Hey everyone
Sorry for the late update
I am getting engaged on aug 13 and marriage on aug 22 😊
so i will not be able to update for a month
I am trying a long update 😊
Hope u guys like it I reached my hometown during the early hours of Saturday'It was about 5 30 AM when I reached my home, after having a sweet time with the auto-wallah'I always felt that it was the most unethical profession in the world'They don't use meters and even if they do, they always want something extra'It was very early in the day for me, but not for my Dad and Mom'.Since my childhood, they always had the bad habit of getting up at 4 30 AM and getting along with their daily chores'God knows from where they derive the inspiration to wake up so early'. I never bothered to wake up before 7, even during my exams'.
Dad was sitting in the verandah, sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper which was one day old by then'Till the paper wallah delivers today's newspaper, my Dad reads yesterday's and if time permits even older newspapers'.Sometimes I feel his life ambition is to read newspapers'.and discuss about the news with everyone in the world'He was lecturer by profession and had to retire because of age constraint...He never really retired from lecturing to us'.All I got to say whenever I met him was "Hi Dad"'.He would take care of the rest of the proceedings'I would open my mouth ( read, get a chance to open my mouth ) only if he asked me a question'.Not surprisingly, many people took a detour when they had to pass our house, making frantic attempts to save their lives from my Dad'"Mr Raghu..Just a minute" he would yell out sitting in our verandah'And if the Raghu turned up, he could never make it to office that day'.
Mom was somehow spared from having to listen to Dad's lectures'People say husband and wife need to have understanding'May be this is their understanding'They don't talk much'They team up to address the house hold tasks but that doesn't involve too much of communication...They say Marriages are in heaven and life partner is decided even before one is born'In my parent's case, this seems pretty true'It takes a lot of patience to deal with my Dad for an hour'Imagine how much patience it would take to deal with him for a life time'.That's exactly what my Mom does'How I wish I had so much patience'
"Hi Dad" I mustered some courage and wished my dad'"Hey Son'Come on in'.You made my day'Veena, look we have guest"'.My Mom came out to check out the untimely guest.."Hey Mom and Dad" I gave them a hug, as always'"How come you decided to come all of a sudden" asked my mom'"Wait for a some time mom.. You will know the reason" I said mischievously'At this, my Mom and Dad looked at each other, which they did only when it was really required'"Come in'Take a shower" said my Mom'.I got fresh and came out to the verandah to join my dad in reading old newspapers'
"It is quite hot Dad" I initiated the conversation'"Yes'It is about 43 now'They say the temperature is going to rise further" said my Dad'"It was never this hot at this time of the year..When I was of your age, we never witnessed this temperature" my Dad continued giving gyan to me, as always'I was not sure how to bring Nupur into our conversation'"How are you and Mom doing?" I questioned'"We are doing good..How is your job going on?" he asked'"It is going on well Dad. May I ask you a question? Yours was love marriage right? Who proposed whom?" My dad was so shocked at this question, that he put his newspaper beside him, leaned forward and said "Why this sudden interest in our past?"'
