About 15-20 minutes later, all the men from both Maheshwari and Agarwal family were assembled in a room along with a couple of elders from the community who had taken it upon themselves to act as the mediators for this unusual situation. Someone proposed that it might be helpful if the families could consult their family priests/punditjis. The elders from both the families feeling at a complete loss of direction had quickly agreed to this and had sent for their family priests. The kundalis of the bride and groom in question were also fetched.

As the families waited for the priests to arrive, some awkward introductions were carried out from both the sides. Jaiprakashji was extremely well known in the community and hence not much needed to be said about him, but some details about Sameer were shared. It was quickly established that he was an extremely suitable boy being the sole heir of Maheshwari Industries and was set to join the business in about a year post completion of his final year of M.Com. Tauji's strengths as a well-known and sought-after lawyer and Chachaji's as a well-established CA were highlighted with a fleeting reference to Rakesh's job as a school librarian. Rakesh as usual took offence to this imaginary slight saying this was his daughter's future being discussed and started a bit of a rant on how a teacher's role was so undervalued. Tauji quickly stepped in "Rakesh, main iss ghar ka bada hu aur aaj bhi saare faisle main hi leta hu. Tum shaant raho. Main Maheshwariji se baat kar raha hu. Aur Naina humare ghar ki beti hain, jab aaj tak baaki sari zimedariya humne uthayi hai toh aaj yeh bhi puri karenge. "

Chachaji spoke very warmly of Naina, highlighting that she had always been an ace student and was now starting the final year of B.Com. Jaiprakashji took some solace thinking that at least the girl was educated and seemed to be from a decent family. He kept apprehensively glancing at his grandson who was standing to one side of the room completely aloof from these proceedings.

Sameer was mentally kicking himself again and again for giving into the pressure from Nanu earlier that morning and agreeing to attend this wedding. He could have been happily at home joking around with his brother-like friends Munna and Pandit. Or they could have been at the movies like Pandit had proposed yesterday. But here he was with a bunch of strangers, trying to figure out whether he was still single or married. Had this been a scene in a movie he would have had a good laugh at the situation and complimented the writer on coming up with an idea like this, but this was his bloody life and there was nothing amusing about it.

Finally, the family priests arrived and were apprised of the situation. Both were taken aback having never experienced something like this before. Nobody was easily willing to overlook or overrule the widely worshiped Guruji's pronouncement. The priests set about studying and matching the horoscopes.

After about another hour, during which several cups of teas were consumed by the anxious party, the priests shared their opinion. Both unanimously agreed that the horoscopes were a very good match and they could see no reason why this union should not result in a satisfactory outcome for both the families. They also added that right now there was an extremely strong vivaah yog for the boy and girl, but they couldn't see another such vivaah yog in their kundalis in the future. It was now up to the families to decide if they wanted to accept this marriage or risk the boy and girl remaining single for the rest of their lives. Instead of giving any reassurance, this advice only added to Jaiprakashji's dilemmas.

It was decided that the families would discuss the matter on their own and get back to each other in a bit with their decision. The Agarwal men proceeded to the room where the women were fretting for the past couple of hours. Naina had been sitting holding Preeti's hand as though she was clutching on for her dear life. None of it made any sense to her. How could she be married just like that? And Taiji just wouldn't stop! She had been continuously going on and on about the implications of this event and how Naina had not left them in a position to face the society. Preeti had tried highlighting that Naina had not deliberately done anything, but as always it did not matter. Bela who usually tried to approach most situations with some positivity and a voice of reason was feeling equally lost today. Already many ladies of their acquaintance who were attending the wedding had dropped in to console them on this unexpected turn of events. Most of them tutted over poor Naina's fate as it seemed unlikely that any other family would be willing to marry her in the future knowing she was already married as per the Guruji's verdict.

Pooja had her own concerns "Mummy, ab mera kya hoga?" Bela was at a loss "Beta, teri shaadi ko toh ab teen saal ho gaye. Hum sab toh Naina ke shaadi ko leke pareshaan hai... " Pooja elaborated "Aare Mummy aap samajh nahi rahe ho. Wo meri Saas bahar bar bar keh rahi hai ke ab wo biradari mein sab ko kya muh dekhayenge. Sab ko kya batayengi? Unki bahu ki chotti behen ki shaadi hui hai ya nahi? Mujhe toh yahi darr lag raha hai ke kahi mujhe bhi ghar na bhej de!"

