MIRA

11. Arranged to be yours💍

''I can't decide between the red and the gold.'' Mira said to Sudha with a sigh.

''Oh God this girl! Then when will you decide? After the wedding?'' Sudha asked.

''Ma! Just be patient, please. It's my Muhurtam saree after all. I have to give it some thought right?''

''She's right Sudha. Let her decide. She's the bride and she has to like it more than anyone else.'' Padma said. 

''You take your time dear.'' Padma looked at Mira lovingly and said. 

Mira smiled at Padma aunty. Thank god for Padma aunty, Mira thought. Otherwise, with the pace at which Sudha was doing the wedding shopping, Mira was scared she would also have to rush to keep up with her mom. Padma, Sudha, Sudha's mom (Mira's grandmother) and Mira had come down to Coimbatore to do the wedding shopping. They stayed over at a hotel and spent nearly three days doing all the shopping for Mira, themselves and their relatives. Coimbatore was Sudha's idea after she saw some bridal stores online in the city. They had hired a car and a driver and went around the city finding shops that gave the best bargains for bridal hauls. At first, it was exciting, but Mira was exhausted on the third day. Mira didn't enjoy shopping as much as Sudha did. Sudha was really good at clothes shopping as she would immediately know what to buy at a store, but Mira took her own time. Moreover, the immense collections of bridal wear options only made it even more difficult for Mira. This meant a lot of clashes between the two. 

''Paati! What do you think?'' Mira asked her grandma. Mira's grandma was an active lady for her age. She short and slightly stout wore a mango yellow and green cotton silk saree and still had long, rich black hair with only a few gray strands. Mira shared a wonderful bond with her Paati who was always quirky and chirpy with everyone.

''Both are beautiful kanna! But...I really like you in red since it is a very auspicious colour!'' Paati said to Mira. Of course, Paati knew just what to say. It was decided then, Mira would go for a red saree for the Muhurtam (or main marriage ceremony).

''Perfect, then I'll pair it with a gold blouse.''

*******

It was when they were shopping for sarees that it daunted upon Mira how many rituals her wedding was going to have since she needed a saree for each one. The thought of it made her anxious and she badly wished that TamBrahm weddings had fewer rituals. 

With a few weeks left for her engagement or Nichayathartham in Chennai, it was time to shop for the engagement rings. Both Mira and Vikranth had agreed to get customised wedding band-style rings that were simply in design with M and V  engraved on them. So on Sudha's suggestion, they had gone to their jeweller in Kochi and gave them instructions for the rings. Once the rings were ready, Sudha received a call from them. It was when they collected the rings that it really hit Mira. In a few months, she would be Mrs Mira Vikranth Gopal. It still felt surreal. She wondered if this was how every woman felt before her marriage, a mixture of emotions. She Whatsapped a picture of their rings to Vikranth who replied with a heart heart-eyes emoji and shared the same feelings as her.

*******

Mira had decided to vacate her flat in Bangalore and shift most of her things to her parent's place in Kochi. In between all the winding up, Preeti had given birth to a baby boy. Mira had gone to visit them in the hospital and fell in love with Priyesh, their new baby boy. Preeti's mom had come down to Bangalore to help them with the baby. Preeti on the other hand was still slightly weak after going through labour, so the doctor prescribed her a few weeks of rest. So Mira outright refused when she offered to help her with packing up her house. Nonetheless, Preeti sent Harish over to Mira's place one evening to help her with anything. At the work front, Venga had finally found a replacement to take over Mira's position, so Mira was partially relieved as she was slowly handing over all the work to the new joiner. But Venga insisted she is available on call whenever the new girl needed any help. Her colleagues at work gave Mira a grand farewell despite the fact that she had only worked there for a year. Everything was going well but so fast. Mira's last few days in Bangalore flew by so quickly that she barely had any time to breathe.