The Engagement
So
I struggled into my muga mekhela-sador again and went to Raghav’s
engagement party. I didn’t want to dishevel my clothes and my hair – carefully
tied into a knot at the base of my neck – before I got there, so I hired a cab.
I felt a little odd, dressing up like this to go to Raghav’s house. I had only
been there a couple of times earlier, both times with our study group at
b-school. Given the apprehension with which Raghav’s mom apparently treated me,
he had never deemed it prudent to invite me home alone.
And
here was I today, all dressed up, going to Raghav’s house to see him get
engaged. It was a small party, just for family: I and a couple of Sonali’s friends
(“She does have friends, then,” Mandakini had said spitefully) would be the
only people there who were not related to either the bride or the groom. There
would be no one whom I could whisper with, sotto voce, while a
solemn ritual was in progress, no one whom I could talk comfortably to when it
was over. I dreaded going, I was sure I would be bored and awkward: yet Raghav
wanted me, and that was reason enough to go.
I
found an unexpected ally: Amit, who had come down from the US for the wedding.
I had met Amit twice before, and while I didn’t exactly approve of his smugness
and his prejudices, I couldn’t help liking him. He was short and very fair,
with curly brown hair, and eyes that constantly twinkled with mischief. He
seemed busy, at first, in moving things around and directing the photographer;
but soon he came and sat by me, and barely left my side all evening. He claimed
he was also shy and uncomfortable with the forty odd people who had somehow
crowded into the flat: I suspected he also guessed that I was lonely and
awkward and felt sorry for me. He also made sure to ply me with food and drink
and ensured that I sampled all the various sweets, despite my feeble protests.
I
didn’t get to talk much to Raghav and Sonali themselves – apart from the perfunctionary
‘Hi’ and ‘Congratulations’ – until sometime before I left.
“So,”
I said, when everyone else had moved off and were conversing in groups and I
found a gap to talk to them, “how are the bride and the groom?”
Raghav
grimaced. “Very tired,” said Sonali.
“I
can imagine,” I said sympathetically. “And this is just the beginning.”
“Yeah,”
drawled Raghav. “I wish we were eloping.”
“You’ll
come for the sangeet, won’t you?” asked Sonali – she seemed to have
already learned to ignore what she didn’t want to hear from Raghav. “Usually
it’s a women’s affair, held at the bride’s place, but we’re having a mixed
bash, including the groom’s party as well. We’ll get mehndi and there’ll
be a dance floor and cocktails…”
“Very
progressive,” I commented, and Sonali smiled smugly.
“Hey, have you heard from Prabhu or Mallika?”
Raghav cut in. “Are they coming?”
“Actually,
I spoke to Prabhu yesterday. He wanted to know all about the wedding… and about
Sonali.”
Sonali
simpered. Raghav asked impatiently, “So is he coming?”
“I’m
afraid not. He…”
Raghav
interrupted me. “What about Mallika?”
“No,
she’s moved to Bombay too, you know.”
He
looked surprised. “Oh? When?”
“Just
a couple of weeks ago. It was rather sudden.” I looked around to make sure that
no one was near, and then spoke in a low voice. “It was kind of an elopement,
really. Mallika’s parents were at her, they’d almost arranged her marriage to
some guy… They were even asking her to quit her job and stay at home till she
got married…”
“What?”
Raghav looked livid.
“Yeah,
can you imagine? I felt a little guilty when Prabhu told me… I hadn’t been in
touch with her, you know. I was always better friends with Prabhu. Well, he
told me Mallika was scared she wouldn’t be allowed to get out of the house…”
“Because
she is in love with Prabhu?” Sonali interrupted.
“Yeah.
Mallika’s Muslim, you see. Her parents wouldn’t hear of her marrying a Hindu.”
“Oh,
she’s Muslim?” Sonali’s eyes grew big and round.
“What
happened next?” asked Raghav impatiently.
“Prabhu
asked her to come to Bombay. He was afraid they’d ill-treat her, or try to
marry her off by force… She hesitated, but she finally agreed. And one morning,
instead of going to work, she went to the airport and took a flight to Bombay.”
“Just
like that?” asked Sonali, her eyes growing even wider. “With no luggage?”
“Well,”
I said slowly, trying not to laugh, “I think she had a change of clothes – and
probably a toothbrush – in her bag, that’s all. She reached Bombay and then
sent in an email to her boss, to resign, and one to her brother, telling her
what she’d done.”
“Didn’t
they try to bring her back?” Raghav demanded.
“Well,
she changed her phone number and everything, so they could only get in touch
through email. Apparently her mother begged her to come back, but Mallika
insisted she was marrying Prabhu. And then her parents said she had disgraced
the family, and that she was dead to them, and all that nonsense.”
“Good
for her!” said Raghav.
“How
can you say that!” breathed Sonali.
We
both ignored her, while I nodded appreciatively. “Exactly. Now in effect, she’s
rid of her family, she’s living with Prabhu, and I’m sure she’ll soon find
herself a new job.”
“She’s
living with Prabhu?” repeated Sonali, her eyes growing round again.
“So,
are they planning to get married soon?” asked Raghav.
