Author's Important Note

From here, the story is going to take a significant turn.

I don't know why this story is not getting a better and bigger reach, so, it's my humblest request to all of you to please vote on every chapter and make sure you share this story with your friends; it'd be a blessing to me if you do that.

Pretty please!

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If you ever get to meet a typical Kanpuriya uncleJi, make sure you have watched YouTube videos of how to comprehend Vimal-versed words.

(Vimal is a Gutka or betel quid which is a chewing tobacco preparation made of crushed areca nut (also called betel nut), tobacco, catechu, paraffin wax, slaked lime and sweet or savoury flavourings)

I know I might sound stereotyping the Kanpur people which was my hometown too but since the time I have arrived in my new house, aka my husband's house, I was made to greet at least two hundred relatives which included various die-hard devotees of Vimal Pan Masala. Their blessings sounded gibberish and I could only roll my eyes under the sheer veil of my red dupatta for their typical Kanpuriya accent and style.

Still, I took blessings from their Gutka-filled mouths, praying to my Kanha Ji that Lakshay Ji doesn't do such things otherwise, my whole life would be spent as a translator.

Shambhavi Bhardwaj ─ the translator of Vimal-gorged Hindi to standard Hindi!

Talking about which, I was belatedly not a Mishra anymore but a Bharadwaj. I no longer was a part of my parents' family but of this very family which would be my everything from now onwards as per the sayings of the Indian sanskari society.

'Shadi ke baad Sasural hi teerth Dham hai. Saas Sasur Bhagwan hain aur pati Devta hai'.

(After marriage, the in-laws' house is the pilgrimage place. In-laws are Almighty and husband is God).

I was officially the only daughter-in-law of the Bharadwaj family ─ the pure Brahmin clan who didn't even consume onions and garlic on Tuesdays & Thursdays, forget about consuming non-veg on any day.

I needed to change a lot in myself. This made me realize that...

I was finally married.....a huge burden of my parents was permanently off their slumped shoulders and a brand-new life was already knocking at my door with the most innovative yet traditionalistic menu card in its hand. Note the paradox, please.

I could no longer consume non-veg otherwise people would call me a defective bahu, a pathetic wife and a tawdry woman.

(Bahu - daughter-in-law)

I no longer could consume onions, garlic on Tuesdays & Thursdays.

I could no longer cook anything of my choice as my new kitchen would only be filled with the potent aroma of the favourite foods of my in-laws and my husband. My paternal aunt had already warned me to put a bridle on all my gourmet desires.

I was a Brahmin too but my house never had such restraints which I came to know after landing my Tashrif in this very house.

(Tashrif- Ass)

I sighed and looked at my Henna-clad hands and then at my new surroundings.

I felt unfamiliar with all these things that were taking place one after the another. I felt like I was in some foreign land but then I remembered; I still didn't have a passport as the bribe-specialist Police Inspector had cancelled my Passport verification long ago and I didn't apply for the passport ever again.

Speaking of passports, I needed to do a lot of paperwork. Aadhar Card address update, driving license and a lot more. I sighed once again and drank a full glass of orange juice which Lavya Di offered me a while ago.

(Aadhar Card is an Indian way of ID verification; Di is an endearment for elder sister)

Muh-dikahyi and all the playful rituals were achieved.

(Muh-dikhayi is a ritual that helps to introduce the newlywed to members of her husband's family! Each member of the groom's family comes, in turn, to make an acquaintance with the new bride and shower her with gifts)

Lakshay Ji was busy with his friends somewhere and I was sitting inside one of the guest rooms of the magnanimous house whose sole heir would be my dearest husband. Lakshay Ji's elder sister, Lavya Di was beside me, all the time to make sure that I was not deprived of any needful thing for which I was really thankful to her.

"Shambhavi, you can rest now as all the rituals are done as you've to be energetic and properly relaxed for the forthcoming Suhag Raat," a naughty glint was present in her sweet voice as well her beautiful eyes when she said the last sentence. I turned pink at her mischievous remark and she giggled at my expense.

