THE BLACKMAILED MARRIAGE

Eating Myth to burp Truth

'If alarm clock wakes us up

A cup of coffee keeps us awake.

Who says all bitter things are bad

If you think so, you have a coffee to take.'

A quote by Arjun Shah, A quote for Arjun Shah and A quote of Arjun Shah.

No one except a few sneaky readers now know that quote or it would have been a trending good morning quote in your family WhatsApp group;)

Just as our philosopher-poet Arjun Shah was having his cup of coffee, his wife made an entry.

He expected her usual clicking of her sandals but to his surprise, it was the jingling of anklets that he heard.

He dashed around to see if a witch with anklets is on day duty but to his shock, the intruder was far from being a witch, she was an angel, his angel he claimed in mind.

There Anu was, in orange saree, green bangles, red vermillion, silver anklets and sparkling bindi.

Wow, who needs bitter coffee, if the sweet-sour orange-clad wife is there to take your breath as well as your sleep away.

(Coffee left the conversation due to bitter heartbreak.)

Anu looked at dazed Arjun and raised her brows and Arjun came out of his daze.

"Wow Anu, If casual clothes make you glow

Traditional wear is just making you glitter

Your anklets can be my daily alarm clock

your saree clad self make even better coffee bitter."

Anu and coffee both of cheeks crimson- one as blush, other in anger.

Well, Anu is just a girl who was once an eye candy and coffee was once a sugar whose heartbreak made it bitter. Trust me it's true. :P

"Shut up Arjun."

"I meant it Anu."

"Anyway, pass on my tea."

"Yes, yes. As you like in your tea, it has no ginger but lots of clove and love and tulsi (basil)"

"Thanks, Arjun."

"Arjun, it's the 11th lunar day today, it's inauspicious to pluck tulsi today. Especially, it's tulsi vivah."

Arjun frowned.

"Anu do you believe in these myths?"

"No harm in following the traditions which do not harm someone physically or sentimentally." 

"Oh, so it's tulsi vivah today when we marry our plant basil with a stone?"

"That's not stone, it's shaligram. it's a stone form of lord Vishnu."

"Wow Anu,  I was unaware of that. So are you going to use your last day of leave to celebrate this festival?"

"Yes but it's more of a ritual than celebration. We perform it every year on this day. we just worship tulsi and Lord Vishnu."

"That explains you wearing a saree. Anyway when you were indisposed you consumed too many basil leaves, it's payback time to tulsi by celebrating its marriage anniversary technically."

"Yes, that's what I like about our culture, we treat everything as living and worship them like plants, animals and even stones" Annu grinned.

"By the way Arjun, does your family follow this ritual?"

"Anu, don't ask, my mom is a staunch believer of traditions but still she is far more open-minded than our generation."

"I already like your mother."