She's got her Ticket...

Anu (and that's not her real name) a fellow blogger is a special friend of mine. Special not because, we're fast buddies or some such but because of the special understanding we have between us as friends. Anu and I are friends through B-School and and all through our association, even back then, the only constant about this friendship we shared was the periods we didn't keep in touch regularly with each other. But somehow, in the event that we did club up - the vacuum of communication notwithstanding - nothing (to our surprise) seemed to alter the status quo from where we last left. And to me, that's a beautiful feeling.

And so it was that in the course of one such happenstance meeting at a coffee shop that she told me about how her parents had begun the all elusive search for Mr. Right and how terrified she actually was of the concept of an 'arranged marriage.' (And here I take the liberty to quote her(sic) "Imagine the horror of waking up in bed the morning after with a complete stranger...")

All this, barely a few months ago; Anu is now happily engaged to be married to her Mr. Right. It is an arranged marriage (but of course, after all she's not only the very quitessential Indian but Tam bhram as well you see!) with a courtship period running into a good few months. Arranged or love, does it really matter any more? What is of essence is that they are willing to give each other time and space to grow together yet apart, physical distance immaterial. And it seems to work, considering they have clicked from the very word 'Go!' Now that's the kind of understanding that makes commuter marriages work in todays' day and age. And if such understanding ain't love, then pray God, I don't know what is!!!

I am simply thrilled for you Anu and very happy too, because knowing the kind of person you are, you deserve all the happiness and more! Congratulations and here's to you both...you've only just begun! ;-)

Meanwhile, here's an entry (love the title, I do) she posted on her blog long before she met her Mr. Right that I particularly liked, for the refreshingly humorous manner in which it brings out the finer nuances of an otherwise tried and tested (read cliched) concept of the run up to 'The great Indian Marriage.'

Another One Bites the dust

(Disclaimer :I love my parents , though this is a part of their eccentricity which I have to put up with )

On Friday night there was this call from my Dad, asking me for a place where I meet my friends, I erroneously told him Coffee day, having a slight inkling of what he had in mind but not sure, however the plan was crystallized by Saturday morning for a Sunday afternoon tea with the Boy (Lets call him A) and his parents at Coffee Day!!!

Well my parents came rushing in from Chennai to Bangalore, at the speed of light with Lalbagh Express actually in a century coming in early!! Well with my mothers constant what will you wear with my dad’s ruffling through the yellow pages to verify the company A worked - Saturday wasn’t very quiet. My mom took out the sari with the most zari, to wear. This is a lady who has been a H.O.D of management in leading woman’s college , but firmly believes that in these situations the girls mom responsible for updating the future mom in law on the family background and speaks only to answer questions on my culinary skills and moral upbringing.

On entering Coffee day, my dad was shocked at the ‘noise’.. he then asked the maitre d to switch it off :) . A was kinda hoping as I was that he was anywhere else when my dad loudly asked him to sit next to me so we can exchange views, over “Evanescence” screaming “my immortal”. The parents kept looking at us expectantly and to satisfy them, A came up with first question- pretty good one since his eyes kept moving to Priyanka Chopra on screen shedding most of her clothes. “where do you work ?” – well the questions was good, because my dad had just finished retelling my entire history in good old Bangalore, right to the fact that I walked to office from home and the number of dogs I encountered on my way there!!! So I told him and asked the compensatory ‘what about you and office?’ routine. He answered to me or I think he did, as his eyes were focused on anything but me!! Through the excruciating 45 mins he kept looking over my shoulder, or at my dad or at MTV with no music. So the A is shy , as my dad fondly put it later…”It means he a good boy, he doesn’t look at girls” ...OH PLEASEEEEE...

To add to the whole circus of things, the order was taken by waiter.. My dad asked coffee – to which came prompt reply “Mochha or Capuccino?”. Now my dad was taken back – looked at the waiter and asked “This is Coffee Day- U serve Coffee Right”?? So I had to step in and quickly update my dad on the advancement in the brew industry in the last 10 years.

Taking a smoothie for the A, the rest of us had Cappuccino . Well my mom wasn’t to be left behind, she suggested the mandatory sweet to be brought in .When the waiter said they didn’t serve Sweets looking the poor waiter in the eye with a wintry glance “So cake is not sweet here”??The poor guy didn’t know what had hit him. Stepped in again and ordered a Black forest to keep the general peace and I swear I think I saw a glimmer of gratitude in the waiter’s eyes.

In the meantime A and I were trying to find a slim pane on which we could meet. He was a sports fan whereas the only channels not tuned on my TV were the sports ones- I like watching tennis only when there are tall, good looking Czech/Romanian/any former USSR countrymen playing :). My passion is Music and books, on enquiring on those, ‘A’ sweetly replied all he read were Harry Potter’s and music thoughts were met with a shrug, all while looking over my shoulder to an invincible person seen only by him (Btw I look passable, as per general opinion, so I know that it was not my looks which made him stare into space)

OK- no habits/hobbies/movies/people in common. Next round was family. Which was taken care by my dad who explained to the listening pleasure of all the people in the restaurant the family tree right from my great granddad’s period. My mom quietly intercepting on how my culinary skills to be attributed to the amazing genes of my forefathers :)). Time drew on, my entire concentration was on hookah pipe smoked by the under aged kid nearby ,hoping to God, a genie would appear and grant me my wish of vanishing from that time zone for the next half an hour.

I finally woke up when my dad asked for the bill. Both the waiter and I wore similar looks of relief on our faces. My dad asked us to exchange our cell nos. while loudly proclaiming that finally it was in our hands and Gods. I doubt God will have much to do with the final outcome,considering A and I were trying best to get out of there as possible.

A did not give me his number and I am hoping that he doesn’t call. I hope he finds a wife who is a sports fan and also doesn’t mind being invisible when he talks to her :)

My dad is sure they are impressed and will call, all the while checking the net and matrimonials for new finds!! My mom on the other hand , shakes her head at me for being opinionated and promptly starts praying for the next one to be the final one!! Well that was a nice experience, I learnt that I finally needed to tune my TV to the news in sports too, maybe the next one will speak to me instead of invisible gal behind on Saffin’s serve.

P.S: Anu...hopefully this post should ensure for me a personalised invite to your kalyaanam. As for being a Rebel, well not quite but hmmm...where did I hear that one before ;-))??? Btw, this post is titled bearing in mind - you know it don't you - !