“A wonderful day to spend among women in leadership” said Rashmi Karthik an attendee of Women #BreakingBarriers Bangalore. Breaking Barriers is now coming to Pune, Panjim, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Chennai. Register now to attend!
She had a mad first date and the two hit it off. She was no longer a giddy teenager, but a responsible, 30 year old working woman. What happened when she told her family about him?
It was Saturday morning and I’m on my way home from Kolkata, where I am staying in a PG. So many thoughts are churning in my mind.
What I will tell my parents? That I am willing to marry a man with whom I’ve had just one date with, and need their blessing? Am I totally sure about my decision of marrying him? How will they react?
I need to stay calm. Would it be a great idea to take them out for lunch and tell them the full story about the new man in my life?
After reaching home my mother informed me that today we were going for a satsang.
This is my chance to tell them. Dressed in all white we reached the venue of the satsang. My family comprises 5 members – my dad, mom, one elder brother, my grandma and me, of course. All seem so happy, although a few aunties from the satsang group keep asking me about my marriage plans. So after lunch I collect my family together in a quiet corner, and start talking.
Me: I need to tell you something.
Dad: I have a surprise for you.
Me: You first.
Dad: A very good marriage proposal has come from one of Sonu uncle’s relatives. The only boy of the family, and is a doctor practicing in some hospital in Kolkata. You can continue with your job. I showed them your photo and they are willing to meet with you. And they want to marry off their son as soon as possible. I want you to meet with the boy so that we can finalise the dates.
Me: No wait. I want to…
Mom: Just think! You will get settled in Kolkata, and we can visit you on weekends. We will also arrange a satsang at home just to thank almighty God for such a blessing.
Grandma: Kundalis have matched. Finally I can invite home my friends who think my grand daughter is good-for-nothing. They will all feel jealous after seeing that my grand son-in-law is a doctor.
Brother: Finally now the family may think about my marriage…
Me: (totally shocked) How and when have these things happened? Mom, you never informed me about any of this. Okay okay! Listen, everyone. I know someone and I want to marry him, and he is an engineer.
Dad: What! Who is this? How and when did this happen? Is he working with you in your office?
Me: well no.
Mom: Deepika aunty’s son?
Me: How could you think about him? He is gay!
Brother: (angrily) I knew it. You have a boyfriend and you never let us know. Here we are searching for a suitable groom for years and now you are telling us this. Who is he? Tell me.
Dad: (confidently) It’s impossible. Last to last week I checked your mobile and there is no such message, no long calls in your call list. The guy you speak regularly is Sourav, your office colleague. I read his messages – they all are work related. I even checked your sent messages, and there is nothing there that indicates any boyfriend.
Me: I can’t believe you checked my phone last to last to last week.
Dad: I do it every time you visit home. Including this time. So I believe that you are simply bluffing to avoid this marriage proposal.
Mom: (teary eyed) After a certain age mothers and daughters become friends, but you hide things from me. That means we are not even close enough to share our personal life.
Grandma: (enthusiastically) It would have been great to have a doctor in our family!
Me: Please listen to me. Mom, Dad, he is not my boyfriend. He is working in an office next to mine. We know each other, like each other, are probably compatible, so we want to…
Dad: How did you meet?
Me: That’s not important, Dad. But if you insist I will let you know.
Brother: Dad do as per as her wish, because if you go against her will she will run away and marry him.
Me: Don’t expect me to run away with someone. It’s true I like him, but I am not sure about my decision. I want you to meet with him and decide if he is perfect for me or not. Without your blessings I am not going to tie the knot ever.
Dad: (now confused) You said he is not your boyfriend but you want to marry him. And you also don’t want to marry him without our blessings.
Me: Dad, it is not possible to judge someone just by knowing them for a few hours. About life, I have less experience than you. So far I have always sought your help in every important decision of my life, like where to study what to study. So I want you to do his background check and decide what would be best for me. He may also talk to his parents just like the way I did. So after both families are agreed then we…
Dad: But last time you choose a wrong guy.
Me: Daddddd! That time I was just 18 and now I am a mature educated working woman of 30. And by the way that was just an adrenaline rush of a teenager.
Dad: (disappointed yet smiling) Then we will inform Sonu that our daughter is not interested in his doctor relative. Let’s meet your selected one.
Mom: Is he from our religion?
Dad: It doesn’t matter. We want her to be happy.
Mom: Weight height?
Me: Mom, ask him every detail when you meet him.
In the mean time…
Grandma: We need doctors from birth to death. I like doctors.
Me: (sarcastically) Why don’t you go ahead and marry one doctor. There are so many handsome doctors of your age. I am pretty sure grandpa will not object at all. He will bless you from heaven.
All of us start laughing. And this is a small account of a date with my family.
Image source: 2 States movie promos
I am a ordinary woman studied in a all girls school. Love to cook, eat,
Indian Marriage Drama: How I Hold My Ground as an Unmarried 30–Year–Old Woman
When The First Flush In A Marriage Is Over, How Is Reality Vs. The Myth?
As A Child, I Was Molested By A Family Friend; Speaking Of It Publicly For The 1st Time
This Father’s Day I Decided Not To Have A Second Child With My Abusive Husband
Get our weekly mailer and never miss out on the best reads by and about women!