(First night of marriage)

I knew what happened on wedding nights. I was aware of it as many of my married friends had shared their first-night adventures with me.

I felt apprehensive and jittery all of a sudden.

My soul and body would be completely bare tonight.

Would Lakshay Ji still love me after seeing my dark, tubby love handles and big, pudgy bosoms?

Wait! Men like women with bigger busts but did Lakshay Ji also follow such a league or....before any more wayward thoughts could trespass my suddenly-dirty mind, my mother-in-law arrived inside the room and passed a smile towards me.

"Shambhavi, beta," she started in a sweet tone and added, "I was thinking that you should hand me all your golden jewellery as I will keep it safe. This house is currently full of people and we never know about someone's greed, right? I hope you are getting me".

(Beta means child in Hindi)

I was baffled at her sudden demand. I couldn't comprehend that she really asked for my gold ornaments which my parents had made for me after preserving even their smallest penny.

"Aunty...umm...how can..." I mumbled as I felt extremely self-conscious to discuss all these things. I was lacking the right words to say at this moment.

"I am your mother-in-law now, beta. And like your mother, I too am your mother now so you can call me Maa or whatever you like. Mothers are meant to preserve their child's precious things so that their child doesn't lose them somewhere, that's why I am asking you, beta," I could notice the imaginary honey trickling off my mother-in-law's mouth. I looked down and gazed at the golden Kangans which my mother bestowed on me yesterday night.

(Kangan- Embroidered bangle-like bracelet)

I was not ready to give any precious thing of mine to anyone.

It belonged to me; it belonged to my parents' hard-earned money.

How could I easily give that off to her without my parents' permission?

"Aun...Maa.." I hesitated but still managed to complete my sentence, "I will ask my parents about it, after they give their permission I will hand all my valuable items to you".

I knew my words outrage her but I really couldn't compromise when it came to my parents' love and their invaluable gifts.

They had already given so much to my in-laws. They went out of their budget to accomplish all their lavish demands.

Aukat se jyada kar diya yaar!

(We did more than our financial status)

"I will have to talk to your parents then. I think they missed somewhere to teach their daughter how she should behave with her mother-in-law." Her brazen and rigid warning stung more than astounding me to the core.

This was the most frightful thing that I was expecting of this marriage.

The typical Saas-bahu thing which I didn't want to happen ever, which I always dreaded because of Indian daily soaps.

One small mistake from my side, and a long, exaggerated lecture to my parents for their upbringing and pedagogy.

A small drop of anguished tear trickled down my sweaty face which went unnoticed by the mother-daughter duo as they both left me to sulk inside the jammed, four-walled room.

Before another tear could have made its voyage down my cheeks, I heard my phone ringing.

'Bhaiya'

The caller ID read and this was the catalyst to my lacrimal glands to start the grand commemoration of my slippery tears which started dribbling down my coated cheeks.

I gulped down soundly and picked up the call. After doing some Pranayam, I said, "Hello bhaiya".

"Tu ro rahi thi kya?"

(Were you crying?)

This was the first thing he said foregoing any formal Hi or Hello.

How could I misremember! It was my brother whom I was trying to fool!

No Pranayam, no cough syrup, no tablet could forgo the James Bond within my brother who could sense the state of my voice even in his deep sleep.

"I miss you all," I lied and bit my tongue to stop any cry from coming out. I didn't want to break down in front of him as I knew he'd silently cry in his room if he would ever get to know about my current reason for crying.

No brother would want their sister to be in a miserable state in their in-laws' house.

"Mai bhi," he replied in a broken tone.

(Me too)

"To dhoondh lo na kisi ko jiske baal aap kheench sako," to cheer him up, I joked and chuckled.

(So find someone whose hair you can pull, no?)

"Yeah, yeah. I will. Tu khush to hai na Shambhu?" .

(You're happy aren't you?)

This question made me really think for the first time.

Was I truly happy in this marriage?

Would I be able to create my 'Happily Mingled' with Lakshay Ji?

Would my marriage journey be as gleeful as Pooja's married life?

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So, how was it? Could you relate to it?