Just then Pooja's saas entered the room too "Behengi, sab theek toh hai na? Mujhe aur Varun ke papa ko toh chinta ho rahi hai. Hey Bhagwan... yeh sab kya ho gaya! Abhi toh humare ghar mein bhi ek bin-bihayi beti hai..." Bela tried to placate her "Aare aap itni chinta kyu kar rahi hai? Pooja ke papa aur Bade Bhaisaheb gaye hai baat karne. Sab theek hi hoga..." Turning to Pooja she continued "Pooja beta tu na teri Mummyji ko lekar wo nukkad wale Shivji ke mandir mein jaake jaldi ek nariyal chadha ke aa. Aur ha bolna ke sab theek ho jaaye toh Naina paanch somvar ka... nahi... poore solah somvar ka vrat bhi rakhegi." Pooja and her mother-in-law headed off to the temple with a sense of purpose. Tauji lamented "Aare Bela, hum yeha baaki do betiyo ke shaadi ke sapne dekh rahe hai... ab aaisa na ho ke yeh Pooja bhi wapas maike aa jaye!"

As soon as the men entered the room, Taiji started the inquisition "O bai, Pralay ke papa jaldi bataiye punditji ne kya kaha hai? Jarur iss Naina ki kundali mein koi dosh hoga... " Anand quickly stepped in "Bhabhiji aaisa kuch bhi nahi hai. Dono punditji ka kehna hai ke Naina ki kundali mein koi dosh nahi hai. Dono ki kundali bahoot achii milti hai aur vivaah mein koi badha nahi hogi." Turning to Tauji he continued "Bhaisaheb, ladka bhi padha leekha aur susheel hai, bilkul shant swabhaav ka lagta hai. Maheshwariji ko toh poore Ahmedabad me kaun nahi jaanta? Mujhe lagta hai Naina ke liye hume isse achaa rishta mil hi nahi sakta. Par bus yeh sab kuch itna achanak ho raha hai... aur abhi Naina ki padhai bhi poori honi hai..." Tauji replied "Anand, iss waqt baat uske padhai ki nahi puri zindagi ki hai. Yeh socho ke agar yeh rishta nahi hua aur jaise punditji ne kaha agar aage chal ke isske bhagya mein koi dusra vivaah ka yog hi nahi aaya toh kya karenge?!"

In the other room once the Agarwals left, Nanaji turned to Sameer and asked "Beta, tum kya soch rahe ho? Main jaanta hu yeh sab bahoot hi ajeeb tarike se ho gaya hai, par kya kar sakte hai..." Sameer immediately replied "Nanu, kya ho gaya hai? Mere hisaab se toh kuch bhi nahi hua hai. Char cheeze kisike sar par gir gayi toh shaadi ho jaati hai?" The family priest interjected "Beta, baat sirf char cheezo ki nahi hai. Baat uss waqt ki hai jab yeh hua hai. Aaj vivaah ka maha-muhurat hai. Log mahino se iss muhurat ke liye ruke thay. Agar yeh yog chala gaya toh mujhe nahi pata tumhari aage phir shaadi hogi ke nahi."

Seeing the kundalis the punditji felt convinced that the bride's calm, kind and resilient nature would bring the much-needed anchoring quality to balance the groom's restlessness and it was indeed an amicable match. Turning to Nanaji he continued "Jaiprakashji, humare aapke ghar se saalo ke sambhandh hai. Agar mujhe kanya ki kundali mein jara bhi dosh nazar aata toh main ek pal mein iss rishte ke liye mana karta. Aur zindagi ke tajurbe se yeh bhi kahunga... bin ma ki bacchi hai, jiss ghar jaayegi poori uss ghar ke rang mein rang jayegi. Isske aage aap ki iccha aur jo aap theek samjhe."

Seeing his grandfather looking apprehensive Sameer blurted "Nanu, mujhe seriously koi farak nahi padta iss baat se. Waise bhi mujhe shaadi karne mein koi interest nahi hai. Aap jaante hai mujhe bachpan se akele rahene ki aadat hai. Aur ab toh mere pass aap aur Munna-Pandit bhi hai. Mujhe kisi aur ki koi jarurat nahi hai. Infact mujhe apni zindagi mein koi aur chahiye hi nahi."

Nanaji found himself feeling even more unsure. Like every parent, he had been eagerly looking forward to seeing his grandson happily married and finally with a real family of his own. But now if this chance slipped away... At the same time, he knew Sameer too well. The boy had a heart of gold and was capable of giving so much love but trying to force him to accept anyone in his life against his will was as good as impossible. Feeling resigned to this bleak turn of events Nanaji patted him on the back and headed to share their decision with the girl's family.

