘But Riya…In my eyes you are an achiever… We stepped in at all the necessary times and gave you all that we thought was essential for you… is there something missing?’
‘No mum I don’t mean you’ll haven’t …I just thought I would do these things on my own one day… and infact also present you with some moments that you’ll missed out on while helping us grow and taking care of our needs'.
…Parallel feeling of embarrassment was taking over Riya. She was feeling petty to be telling her mother that she wanted to provide for her needs knowing well her mother had done it all her life for Riya and Riya’s meager contribution now would not quite suffice or closely match her sacrifices: monetary and absolute…but yea maybe she could touch and connect with her on an abstract level with this gesture she felt… a token of appreciation to this woman for the countless sacrifices she made to help Riya succeed in her endeavors and invincible in her efforts to endure all troubles ... “A woman of consequence” like Mariam of A Thousand splendid Suns… Riya was thinking for her mum.
‘Anyways mum…maybe I am being stupid…What is it that you wanted to ask?’
‘Riya …what have you thought about MARRIAGE?’… I mean do you have anyone in mind...Uh anyone you would want us to consider/meet before we thought of someone else.’
Riya trembled for a second or two and quickly collected herself after a flash of all those thoughts of a recent relation that did not culminate into anything pleasant…
‘Mom… I am not sure if I am prepared though…Besides this Arranged Marriage idea… I don’t mean to be disrespectful at all... but I’m not sure if I have faith in this concept as yet ... Should I rather not wait till the right time and right person?!’
‘Riya the right time is when you want it to be … and then we all have gone through it…it’s not as bad as it is made out to be by these Westerners!!!
‘And what about the right person mom?!’… Riya had a question that faced a premature death in her mind…She wondered if that was an important question at all and if her mother should have rather thought it was a primary question…
‘Anyways so what are we getting at?'
‘Your dad’s friend was just enquiring about you…he has a friend whose son is age as well and he’s pursued higher education and life in U.S.A…You may want to give it a thought. A good family with some really good values and plus people we know a little about… '
…A typical start to a typical subject like ARRANGED MARRIAGE… everything so strategically arranged… except for logic!! And we are talking about two educated people coming together to spend life … clauses of this contract formulated by parties other than those to be wedded, a settlement that is devoid of everything they are taught to be…logical, intelligent, rational, and other attributes of the mind and the heart!...Riya wondered!
‘Ohoo…The U.S.A…? Arranged Marriage plus U.S.A… combo offer?!…deadly!!
‘So U.S.A you said? where laying off people in huge numbers is the latest fad? So the prospective suitor to your daughter is also a potentially displaced individual in The Great U.S.A?!!! …Where chances are the prospective son in law doesn’t know his neighbours and religiously mowes the lawn and trims some plants at the entrance to his house so that his invisible neighbors never call the inspector or sue him...'
…And here I thought the world began and ended with Mumbai… the Fashion and the Commerce capital? ... I mean so what if the markets these days are depressed and all of that?
… Forget Mumbai…I had been tortured in B-school with a single learning that the world is turning to India… so much for India shining and all that jazz? Plus, they said like the U.S.A once enjoyed the benefits of Baby Boomers, its India that has the highest youth population amongst most countries in the world at this point in time? So assuming the ratio is skewed, ideally we should be witnessing profusion of young men…and assuming every third person pursues ‘The M.B.A’ degree…we should have a huge base of decently educated young men to be a suitor to your daughter?!’
But Riya … where do I go look for such a person here?!!
‘Really mom … I don’t want you to!!! Let it take time ' …let it take forever Riya wanted to say actually…
‘I don’t see a point in that… i mean its so difficult to find an able suitor these days with girls pursuing higher education. And then you girls want someone better than you… And it’s not like you don’t know that most Indian boys, 2-3 years ago thought it was best to just pack off to the U.S for higher education for the fat pay packages and the glamour.
What do you want us to do…You really think I’d want to lose my child to some odd far off place? But sometimes LIFE doesn’t offer too many options and who knows may be it isn’t that bad… '
‘But it isn’t that good as well? ...It’s not the best …smiled Riya almost submitting to her mom’s argument. ‘Mom I want to be here…I want to be close and connected to my life and my people and work that makes me happy… I want to be closer to you’ll and all those friends who I can meet up with when life’s giving me hundred reasons to feel lonely and morose!! '
Riya barely realized that she was now inviting a melodramatic moment…her mom’s eyes had welled up presumably because she had already pictured Riya in her mind in a cold deserted arrogant foreign place… weak and feeble, ‘doing dishes’. For that she must have surely pictured her already in a marriage attire going through the several tedious pre-wedding ceremonies and parties that seem to be the new fancy of most people and a vital plan in the scheme of affairs to use up resources; time, money, effort, flowers, fuel n whatever there can be available to blow up...