"What to do Dad'This is the best way I can explain my situation" I thought'
"Nothing Dad'I just asked casually'Who proposed whom?" I repeated my question expecting an answer in return instead of another question...."Hmm'Obviously I did'.Look at your mom'Do you think she is so courageous?" he replied, boasting of his courage "What my dear son? Are you seeing someone? Is it time to tell your parents? Is your relationship mature enough?" My Dad pounded me with all these questions'I thanked him for understanding what I wanted to tell him and explained "Yes Dad'I am in Love with a colleague..Her Name is Nupur 'I am sure she will be a good daughter-in-law to you and Mom"'To be frank, I didn't even think about that aspect'You don't do your Math and then fall in Love right? But I said what the situation demanded'
"Hmm'Veena'Look what your son has done" my dad called my mom to complain about me..When I was a kid, I used to be very mischievous..Not that I am not mischievous now, but I was more mischievous back then and would bring trouble to my parents very often'The way my dad called my mom reminded me of those golden days of my life'"What happened?" exclaimed my Mom and looked at both of us demanding an explanation.."Your son has learnt a lot from us'He has relieved us of the task of finding a match for him" said my dad'My Mom was excited and happy with what she had heard'She sat next to me and asked
"Who is the girl? Is she from our caste?" The second question was pretty much expected'"Her name is Nupur ..She is my colleague'Yes, she is from our caste"..Looking at my Mom and Dad's expression, I thought I and Nupur were one step away from marriage'. My Parents had to meet her parents and arrange for our marriage'The thought itself was very exciting'It was like the climax of our love story'
"Where do her parents stay?" asked my Dad making his intentions clear.."Begumpet'In Hyderabad" I replied wondering if I should give the complete postal address..But then the intention was not to write a letter so it was not necessary'"We will come next weekend and talk to them" my Dad said'.I gave him a hug and said "Thanks dad" still wondering why they could not start that weekend itself...They probably needed some time to prepare the script'My job was done'I was all set to come back to Hyderabad'I called Nupur and informed her about the proceedings in my home town'She was equally elated'Why not'She bagged a Mr.Handsome for her lifetime'Lucky Nupur '
I started for Hyderabad on Sunday and reached on Monday morning'I felt very relieved as there was no confusion in our love story any more'The stage was set for our Marriage unless Nupur 's parents had any objection'"Why would they object? The Bride likes the Groom. She is trapped. They would be trapped too" I thought'I was longing to meet Nupur and see her reaction'
As expected, Nupur was very elated that day'.We met in the afternoon ( as usual ) and shared a cup of ice cream ( not very common..It was a special day after all ).."Dad and Mom will meet Mr.Sudhir and his wife this weekend and propose that we get married" I told her'She gave me the usual stare she gives me whenever I address my father-in-law as Mr.Sudhir'"That's great..I will prepare my Mom and Dad" she said.."And you also be prepared to bear with me for the rest of the life'Once the contract gets signed, it is very difficult and painful to revoke it" I poked Nupur '"Yes I know' It will be painful for you..I will try not to break it" she replied'"As if you would enjoy breaking up" my ego was a little hurt'Nupur took advantage of the situation.."What can I do? The other option will probably be more painful" she said'At this, I decided to walk back to my seat but I did give her a look that said "That's very mean"'
As per plan, my parents arrived that weekend'I took them to Begumpet on Saturday evening'It being Saturday evening, everyone was pretty relaxed as everyone was jobless'Nupur prepared her parents mentally for the proposal they were going to receive and also gave a brief introduction about my Dad's attitude problem'.They were very happy to welcome my parents to their home'I considered myself safe as Tiger was not in sight...
Mr.Sudhir requested Me, Mom and Dad to sit on the sofa while he and my mother-in-law sat opposite to us. My Dad was busy scanning the house while my Mom and Mother-in-law were busy scanning each others sarees and jewellery. My Dad looked happy with the property and my Mom was happy as she won the best dressed female (senior citizen's category ) of the evening. I was waiting for Nupur while pretending to be shy. Sometimes you have to pretend to be shy, or else, people will brand you as arrogant. I was imagining Nupur stepping into the hall dressed in a saree, her eyes looking down. I knew she would be as excited as I was and her heart would be beating as fast as mine.
"Hello Sir'This is my Dad and that is my Mom'Dad and Mom, these are Nupur 's parents" I introduced both parties to each other before the bilateral talks began. "Hello Mr.Sudhir'My Son told me about you and your daughter" my Dad took charge, as usual. He was probably waiting impatiently for me to introduce him so that he can take care of the proceedings. "The children have saved us our effort" said my Dad laughing at his own joke. "Yes Sir..I also felt relieved when Nupur told us about Mayank . Mayank is a nice guy. We are all very comfortable with him" said my father-in-law complimenting me for the first time. I felt happy with the acceptance. I hoped my parents would also say some sweet words to reciprocate the gesture. "That's very sweet of you Sir'So you are staying here since a long time?" asked my dad as if he was conducting an interview. "Yes. We have been staying here for 40 years" came the reply. My dad must have calculated the price at which my father-in-law purchased the land 40 years back. While he was busy doing his math, I was waiting for my better half to arrive.
