FF - Piya ka Ghar - Pt 6 Pg 33

She looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Was she wearing too much of rouge?

Did she look like a cheap film star type?

Her mother often scolded her for experimenting with makeup. She said women from respectable families did not use lipstick and rouge.

Nidhi's friend Anji had been the one to first introduce her to the idea of makeup. Anji's bua ji lived in America. She had brought a makeup kit for Anji's eighteenth birthday. Nidhi had not been allowed to go to Anji's eighteenth birthday party even. Nidhi's parents thought Anji's family was too high class and posh for them to socialize with. They had live music at their parties, both men and women drank alcohol freely, laughed loudly and danced with gay abandon. Nidhi had so wanted to go but her parents had flatly refused to let her. Nidhi's mother Shyama always thought of Anji as a bad influence on her daughter. Anji and Nidhi had been classmates for the last two years at one of the city's prestigious colleges, where Nidhi had gotten admission thanks to a scholarship that she had won. Anji was a bright student too and they both competed for the top position in class all the time. Yet surprisingly, there was no rivalry between them and instead, they became thick friends Besides, they lived just two streets apart and when Nidhi could not attend college for a week because of a wedding in their village, Nidhi's mother had no choice but to let her go to Anji's house to get some important notes.

When Anji had offered to give her a trial makeup session, Nidhi had been sorely tempted. Anji often brought fashion and film magazines to college and Nidhi marvelled at how gorgeous the actresses looked with their shiny, painted faces. Her favourite was Neetu Singh and she just loved the movie Khel Khel Mein, the only film she had gotten to see thanks to her Mama's family visiting them. When Mamaji had insisted on taking her and her younger brother Rohan to watch a film, her father had not been able to say very much. Ever since, Nidhi had so wished that she could also wear modern clothes of the kind that Neetu Singh did in that film. She had even timidly asked her mother if she could buy a skirt and top that Diwali but her mother had flatly refused. She had given her a earful on decent women and decent families and Nidhi had rued ever having made the suggestion.

No wonder then that Nidhi had been shocked when her mother had handed her a makeup box the previous day. She had informed her that a boy's family was coming to see her. The family lived in New Delhi and they were very educated and cultured people, a good family, but city bred people at the end of the day. So, Nidhi's parents were now willing to break all the rules just so their daughter would be approved by this suitable boy and his suitable family.

Nidhi wondered idly if the boy would like what he saw. She knew well that she was no raving beauty but Anji had taught her a makeup trick or two. She had taught her how to accentuate her eyes, highlight her cheekbones and make her nose appear more defined than it was! She looked at her reflection again with a critical eye. She did not look too bad! Would the boy think so? Would he be wondering if she would like him too? Would he have made an effort to dress up just so he could appeal to her? She somehow doubted it! She wondered if her parents would even bother asking her for her opinion if the boy's family approved! They would probably be relieved at the thought that their daughter had managed to secure a bridegroom on the first try that they would make a eleven rupee offering to the God at the local temple. With her father's salary, they couldn't really afford very much more!

She hardly knew anything about the boy and her parents had not bothered telling her anything. She had wondered if she could ask but had quickly discarded the thought at the thought of what her mother's reaction would most likely be! She would most certainly accuse Anji of putting such forward thoughts in her otherwise demure daughter's mind.

"Are you ready?"

Shyama rushed into the room and looked at her daughter with a critical eye. What had the girl done? So much red on the cheeks and on the lips? Was this a good idea even? She couldn't even blame her since she was the one who had gotten her the makeup kit.

"Nidhi, wipe off some of that colour. It is all too much!"

"Maa, don't I look nice?"

The crestfallen expression on her daughter's face made her feel just a tad sorry. Had she been too harsh? But then, what choice did she have? She lived in a middle class society and she had to abide by their norms. She had to instil middle class values into her daughter.

"You look nice, beta but maybe too shiny?"

"Maa, this is how the girls from the city look!"

Was she right maybe? This was too good an alliance to miss out on! She had been surprised when her husband had told her that such a proposal had come. The family was very wealthy and the boy was highly qualified. It appeared that they were related to her cousin's daughter-in-law and had seen Nidhi when they had attended the wedding at the village. They found her suitable and the family respectable enough to come out with the proposal!

Her cousin had marvelled at Nidhi's luck in attracting an alliance from such a wealthy family, so superior to them in every way. Would the luck extend to marriage? Would the boy like her?

She had tried to make preparations to the best of her ability. She had prepared snacks using ration bought from the high quality shop in town and had borrowed her sister-in-law's best saree and jewellery too. She had set up the living room with furniture borrowed from the neighbours and put up fresh curtains at the windows. She had even got the bathroom scrubbed and squeaky clean just in case the guests wanted to use it.

"Shyama, please bring Nidhi!"

Her husband Yog's voice broke through her reverie.

