However, there were different plans going on in India for Deepak.
Chapter 1
Introduction to Verma and Gupta Families
Introduction to Verma Family
Mr. Kishen and Mrs. Madhuri Verma and their four children (all boys) were a happy upper middle class family living in Mumbai. Satish was the older son, Sashank their second son, then Akash and Deepak.
Mrs. Madhuri Verma died when Deepak was three years old. Satish, the oldest son, was twenty-three years of age when their mother passed away. Since all the other boys were young, especially Deepak, Satish was married to Nirmala with a hope that Nirmala would assist Kishen Verma with the house and the younger siblings. Although still employed, Kishen Verma assisted Nirmala as much as he could with the household work. Satish was studying for his MBA, and soon after his MBA program, he was able to secure a decent job in a company in the outskirts of Mumbai. Nirmala appeared to be a very docile woman, but as soon as Satish started working, she started ill-treating the family members. Since Satish left early and returned late, he was unaware of the things happening at home.
Mr. Kishen Verma was treated like a servant, doing most of the work at home, with Sashank helping him when possible. This continued for a couple of years until Mr. Verma couldn’t take it anymore. Sashank was twenty-two years old and graduated with a master’s degree. He was very unhappy to see the behavior of his sister-in-law towards them. Deepak was very young, and Nirmala never provided the nurturing he needed. Satish and Nirmala started their own family and had their daughter, Purvi. Unfortunately Satish was blindfolded to all the events at home; even if he became aware to a few incidents, he chose to remain quiet to avoid ill-feelings. Kishen Verma bore all the troubles in silence, but Sashank was bold and confronted his brother a few times. This led to major misunderstandings and arguments between the brothers.
Sashank managed all the finances after Kishen Verma’s retirement. Nirmala was not happy, and she picked a fight with her father-in-law. The argument was very intense, and Kishen Verma suffered a major heart attack and passed away that night. Sashank and the younger siblings were a witness to this incident, and this left an indelible mark in their hearts. At an opportune time when Satish left on a business trip, Nirmala kicked Sashank, Akash and Deepak out of the house. Satish was told later that his younger brothers left the house without informing Nirmala after they fought with her. Satish was annoyed at his brothers for misbehaving with their sister-in-law; he made no attempts to find their whereabouts.
After this incident, Sashank moved to his parents’ house with his younger brothers. He appeared for bank exams and secured a bank job. Since his father had left some money, he hired Indumathi (Kaki) to take care of them for cooking and other household work. In a couple of years, Lakshmi aunty was hired to help Kaki with the housework. Over time, Sashank advanced in his job at State Bank of India and very soon became an officer.
All the experiences with Nirmala left a scar in each of these brothers’ hearts, wounds that probably never healed. Sashank’s primary goal in life was to educate Akash and Deepak and get them settled in life. He never got married and was forty-nine years old. Akash and Deepak felt very secure with Sashank; he was a fatherly figure to both of them. They had a very high regard for him, and Kaki and Lakshmi became a family to these brothers.
Akash graduated in accounting and started working, but he continued to stay with his brother, Sashank. Over time, Akash became very introverted and diverted his attention towards spiritualism. His favorite pastime was to attend satsanghs (spiritual gatherings) or read spiritual books, and he never showed any interest in getting married. He was thirty-five years old.
Deepak grew up into a very handsome, six foot tall, very loving and affectionate individual. He was very aware of the sacrifices made by Sashank to get him and Akash educated. Deepak was very attached to Sashank, and Sashank always treated him as his child. Deepak graduated in engineering and decided to come to the US to obtain his master’s degree, and continued to stay in the US. Deepak was very simple and believed that both Indian and Western cultures had a lot to offer, and never forgot the importance of a family or traditions. He secured a job with a good company in California, got his green card, and eventually became a naturalized citizen of the US.
Deepak was thirty years old and started thinking of a life partner. Of course, with the ‘bad’ experiences with Nirmala, his older sister-in-law, he cared less for arranged marriages; he believed ‘love marriages’ were more successful when it came to compatibility between partners. Although the topic of his marriage had come up in his telephone conversations with Sashank, he plainly refused or ignored the topic because he wanted to find a life partner for himself.
