The other day I went to a marriage hall – it was amazing how people are so obsessed with trivial things, and also how they act among each other. Even the groom on the stage was all smiles when the photo was being taken, or when someone came to greet him, and the smile got “switched off” as soon as its necessity ceased. I somehow felt the whole ambience asphixiating. Btw my mom had made me also wear a gold chain and a gold ring. I don’t know why I felt a strange aversion to them, but still I’d overruled it and put them on.
Finally I left my mom alone and walked out into the cool breeze outside – there was a dark empty street and which led to a calm residential area. Here I was, in complete formals even wearing a black jacket – and walking around as a complete stranger – some kid playing on the street, some people chatting, a VCD shop where someone was arguing… just casual things like that. But the fact that I was a complete stranger and had nothing to do with anything was a kind of relief actually. I walked around up and down for around half an hour savoring my solitude and then went back, my mom hadn’t missed me at all 🙂 That feeling of non-belonging and non-obligation is really incomparable – who knows maybe she too was feeling the same 🙂
I later came to know that there was some controversy about the marriage. For some particular ritual the groom’s parents werent allowed to sit for it. I was surprised how come the bride’s side was so dominant as to make such a restriction. Usually in India its the groom’s side that calls the shots. But my mother was very upset, she said that it’s the worst crime that she could never forgive for life, the groom should’ve done something about it, how could he be such a wife-servant. After she went on and on about it I couldn’t help commenting cynically, especially considering that we were merely guests in that place and had nothing to do with it: “how can you take it so seriously” and she said “oh you cant understand anything, when you become a parent and you’re in that place then you’ll know how much these things hurt”.
Oh boy, I can already see its going to be a lot of fun whenever it is that I get married!
Leave a Reply