Skip to main content

An Arranged Marriage?!


Asha was in the final year of her post graduation. She was studying in a prestigious college in Delhi, and would soon be a full fledged journalist in a few months’ time. She is the only daughter of her parents who are working in two different cities ever since she could remember. Born into a traditional family, in spite of the fact that her parents had a slightly ‘modern’ approach to life, her extended family was way too traditional. They even had a problem and had raised a few voices when Asha’s mother had wanted to work after her marriage.

Asha was all of 23 years, and was at the best of her potential, she wanted to go out and create revolutions, change the way the country worked, cleanse the dirty politics in her country, and she was hoping to fly high and achieving these backed by her degree in journalism and her passion to fight for justice. The last time they met, Asha’s parents had casually mentioned that she was coming of the right age to get married and that they would soon start looking for good boys who would suit their social status and background. She had dismissed her parents’ words with a wave of her hand and had asked them to carry on with their plans, she was too engrossed in planning out her career post her education – which newspaper she would join, she did not wanted to be a part of the new generation tv channels that were always conducting sting operations; rather she wanted to be a part of the nations’ leading daily newspaper. She had always wanted to write, and that was what she planned she would do.

Holi was fast approaching and she knew she would meet her parents for the festival of colours, but what she did not know was that her parents were bringing her a Holi gift, the photo of a very eligible boy – an engineer, who was now settled in the U.S.- whom they had chosen for Asha. They only needed her to look at the boy’s photograph - giggle, blush and run away into her room, as is expected of a demure Indian girl.
Was she ready for a marriage, rest the fact that the one in question is an arranged one. She was not in love with anyone, but that didn’t mean she would marry just about anyone her parents chose, she wanted a say in what kind of a man she would marry. 

Guess she will just have to wait till Holi.


*********************************************************************************


Girls in India are caught in the drift when they reach a particular age. They suddenly face a dilemma as to what to focus on in their life, whether to make a career and ensure a living or to get married and secure their life. Girls who remain single after the so called marriageable age are frowned upon by the society and are considered a burden for their families.

Throughout the month of April, thanks to the AtoZ Challenge, I am trying to portray the life of Asha, a common Indian girl with dreams and aspirations. Everyday we focus on one alphabet starting from A on April 1st till Z on April 30th. Stick with me till the end of the journey and do tell me what you think of my writing and my Asha.



A - An Arranged Marriage
B - Bridal Dreams
C - Cherubs From Heaven
D - Rusty Dusty Delhi
E - Ernakulam 
F - Fretting Over F.R.I.E.N.D.S & Fiancé
G - Gratifying Rendezvous
H - Hospitality Crash Course
I - I Love You??!!
J - Journalism's Joy
K - Krishna
L - Love, Longing & Life
M - Milan - A Meeting
N- Noodles, Nimbu Paani & A Nice Guy
O - Online?
P - Phone Number
Q - Questions!
R - Risks
S - Some Soul Searching
T - Timeless Tableau, A Twist in The Tale
U - Union

Comments

  1. I really enjoyed your piece and look forward to finding out weather Asha will meet and marry this "boy in the photo." Great job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for coming by :) :)
      Do keep coming back to check what happened.
      Take care.

      Delete
  2. Here from the A-Z challenge...great to meet you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rebecca,
      Thanks a bunch for stopping by. Hope to see you around more often.

      Delete
  3. Great start to your story. I'm looking forward to reading more. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Stefani...
      I've already posted A, B and C. Hope you read them all :)

      Delete
  4. I cannot wait to continue this story with you... catching up so long.

    Stopping by from A to Z Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :)
      I hope I can live up to all your expectations.

      Delete
  5. And finally I've made it back to the beginning, now to read the rest of the story!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I shared my thoughts with you, it's your turn now :)

Popular posts from this blog

Phone Number

The early morning sun rays kissed her good morning, and she woke up with a smile. Something told her it was going to be a beautiful day. She finished her early morning tasks and offered prayers and thanks to her Lord. Her mum and dad had called promptly in the morning to ask how the meeting went, whether she has taken a decision about Milan, what food she had ordered, her mother hoped she had worn a ‘decent’ dress and asked her again if she made a good impression on him. Frankly, Asha had no clue how to answer to all these queries. She said that they had a good time together, had lunch and an interesting conversation on their way back. Her mother sounded excited when she told her that Milan had come to drop her back home. She could almost imagine her mom’s eyebrows arching up in excitement. It was then that her mom asked her, “So, did you like him?” Now that, was a difficult question. She liked him, yes. But what her mom wanted to know was not whether she liked him or no...

Timeless Tableau, A Twist in The Tale

The dinner with her parents went exceptionally well, especially with the surprise they had given her. Her mother came into the room with a steaming cup of coffee, just the way Asha loved. She knew from the aroma wafting from the dining room that her mom had not only settled down and made herself comfortable, she had taken over the kitchen duties and had already prepared a yummy breakfast. The news that her parents would be staying a while with her was by far one of the most pleasant surprises she had received in a long while.

Dark Secret

To say the least, my parents rejected and disowned me when they came to know how I really am. It is not by my free will that I lead a life like this, hiding from the society, never going home, always afraid of being ridiculed or mocked at. It is not my parents’ fault that they live in a coastal village along the western ghats of India where they are still not free to decide what is right and what is wrong for them. Similarly, it is not my fault that I’m like this; this is not a choice I have made.