Meanwhile hearing about the possibility of Naina not getting married if this alliance did not progress, Bela had broken down. Anand was trying to console his wife that this was just a prediction. Taiji was in an uproar as usual "Pralay ke papa, aap yeh kya keh rahe hain? Matlab yeh karamjali saari zindagi bhar humare hi sar par baithi rahegi? Itne saal toh humne saara bhoj bina muh se ek aah nikale dhoya hai... ab kya baaki zindagi bhi humare naseeb mein yahi leekha hai?" Addressing Rakesh she continued "Agar aapni koi zimmedari uthani hi nahi thi toh isse hote hi Banaras chod aate."" Rakesh flared up "Bus kijiye! Bar bar yahi taane sunati hai. Ha chod aayunga... agar yeh rishta nahi hua toh kal hi isse Banaras chod aayunga. Phir toh aapke kaleje mein thandak padegi na?!"

Hearing these rulings about her future, Naina who was already shaken by the day's events so far completely broke down and clinging to her Chachaji started crying and pleading "Chachaji mujhe Banaras nahi jaana... please mujhe ghar se mat nikaliye... main college khatam hote hi job dhundh lungi, kisi pe bhi bhoj nahi banungi... balki main abhi se tuition dena chalu karungi. Jo bhi paise milenge sab aap rakh... " Chachaji shushed her "Naina beta, aaise darr ku rahi ho? Aaj tak kabhi tumhare Chacha-Chachi ne tumhe akele choda hai jo ab chodenge? Bela, tum rona bund karo aur Naina ko sambhalo."

But it was easier said than done. Bela continued weeping holding the girl she had loved and brought up as her own, only too aware of the realities of this heartless society. Preeti too was sobbing silently watching her sister so scared. Hearing his brother assuring Naina that all would be well, Rakesh continued his nonsensical shouting "Anand, tum jyada Chaudhary mat bano. Mujhe kisika koi ehsaan nahi chahiye. Naina meri beti hai aur uske liye har faisla lene ka pura haq hai mujhe. Bhabhiji theek keh rahi hai, mujhe isse saalo pahile kashi ke kissi ashram mein chod aana chahiye tha!"

Nanaji who had come to share their decision of not wanting to proceed with this alliance witnessed part of the above scene silently from the partly open door. Seeing Naina pleading and trembling in fear of her fate, Nanaji felt like a ton of bricks had been placed on his heart. He watched the sweet looking girl, who even amidst all this chaos was brave enough to suggest that she would use her education to support herself, who did not treat the prospect of single-hood as the end of her life. He had rarely seen such inner strength in the women around him, especially in someone so young. There was something about her that instantly softened his heart and made him want to nurture and protect her.

Lightly knocking he stepped into the room and announced "Hume yeh rishta manjhoor hai, par pehele main do minute Naina se baat karna chahunga, agar aap logo ko koi aaitraaz na ho." The Agarwals were too relieved to hear this favourable outcome to object to a few minutes of conversation. Tauji remarked "Aare yeh kya keh rahe hai aap. Bhala aaitraaz kyu hoga... aap ki hi beti hai. Bela aur Preeti jara bahar aajao... "

Bela quickly dried her and Naina's tears and asked her to stay calm as she walked away. Nanaji approached Naina and sat on a chair close by. After a couple of minutes of quiet deliberation, he spoke "Sameer mere zindagi ki sabse badi khushi hai aur uski khushi se jyada mere liye kuch nahi hai. Yeh rishta aage badhne se pehele main tumse do baate karna chahunga. Peheli yeh ke agar tum kisi bhi wajah se iss rishte ko dil se apna nahi sakti toh mujhe abhi bolo. Agar tumhe koi bhi aaitraaz hai toh mujhe batao aur main sambhal lunga."

Naina looked at the kind old man, who though meeting her for the first time in her life today, thought that her opinion mattered. This was such an alien feeling. A wave of gratitude engulfed her. She softly replied that she did not have objections. Nanaji nodded and then continued "Tumhe mujhse ek wada karna hoga, ke tum aapni taraf se har munkeen koshish karogi mere Sameer ko humesha khush rakhne ki."

Naina felt a surge of joy and relief at the simplicity of his demand. Briefly she wondered why would he ask for this? Was it not a given? She smiled shyly and whispered "Main wada karti hu." Nanaji watched the nervous blushing smile transform her instantly into an angelic bride and felt the ton of bricks lifting off his heart.

Jaiprakashji asked the Agarwal family to proceed with making the necessary preparations for the pheras. He advised the punditji to stick to the bare minimum rituals required. Everyone was satisfied with this approach.

