gaLaate hudigeeru…

“Amma ..he is 30 years old!!”
whined Vanaja..her family never understood her..her grouse against her family members was long standing..
but she dejectedly thought what can one expect out of people born before there were TVs???

She was 23..and to her 30 years..seemed like an age where people get arthritis and groan when they
have to sit or stand!!

She looked at her mother..the short dark lady,with her 2 chained mangalsutra dangling on her bosom..frowning at her

“Vanaja..dont be stupid..its after all only 7 years..your father is 11 years elder to me…are we not happy?…yene kadime aagi ide namge?
Watching these stupid movies you have got all notions in your head…do you think some hero will come and marry you???”

Vanaja scowling at her mother.. reached for another chakli..

“innu tindu..dappa agu…aamele 30 alla nalvathr thaatha sigthaane!!”

Her mom looked at her fat daughter in her green nightie…and sighed…
Vanaja screamed “so u want me to starve..why?so that u can tie me up with some oldie?…yes i am
fat..i like it that way”..

listening to their voices..her uncle and two aunts walked in to the room..to convince Vanaja…relatives in most Indian household
think that it is their personal responsibility to see all the singles in their families married!

Her uncle joined in with his patronizing speech about compromise,about giving in..about how a gal should listen to her elders…

“Get married..the love will come…the guy has a good job and a maruti ! what more would you want?”

Something snapped inside Vanaja’s mind…she looked at the wrinkle worn
faces…faces which she thought had forgotten what it was to aspire..

“Love?where will it come from…adenu eega thathan maneli ideeya..maduve aadmele odi barutta?look at him..he looks older than my chikkappa!
why cant you find me a young guy with a good job and a maruti car…”

Vanaja’s could not see the concern in their faces..nor was she mature enough to understand that their priorities were
different..that her being fat lost them the oppurtunity to search for smarter guys…that she was not helping them…

They tried cajoling,explaining…her mom even tried her tears…but to no avail..Vanaja would simply not consent to meet that 30 yr old guy with balding
head and dark circles that made him look like a panda!!!

she reached for another golden brown chakli as they looked at her with worried eyes.

—————————————————————————–

Shashi..lay on her bed..crying her heart out.Oh!nobody understood her…

In the living room..her livid mom..was sitting,wringing her hands..Few minutes back
Shashi’s uncle had screamed “Shashi has gone out of your hands…your love has spoilt
her!“and had stomped out like an angry elephant…

Shashi was always such a well behaved kid.Who in their right minds would think that she would one day
dig in her heels and oppose all their efforts to get her married?

And why should she cry so much…it gets on everyone’s nerves…

Shashi stomped out of her room..and sat sulking on the couch..with her one leg propped on the tea-poy.

Her mom tried again…”whats wrong with this guy? he has a good job ,2 sites…and is from a decent family”

Shashi looked at her mom and said “Well he is not a B.E..why should I marry someone who is less qualified
than me?”
and Shashi,her eyes brimming with tears… added for good measure..

“I will not marry anyone who is not a BE graduate,is shorter than me..and is earning less than me.I don’t care whether he owns whole of blore!”

Her mom whined “Shashi..please dont cry..en maha tappu mad dvi antha altheeya?”

“Amma you want me to marry a guy who has 5 siblings…who is not
even a BE…is pushing 30..you are pushing me into a hell-hole..innenu
tappu maada beku..??

Her mom winced at the note of accusation in Shashi’s voice…but she continued “we want you to
see him..thats all..the choice is always yours”

She knew this trick..it had worked so well with her elder sister….they first thaw you down by saying
just look at the guy,if u dont like him we wont ask why…after 3/4 sittings..they will whine and groan..and look at you as though you were like a boulder on their frail shoulders… ask in accusatory tones
“whats so wrong with him?u r not aishwarya rai exactly…to have ur list !”
then they blackmail u with their tears till ur will finally breaks and you get married, to continue living the kind of insipid lives they lead.

She decided that she will cry every drop of water in her body out…but she will not let them trick her into marriage with a guy she didn’t think worthy!

She stood up..lifted her chin..with tears rolling down her cheeks…uttered defiantly “I will cry in front of the guy if you invite them
to meet me…and ask him whether he was not smart enough to do his BE?!” and stomped out into her room…banging the door behind her.

