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I told her, if we decide to take our relationship to the next level, she will have to meet mom by dressing Indian. You know what she did? She laughed uproariously and declared she would, provided I came to meet her parents in a dhoti!"
I reached the airport late and rushed through the security check because they had already started boarding. I was the last one to get onto the shuttle. As I struggled for leg space I found myself standing next to a strapping young man speaking into his mandatory blue tooth speaker.
I have no shame in admitting that I love eavesdropping. These bits of interesting conversations are the seeds to my fertile imagination. Hence I paid attention to his confessions.
“Dating Shanaya is a process. She is forever busy doing stuff. I have to adjust our outings accordingly! Just imagine! There are so many eligible women waiting to be my plus one and I chose her. Yet…” the young man, no, the whiny man-child complained.
Sadly I couldn’t get the listener’s response.
“Yeah. Maybe. As you say, there are many plus points to her. But Shanaya Trivedi doesn’t know basic housekeeping stuff! She isn’t so empathetic either! When I was very stressed last week over my missed promotion, instead of consoling and comforting me, she gave me a counsellor’s number saying perhaps I needed an overhaul!”
My my! This gripe was getting to be gold!
The man-child now was silent, nodding occasionally as the other side responded.
“No no that will not work! Shanaya Trivedi is a wilful and opinionated woman. I can see the friction and fissures right away. I told her, if we decide to take our relationship to the next level, she will have to meet mom by dressing Indian. You know what she did? She laughed uproariously and declared she would, provided I came to meet her parents in a dhoti!”
The listener must have been stumped too because the man-child’s response was swift.
“What monetary benefits bro? She earns as much as me, and insists on doing what she feels like with her money even after marriage. Luckily her parents may not need her help, but it will be too much of pressure to handle my folks and hers too! All this is still ok! If only she could cook and be a bit more caring! Feels like I’m dating my boss!”
I couldn’t take it anymore.
As we got down and walked towards the aircraft, I gently tapped the man-child over his shoulders and said, “Shanaya Trivedi cares for you but she isn’t your mother no? As her mother, I say you got a great deal. Can’t say the same about her! Shanaya Trivedi is as unique as her name!”
And I walked away, waving him into silence, praying to the entire pantheon of three crore gods that we wouldn’t be seated together or he wouldn’t bombard me with question-missilery during the flight. The universe listened. I was safe.
It’s another matter that I don’t know any Shanaya Trivedi, but the man-child’s cribbing got my goat.
If we women don’t stand for each other’s pride who else will?
Because change starts with small steps taken by us.
Hopefully Shanaya has a great life ahead doing her own thing, making her own decisions!
Image source: a still from the film Pyaar ka Panchanama 2
Anupama Jain is the author of * ‘When Padma Bani Paula', listed as 'One of the 5 best books of 2018 - Fiction', by readwriteinspire.com. It is a breezy novel about second chances of life and read more...
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Homeschooling in India is having a moment. As families become increasingly weary of traditional schooling thanks to cookie-cutter policies and high costs, parents are opting for alternate methods of education
Homeschooling in India is having a moment. As families become increasingly weary of traditional schooling thanks to cookie-cutter policies and high costs, parents are opting for alternate methods of education.
Come Monday morning, homes with young families across the country are in a chaotic yet familiar dance. Ceiling fans are turned off, and lights turned on with a vengeance.
Teeth are cleaned, and breakfasts are shovelled down. Uniforms and shoes are thrown on, and heavy school bags are picked up as parents and kids alike make a mad dash for the door.
Your goals made you move to a new city. I saved my pocket money to call you from a local PCO since my house used to get itemized phone bills.
Dear Crush,
When I write this, I feel as if I am 19 years old again.
Could we rewind further to our childhood days as tiny tots and neighbors? Due to your dad’s job transfer, you had to move out of town. Our paths crossed again unexpectedly after a decade or more. Amidst the crowd, our eyes met unexpectedly at a family function. I recognized you, but I wasn’t sure if you remembered me. For the entire event, I kept looking for you and felt butterflies in my stomach whenever our eyes met.