“Yeah.
Well, Mallika was all for taking some time. She said, now that she had escaped
her family, there was no need to hurry Prabhu into it. But Prabhu insists that
they should do it soon. Prabhu’s talked to his parents and told them what happened.
They’re not thrilled: neither about having a Muslim bahu, nor about the
way it happened, but well, they’ve come to realise that they don’t really have
a say, and they’re coming around and trying to accept it graciously. Prabhu
says they are even talking about having the wedding in Cochin…”
“So,
is that what they’re doing?”
“No.
He wants to get married at the registrar’s first, as soon as possible, to be
safe. They can do that in a couple of weeks: you need a month’s notice, you
know, and they put in theirs as soon as Mallika decided to go to Bombay. So
he’s suggested to Mallika that they go down to Cochin afterwards and meet his
parents and relatives, and maybe have a traditional wedding if his parents
insist upon it.”
“Did
you talk to Mallika?”
“No,
I called him late last night, you see, and Mallika was asleep. I hadn’t known
that she was in Bombay. He apologised for not letting me know, but I don’t
blame him at all, with everything on his mind… I was just wishing I could have
helped. Mallika was in Delhi, and I could have talked to her, or met her. I had
no idea things were so bad…”
“Don’t
blame yourself, kiddo,” said Raghav, patting my head. “You couldn’t have done
anything. And I think they’ve managed pretty well.”
“Yeah,
haven’t they? Anyway, I’d actually called Prabhu to ask whether he was coming
down for your wedding. When I told him I was meeting you today, he asked me to
apologise for him, and hoped that you’d understand.”
“Of
course I understand,” Raghav smiled wryly. “He needs to see to his own marriage
right now, not worry about mine…”
I
had called a cab to take me home from Raghav’s. Raghav gallantly offered to
drop me home, but his house was still milling with guests, and I refused. I
pleaded work the next morning, and left right after dinner, at around 10 o’
clock.
It
was a day for talking to b-school friends. Rizvi called while I was in the cab,
wanting to learn more about Raghav’s wedding.
“I
received his email, last week,” she said, “inviting me. I was so shocked! I
mean, it’s all out of the blue, isn’t it? But I just replied with
congratulations. I saw the girl’s name on the invite – Sonali, isn’t it?”
“Yes.
She’s Amit’s sister. You do remember Raghav’s friend Amit?”
“Yeah,
he told me. He called me today, in the morning. He apologised for not calling
earlier, but said everything happened quickly.”
“Yeah,
it did.”
“So,
who is this Sonali? Have you met her?”
“Will
it be awkward to tell her that I’m on my way back from Raghav’s engagement?”
wondered Mandakini. “Will she be hurt that she was not invited?”
“I
don’t think so,” said Miki. “She knows I’m better friends with Raghav. I don’t
think I need to lie.”
“Yes,”
I said aloud. “Actually, I’m just on my way back from their engagement right
now. It was a small informal event, just family were invited… and me.”
“Oh,
what’s she like?” asked Rizvi excitedly.
“Well,
she’s sweet,” I forced myself to say. “She’s small and pretty and cheerful and
polite.”
“And
how did it all happen?”
“The
usual, you know. Amit had gone to the US, and Sonali was lonely, and she talked
to Raghav, and they hit it off.”
“It
must have happened in a hurry. I had never heard of her until I saw the
invite.”
“Yeah,
I think it did happen rather fast. But again, they’ve known each other for
years.”
“I
still can’t quite believe it… Raghav, getting married, to someone I don’t know…
I’d always thought that, you know, you and Raghav...”
I
closed my eyes for a moment. “Had everyone expected us to fall in love?”
“Really?”
I said aloud. “No, that was never in question. We had always been friends, and
just that.”
“But
you always seemed so right together. I had hoped… but anyway, are you going to
the wedding?”
“Is
that a question? How could I miss Raghav’s wedding?”
“Oh,
good. I wasn’t too keen on going alone… He’s asked me to come to the mehndi,
too, will you go?”
“Yes,
I plan to.”
“Great.
Let’s meet up and get there together, then.”
And
even though Raghav was my best friend and I would be at his wedding no matter
what, it was comforting to learn that Rizvi would be there too.
“What
should I wear?” she asked. “What are you going to wear?” And we discussed that
most important issue until I reached home.
8 comments:
You're evil. Not a hint into the future. But then there's this sense of something cooking, with all the fire within and the smoke curling around the ears and that distinctive smell of something burning.
And yes, i so love nonconformist ends.
You should be glad you don't know me in real life. I have this distinct urge to hug you very hard right now.
Hey, I get the hint. It has something to do with Sonali's eyes going rounder and wider, right? I mean that's where they're going to begin seeing their differences, Raghav and Sonali? Sorry, but I'm always tempted to crack the case before the story unfolds!
- :)
the suspense is killing me!
I love the comments:)
Pallu: You don't want me to answer that, do you?
dipali: Yeah, me too! :)
I am waiting for next post..this is very addictive..
Of course I don't. I'm only being the insufferable know-it-all like Hermione Granger. Feel free to swat me away ;-)
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