~~~~~~~~~~Sandhya~~~~~~~
"Sandhya.. did you take bath or not?" My mother shouted at me.
"ya I did" came my reply with a boring tone.
"Here.. wear this saree and this matching accessories.. Comb your hair neatly.. Don't take the centre partition.. Do some nice hairdo. And.."
"maa.. ok I will get ready.. don't talk continuously. its irritating"
"ok ... get ready soon"
My Mom left. I sat on the bed looking at the new saree and accessories. My parents have arranged a marriage meet for me. And this proposal is brought my Krishnan's mom.
If not for his mom, I would have lashed out at her for poking nose in to others matter. My parents were silent and did not start with the topic. But recently, Krishnan's mom started this topic.
My parents knew that I am not in love with anyone. Still they asked me to confirm it. I said 'no' as I don't know anything about Mahadevan's feelings.
Finding that as a green signal, they encouraged Krishnan's mom(Vimala) to send the details of horoscope and they started with search.
At first I did not take it seriously , as it would take time to see the horoscope , match all criteria's and so on. So I thought I would get good amount of time to enjoy. But after knowing that this proposal is brought by Vimala aunty, my hopes drained.
Vimala aunty has a policy. Whichever girl or boy they meet for arrange marriage at their house, she would ensure that it gets fixed. Two living proofs. Krishnan and his brother.
Though they have got a good life, that is their family. But why to poke nose in to ours? I know she is suggesting it because our families know each other well for a longer time. Still.. I am kind of afraid of what might happen.
I am not on talking terms with Krishnan. Its been 3 days since the fight happened between me and Krishnan.
In between, I happened to see him in a shop with Anjana. Though we saw each other, we did not speak. Anjana inched forward to talk with me , but he refrained her from that.
While thinking, my phone chimed. I saw the caller ID . It was Anjana. With reluctance I picked it up. My fight is only with Krishnan and not with Anjana. So I attended the call.
She spoke for few minutes.
"ss. ok .. ok bye.. I will talk later. Krishna is here" she said in husky voice and cut the call. I understood that she was conversing with me without his knowledge.
I sat for few minutes with closed eyes, doing a small meditation, to calm my racing mind and heart.
I then got ready cheerfully. I have made up mind to go with the way the things are happening.
I heard the guests coming inside. I saw Vimala aunty and Krishan's Dad too along with the guests. After usual greetings and other talks, I was asked to come out.
I performed namaskaram, to the elders and sat on the single sofa. My parents were saying or could say praising about me to the guests.
"can your daughter cook?" asked one of their relative.
I shot a glare at him. Are they going to hire a cook or seeing a girl for marriage? I thought.
"She knows a little. But we will equip her before marriage" my mom stated.
"ohh.. ok.. she is lean.. I don't know if she could do all the household work. Don't expect our guy to do all the work." his so called relative said.
How dare he ask this question. I felt like hitting him hard with the plate on his head. I opened my mouth to shout but my mom forbid me from doing it.
The groom's parents seemed to be good. But this relative, who is the groom for that family seemed to be poking nose unnecessarily and irritating me. No one in his family forbid him from talking that way.
Our parents were talking but this guy, he interrupted again.
"why is your daughter so silent from the beginning? can't she talk? At least can she sing?"
I then sang a song, not because he asked but others insisted. All this time, I was not looking at the groom as well. I noticed him looking at me, but I did not spare him a glance. But his swallowing looks in front of everyone.
The song got over. His so called relative criticized me.
"your voice was shaking visibly. And the shruthi was not proper when you started Charanam. You need lot of practice Sandhya" again that stupid useless relative of the groom poked his nose.
I gave a death glare at him, thinking he would shut his mouth. I wondered why his family is also not stopping him from talking. He was doing too much .. Overboard I could say.
"your daughter seemed to have an angry face. Why??Is she not interested in this proposal? Is she in love with anyone?" he asked.
My anger knew no bounds. I got up from the sofa and took the water bottle, ready to hit him. But my parents forbid me. They understood what my action would be when I took the water bottle.
So they managed the situation stating, I rose up to take the water bottle. Just to make up the story, I drank the water from the bottle.
I gave a strong glare at my parents for forbidding me. My Dad Shaked his head left and right as in asking me to not do anything now.
"what is all this ? Your Daughter is not showing respect to elders. Is this the way she would behave with the guests? She is not the suitable one for our family. Romba aratha irukaley"(too wild she is)
That's it.. My control broke its limits.
" enna prechana unaku.. nee yaru enna kelvi keka.. unakellam nan badhil solla mudiyadhu"
(What is your problem? who are you to ask questions to me? I won't answer any of your questions)
"Hello, I am the groom for this family that you are going to get married to.. All the important decisions are taken after consulting with me. If I say no, they would not even proceed. What do you say Mr?" he asked the groom.
