Rano looked at his photo with tears in her eyes, they had been engaged for over a year now but were no closer to getting married. He had left to America to do his higher studies, shortly after getting engaged. She had waited patiently for him, but having to stay away from each other was slowing taking its toll on her. The uncertainty, the waiting, her fears were slowly getting the better of her. Just then her phone rang, she wiped her tears and picked it up. It was Krishna, her mother-in-law.
Her mother and Krishna were the best of friends since school days. They had grown up in the same village, went to the same schools, and ended up marrying two best friends. When Rano was born, Krishna had impulsively said that she would make Rano her daughter-in-law, that she would marry her to Ranveer, born two years before her.
Though Rano and Ranveer grew up knowing each other as family friends, when they occasionally met at parties, it wasn't until they both finished college, and met at a family wedding, that sparks flew. Love can never be rushed, it seemed, but neither of them realized when it crept up. Fatefully it was at that very wedding when Krishna asked Kusum, Rano's mother whether she would give Rano to her. The arranged marriage became a love marriage, and everyone couldn't have been happier. Ranveer was set to go to the US for his higher studies, and it was decided that he would engaged before that and they would marry soon after.
But things don't always turn out the way we want it seems. The oldest member of the family, Saroj Walia had proclaimed that Jai, who was older to Ranveer by 2 years, would marry first. Her word was law in the Walia family, and was immensely respected. She was a bright, intelligent daughter of a very rich landlord. Her father passed away just before she turned 10, leaving her to the care of her uncles, who immediately stopped her schooling and got her married. She had a son a year later, and when she turned 15, her husband passed away. Her uncles stole everything from her and left her destitute. But, she did not lose hope; she struggled by herself and made sure her son never wanted for anything. She never left her principles behind, and remained tough but loving with her family. Nobody wanted to disrespect her, and nobody wanted to go against her.
The problem was that Jai was not interested in marrying, he liked his freedom. He was always busy working, and although had a number of women friends, never had a relationship with anyone. He was quiet, respectful and hardworking, very much an introvert. He was quite unlike Ranveer, who had a zest of life, who liked to live large and to party. Nobody really thought that Ranveer would be the one to settle first, but it seemed that he had met his match in Rano. Jai had even pleaded with dadi to agree to marry Ranveer first but to no avail. She remained stubborn as ever, even when Rano had unintentionally cried in front of her.
Although Jai had said he would marry the girl his parents chose for him, he always found a reason to reject each and every proposal his parents brought to him, even before meeting them. Jai was considered the most eligible bachelor, even at 29. He was tall, handsome and had started making waves in the business world. All the girls he ended up rejecting, got married to friends of his, which made his mother even more upset when she saw newly married couples or their children in every function she attended.
Jai had decided early on that he never wanted to meet any girl face to face, because that would mean rejecting them to their face, and he couldn't bring himself to do that. He remembered how his sister Anu was paraded in front of everybody, when they weren't as rich. She was the shortest among all of them standing at a mere 5 feet, when the rest of them were close to 6ft. She got lots of proposals, but was rejected after people came and saw her, because she was too short. He remembered the hurt look she had after every rejection. He had vowed that he wouldn't do the same to any girl. It was a while before she got a proposal from Rohit, who had said yes the moment he saw her.
Ranveer was to come home in four weeks, and there was still no sign of a bride for Jai. Krishna decided it was time to get more proactive. She wouldn't let Rano and her son suffer anymore. She would find a perfect bride for Jai and she would have him engaged and set to marry before Ranveer got back home. She sent Jai to Delhi to meet Anu, where she was to take him to her friend's place to see their daughter Bani. Jai had first refused, but Krishna had sat obstinately in front of him crying profusely. He couldn't bear to see his mother cry, and reluctantly agreed.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
