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Deepak was annoyed that this topic was still being discussed. He asked, “Is it regarding my marriage?”
“Yes, you met Roshni, talked with her for some time, so what do you think? You mentioned you liked her, so…?”
“Sashank bhaiya…can I make a suggestion?”
Sashank motioned for him to continue.
“Assuming R
oshni is also okay with this, can Roshni and I get engaged now, and I will come back in six months or one year and then marry her. Like I said before, I am not comfortable agreeing to this relationship at this time.”
“Again the same subject!” Sashank rolled his eyes.
“Deepak, what is your problem?” Sashank came to him and placed his arm around Deepak’s shoulders. “Listen, I have already explained that if you lived here in India, engagement now and marriage later would make sense. However, you living in the US does not leave us with this option. There are VISA formalities that need to be addressed. This means Roshni cannot join you for six months or even a year, right? So, this adds up to the time you have been talking anyways. If you delay now, there will be a further delay with her VISA formalities. Don’t you agree?”
Deepak agreed.
“If you are not interested in her, then that is a separate issue. But if you like her, then why delay?” Sashank added, “Moreover, it will give Roshni an opportunity to interact with us after the wedding, understand our family traditions, and Kaki is here to train her!”
Deepak raised his head and glanced at Sashank bhaiya with wide open eyes; something he said made a lot of sense suddenly. Deepak would like the girl to accept him and his family and traditions. Sashank bhaiya was right. This would give her an opportunity to interact with his brothers and learn their family traditions. This would also give him an opportunity to know her better while he was away in the US. All this made sense to him, but somewhere there was this inhibition, a hesitation…he was not sure one hundred percent that he could give in to a stranger.
After more conversation between him and Sashank bhaiya, Deepak felt pressured, and he agreed reluctantly to the wedding.
Sashank was relieved. “Roshni is the right girl for you. You will never regret it,” he said and hugged him. “So shall I call Prashant and ask him about Roshni’s approval?”
Deepak nodded. “As you wish.”
Akash congratulated Deepak and hugged him. “Deepak, I have never seen Sashank bhaiya so happy in the last few years. He deserves this happiness. Thank you!”
Deepak acknowledged his brother’s comment. He was apprehensive of this arranged marriage formality but was satisfied that this made Sashank bhaiya cheerful.
~ ~ ~
At the breakfast table, Prashant asked, “Roshni, did you think about the alliance? Do you like Deepak?”
“Babuji, he seems like a nice person…but let’s wait for him to respond first,” she said and left for work.
Prashant did not pressure her.
Prashant received a call that evening from Sashank, informing him of Deepak’s approval for this alliance, and wanting to find out Roshni’s opinion. Roshni returned from work at this time and noticed her father in a joyful mood, and she assumed the call was from Sashank bhaiya. Prashant talked with Roshni, and she also gave her agreement to marry Deepak. Prashant was ecstatic and hugged her; he reassured her that everything would be all right.
In less than half an hour, Prashant called Sashank and informed him that Roshni also approved, and both the elders immediately started preparations for the marriage. Deepak and Roshni overheard them confirm December 14th as the date, as they had planned before. They listened with awe; the extent of planning that was done prior to their meeting was unbelievable!
Kusum helped Prashant with wedding clothes and jewelry for Roshni, while Prashant made arrangements for the hall, mandap, food, guest list and decorations. Sashank was busy with the guest list and shopping for Deepak. He accepted Kaki’s help in selecting jewelry and saris for Roshni.
All wedding preparations were done in a short period of time. Everybody was jubilant, with a lot of excitement in the air.
Chapter 4
Deepak and Roshni’s Wedding
Wedding Day, December 14th
The baraat reached the venue on time, with the band and other paraphernalia. The car that brought Deepak was decorated with flowers. Deepak looked very handsome; he wore a dark, chocolate-colored sherwani – a long coat-like robe of weddings – and white pyjama and the pagari. He looked around and saw friends and guests, old and young alike, dancing to the music. Sashank, Akash and other friends and family were greeted by Prashant and his family. Sashank and Prashant hugged and were very happy about this alliance, and introduced their family and friends to each other. The bride’s party was curious to see the groom, and Deepak held himself with grace and dignity, shoulders squared and feet planted firmly. He nodded graciously, acknowledging the guests.
Prashant took this opportunity to introduce Kusum to Sashank, Akash and Deepak as his ‘sister’. After greeting the groom and family, Kusum left to attend to Roshni. Sashank enquired about Kusum, as he’d never seen her before. Prashant provided some details about Kusum: she was a social worker and helped him with the orphanage; they had a brother-sister relationship; and Roshni and Kusum were very good friends.
The whole wedding hall was decorated with various colored flowers, flower patterns and colored lights. Women were all dressed up, with heavy silk and brocade saris and jewelry; men were dressed in pagaris, sherwanis and churidar pyjamas; little girls were dressed in lehenga and cholis; and young boys were dressed in silk-embroidered kurta pyjamas. The loud band played popular Indian film songs; some youngsters were dancing to the music. Guests who had not met in a long time chatted and caught up with their gossip. A whole variety of sweets – laddus, burfis and jalebis – were being served all day. It was a festive atmosphere everywhere. The lunch was an exotic menu with several dishes. The delicious smell of fresh food spread in the air, enticing the guests, and each guest found their favorite dishes among the selection. Of course, chai was being served hot all day long.
