Serendipity

76

Anupama dared to look up at herself. Clad in a deep maroon bandhani gharchola, completely embroidered with real gold zari, paired with a studded emerald green blouse and matching emerald jewelry, she looked stunning. The Maharani of Baroda, whom she now referred to as Mami, had presented her with the family's traditional nose ring, encrusted with pearls and rubies. She'd also worn her mother-in-law's Rani Haar to pay her respect.

Eyes deeply lined with kohl, hair tied in a bun to carry the weight of her bridal veil, maang tikka encrusted with rubies and pearls to match with the nose ring, a large circular deep red bindi placed squarely between her eyebrows, hands adorned in heavy gold bangles, a waistband and those very special anklets that Anuj had proposed to her with.

She almost didn't recognize the image staring back at her from the mirror. She smiled. And then she laughed. Laughed at her reflection, at how far she'd come in the last six months, at how her life had changed.

As she continued to stare at her form in the mirror, glimpses of her life paraded in front of her eyes. Her marriage to Vanraj, her first days in the Shah household, the birth of Toshu, Samar, and Pakhi, and the more emotionally difficult moments when Baa, Vanraj, Toshu, and Pakhi insulted her, time and again, Vanraj's affair, Hasmukh's silence, the divorce, the day she left the Shah household...

A lone tear managed to escape her eyes. She was overwhelmed with feelings she didn't quite know how to categorize. She'd often wondered, what would have happened if GK had never had his stroke. Would she have met Anuj then? After 26 long years?

She had no answer. But the truth was that GK had had a stroke. And that had forced Anuj to come to India. As they say, the rest was history.

A knock on the door distracted her. She grabbed the loose end of her bridal veil and turned towards the door. GK and Kinjal traipsed in, all dressed in festive attire.

"Ready?"

Anupama nodded. Kinjal walked up to her and gently grabbed her hand while GK pulled a few currency notes out of his pocket and twirled them around her head to ward off the evil eye. She smiled. All she'd craved was this love. And she'd received more than she'd dreamed of from the Kapadia's. It was as if after years of wandering, the traveler had finally found his home.

*****

"Can you please call for the bride?" The Panditji's request had set in motion a flurry of activities. As Anuj continued to sit in front of the holy fire and chant the incantations being recited by the priest, his eyes tore away from time to time to see if Anupama had made her way to the wedding mandap.

True to their promise, the Gaekwads had turned the wedding into a royal affair. The wedding was taking place in the Throne Room at the Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Baroda. The room had been decorated keeping in mind the crimson red color of the Gaekwad Royal crest. Anuj was wearing a crimson red turban pinned with the pearl and ruby broach his mother had left behind.

Toshu, Devi, Hasmukh, and Samar were in attendance. While Samar was participating in the wedding, the rest were simply onlookers.

Suddenly, someone from the audience screamed, "The bride is here!"

Anuj dared to look at the entryway once more and caught his breath. Anupama was looking mesmerizing. Her eyes were downcast, as GK and Kinjal led her down the path to the mandap. Samar, who was busy overseeing some arrangements quickly made his way to his Mom to escort her the rest of the way. The three of them gently guided Anupama all the way to the mandap and placed her right next to Anuj.

He smiled and extended his hands. She placed hers on top of his. The priest poured some water over the two hands joined in union and continued to chant holy hymns to formalize the union.

"Now place the mangal sutra around the bride's neck," the priest instructed, handing Anuj a necklace with black beads.

"Next fill her parting with vermillion."

As Anuj placed the black beaded necklace around Anu's neck and filled her parting with vermillion, she looked up. A pinch of vermillion fell on her nose. Anu was about to brush it away when the priest stopped her. "Don't," he said. "It means your husband loves you very much."

"That he does, Panditji," Anupama spoke for the first time since the rituals had commenced. "I have no doubt whatsoever. That he does."