"Maa, should I wipe my face?"

"We don't have time for that now! Whatever is to happen will happen! Come lets go!"

Nidhi looked at herself once again in the mirror. Was the saree okay? Should she have borrowed Anji's maroon Mysore silk saree with the thin gold border instead? Bua's saree was bright pink and it had gold motifs strewn all over it. Would it look too gaudy to them? They were city folks, surely they would be up to date with the latest fashion trends?

"Maa, Baba is asking if Didi is not ready yet?"

Rohan ran into the room and stopped short as he saw his older sister.

"Di, you look like Neetu Singh!"

" Really?"

Nidhi's eyes shone with excitement.

"Who is she?"

"Maa, she acted in Khel Khel...!"

"An actress!"

Shyama's scandalized whisper was drowned out by Yog's curt tone.

"Shyama, the guests are waiting"

Shyama pulled Nidhi by the hand and almost dragged her out of the room before she realized that they needed to maintain decorum. Slowing down, she gently ushered Nidhi out of the room and signalled to her sister-in-law to hand the tray laden with coffee cups to Nidhi.

'God, please help me! Don't make me drop the tray in fright!'

Nidhi could not help muttering a prayer beneath her breath as she took the tray from her bua and walked slowly towards the guests seated on the living room sofa.

It looked like there were four of them.

A well dressed couple, a young man and a fashionably dressed woman!

She wondered if they would consider her forward if she looked up and saw the boy!

"Thank you Nidhi beta!"

It was the older man with a kind face. She guessed it must be the father.

"God bless you, child!"

The mother she guessed!

"No thank you. I don't take coffee or tea!"

The young woman's snooty tone and the rather condescending expression on her face made Nidhi nervous. Who was she? She looked stunning and was so well dressed! She looked like something from the pages of Anji's fashion magazine.

"Come on, Vidya di, you would not stop short of five cups of tea a day yourself till you went to the US. Surely one more cup won't hurt you!"

Nidhi could not help herself. She looked up at him. And as luck would have it, he was looking straight at her. Their eyes met and Nidhi felt her cheeks burn. He was so handsome! Much better than Rishi Kapoor even! God, make him say yes!

"Yes!"

Nidhi looked at him startled.

"Yes, I'll have a cup, thank you!"

Nidhi realized that she had been gaping at him and had forgotten to extend the tray to him.

Her mother was glaring daggers at her and her father looked like he wished he were dead.

She quickly extended the tray and he took a cup even as he smiled reassuringly at her.

"Beta, why don't you sit down here next to me?"

The older lady smiled at her kindly.

God, she hoped they would not ask her questions she did not know the answers to. What if the boy rejected her for being stupid?

"Beta, you study history right?"

She nodded nervously wondering if she was going to be asked for the dates of some event! She normally had them all at her finger tips but right now, she was not sure she remembered her own date of birth.

She wondered if she could take another peek at him. What was his name? He made her feel better just by seeing him!

"Ashutosh, do you have any questions!"

Ashutosh, that was his name?

"Baba, this is not some exam, is it? If so, she must also be allowed to ask me questions. And right now, I am so nervous that I don't remember my own name!"

There was all round laughter and Nidhi caught her mother give him an approving look. She could read her thoughts almost. God, please let him marry my daughter and I will fast ten Wednesdays or something like that! She had even made Nidhi fast fourteen Mondays in the quest for a good bridegroom. Was it a coincidence that this alliance had come just as the fourteenth Monday had ended? Would he say yes, not to tea but to her?

They were all partaking of snacks now.

"You must have some too, beta!"

It was the mother again. The sister/sister-in-law had not opened her mouth since. In fact she kept looking around disapprovingly all the time.

Nidhi shook her head quickly. She was sure she would choke on her food or even worse, spill it on her saree! And Bua would not take kindly to her favourite saree being spoilt!

"Mama, I think we should leave. Jagan has promised to call at Mamaji's place at seven o clock! You know how difficult it is because of the time difference!"

The lady gave an apologetic look to Nidhi's parents.

"Jagan is our son in law, Vidya's husband. They live in the US, you know! She is here for a visit!"

Oh God, his sister lived in the US? She must surely think she looked like a country bumpkin!

Nidhi prepared herself mentally for a rejection. They would probably send a polite sorry note two days later.

"Bhai saab, we will have to take your leave. We will write..!"

"Why would we write when we can tell them right now, Maa? You have already matched the kundalis etc and this visit was primarily for my benefit. And of course, for the Sharmas to meet me! If they are happy...?"

Was that a yes? Did that mean he liked her? Was he going to marry her?

"Beta, if your parents and you are agreeable, then we are most happy to go ahead with the alliance!"

Her father was being ingratiatingly polite. Did anybody even wonder what she thought?

"What about your daughter, Sir? Shouldn't you be asking her too?"