She was looking like a princess that day. Clad in a light blue saree and wearing minimal jewellery, Nupur entered the hall with some cups of coffee. It was a little late in the day for coffee. They didn't have coke or pepsi ready I guess. I smiled at Nupur mischievously while she was offering coffee to me. Nupur couldn't respond. It was funny. We both meet each day and now she was formally offering coffee to me and feeling shy as if we never met. Nupur sat with her parents once she was done with dispatching coffee. I felt like rolling with laughter at the whole scene but I didn't have that luxury. I and Nupur were mere spectators that day. Drivers of the show were our creators.
"I was in teaching profession for 35 years" boasted my Dad and looked at my Mom feeling proud of his achievement..I felt Mom had more reason to feel proud as she was with him for most of her life, which was a bigger achievement in my view..."These days kids hop companies for no reason"'There were two mistakes in his statement. First, we were not kids any more. Second, we hop companies for a reason ' Salary raise. 35 years in the same college'That always sounded very boring to me..Not to my Dad though.."I am with BHEL..It has been about 20 years in this company'I am a Senior Manager" said Mr.Sudhir, feeling as happy and proud as my Dad'My Dad also seemed impressed, which was a very good sign for me and Nupur 'I thanked BHEL for helping me and Nupur and Mr.Sudhir for his decision to serve the company..
It was dinner time and my father-in-law took the initiative to invite us for dinner'We had a traditional dinner...I had already briefed Nupur about my Dad's favorites so they were all part of the meal'He seemed happy with the food too...My Dad used the time to explain Mr.Sudhir about his love for teaching and also discussed National and International politics with him'My poor father-in-law had no option but to offer himself to my Dad along with the dishes on table'
We headed back home after the eventful evening'I couldn't help staring at Nupur one last time before leaving'From their comments on the way back home, my parents sounded happy with the Match'And that was the beginning of the second phase of my life'And Nupur 's life too'Two lives were ready to merge and become one life'Our life'The thought seemed very beautiful'
The next day, my parents left for our hometown. I requested my Mom to pressurize Dad to call Nupur 's parents as soon as possible and let them know their acceptance. My Mom assured me that she would start pressurizing Dad as soon as they reach our home. I went to the railway station to see off my parents. On the way back, I had a strong urge to meet Nupur . After all, our Girl friend-Boy friend days will soon get over. I called up Nupur and asked her if she could make it to "Caf Coffee Day". She said she would reach in half an hour. I told her that I would be waiting for her and headed towards our meeting spot.
"Would life change post Marriage? Will Nupur be the same? Will I be the same? Hope we don't become like Mom and Dad" I was sitting on the sofa in Caf Coffee Day and thinking about all these aspects when Nupur entered and greeted me. She looked more happy than usual. I don't know why, but almost all men get a little worried as the marriage date keeps nearing and almost all women look more and more merrier. I never saw a bride groom who smiled heartily on his marriage day. It is always the bride who does that. May be this behavior is in the genes of every male and female.
"Hi dumbo" said Nupur lovingly'"Welcome your highness" I said indicating that I had been waiting for quite some time'"Sorry honey'I got stuck in the Traffic Jam" said Nupur in an attempt to comfort me' "Hmm'..I will take that reason for now'I don't have any other option" I said playfully'"So what's up? What are your parents saying?" asked Nupur and leaned forward waiting eagerly for my reply'"They haven't said anything so far but their reaction seems to be positive..I asked Mom to request Dad to call your parents as soon he can" I assured Nupur '"Wow...So you will be promoted to Husband role soon" she winked at me'"Yup..And you would be promoted too" I said'"Why do you look as if you are not happy" she asked noticing the drop in my energy level'"Donno why'but Husband-Wife doesn't seem as exciting as Boyfriend-Girlfriend" I said'"Very true..But we need to take the dive some day Mr.Handsome'We can't go on forever like this" Nupur replied'"True'Happiness has to end some day'One isn't allowed to be happy all his life" I said mischievously'It is difficult to provoke Nupur ( unless her dad is brought into picture )'."Yes..Same feelings here" she returned the favor..
