If you want to understand how to become better allies to people with disabilities, then join us at Embracing All Abilities: Including People with Disabilities at Work.
“Look! The baraat has arrived,” a girl squeals. You peep out of the window. He looks dapper in his sherwani. The sehra covers his face, but you know his eyes search for you.
The guests arrive, one by one. The mellifluous notes from the shehnai waft into your room. The butterflies in your stomach flutter at a frenzied pace. But that doesn’t bother you. This is the day you have been waiting for.
You hark back to the day he sauntered into your life. Oxford Bookstore, Park Street. You had just picked up Ulysses. You were leafing through its pages when you froze. Someone was behind you. Your heart skipped a beat as you turned around. He smiled at you, and you went weak in the knees. But it was his line that drew you instantly towards him. I thought I was the only relic who relished this.
Over countless cups of coffee in Barista, you discussed Marxism with him. You felt like the center of his universe when he called you his Bengali biplobi. You loved how the tomato sauce oozed down his lips, caressing his stubble, as he bit into that juicy mutton roll at a noisy Nizam’s. When he put his arm around your shoulder, laughing at your silly jokes, your heartbeats reached a crescendo. You wanted more. When he kissed you at your doorstep, you responded with equal fervour.
You smile as you think of your trips. Nestled against him in the hotel bed, you knew he was special.
A drop of tear trickles down your eye. Baba didn’t speak to you for a month. It was maa who asked you to follow your heart. And you did. When he proposed to you in his kitchen, you giggled. Who says I do while stirring the maacher jhol? You did.
Somewhere you hear baba doling out instructions to the caterer. It’s been six months since Bijoyadashami, but it seems like only yesterday. After bidding adieu to the Goddess, he hugged you. I want to meet him, he winked at you.
They adored him. His Punjabi swag, coupled with a promise to cook butter chicken for them, bowled them over. You wished you could do the same to his parents. But you had to be patient.
“Look! The baraat has arrived,” a girl squeals. You peep out of the window. He looks dapper in his sherwani. The sehra covers his face, but you know his eyes search for you. A lump forms in your throat when you see his parents dancing in a way so unlike the boisterous Punjabis. How you wish they could accept you with genuine happiness. It is then he looks up.
You know he will be with you in happy times. He will hold your hand as you cross the hurdles one by one. You wave at him and amble to the mirror. It’s your day, you whisper. You hear your name being called out. You run your hand over your beard. Adjusting the pleats of your silk dhoti one last time, you exit the room.
Glossary: Biplobi – Revolutionary Nizam’s – Eatery dating back to 1937, probably one of the original sources of kathi rolls Macher Jhol – Bengali style fish curry Bijoyadashami – Last day of Durga Puja Baraat – Celebratory wedding procession accompanying the groom Sehra – Headdress worn by grooms
Published here first.
Image source: Mayur Gawade from pexels Free for Canva
I am an IT professional, lost in the monotonous world of Excel. So, I seek refuge in Word, pun intended. I write for various literary platforms and have quite a few anthologies to my credit. read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Rrashima Swaarup Verma's new bestselling book The Royal Scandal is a celebration of the spirit of womanhood set in the 18th Century.
Rrashima Swaarup Verma’s new bestselling book The Royal Scandal is a celebration of the spirit of womanhood.
A true love story. A tale of politics, treachery and war. A piece from India’s rich history. A vivid description of 18th century life in the Deccan. Yes, The Royal Scandal is all that and more. But it is also an aide-mémoire of the tremendous fortitude, the unbeatable spirit that women are, and have always been, capable of.
18th century, Hyderabad, India. A time and place when societal laws and rules came down heavy on the female gender, when zenanas separated and shielded the women from the world outside, when it was understood and accepted that the men in their lives would govern and dictate every big and small decision.
Women aren’t a place to dump a man’s anger no matter what the issue could be. And calling her names is again not the husband’s right just because they are married.
Trigger Warning: This speaks of domestic violence, emotional abuse, and may be triggering to survivors.
“Visualize it. Just visualize it!”
Five-year-old Niranjana was finding it difficult to connect the colours, shapes, and alphabet together. She knew each of them separately, but connecting them together seemed huge and impossible. Tears overflowed her cute eyes when the teacher instructed her to learn at home and answer questions in class.
Please enter your email address