Love and Marriage. A Blind Institution?

With a cup of cold ‘kaapi’ to beat the sweltering heat in Bombay, my mind churns along with the air conditioner and with the conversation I had earlier in the day with my mother’s family friend who came to visit us today.

Draped in the colours of a widow; sporting a short, rather funky for her age, haircut and with wrinkled fingers, protectively holding on to her peg of whisky; I mistook her for someone with modern ideologies until the following words spilled out from her mouth and washed away all the new found respect I had for a woman, who proudly lives independently, in a remote city, half way across the country, at the age of 77.

“Darling! You have a MBA degree. Do you know other such educated, ‘ripe’ Bengali girls for a possible match for my grandson?”

I choked on the water I was drinking, as I processed the question. What proceeded was my face producing its unique smile and I replied with a firm 'NO'. No ‘ripe’ friend of mine is coming anywhere near her pansy grandson who gets his grandmother to be his life partner pimp. I was about to retort with a more subtle but equally rude statement when my mother, being my mother, recognized the afore mentioned smile and quickly changed the topic to marital scandals in the family.

Which, in turn, reminded me of the conversation my aunt wanted to have with me, which she began with ‘Marriage is an institution….’

Shaadi.com; SecondShaadi.com; Marriage Counseling; Self-proclaimed Matchmakers; Horoscope Matching; Matrimonial Advertisements, Pre-nups; Divorce Settlements; Infidelity; Impotency; Wife Beaters; Rapists; Sexless Marriages; Same Sex Marriages; Nagging Mother-in-laws; Child Custody Battles…This unfortunately is what constitutes the institution of Marriage.

What happened to keeping things simple?

Like just loving each other and supporting each other and being companions for the rest of your lives.

I honestly believe in the above mentioned fact. I also believe in one more fact.

‘Hubby-to-be! Keep your mouth shut and your credit card ready!”

:-)

Xoxo
P