~ ~ ~
Introduction to Gupta Family
Mr. Prashant Gupta was a colleague of Sashank Verma at State Bank of India. Prashant and Sashank had been very good friends for several years. Prashant’s wife passed away in a car accident when their daughter, Roshni, was five years old. Since then Prashant had been a mother and a father to Roshni and raised her. Prashant was fifty-two years old and had health problems. Prashant did a decent job upbringing Roshni, and she was very close to her father…he was more a friend to her than a father.
As time passed, Roshni grew up into a very beautiful girl, five foot five inches tall, with long hair. She was brought up traditionally and was very loving and affectionate. She was very outspoken and honest – one of those women who thought well before speaking and always made rational decisions and judgments. After graduating with a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering, she worked for a computer firm in Mumbai. She was twenty-eight years old. Professionally, Roshni was well settled with a decent job and compensation. She was well respected by her colleagues and friends alike. One quality that separated her from others was her maturity and simplicity.
In addition to her job, Roshni was involved in charity work, one such charity was an orphanage that was managed by Ms. Kusum Dixit, who was a very good friend of the Guptas. Roshni was very close to Kusum Dixit and always addressed her as ‘didi’ (older sister). Kusum was forty-five years old and never got married. Kusum was a frequent visitor to the Gupta residence and treated Prashant as her older brother.
Prashant Gupta was aware of the troubles Sashank and his brothers had gone through because of the older brother and his wife, and he was always very supportive of Sashank and his family.
Sashank had watched Roshni grow up into a very responsible individual. He always felt that Roshni would be a good match for Deepak if he ever expressed interest in marriage. Over time, Prashant also developed similar feelings to propose Roshni for Deepak. However, since Deepak was in the US, Prashant had no idea what type of a person Deepak was, or if he was interested in getting married, especially since Sashank and Akash remained single.
Both sides had some inhibitions, and nobody took any initiative to proceed.
~ ~ ~
During one of the most recent telephone conversations, Deepak expressed his interest in marriage in preparation for his conversation regarding Karen; however, Sashank had a different idea – he became excited and approached Prashant for Roshni. Since Prashant knew of the family, he agreed to this proposal after discussing it with Roshni. Prashant assured his daughter that a meeting would be arranged so Deepak and Roshni could meet before they proceeded.
Although Roshni honored Sashank uncle and her father, she had a desire to talk to Deepak before the wedding was finalized. She wanted to understand Deepak’s expectations of a ‘wife’ and his views on marriage. On the other hand, Sashank was confident that his little brother Deepak, whom he had treated as his son, would never go against his wishes; he firmly believed that since Roshni was educated, good looking and from a family he knew, there was no reason for Deepak to disagree.
Unfortunately he had no idea of Deepak’s views on marriage.
Several assumptions were made on both sides, and it was all planned out by Sashank and Prashant;
the biggest ‘unknown’ was Deepak’s approval. Deepak had no idea that his marriage was being discussed in India and that Sashank had made a promise to his friend Prashant.
Chapter 2
Marriage Proposal for Deepak
Deepak woke up early to the sound of birds chirping near his window and the beautiful Indian divine chanting in a temple near his house. He tossed in the bed, covering his ears with the sheet to avoid any disturbance from the sounds around, but could not sleep. He could not avoid the jet lag and eventually decided to get up. Sashank and Akash were asleep, so without disturbing them, he went downstairs to the kitchen to make chai.
Lakshmi aunty was already in the kitchen getting ready to make chai for her and Kaki. “Deepak beta, why did you wake up so early? You could have slept longer.”
“Lakshmi aunty, until I get used to the time here, I will wake up and eat at irregular times.” The aroma of cinnamon and cardamom in boiling water in the kitchen drove him closer to her. “Are you making chai? Can you make some for me, please?” He took a deep breath and inhaled the aroma that was emitting from the boiling chai.
“Certainly, do you want to eat something?” She smiled. “Bhabhi made some special snacks for you. Do you want to try them?”
Before Deepak could reply, Kaki entered the kitchen and was also surprised to see Deepak awake so early.
While waiting for breakfast, Deepak walked into the family room and flipped through the channels, hoping to find something interesting to watch on the TV, but most of the channels showed some divine chanting or yoga, and he was not interested. He turned off the TV and returned to the dining table and started a casual conversation with Kaki as he sipped chai and enjoyed the snacks. A few minutes later, Sashank joined Deepak at the table, and they started chatting about Deepak’s lifestyle in the US while Sashank glanced over the headlines in the newspaper.
