The Great Indian Marriage

Last February I got the invitation for a friends wedding. His name is Deepak.
He had been brilliant and got a job in a nearby industry by campus selection.
He had been very close to me. Once, around a decade ago, he had come to
visit us at our home. We both with my family went to meet another friend
Manoj at his place. My wife had never met their family. We had a very warm
welcome at their house. We had been planning to visit the nearby hilltop Devi
temple after a short break. All of a sudden Deepak had convulsion due to an
epilepsy attack. All our programs cancelled, as we stopped tending to him. He
gradually recovered and then he slept for some time. After he got up, he didnt
remember anything about it. He just guessed and asked if he had the attack
again. There I came to know about how he had to leave his job and start
working with the coaching institute. He had very less income. He managed by
staying with his family. His mother is very caring and loving. He couldnt get a
match for his medical condition. He was under medication of a neuro
specialist. He has to take the medicine regularly and has to avoid doing few
things like driving, swimming etc. He had a very good physique, tall, fair with a
very good looking face. But due to the occasional fits he was jobless and
almost a burden to his family both emotionally and financially.
In our land its so unfortunate for Guys like Deepak fulfilled with all virtue to be
left unwanted like this. He who was so sought after by all is not needed by
anyone but his mother. It must have been tough on her to take care of her son
at an advanced age, while the reverse should have been the case. This hurt
Deepak a lot. He seemed quite distant and detached in spite of us. I wished
he could get a perfect life partner he deserved and a job that justified his
education. He was perfectly fit & normal for any work when he had no
convulsion. He joined the coaching institute and gradually became the owner
of it. He got some sound income thereby supporting himself, his medications,
check-ups and all. He still continued to live with his mother. His mother was
internally worried about him staying alone all his life. I too wished he got a life
partner both for him and his mother. But he cared less. I too was hopeless. I
had been intending to pay visit to my old place to meet him and other friends.
It had been four years since I had left Bangalore post college. During any
official tour I could never have time and circumstances for a reunion with old
friends. Later I had this oversea assignment that cut me off from all for quite
some time. Recently I had been back and had settled at Delhi with family and

the invitation came up. I dropped everything mundane and decided to take
leave of all my responsibility home and office to join his marriage. Left with no
time to ponder with the wedding date fixed just a fortnight ahead, I
immediately booked my flight.
It was still dawn when I stepped out of the cab and walked towards the entry
gate of the Delhi airport. The early morning February air was pleasantly cold.
I was travelling to Bengaluru to attend a college friend's wedding. It had been
four years since we graduated from the same college. This wedding was also
going to be a reunion of our batchmates. But what I didn't know was that the
reunion would begin much ahead of time; right in the queue in front of the
airline counter.
I was almost sure it was she. Same height! Same long hair! Same
complexion! Curiosity had my eyes glued to her. And then about 60-odd
seconds later, when she turned, she proved me right. My ex-girlfriend stood
two places ahead of me in that queue. We had never met after the college
farewell.
I didnt know how to react. I just stayed dumb. She flashed all her teeth and
marched towards me. I told, Hi, Roshni, what a surprise ? She told she too
had been travelling to attend her younger sisters wedding. I was surprised.
Was not her sister married already? I remember too well. Because that was
talk of the town at that time. We were in final year and had been dating each
other since eight months already. Her sister had just joined first year
engineering in same college. Her mother was a widow. She had worked very
hard to raise all her children. They belonged to a very orthodox Christian
family. We kept our relationship to ourselves. She thought once we got job
and get settled, she would disclose and convince her family for our marriage.
Then this happened. Her sister eloped with a railway contractor, 11 years
older to her. As we learnt later, his name was Rehan. He belonged to a
Muslim family. They stayed near their place. He used to play cricket with their
elder brothers. Occasionally he dropped into their house and had a chit chat.
Her sister was in school. Nobody ever suspected anything till this event. Her
family was so disturbed. They had already done the registry marriage. Then
his uncle went and got Priya to his place. He threatened to kill her husband if
she disagrees to divorce him. But she threatened back to kill herself. Then
Deepaks mother intervened. She had good relation with both the family. She
counselled all. Then she was allowed to go to her husbands family. Her

husband supported rest of her education. She could complete her

engineering. Then she settled for a job in Deepaks coaching institute.
But, the effect Priyas marriage had on my relationship with Roshni was most
damaging. Immediately after Priyas marriage, her mother arranged the
marriage of Roshni & her two brothers within seven days. Their family could
not take any more chance. I being Hindu our alliance was out of question. I
ended up nourishing my wounded heart.
Now, Roshni living to attend her sisters marriage was the biggest unsolved
mystery or puzzle to me. So as I enquired her, the story unfolded like pages of
a novel.
Priya stayed happily married to Rehan. She had two kids, a son and a
daughter, a perfectly happy family. They had just celebrated their daughters
second birthday. She could not have had a better, more loving husband. Her
husband was very successful in his business and was well loved in their
place. He was welcome by the ruling party to be a member as a hopeful
contestant for next assembly election. The party high command unpleased
with the present candidate wanted to replace him with an honest, popular and
sincere candidate. Rehan was a perfect mixture of all these attributes.
The day after their daughters second birthday they had planned to go out of
the city for an outing. Rehan asked them to get ready for the pick-up of one
hour ride to the airport. In, the meanwhile, he just went out to do some last
minute look over at the railway yard. While on way, his car was bombed and
he was admitted to the best hospital in the city. In spite of all care he could not
make it. Aggrieved People in thousands, assembled near their ancestral
house. Even Priyas family, who had cut off all relation with her rushed to be
with her. Everybody was so shocked. The local MLAs involvement in the
murder couldnt be ignored. But everyone was afraid; even her husbands
family could not dare to file an FIR. The contract killer, hired to kill Rehan was
arrested. But no one came against the real culprit.
Priya was so grief stricken that the survival of her and kids was doubtful.
Deepak and his mother though never left her side. They had been very
acquainted with Priya and her kids. They considered it as a personal loss and
did everything to support her. Gradually days passed into months and months
into year. Priya regained her strength and joined back her job in the coaching
institute. The coaching institute prospered like anything. It had established
eight branches all over the city. Priyas children completely owned up Deepak
as a father figure.

Then Rehans family one day approached Deepaks Mother with the marriage
proposal. His father was very old, Rehan being his youngest son. He wanted
to hand over the responsibility to someone and none better that Deepak suit
the position. Hence Deepaks mother readily accepted. Even Priyas orthodox
Mother was too pleased with Deepak and regarded him more than his son.
Then a simple ceremony was arranged post, the consent of both the bride and
bridegrooms. Rehans Abbu will do the kanya daan and rest of the family
along with my old sweetheart Roshni & myself would observe the occasion.
So I looked up to, not only, a reunion with my old friends but also to the
greatest alliance of the century, where people of all faith would congregate to
bless the wonderful couple.
Even the chief minister has expressed his desire to attend the ceremony. The
MLA from his party had lost the election by the biggest margin. His party
which had the biggest victory in history lost only few sits and Rehans
constitution was one of them.
Therefore, its rightly mentioned that Marriages are made in heaven. Rehans
Muslim kids would have a Brahmin father and Christian Mother. So they can
identify themselves as true Indians.