Next day afternoon, I got a call from Mom when I was in a meeting'I called her back once I was done with the meeting'"Mayank 'Your dad has spoken to Mr.Sudhir and conveyed our acceptance'He was very happy and said he will find out an auspicious date for marriage and call us back" said my Mom, in a very happy and jubilant tone'"Wow'That's so sweet of you guys Mom..Thank Dad from my side'Call me when you know the date"'I called up Nupur and told her the good news'By that time, she had already got the news from her parents'"Yes'I heard the bad news'Don't worry baby'things will be ok" she said'I appreciated her sense of humour'
I and Nupur were eagerly waiting for our engaged and marriage dates'The next day our wait came to an end'Engagement was to be on 5th May and marriage date was decided as June 15th. We were happy as the gap between engagement and Marriage and not long. We didn't need a long gap as ours was not arranged marriage. We loved each other and our parents had to arrange our marriage.
Time flied and I and Nupur were soon locked in wedlock'It was curtains down for the First half of our lives and a curtain raiser for the second half'I started the journey ( or should I say continued ) of life with my better half'
Five Years Later'.
Time flied'Before we realized, our relationship was five years old'I and Nupur had long forgotten our boyfriend ' girl friend days and transformed ourselves fully into husband ' wife'It was not a seamless transition though'We had our initial hiccups as our new relationship demanded much more commitment, patience, energy, time and all other resources one can think of as compared to boyfriend ' girlfriend relationship'Security does come at a cost, doesn't it?'As time progressed, we got used to this ball game'In other words, we got more used to each other... We always loved each other, even before we got married, but the difference was we had to deal with each other's expectations and wishes now...Else it would lead to disappointment and frustration'And that's what was troubling us'Expectations'
We were standing at our usual meeting spot'Looking away from each other'.Things have changed a lot over time'We never turned our eyes away from each other when we were in love'Love hasn't disappeared over time but it seemed to have given way to selfishness..Each of us seemed to be focusing on our own individual goals rather than framing collective goals'Result was chaos'Each of us was giving more importance to self than the other partner'That didn't help our relationship'.We felt happy about individual achievements'But collectively, there was vacuum'Waiting to be filled for years'We should have thought about it long back'We weren't mature enough'
"So what did you think about the future?" said Nupur "When are you leaving me again? It has become your habit now. Do you ever care for me?"'I always cared for her, but didn't plan life well'My career demanded frequent relocations and I was always flexible'I never wanted to part from her'I always wished she would join me and tried my best to pull her to my location..But as the saying goes "Man proposes'God disposes"..All my efforts went in vain and I had to part from my Love for most of our married life'Nupur was getting more and more frustrated with the way our lives were moving on'"No Sweetheart'You know I never really wanted to part'I always tried to reduce the separations but work demanded them'Please don't misunderstand me" I tried to explain'"What about my life? What about my aspirations? What about the dreams I had for us'You murdered them" she began to weep like a little child whose father had been putting off buying her favourite dress for a long time'"It is not like that dear'Lets plan our life now'We still have a long way to go" I continued my efforts to console her, but as all other efforts in my life except for professional endeavors, they all went in vain'
Nupur turned towards me and said "Do you even know my dreams?" 'I wondered how can one forget something he has been hearing daily for years'Sorry for inducing humor in serious talk but can't help'It is in my genes...Nupur always wanted that both of us stay in US and try and settle down there'I was never particular about settling down in one location'either in India or in US'I just did what my job demanded'My efforts were fruitful in professional life, but personal life was shattered as I was unable to fulfill Nupur 's wishes'"I do dear'Honestly I tried to fulfill your wish'It didn't work out" I explained but Nupur didn't care'She wanted results'Efforts didn't matter to her'
We were done with what we had to say'Not knowing what to discuss further, we looked at the setting sun'For the first time, I had a fear that our relationship would take the same route which sun was taking'I didn't know how far my fears were valid, but I was not prepared to let go of my Love'
Last part - pg 19Edited by prerana_mjht - 15 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Indian Mythology
Chakravarti Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan
Shiv Shakti
Anupamaa
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