"I will marry her even if you say no" the groom spoke and everyone busted in to laughter including me.
"indha avamanam unaku thevayada ? thevaya?" (its a great insult) he asked himself pointing his index finger to his forehead
"theva dhanda poda" I said mockingly to Krishnan. (its needed one for you)
Deva, his parents, Anjana, Krishnan and his parents are the ones who came to meet me. So far, Krishnan was the one irritating me with his questions. He has come here as a groom of Deva's family and not as my friend. That is what he was trying to showcase.
The elders asked us if we want to talk alone. Again Krishnan.. no no.. Groom's relative poked his nose.
Krishnan: "what is this asking her opinion? Whomever parents say she has to marry. Why do you ask her?"
Me: "Maa..I agree to marry Deva. " Turning to Vimala Aunty, " Aunty.. you know what all he said about you when you fixed Anjana for him? Do you know what all he scolded you as?" I started.
Krishnan: "ei.. don't you dare open your mouth OK?"
Me: "Then you back off man.. why do you want to poke nose in to my family matters"
Krishnan: "oh.. so you have gone that far, to call as your family la. avlo periya agal dugalah neeyu" (are you a big shot or what? to not talk about you)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Deva~~~~~~~~~~~
While Sandhya and Krishan were fighting with words...the elders talked about other things as I too agreed for the marriage with Sandhya.
"Ei.. you both go fight over there.. don't cause disturbance here" shouted her mom. Anjana told me about the fight that has happened between them.
I wanted to talk with Sandhya, but I decided to settle the dispute between Sandhya and Krishnan.
" Sandhya" I called her. But she went to the kitchen without listening to me, in the middle of the fight with Krishnan.
Me and Anjana stood confused as to what to do.
"can you both please stop this fight and get back to normal?" I asked Krishnan. For the next minute, I persuaded him to first patch up with her and he left.
Me and Anjana were little worried seeing them behave like strangers and enemies. Anjana too felt bad thinking, because of her arrival , their friendship broke. I too had the same fear.
If I am to marry Sandhya.. then it would be awkward for them both to meet each other, when they have dispute between them.
"maapilai.. don't you want to talk with Sandhya?" her mom asked me.
"ya.. I will. its.. um.. I don't know if you know it. Sandhya and Krishnan both had a severe fight and they are not on talking terms . So... "
She laughed loud at me. "Ayyo.. maapilai.. why are you so naive?" she went laughingly.
Me and Anjana stood perplexed. She went and narrated the same to Krishna's parents and they too laughed.
We did not understand what was happening. Suddenly we heard a sound of plates clattering on the floor.
Me and Anjana rushed to the kitchen.
Sandhya and Krishna were fighting for the bajji. (bajji - made with potato or raw banana or onion, which is dipped in batter and fried in oil)
"Dei.. that is the last piece of potato bajji.. give it to me"
"hey you took 4 pieces of potato bajji .. and pushed all the plantain bajji to me.. I will take this one" said Krishnan.
"paga paga dhan.. kudu andha bajji ah" ( fight is a fight.. give me that bajji to me)
They fought literally with each other resulting in some vessels falling down. Me and Anjana looked surprised as to how and when they both got back together.
Hearing the sound of the plate, Sandhya's mom walked past us , scolding her for creating a mess in the kitchen.
"you said they both are having a big fight la.. and not on talking terms.. I know their fight would vanish away , the moment they see the bajji" stated Sandhya's mom to me.
Seeing us stand like that , Vimala mami spoke.
"Devan.. I guess you and Anjana are seeing them fight for the first time. That's why you have this reaction. We don't take their fights seriously. They fight with each other and patch up on their own. In fact, these are all very small matters. We have seen even more worse case, where we thought they had become real enemies, but these two are thick friends, inseparable ones."
Me and Anjana could not believe ourselves with the way they both were behaving.. They were like two strong enemies in the battlefield earlier. But now, they are fighting over the silli bajji.
Was it me and Anjana the only fools to worry about their fight? We were thinking and advising Krishna to get back to being friends with her again.
Ellam waste ah?? rendu perum sendhu engala emathirkangala? ( is all our efforts were waste? Were they fooling us this time with their angry looks?)
"ei. unakaga mama velayellam pakka vendiyadha pochu.. olunga andha last bajji ya enaku kudu" said Krishnan
(I acted as a marriage broker for your marriage . for that reason, give me this bajji)
Still they were fighting with that one bajji. While they were doing all that, my Anju kutty came and snatched that from them. Their mouth opened in shock. Before they could analyze the situation and snatch it from her, Anju stashed it her mouth and left the kitchen.
