Sketchstory No. 36 - 'Bondage…. or bonding?' by Sandhya Srinivasan

-



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 wedding was too much even for him. She could still see the confused look on his face when he saw two chains with thaalis being passed around for blessings from the gathered guests. He chanted the mantras at the auspicious moment when the mangalsutra was put around Kalpana’s neck, and then realised he had to continue chanting the mantras as Prakash lowered his head and Kalpana tied the mangalsutra around his neck.


Prakash had insisted that if Kalpana was expected to wear a symbol of their marriage, then he would also do the same. No one in his family was surprised, having already decided that he was a strange being, but Kalpana’s smile grew even wider as she remembered how stunned some of her relatives were. Prakash flaunted his mangalsutra and she heard him tell a guest, ‘Now we are bonded together’. After all, isn’t that what the mangalsutra was? A sign of bonding, not bondage.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sketchstory No. 3 - 'The skirt, the sand and the sea' by Anchita Ghatak

-
Image
“What fun to be sitting here like this! And wearing these clothes,” thought Purnima to herself. “What would they think in Ponchanontola? And her employer? She would have a fit!” She remembered the day she had gone to work in a long skirt and a pretty top. “You’ve come to clean my house. Not to a party,” her employer had sneered. “Don’t pretend to be who you aren’t.” Deepa, the girl who lived next door, had helped Purnima open a bank account. “Make sure you save some money every month,” Deepa had advised her. “Don’t tell your family how much you earn.” Deepa went to college and unlike most other young women in their locality didn’t think of sex, marriage and movies all the time. She wanted to have a good job and be free. Actually, Purnima often didn’t understand what Deepa talked about but she was impressed all the same. Deepa was quite a bit younger than Purnima but knew so much more. Purnima had saved a thousand rupees a month for the last three years in a recurring deposit account an
Read more

Sketchstory No. 22 - 'Ananya' by Padma Gargeya

-
Image
The young Indian-American couple sitting across decided to play their favourite game in public places “What’s their story”. Texting her boyfriend, the girl wrote with confidence, “Just like my parents, only younger. Relatively recent immigrants from India. He’s a techie, she’s a homemaker. She is quiet, gentle, keeps a great home. Gorgeous, isn’t she? Lovely cheekbones, chiseled jawline, lustrous hair, nose ring, kaajal in her dark eyes... He has been so busy at work, and she is exhausted from holding it all together. Now he is taking her out for a special date, so she is all dressed up - don’t you think?” **** Varun, sitting next to her, and unaware of being observed by the young couple, fondly thought of how despite few opportunities, she loved to wear sarees, jhumkas and gajras . Today, her mind seemed occupied as she forgot her shawl at home and was using her pallu to cover her shoulders against the windy San Francisco weather. Back when they were in college, he,
Read more

Sketchstory No. 7 - 'Urmila's Story' by Sandhya Srinivasan

-
Image
Window seat, on the right side, front row – this was Urmila’s favourite seat on the plane. Once she settled down, and fastened her seat belt, her book came out promptly. She ensured that she wouldn’t have to look up till they landed. Her husband, Vikram, who uncomplainingly sat in the middle seat, would handle all interaction with the cabin crew, refusing any service for her. Thankfully, the toilets were in the rear of the plane, so she didn’t have to see any of the other passengers. Once all the passengers had walked past Row 1, she could finally move the scarf off her head and let it fall around her shoulders. Even though her scarf was a beautifully spun cotton one, and was colour-coordinated with her shirt, it was still uncomfortable to have it over her head all the time. While her eyes were on the book on her lap, her thoughts were far away. It had been over 6 months since she had last visited her parents. This was the longest she had not been home, but
Read more