Chapter 10:-A busy day.

When we were busy gossiping, my mother and aunty told us that another ritual was about to start so we all stopped talking and went to change our dresses for other rituals.

I wear a light pink colour bandhani saree with a matching blouse. To wear a saree properly my mother helps me and I wear lightweight earrings in my ears and bangles in one hand and one beautiful bracelet on the other hand. I put my hair open and put it all on one side. I wear sandals which don't have too many heels.

After dressing up properly I go to meet Meera and check if she is dressed up or not.

When I reach her room she is busy getting ready and one woman from the beauty parlour is doing her makeup and another is doing hairstyle. 

When she saw me she commented that " You're looking beautiful in saree dear".

I told her " Thanks for the compliment".

She is in an orange saree very beautifully and her make-up and hairstyle get done in a few minutes.

I told her that " You're looking gorgeous my dear sister"

When we both get ready we go outside the house when a ceremony called "Grah Shanti " is performed by Pandit Ji and my uncle and aunty are seated near the holy fire and following the instructions. I sat with Meera and other sisters.

Pandit Ji called Meera's name and so she joined her parents for this ritual.

Pandit Ji gave her instructions to do the things and she followed that. 

I get busy with my other sisters in the distribution of the gifts that are given by Meera's family to the people who come for the wedding.

After finishing this ceremony Meera and we all are getting ready to give poses to the photographer.

Another ceremony called " Mameru" starts. In this ceremony, Meera's mother's brother's gift is given to Meera and her family and also to the relative who is from Meera's village.

Me and Meera stay at home with other older women and others are gone to the little distant house to take all the gifts which they have to give Meera and her family and relatives from her village. 

After a few minutes, all men and women and children come with gifts and also do a dance to the beat of the music. When they reached home, me and Meera also joined them in dancing.

After this ritual another ceremony was performed by relatives and women of the village. I, Meera, and others get busy doing the dancing.

When this ceremony gets finished we all are seated in chairs in the house.

After a few minutes I feel thirsty so I want to go to the kitchen to drink the water. I asked Meera if she wanted the water. She said 'Yes ' so I went to the kitchen to drink the water.

When I was drinking water one aunty came near me and asked me " Are you Aarya a Daughter of Kavita?" I answered her with a smile that " Yes aunty you're right I'm Aarya a daughter of Kavita"

Then she starts a further inquiry about me by asking me what I'm studying and in which year , from which college of which city. What results I got in my third year of college.

I answered all of her questions with a constant smile on my face.

Then she asked me the most irritable question which is asked to many Indian youngsters who are not even getting engaged and they have to face it in many family get-togethers and functions.

The question is pretty simple for the one who asks it but the worse for the one who has to answer it. Whoever has to answer this question becomes uncomfortable while answering the question still, no one stops asking them and they get tired of giving the answer to the same irritable question asked by many in any function.

She asked me " Now tell me when is your turn to get married?"

Suddenly the smile on my face disappears because this is the worst question to answer and I think for today this must be the ninth or tenth time that I'm giving the same answer to the same question asked by many relatives. 

I feel like giving an answer in viva is better than to face the same kind of relative in different functions and give them all the answers to their same one question that "when will you get married?"

I answered her that " I'm still young and there is still time for my marriage because right now I have to finish my graduation".

When I started feeling uncomfortable Meera shouted my name and I felt relaxed and reviled. I look at the aunty one more time , take a glass of water for Meera and leave that place. 

I don't know what she is going to ask me. I have seen many Indian aunties who didn't stop questioning even the young couple who got married. After their marriage they start asking " So when will you plan to become parents?" I think that nothing can stop them from questioning us. 

I went to where Meera was waiting for me and gave her a glass of water. She asked me what's the reason that I got late and I told her the whole story. She said If I don't call you then you have to share your future planning and family planning with them and we both laughed. She told me that now I'm becoming accustomed to these kinds of questions. You will become habitual to answer these same questions in different ways with the same meaning till you get married.

When we're talking about all this my brother told us that dinner is ready. So me, Meera and my other cousins with my mother and other aunties go to eat dinner together.

The day is about to end. At night after having dinner, we all get busy changing our dresses for today's last ceremony called "Sangeet Ceremony".