"Anjanaaaaa" they both shouted and ran towards her. I too ran along with the best friends behind Anjana. Reason is, earlier , while we all were talking, she ate the bajji's in my plate too. Not even single bajji I ate.
Now you know the reason, why there was a silence, when we all were talking. Madam Anjana was busy on her bajji, sweets and mixture. Else she would have talked a lot.
We ran behind Anjana and halted at one of the room, where they caught Anjana. After scolding her and playing with her for few minutes. The talk shifted to normal mode.
Krishnan and Sandhya asked apologies to each other's behavior and they had a friendly hug. Sandhya looked at me sideways and detached herself immediately upon seeing me.
I actually did not take that seriously as I know the relationship they both have. Neither Anjana mistook their hug. Its a friendly hug and she too understood that.
Krishna was the one who spoke with his parents and started the topic of our Marriage. He dialed me and informed about Sandhya's interest on me.
When I heard my parents are seeking alliance for me, I was little reluctant to say yes, as I had Sandhya in my mind.
I know we both have not spoken with each other often nor spent time. I have developed feelings for her. When and how, I don't know. And I am not sure of what her thought about me was.
I don't want to ask her number from Krishnan, fearing he might think bad of me. I did not find the guts to ask her number directly, when we both met for the few times. Anjana is not the option in my list as there is a high chance that she might blurt out to everyone.
I tried to talk with Sandhya many times, when we met in the functions, but was kind of afraid. What if Sandhya thinks bad about me? Hence I refrained.
I rejected the girl whom I met in the restaurant stating I am in one side love with a girl and would propose her soon.
I don't know when and how I got the guts to say that, but I did. That day , I took time and braced myself to open about my love for Sandhya to my parents.
To my surprise, before I could confront my feelings, they themselves suggested Sandhya as a the bride for my marriage. That is when Krishnan spoke with me and I too came to know about her feelings for me. I confronted him that I too have feelings for her.
We decided to have it a secret and surprise meet for Sandhya and remained silent. That day, through Anjana I came to know about the fight that happened between Krishnan and Sandhya.
To the present..
"ok.. how did you get ready with a smiling face to meet the groom? Which means are you ok with marrying anyone instead of Deva? is that the love that you had for him?" Krishnan shot a valid question.
I was eagerly waiting for her answer. Actually, I was broken in one corner of my heart, when I saw her. She decked herself very neatly and was having a cheerful and happy face , even before looking at me. We informed the elders as well to maintain it as confidential. If at all, she insists, we requested to give some other information to her.
But she had a smiling face. why? Has she changed her heart and mind so soon? Myself and Krishna were eagerly waiting for her answer. My heart beat raced up. Within a fraction of second, so many thoughts clouded my mind.
Did she really did not like me? Is she accepting all this because, the elders have forced her?
"I already knew it is Deva who is coming to meet me" came Sandhya's voice, looking at me through the corner of her eyes.
I felt happy hearing it. We might not have exchanged any love words, nor spoke anything about us. It is always the looks that are exchanged between us.
I looked at her with a questioning look of if she likes me? As in understanding my thoughts, she nodded yes with a blush. If we had conversed earlier at least with the eyes just like now, we would have made some beautiful memories of love phase. But this is also good. We are going to get married.
"But how come you know about us coming? We decided to have it all confidential with you" Krishna put forth the doubt, which I too had.
"does anyone want bajji?" Anjana came in with a plate of fresh bajji's that were fried now. She asked stretching the plate to us , while chewing one in her mouth. We don't even know when she left to the kitchen, as we were busy talking.
Me and Krishnan now understood how and who is the reason behind all this.
"Anjanaaaaaa" me and Krishnan shouted. But she was too busy in eating it to concentrate on our tone or look.
"What?" she asked naively, still concentrating on the bajji.
"Did you talk with Sandhya in call today?" Krishnan interrogated her.
"oh.. ya.. when you went to take bath, I sneakily made call to her and was talking. I was talking about our meet today at her house. That is when you came from the bathroom , so I cut the ..." Anjana rolled her eyes left and right with the next bajji in her hand stopping in the mid way.
She realized that she blurted the truth to Sandhya and also now to us about her open mouth.
"Chatterbox" we shouted at her and she ran away with the plate of bajji, while me and Krishnan chased her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Krishnan and Sandhya are childhood best friends. As their parents said, they have fought a lot, but would patch up soon. The bridge that connects them is always food.
The besties fooled even the readers with their fight, just like Anjana and Deva.
I hope you all enjoyed the story. Thanks for your votes and comments.
An epilogue may be out for this story , in few days. Until then have this book in your library.