Chittu Kuruvee Designs by Usha Iyer

Kalpana couldn’t stop smiling as she came out of her bathroom after a shower. The chain with the mangalsutra hung heavy around her neck and for someone who disliked jewellery, this was not a very welcome addition, but she wouldn’t complain. Traditionally, in Tamil Nadu, the bride wore two mangalsutras (thalis) on one heavy chain – one from the bride’s side and one from the bridegroom’s side. But like many other things about this marriage, the mangalsutra was going to be different for Kalpana. Prakash and she had been childhood friends and neighbours. It was almost like it was ordained that at some point, their friendship would become something special and culminate in this marriage. The priest had already been informed earlier that there would be no traditional kanyadaan as she was not going to be given away by anybody, to anybody. The priest, who had conducted several inter-caste and inter-religious wedding ceremonies, had been understanding, but yesterday’s incident at the weddin

I was my parent’s only child. My mother was a school teacher of a very prestigious school of Kolkata and she got my admission done in the same school. Right from the childhood, I was very fascinated by my mother’s designation in the school. She was a simple class teacher in the beginning but it used to give me tremendous pleasure to see her around me in the school. When she got promoted to the post of teacher in charge, I felt so proud to stand up with the other children in the school and wish her Good Morning. I used to feel an important person when the other children of the school used to come and befriend me and asked me “are you Usha Aunty”s daughter?” By the way my mother was known in the name of Usha aunty.  My mother was very very conscious about her daughter’s discipline in school and her constant vigilance always stopped me in crossing the limits of indiscipline. Though her presence gave me opportunities to enjoy lots of facilities unlike other students but my freedom to s