Klishmaklaver

Ours was not that silly 'LOVE STORY,' spun running around trees or sketched across college desks. Ours was 'DESTINY' written by Lord Brahma himself. And before you begin to think I made a kitschy, cliched statement there, please allow me to tell it all.  As all dutiful Hindu Brahmin parents do, my parents approached a typical old astrologer too. And thus I found myself fasting on Saturdays, 'for a perfect husband!' as they put it. I did it as dutifully as I could so as to get a husband as nearly perfect as husbands can ever get. If you know what I mean! Little did I know my future had a really whirlwind romance,in store for me, like no other's. "Have you ever seen a girl fast on Saturdays for marriage and a good husband?" My office colleague jeered at me in her cacophonic shrill voice one day, over lunch.  "What if you found a 'Hanuman' instead?" She continued walking around the table, akimbo and her cheeks puffe...

That evening had been like none other.  The prelude was a lovely start to a beautiful Winter's Saturday at our Pune home. My Papa's childhood friend, whom I address as Bappa and his loving wife-  Pachchi  had visited us after ages. And in tow were Pachchi's Sister and Brother-In-Law. Over the home-cooked Lunch of typically favourite dishes from our Konkani cuisine, began a jolly good chat between the group of wisened minds. Pachchi's Brother-In-Law who she addressed as Bhavaji thankfully had an extremely jovial nature and he had soon livened up their get-together with his impromptu jokes.I found him very entertaining and it was a relief to realise that I wasn't feeling pressurised to behave in a certain  manner as the elderly usually tend to expect. I was least bit bored between them, like I'd dreaded. "Oh! Come on, Vasant. It's my son's car. The driver will drop you two back after dinner. It will be great fun, I promise! The more...