The Deadly M Word !!!

Let me narrate what happened last Wednesday while I was in Jaipur. It was my cousin’s engagement, a full family, big time gala party with about 500 people at a 5 star. Festive moment, fun evening, I was enjoying my time with my cousins and relatives...and pop came the call from Paa. Asked me to meet one of my uncles whom I call as Doctor Mama.

Now, let me give a brief description about Dr Mama of mine. He has a kid who is in his Class 10th or 11th, so till date mainly the discussions we have had in the past surround his school, his subjects and his career counseling, etc. etc. like what subjects he should opt for, what are the various career permutations and combinations which he can pursue and all…

So, you can imagine, during that party, who would like such a discussion, yet again! But then Paa’s order and so I followed. There sounded nothing sneaky about the meeting at the outset. Doc Mama was sitting with my Mausaji and another uncle whom I hav met before, but I didn’t remember, when and where?

Doc Mama (With an astounding energy and smile on his face): Hey Akash! Wassup! Just pull a chair! Sit Sit!

(N so I did, sat down facing the three of them, smiling socially. Doc mama introduced me to the unknown uncle, his name was Sitaramji…:))

After the normal Namastes n all.

Sitaramji: So Akash, Where are you working?

Me: I’m working with Perot Systems in Noida, unc…(He didn’t let me finish :()

Sitaramji: Acchha, kya karti hai aapki company? (I hate that question, as always)

Me: It’s an IT company, unc…(He didn’t let me finish yet again :()

Sitaramji (With all the more excitement): Acchha, aur tumne MBA kaha se kiya hai?

(And there I thought, finally we are again heading towards another career counseling session)

Me: Uncle, IMT Ghaziabad se, it’s been a year now. (This time I smartly put the word in the start only, I win! :-))

Sitaramji (came the next question): Acchha, age kitni ho gai aapki?

(Wat the F? ^^&*&$^…Those were the first words which came up in my mind and I soon realized that boss this is leading towards a big trap…beta Akash jaldi se yaha se bhaag le…nai to pata chala Sitaram Ji ban gaye aapke Uncle se Relative…!)

I mean everything was fine till the MBA question, but this last one took the all steam away from my smile. And it took me a fraction of a second to realize that this is leading somewhere else, this is not one of those normal career counseling sessions which I used to give. Yaha to boss koi apni hi lene pe tula hai…

Me: Uncle, abhi poore 2 saal aur hai…! Tension naa lo!

And as they all broke into a big laughter, I was vanished from the scene in no time, much before they could come back to being normal selves.

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So now you can imagine, what life is turning into. It’s quite wierd...I mean I don't belong to all this...Why the hell...!!!

To be very frank, I just don’t understand the logic of arranged marriages, I mean I think I am not cut out for all of these arrangements. I don’t know what’s in store in the future, but one thing which I don’t want to happen is this important decision to be an arrangement for me and there are reasons for my saying that and explaining the same to my relatives.

Marriage I think is a sacred phenomenon; it’s something which can’t be imposed on anyone. Also, I believe it’s a trap in which one should fall only when he or she wants to be fallen into the same. I mean when I see people around me, the married ones somehow don’t look that happy and the unmarried ones are always so full of so much more, so I just think that why is it that I get into that loop and kill the happiness which surrounds the unmarried, at least for now, when I can be single and happy.

Let me make it clear that it doesn’t mean that I won’t get married, Yes I will, Yes definitely. But that will happen, when I would make a decision to get into the mould of not being just happy but where I would rather start giving happiness to the girl who would give me the responsibility for keeping her happy for life.

Ideally, as they say, when I would make myself necessary for someone and would have someone without whom life will be nothing, that’s the time, when I should be tying the knot and that’s the person with whom I should decide to spend my life. But before that, I am sorry. All my relatives, mom-dad, mamas and their Sitaramjis of the world, it is not gonna happen so easily!



PS: On deep thought I realize the reason for this anxiety for getting me join "the league of married gentlemen" is just that all the married ones in the family are somewhat jealous of my freedom ;-)…hmmmmmm…caught the motive folks…I won’t let u guys catch me so young!!!


PS2: The highest record age of any male getting married in my Rajanthani family stands at 23 and guess what, I’m the “Change Agent”, having survived 25 years of happiness, I would say, my education saved me till last year. But, now the talk of the town is, “you’re next!!!” And I loathe even the shape and size of this M word completely! My success depends on how far I can evade it n still live Happily Freely Smilingly Livingly 'Unmarried'!