‘You got to be kidding me’ I was telling to myself for the nth time.
Sitting in front of me was Keshav (Keshavan Kottakal), a Nair groom from a proper Tharavad in Pallakad. He is working in an IT company in Chennai for the last three years, with a salary that has allowed him to buy an i-20 and a house in one of the posh locations in the outskirts of the city. He is the younger among two brothers. His father is no more and his mother is settled with his elder brother in USA taking care of her five month old grandchild. Basically his application for the post of ‘son-in-law’ was not just suffice but more than perfect for my dad.
Keshav was the sixth or seventh ‘probable groom’ I am meeting in the last three months. All the men whom I met during the drama of ‘boy meeting the girl’ (BMG) were more or less the same. Receding hairline, ironed formal shirts, no-nonsense looks with a tint of their local district accent to their Malayalam. Everyone was worried about my cooking talent and my inability to converse fluently in my mother tongue. To cover this, I usually start the conversation first and in English. But it always ends up in my broken Malayalam, with the men having the last word.
Of course I am not looking for Mr. Perfect. The truth is, I went ahead and said ‘ok’ to all the men who came to see me. It was the other side which never came back after the first meeting. I never wondered why, because I already knew the reason. At the age of 26, I am a girl with ordinary looks who always go for the section ‘large’ in boutiques. Make up and cosmetics mean waste of time and unnecessary expense. My height and weight proportion is a question mark just like my career. I enjoy a sip of vodka now and then, and junk food is my biggest weakness. You can actually find my name as a synonym for couch potato in Webster’s dictionary.
Basically I have a character description which will not be found suitable by parents who are looking for a bride for their loving son. So, if you look at my profile in the matrimonial site, you will find something like ‘god-fearing, good at heart, lovable girl with family values’. Unfortunately, men in India are looking for Penelope Cruz – look alike in a job with handsome pay, who are independent and at the same time homely, fun loving, lovable, responsible, and on and on. So, for such men, I am a very big disappointment.
Now, let me come back to Keshav. From the day my dad brought up the proposal, I have been skeptical about it. He was not the usual looking types. The profile description made me have hiccups. He was not just tall and handsome. He was a Broadway show by the looks! He had greenish eyes with curly hair that fell on his forehead. The not-shaven look adds on to his smartness. I knew immediately that, this case (I mean the profile!) is definitely going to reject me even after looking at my hours-spent-at-the-parlor photograph. But tada… He is sitting right in front of me for the BMG.
The worst part is since he is coming all alone to see me, he didn’t want a formal BMG at my home. He wanted a casual chit chat, somewhere outside, just to know about each other. This means that I shall have no help from my mom as to what reaction to give or when to smile or remind me to sit erect or the worse, to control my hogging of food kept in front of me. Though I am not expecting the guy to say yes, I at least don’t want to look like a fool in front of a guy like him.
So, a Friday evening was fixed for the meeting. A nearby Café Coffee Day (CCD) was finalized as the meeting spot by him and my dad. I spent hours in selecting the right attire and getting my hair set. I got myself drenched in ‘Aroma’ perfume gifted by my uncle from Dubai. Evenings in Chennai are so humid and smelling like a sweating cow was the last thing I wanted to happen. When I was ready to leave, I took a look at myself in the mirror. ‘Not bad’ I thought.
As soon as I entered CCD, I scanned the area for his presence. There was no sign of him. I quickly went to the washroom, had a fast fix of my hair, found a nice corner two-seater and texted him “Hi. Dhikshitha here. I have reached. Where are you?”
Sitting in front of me was Keshav (Keshavan Kottakal), a Nair groom from a proper Tharavad in Pallakad. He is working in an IT company in Chennai for the last three years, with a salary that has allowed him to buy an i-20 and a house in one of the posh locations in the outskirts of the city. He is the younger among two brothers. His father is no more and his mother is settled with his elder brother in USA taking care of her five month old grandchild. Basically his application for the post of ‘son-in-law’ was not just suffice but more than perfect for my dad.
Keshav was the sixth or seventh ‘probable groom’ I am meeting in the last three months. All the men whom I met during the drama of ‘boy meeting the girl’ (BMG) were more or less the same. Receding hairline, ironed formal shirts, no-nonsense looks with a tint of their local district accent to their Malayalam. Everyone was worried about my cooking talent and my inability to converse fluently in my mother tongue. To cover this, I usually start the conversation first and in English. But it always ends up in my broken Malayalam, with the men having the last word.
Of course I am not looking for Mr. Perfect. The truth is, I went ahead and said ‘ok’ to all the men who came to see me. It was the other side which never came back after the first meeting. I never wondered why, because I already knew the reason. At the age of 26, I am a girl with ordinary looks who always go for the section ‘large’ in boutiques. Make up and cosmetics mean waste of time and unnecessary expense. My height and weight proportion is a question mark just like my career. I enjoy a sip of vodka now and then, and junk food is my biggest weakness. You can actually find my name as a synonym for couch potato in Webster’s dictionary.
Basically I have a character description which will not be found suitable by parents who are looking for a bride for their loving son. So, if you look at my profile in the matrimonial site, you will find something like ‘god-fearing, good at heart, lovable girl with family values’. Unfortunately, men in India are looking for Penelope Cruz – look alike in a job with handsome pay, who are independent and at the same time homely, fun loving, lovable, responsible, and on and on. So, for such men, I am a very big disappointment.
Now, let me come back to Keshav. From the day my dad brought up the proposal, I have been skeptical about it. He was not the usual looking types. The profile description made me have hiccups. He was not just tall and handsome. He was a Broadway show by the looks! He had greenish eyes with curly hair that fell on his forehead. The not-shaven look adds on to his smartness. I knew immediately that, this case (I mean the profile!) is definitely going to reject me even after looking at my hours-spent-at-the-parlor photograph. But tada… He is sitting right in front of me for the BMG.
The worst part is since he is coming all alone to see me, he didn’t want a formal BMG at my home. He wanted a casual chit chat, somewhere outside, just to know about each other. This means that I shall have no help from my mom as to what reaction to give or when to smile or remind me to sit erect or the worse, to control my hogging of food kept in front of me. Though I am not expecting the guy to say yes, I at least don’t want to look like a fool in front of a guy like him.
So, a Friday evening was fixed for the meeting. A nearby Café Coffee Day (CCD) was finalized as the meeting spot by him and my dad. I spent hours in selecting the right attire and getting my hair set. I got myself drenched in ‘Aroma’ perfume gifted by my uncle from Dubai. Evenings in Chennai are so humid and smelling like a sweating cow was the last thing I wanted to happen. When I was ready to leave, I took a look at myself in the mirror. ‘Not bad’ I thought.
As soon as I entered CCD, I scanned the area for his presence. There was no sign of him. I quickly went to the washroom, had a fast fix of my hair, found a nice corner two-seater and texted him “Hi. Dhikshitha here. I have reached. Where are you?”
And I waited....
'O_o'
WOW.. loved this piece..
ReplyDeletewell written :)
ReplyDeleteThank u :)
ReplyDeleteI remember leaving a comment here yesterday! Whatever happened to that?!?! :|
ReplyDelete@ Blunt Edges: I hope this is the comment.. It came in my mail, but disappeared here :(
ReplyDelete"Love the honesty! :)
And what's with all these informal BMGs happening at CCDs? Even I know a few friends, who ended up there ;)"
Its just a fictional story based on the events that took place in my frnds life...(not mine!) Due to laziness, its just half way.. will do the rest soon!! :)