Mother!!! ... A weird species god ever made Riya was thinking as she felt strangely sorry and also piqued at the same time… Imagine!!! This was the first individual being considered for Riya, who Riya had not even met, who may well turn out to be some clown who they’d never want to see again…but inspite of all this she had got Riya married off to him in her thoughts and may be even pictured her grand children in baby GAP !!!
She soon realized that this could make Riya nervous and discouraged…' no no... why don’t you think it can be great staying in the U.S? Beautiful standard of living … access to many more brands that you fancy ' ... almost dismissing more serious issues like cultural differences!!!
Riya wasn’t convinced one bit…but she went ahead and broke her silence…
‘So what now mom?’
‘He comes down next week…would like to talk to you or meet you I assume.
Riya felt the discomfort … could not sleep a wink for 4 nights in a row… the fifth night she did… merely out of lack of sleep and the ensuing exhaustion…
She pondered for hours as to how she’d converse… how does everyone converse…what questions to expect…which ones to ask, how to contain her nervousness in front of a man she’d not know for the longest time even after she agreed to marry him!!
Next weekend isn’t too remote…she’d know it herself she thought!
We may also want to wait till then...
‘Ohoo…The U.S.A…? Arranged Marriage plus U.S.A… combo offer?!…deadly!!
‘So U.S.A you said? where laying off people in huge numbers is the latest fad? So the prospective suitor to your daughter is also a potentially displaced individual in The Great U.S.A?!!! …Where chances are the prospective son in law doesn’t know his neighbours and religiously mowes the lawn and trims some plants at the entrance to his house so that his invisible neighbors never call the inspector or sue him...'
…And here I thought the world began and ended with Mumbai… the Fashion and the Commerce capital? ... I mean so what if the markets these days are depressed and all of that?
… Forget Mumbai…I had been tortured in B-school with a single learning that the world is turning to India… so much for India shining and all that jazz? Plus, they said like the U.S.A once enjoyed the benefits of Baby Boomers, its India that has the highest youth population amongst most countries in the world at this point in time? So assuming the ratio is skewed, ideally we should be witnessing profusion of young men…and assuming every third person pursues ‘The M.B.A’ degree…we should have a huge base of decently educated young men to be a suitor to your daughter?!’
But Riya … where do I go look for such a person here?!!
‘Really mom … I don’t want you to!!! Let it take time ' …let it take forever Riya wanted to say actually…
‘I don’t see a point in that… i mean its so difficult to find an able suitor these days with girls pursuing higher education. And then you girls want someone better than you… And it’s not like you don’t know that most Indian boys, 2-3 years ago thought it was best to just pack off to the U.S for higher education for the fat pay packages and the glamour.
What do you want us to do…You really think I’d want to lose my child to some odd far off place? But sometimes LIFE doesn’t offer too many options and who knows may be it isn’t that bad… '
‘But it isn’t that good as well? ...It’s not the best …smiled Riya almost submitting to her mom’s argument. ‘Mom I want to be here…I want to be close and connected to my life and my people and work that makes me happy… I want to be closer to you’ll and all those friends who I can meet up with when life’s giving me hundred reasons to feel lonely and morose!! '
Riya barely realized that she was now inviting a melodramatic moment…her mom’s eyes had welled up presumably because she had already pictured Riya in her mind in a cold deserted arrogant foreign place… weak and feeble, ‘doing dishes’. For that she must have surely pictured her already in a marriage attire going through the several tedious pre-wedding ceremonies and parties that seem to be the new fancy of most people and a vital plan in the scheme of affairs to use up resources; time, money, effort, flowers, fuel n whatever there can be available to blow up...
Mother!!! ... A weird species god ever made Riya was thinking as she felt strangely sorry and also piqued at the same time… Imagine!!! This was the first individual being considered for Riya, who Riya had not even met, who may well turn out to be some clown who they’d never want to see again…but inspite of all this she had got Riya married off to him in her thoughts and may be even pictured her grand children in baby GAP !!!
She soon realized that this could make Riya nervous and discouraged…' no no... why don’t you think it can be great staying in the U.S? Beautiful standard of living … access to many more brands that you fancy ' ... almost dismissing more serious issues like cultural differences!!!
Riya wasn’t convinced one bit…but she went ahead and broke her silence…
‘So what now mom?’
‘He comes down next week…would like to talk to you or meet you I assume.
Riya felt the discomfort … could not sleep a wink for 4 nights in a row… the fifth night she did… merely out of lack of sleep and the ensuing exhaustion…
She pondered for hours as to how she’d converse… how does everyone converse…what questions to expect…which ones to ask, how to contain her nervousness in front of a man she’d not know for the longest time even after she agreed to marry him!!
Next weekend isn’t too remote…she’d know it herself she thought!
We may also want to wait till then...
5 comments:
goood work ... waiting for the rest of it ..:-)
this is my story! I am Riya...or so I feel...its so real...almost every episode...its unnervin again...Jui Trivedi...u rock!
I dont understand all this but I can bet this is gearing up to be one profound story! :)
go away.
:O
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