Anokha Vivaah
Part 1- Our Train Journey.
In the rainy month of Sept 2018, we were travelling by train from Bangalore to Pune. I am a beautiful middle aged traditional woman in a saree sitting at the window seat in the train bogie. In the same bogie, a middle aged man is travelling to Pune, seating in front of me.
After the train left the station, the man in front of me introduced himself to me. He asked me where I was travelling to. He said he is an English teacher, Career Counsellor, startup advisor and people take advice from him for various things. Unaware to the Counselor, my husband Shekhar was in the same train sitting across on the side seat, watching us.
I felt conscious about Shekhar watching us but did not tell the counselor that my husband is travelling with me. I noticed that the counselor kept staring at me. He offered to buy me tea and snacks twice during the journey but I politely refused. At the Pune station, the counselor helped pull my luggage from under the seat and offered to carry it to the taxi stand. I wanted to refuse but my husband quietly signaled me to let him carry the suitcase. My husband quietly followed us without saying a word. At the taxi stand, my husband came forward and I introduce the counsellor to him. The Counsellor instantly realized that the person who was watching us in the bogie was my husband. He was somewhat embarrassed and asks to be excused.
When the counselor left embarassed, my husband looked me in the eye and asked me to give him the business card the counselor shared with me. He posed a question to me, “do you think he is the right man for you?”. I kept thinking about it throughtout the auto ride to our home.
I had always avoided talking to men in front of my husband but since my husband had been discussing about my marriage and future life, I felt that talking to other men in front of my husband might make him feel uncomfortable. Little did I know that I was wrong. I keep quiet and thought about the Counsellor and wondered if he could be my future husband. My husband said that until I shed my inhibition, fear and shyness, it would be hard for me to find a suitable bridegroom. I have been taking independent decision on my life for sometime now. Although, we were still married, I felt I deserved to decide about my own future.
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(Contd… Part 2. My mother-in-law and her life.)
Please give me your feedback. What you feel about the introduction scene ?
