I used to often go with my mom to the house of her colleagues from her office. The grown ups would sit and discuss work, places they bought their saris from and fancy recipes, while the kids would be packed off to play together.
One particular colleague had a daughter who I played video-game with on a regular basis. After having been to that girls' house many many times and after one particularly good game of super mario, I was jubilant. On the way home, I asked my mom in a very matter-of-fact way and with full confidence: “Mom, when I grow up, I’m going to marry Astha la?” A highly flustered mom hummed and hawed for a while, gave me a hasty “Let’s see, let’s see, now come on hurry up” and frisked me away.
Circa 2010.Mom sees a gold bracelet she likes and asks me if I’d like something like that to gift my potential wife. When I politely decline, she goes ahead anyway and says that she would have to buy it for my wedding anyhoo. Ditto for any grossly expensive and blingy jewellery set or sari or pretty much anything she likes and wishes to buy for my would-be wife. Now I humm and haw and mutter an infuriated “Be happy if I even get married” under my breath. When my mom starts off about her daughter-in-law who she insists must be Bahun, educated, beautiful, vegetarian, etc. etc, I give her a “Be happy if I end up with a girl instead of a guy.” That succeeds in ending the discussion right there, thankfully. Ah, how times change.
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