Nanaji now approached the room where Sameer was impatiently waiting to escape from this place and looking forward to putting behind him the events of the day. He knew it in his heart that the decision he had just made was for the right reasons, but also understood that it was going to be an uphill battle getting his stubborn grandson to accept it. As he entered the room Sameer immediately jumped to his feet and was about to ask if they could leave now. But one look at his Nanu's face and he stopped in his track.

After a few moments of fidgeting, Nanaji stepped closer to him "Sameer, beta maine aaj tak tujh par kabhi koi pabandhi lagayi nahi hai aur na kabhi apna koi faisla thopa hai. Par aaj mere pass koi dusra option nahi hai." After taking a pause as he thought of the hardships that innocent girl would have to bear if abandoned in this moment, he continued "Beta hum kitna bhi chahe yeh bhool nahi sakte ke hum sab iss samaaj ka hissa hai aur isske kuch daire hai. Koi kitna bhi bahadur ho, yeh jung ladhna itna aasan nahi hota. Maine punditji ko bol diya hai ke phero ki tayari kaare. Ladki acchi hai... chinta mat karo sab theek ho jayega. Tum yahi ruko, main munshiji ko phone karke aata hu."

Sameer looked at Nanu's retreating back. It seemed like his ever straight back was suddenly bending under the weight of this decision. Sameer sat there for the next hour or so overwhelmed by disbelief. For a moment he considered the idea of running away, but then quickly realised the futility of this thought. How would his Nanu be able to face all those people out there if he turned his back on him in this moment? Surely his Nanu would not expect him to do this if there was a way out. Maybe this was the cost of being a respectable personality... you had to lead the life expected and accepted by society.

Sometime later Munshiji arrived with a very confused but excited Ramdhari in tow. They had picked some garlands and a groom's headpiece on the way. When they asked Sameer to wear the headpiece, he flat out refused, trying to reassure himself that he still had some control over his life. Nanu gestured to them to let it go, it was completely irrelevant in the bigger scheme of things.

Bela and Preeti had meanwhile tried their best to get Naina to resemble a bride. Some make-up had been borrowed from the bride who had got married earlier in the day and Bela had transferred her own jewellery on to her niece. A few red dots of Alta had been applied, to quickly disguise the lack of mehendi on Naina's hands.

As Naina walked to the main mandap for the rituals, she caught a glimpse of herself in one of the mirrors in the passage and a complete stranger stared back. As she sat down next to the boy in the maroon kurta that she had collided with just few hours earlier, the enormity of the situation hit her once again and left her shivering.

The Punditji started the rituals and asked the bride to place her hand in the groom's hand, but neither responded. Hearing him repeat the instructions, Bela quietly prompted and nudged Naina's hand forward. Though it must have been less than a minute, it felt like an eternity for the bride as she held out a lone shaky hand, waiting for her groom to hold it. Munshiji's prompting did not seem to register with Sameer. It was only after he noticed a dainty trembling hand slowly moving dangerously close to the fire that he instinctively reached out to support it and draw it away from the fire. Everyone around let out a sigh of relief.

All the essential rituals were carried out by the bride and groom as though on an auto-pilot with some prompting and pushing from the witnesses. The garlands were exchanged without the usual fun and games where siblings from both sides would have been expected to try and make it harder for the other party to garland their brother or sister. In fact, when the petite bride found it hard to garland her tall groom, his Nanu placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him forward.

Tauji had astutely paid and instructed the photographer hired by the Patel family to click some photos of the Maheshwari-Agarwal wedding too. When Taiji had tried to object to this unnecessary expense, he had proven why he was a successful lawyer saying "Beena, baat ko samjha karo. Ek toh shaadi achanak se aaise halat mein ho rahi hai. Kalko koi apni zimmedari na uthna chahe toh aaise saboot aawashak hote hai. " After that Taiji had ensured that every ritual was well photographed!

Some photos of the newly married couple were clicked while being blessed by the Guruji who had set off this chain reaction. As the Guruji once again blessed the couple he remarked to Sameer humorously "Itna jyada mat darro beta... bus utna hi darr ke rehna, jitna jyadatar pati anpi patniyo se darrte hai." Though a few people laughed half-heartedly at this joke, it was completely lost on Sameer.

Taiji would forever remain one of his most fervent devotees going forward, after all he had made the impossible happen - Naina getting married without a single prospective groom's family rejecting her. And to top it all they did not even have to hire a wedding venue or caterers or even print any wedding invitations... how often can you get a daughter married without spending next to nothing? Though this thought of Rakesh's good fortune left her feeling a little disgruntled.