THE GUIDE TO A HEALTHY INDIAN MARRIAGE

Inexplaincably

A distant panning of the news channel resounded from the living room as I boiled the tea leaves in water. Priya came bouncing in the kitchen with a pastel drawing in her hand. The newly bought pastel colour for her birthday by her father and my husband Jatin is already in use. The painting was usual for what a 6 year old draws, the same blue sky, flock of crows drawn in a 'v' shape, a mountain range, a sun just over the series of huge mountain, a river descending from the same spot, a coconut tree by that river and a small hut near the coconut tree with two doors and three windows.

Though I was tired from all the house chores, I gave her a tight lipped smile and complimented her saying, "That's a beautiful drawing, Priya. Is my young lady growing up to be the next Da Vinci?" Priya, unaware of the famous painter's existence, still shyly smiled up at me and asked in a low voice,"Will papa like it? I made it for his birthday!" I awed at her cuteness, so much thoughtful of a 6 year old child, but noticing Jatin's annoyed behaviour towards me and Priya for the last few days I couldn't really assure her. To not let down the hopes of my child I said, "Obviously Papa would like it! Give it to him tomorrow when we will cut the cake, okay?" She bounced in happiness, and without a single word delivered for me she went to her room again.

I brought the chai served in ceramic cups with a box of cream crackers and sat on the sofa. Jatin was watching the TV with his utmost attention. A news channel debating over the incident of a 16 year old getting murdered in an alleyway in front of the public. My infuriated husband forgot the necessary chai he ordered me to make for his formidable headache and now was cursing the murderer. I silently nudged the box of cream crackers and cup of chai towards him. His attention shifted from the news channel and he raised the cup to his lips making a slurp sound of drinking the hot dense aromatic liquid forgetting the box of cream crackers. After a good amount of slurps and cursing at the bystanders of the murder scene he turned towards me, "Tell me Rakhi, does this not scare you?"

"What?", the sudden shift of his attention made me confused.

"This incident, Rakhi. Though this incident was not in Gurgaon but it was in Delhi. Not so far away from where we live. Do you think our girl is safe growing up in this atmosphere? Where do we live? Is this the hell we imagined?" a frown crept up on his forehead as he kept accusing the society.

"Jatin, the world was always like this. People have always been their own biggest enemy. And to start with, let's not think about those ominous things. Nothing will happen to our Priya. We are living in the safest society in Gurgaon and we will protect her till death." After my introspective views I too slurped on my tea.

The frown on my husband's forehead kept creasing more. With an edgeness in his tone he complained to me,"How can you be so nonchalant Rakhi? A 16 year old girl was murdered, on the street, in front of everyone. A little girl who has much more to see in this life. Show some sympathy, c'mon."

I scoffed as I said,"How can I call out to others, when my own husband forgets about his daughter's parent-teacher meetings."

Jatin made a face which said 'are you serious?' But as he is, without explaining why he wasn't home last Saturday afternoon for Priya's yearly parent teacher meeting, he said,"Where is this coming from Rakhi? And really you're relating a murder case to a petty parent teacher meeting of a 6 year old which you could've easily handled!"

The chai in my hand was cold but my body burnt as I took in his words. He had always been the one, out of the two of us, who gets easily manipulated by emotional situations. But not caring for his own daughter due to an incident which doesn't concern us, was another level. My temperament rose with his as I shouted,"So you don't even care for your own child now? Whom do you care for? Your office colleague Malti?" Jatin's usually fair face turned red in anger and he shouted back at me,"Rakhi, stop accusing me for situations, you don't even have a single idea about! What do you even have to do? Take care of a child and cook 3 meals while I have to work all day at the office. What do you even know about struggling to take the train? And do not ever drag Malti in our conversation! She has nothing to do with this!"