“ Shaadi ”
“ Haan shaadi”
“ par abhi kyu”
“ abhi kyu ka kya matlab hai?”
“ Maa I'm not mentally ready to get married now.”
“ ek chamet marungi , zyaada angrezi na jhaad meri muh pe .”
Rudra Malhotra gave up, he can't handle anymore tantrums. He was pestered to come back home now and he has just sat on the couch having a glass of water, this conversation took place enough to make his mom angry . He looked at his papa who silently gave him a pleading gesture .
“ Maa jaisi aap chahe ” with that he withdraw to his room.
Rudra is a small town boy who cracked a govt exam and got govt job, he is an engineer , a mechanical engineer. Since his first posting, his mother has been persistent to get him married which he skillfully had been ignoring but now he got no reason to deny.
“ Rudra , sab tere hi bhalai ke liye hai , main ek Maa hoon , mera bhi dil hai ki mera beta shaadi karle , uski parivaar basse , tere bacho ko dekhe……” before his mother could rant anymore his father stopped her.
Rudra could hear his mom happily talking to his sister who after marriage settled abroad. His family is his everything.
His father was a teacher who taught in a school in their hometown Bhimbhali , his mother a typical housewife. His sister Radhika and him passed HSC with flying colours that the panchayat decided to sponsor their studies further. Radhika choose to become a doctor while he choose engineering.
Even after him getting a job and residing in Mumbai, his parents never left Bhimbhali , for them that place remained everything , 10 years to him moving out of his town , Bhimbhali neither progressed nor flourished. Just a thing that changed was students were allowed to study outside the city , girls were married in and out of the city.
“ Hum andar aaye ?” His father asked whilst standing outside his room.
“ Baba aajaye ” he stood up from the bed where he was lazily lying.
“ baithe reh, main janta hoon ki beta aap nahi chahte abhi shaadi ho ”
His father , Kishorilal Malhotra, a man honoured in the village said sounding unsure.
“ baba aise baat nahi hai ”
“ Janta hoon, par beta aap chahe kisi ko pasand karte ho toh batao , main baat karunga apki Maa se ”
He grabbed his father's wringled hand and said “ nahi baba , didi ne jo kiya woh mein nahi karunga , main khush hoon, jaise Maa chahe woh ”
“ beta phir baat aage bad badhate hai ”
In the evening , he got more details about his soon to be bride.
“ suna ki Rudra ne shaadi ke liye haan kardi bhaiya ji ”
Rudra's Bua Keshaki said sitting on the floor in the veranda , rocking her two year old grandson.
“ Haan” Kishorilal said and sighed.
“ Didi ji chai lijiye , ladki mujhe achi lagi , teacher hai , hamari gaanv ki nahi hai toh kya , parivar toh ache hai ” Rudra's mother said placing a cup of tea along with some roasted peanuts.
“ Namaste Bua ” he made his self visible to Bua, she placed a hand on his head and said “ jeeti reh , tu Akash se toh chota hai phir bhi shaadi karne mein dher laga di tune ”
He found it unnecessary to answer her and nodded with a smile.
Keshaki bua's son Akash is three years younger to him and is a construction site worker , who basically supervised the works , got married at the age of 22 and has a son. Bua is a proud woman.
“ Didi ji tasveer toh dekhiye , ladki pyaari hai , iski Maa iss gaanv ki hai ”
“ shehr main rehne walo ki baare main kya kahu main, Padhi likhi haina meri bahu ki tarah wahi kaafi hai ”
“ teacher hai shehr main ” Rudra's father pipped into make his sister be aware of him sitting there.
“ Maa ji guddu so gaya kya ? ” Bua's daughter in law , Rachana came asking for her son, seeing Rudra and his papa , she swiftly put her shawl on her head as veil and took blessings from Kishorilal.
“ aap kab aaye bhaiya ?” She asked him and his mother replied “ subah hi aaya ”
“ woh ayenge toh khush hojayega apki aane ki khabar se ”
“ Haan Mera beta dekh lega woh tu apna beta sambhal ”Bua chided the young lady who according to Bua was highly spirited and has springs on her foot. Smiling sheepishly, she carried her son outside.
“ Maine toh kehna bhool gaya ki iski choti behan ke liye apna Rudra ka haath manga tha ”
“ aur tum ab bata rhi ho “
“ nahi bhaiya , ladki thodi achi nahi hai , har waqt phone main rehti hai , na roti banane aati na ghar sambhal ne "
“ Acha, phir acha kiya didi ji , mera beta akele shehr main phasta aisi beewi lekar "
“ wahi toh "
Shaking his head at the ladies talk , Kishorilal Malhotra made his out of the house saying “ mandir hoke aata hoon "
Rudra concluded that his dad was escaping from this gossips , so he too swiftly made his way outside.
Author's note :
🌷🌷🌷🌷