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

She wouldnt eat.nor talk…not even look in the eye…she had taken Gandhiji’s civil disobedience to
new heights!!For after all even the Mahatma had used his tactics only against the British Raj..the outsider!
Radhika used it against her own parents…to get what she wanted..time out of her own life..to do her MS.

Her orthodox mom was against the idea of a single daughter going to US and staying there
unchaperoned.But the desire to spread her wings had possessed Radhika…and all her mom’s pleading was in vain.

Her mom worried that her dear Radha wud be left to choose from old men if they wait for her to complete her studies.

Radhika had been a smart ,studious person..the apple of her father’s eye..and in her mom’s view ..too spoilt to ever make a good obedient wife.
Probably what she didnt realize was that being an obedient wife did not picture in Radhika’s scheme of things..

She saw her daughter sitting against the window looking gloomily outside…she worried abt Radhika fainting in front
of the people who were coming to “look” at her for their second son..for her daughter had refrained to touch anything edible for 2 days.
Radhika had not spoken to anyone for 3 days….and she wouldn’t open her
mouth even in front of the guests… she cursed her fate and wished for the nth time that she had borne a son instead of such an ungrateful daughter.She decided
that the best thing was to call the guy’s parents up and make some excuse …she sighed and reached for the phonebook.

Radhika on her part…looked outside and saw in her mind’s eye the aeroplane which was to carry her away from her mom’s mutterings
and all the prospective bridegrooms!

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
“I will spit on his face ,if he bores me!” Dilkush coolly said with a wink…but those who heard knew that she was thoroughly
capable of such an act..if goaded enough!
Her mom..who had been like a friend to her all her life asked “what if he spits back at you..what will you do then!”

That thought seemed to amuse Dilkush more than what her mom had hoped it would and she exclaimed “why,mom..I would immediately fall
madly and totally in love with him!!”

Aah..the carefree, romantic Dilkush!

Her mom wondered whether naming her Dilkush was right…he daughter had taken her name
very seriously..laughed about the most serious of things..and always made absurd jokes about the most sober things..

“Mom,he was duller than a saltless porridge”…

“A mute mongoose will be more interesting than him”…

“i want to feed his brains to the dogs;i like the dogs …so wont be so harsh on them”

These kind of things were always on Dilkush lips…becoz very few people indeed could hold her attention for long…or keep her
interested..but it was also true that most of her friends were boys and people had learnt to never take her words seriously…

She was carefree but with strong likes and dislikes…she hated and loved with all her heart…
Born into a liberal family..she never knew restrictions ..and somehow the winsome, charming Dilkush had failed to fall in love!!!
Now her parents were forced to find her a groom…and man!were they lost!!!

To find a person who is well educated ,cultured, well-off..reasonably good looking..was tough enough..but when they
added Dilkush vague conditions like “quest for life”, “Fascinating”, “full of life”.. “spirited”.. “funny”…”sassy and full of pizazz”.. her parents were dumb founded.

Not only that she also wanted a person who would match her in her knowledge of books,her thirst for traveling..her love of music..and her passion for life..

she swung her foot from the kitchen sill she was sitting on…and observed dreamily ,

“There must b someone out there..who wants to
more than just make babies..and strut around with his wife…someone who is my soulmate…for him i will wait…anyone
else..i will chase him away..instilling in his heart a fear of the deepest kind, about anything of the female species..on that u can trust!”

Her mom looked at her seriously and asked her “Dil,how will u manage to find this soul mate..just humor me..and tell me”

Dilkush sighed looking dreamy and said,
“Wish i knew mom..wish i knew..”
——————————————————————————————————————————————————-
4 gals…Vanaja, Shashi, Radhika and Dilkush…who didn’t even know of each other’s
existence…. diff settings..diff weapons…but all waging the same fight….not that their parents were wrong..they were concerned, loving parents
..who were just doing what they thought was their duty..nay,these gals were not fighting them…they were fighting for making
their own destinies.. seeking the freedom..to follow their hearts…girls who have given up on “compromise”..girls who are giving
sleepless nights to their respective parents!