Locked down in lockdown

2-The visit

There is this certain procedure of going to the could-be-groom's house, just to see how the house is and whether if the girl would be able to adjust and live there. The only thing was, the girl was supposed to stay behind. 

Exactly after a week, Vaani's father Mantesh had discussed with the middle man to go and visit the boy's house along with 6 others. He had read in the Mahalaxmi calendar that on this particular day, only seven people had to travel together, not more than that for any auspicious occasion or work.

Vaani's father only believed in these superstitions when he felt like believing other times he didn't care about them. If it was favourable to him and feasible only then did he feel like following them.

So he finally decided to call his elder sister and brother-in-law, along with his elder brother, sister-in-law, and his elder brother's only educated son. Vaani's only elder brother lived in Pune, working in an IT company so he was unable to make it for the meeting.

Others, those that were left behind, which included her older cousins and her dad's sisters got upset for not being invited to go with them. As they had also started to show their silent protest slowly and silently by not coming to the house anymore.

"Mom, why don't you call someone wiser from your side? I don't trust these people fully" The day had come and the people going included only from her dad's side, so Vaani talked to her mom and convinced her to call someone from her side as well.

Vaani's mother's aunt was in the same city as that of the guy, so they called her, as she was the only person right now, who Mantesh got along with smoothly, just because the old woman talked to him nicely and nodded along with him in almost everything.

Today was also the day, the boy's side was going to put forward their demand for marriage. Even though India had moved forward, some old habits die hard. The dowry system has its ancestral roots to it, which people find hard to leave, maybe because of greed or because they just want to continue their old habits.

As online classes were going on for everyone now, Vaani and her sister were the only ones left behind at home, waiting for their parents to come back.

They kept calling in between to know the updates but it was hard for her Mom to answer and talk openly in front of everyone so she kept the calls short. But what her mom told her, before hanging up the call, made her think about those people.

They had made the sitting arrangements in such a way that, the women sat in a different room, and all the men sat in another, so her mom had no idea about what kind of talks were going on amongst the male folks.

...

The news had spread everywhere now, as the visit had gone not so fruitful as everyone had hoped for. Mantesh brought his wife's aunt along with them for a few days and what they all discussed after coming home, made Vaani's mind go off.

"His father demanded 300grams of gold and wants marriage to be held on our side" She heard her mom speaking to her sisters over the phone. "Vaani's father did not agree to it, but said that he could arrange a grand marriage but the gold will be however much, he wished or afford to give."

This was very outrageous Vaani thought. She was well educated, a postgraduate, why should they give someone this much amount of money just to get married to her? This was absurd. She did not really have to be tied to someone after giving this much.

Mantesh was a retired army person, owned a few acres of land in his village. His only source of income was his pension money and some from his land which he had given on a lease. 

"Maa, if they are demanding this much, It's better to let them go, why should we give them this much? don't they have enough already?" Vaani suggested to her mom quietly. The daughter and mother duo whispering amongst themselves.