“What do you eat for breakfast every day?” asked Sashank.
“Usually cereal on weekdays, and I very often go to Indian restaurants during the weekend.” He smiled. “We get a lot of variety at the Indian restaurant, like idlis, dosas and medhu vadas.” Deepak paused and looked at Sashank. “Bhaiya, do you remember Vivek and his wife, Vaishali?”
Sashank nodded, still holding the newspaper and reading an article.
“They invite me over quite frequently.”
“Haan, Vivek, how is he doing? Doesn’t he work for the same company?”
“Yes, but for a different department.”
“Does his wife work too? She is a very sweet girl.”
“Yes, bhaiya, she is a very nice girl, and both of them are very happy with each other. Vaishali works for a bank,” replied Deepak.
The morning sunlight through the window made the room brighter and warmer. Akash joined both brothers at the dining table, and they all enjoyed the time together with chai. A few minutes later, Deepak brought the gifts from his room and distributed them to everybody. All were happy and acknowledged the gifts.
~ ~ ~
A week passed, and Deepak enjoyed the wonderful food that Kaki and Lakshmi aunty cooked; he relaxed and spent time with his brothers. Deepak waited for an opportune time to discuss Karen with Sashank, while Prashant and Sashank had a few conversations regarding the right time to talk to Deepak about his wedding with Roshni.
The following Saturday, November 30th, Vivek's parents visited Deepak. They enquired about Vivek and Vaishali, and Deepak gave them all the details. Vivek’s parents were pleased to hear their son and daughter-in-law were happy, since they went through an arranged marriage a year ago. They had a good visit, and after they left, Sashank took this opportunity to ask Deepak about his wedding plans.
“Deepak, you expressed interest in marriage. When do you want to get married?”
“Yes, bhaiya, only if I find the right person,” replied Deepak. He shrugged his shoulders. “Bhaiya, you know after all the experiences we had with badi bhabhi, I am not inclined for an arranged marriage…I prefer to find somebody, get to know that person for some time, and then marry.”
“What do you mean by ‘right person’? How do you know if she is the right person before the wedding?” Sashank smiled. “You know, Deepak, no matter how much you know a person, it is still an unknown until you have lived with them…and our traditions do not promote this dating concept.” He continued, “Yes, if you get engaged, you can date your fiancée until you get married.”
“Sashank bhaiya, I do not believe in arranged marriage.” Deepak was worried. “And how can I be obligated to living with a girl whom I do not know? This is dangerous. What if there is no compatibility, what if the girl does not want to come to the US…there are so many what ifs? I am not comfortable with the idea of giving in wholeheartedly to somebody I do not know.”
“Look at your friend Vivek; is he not happy with Vaishali? Theirs was an arranged marriage. She is such a nice girl, and Vivek’s parents are also happy.”
“Bhaiya, Vivek was lucky that he got Vaishali.”
“Deepak, if the boy and girl are devout and steadfast, they will work together to live happily and–”
Deepak interrupted his brother, “And what if only one person is devoted? Again problems and separation! No, bhaiya, this is a scary thought. Why take the tension when it’s not necessary?”
“There are compromises in life, in every relationship, and marriage is no different, Deepak. Agreed, one partner may have to compromise more than the other, but…look at our own bhaiya; do you think he does not know of his wife’s weaknesses? He probably knew long ago, but he compromised to avoid any rifts, and over time both of them accepted each other, and they are happy.” Sashank continued, “It is the responsibility of both partners to compromise and live happily.”
Silence followed.
“I have selected a nice girl for you, and I want you to meet her,” Sashank said.
“What!” exclaimed Deepak. “What do you mean you selected a girl for me? You did not mention anything to me when I was in the US.”
“You revealed your plans just before you came here, so I did not have an opportunity to discuss it with you.” He looked seriously at Deepak. “By the way, what was that dialogue about understanding, dating, etc.? I hope you are not talking about dating somebody, are you?”
Deepak was nervous; he never expected this reaction from Sashank. He hoped to convince him so he could pursue and get to know Karen, but this remark…his heart sank. He struggled for words to communicate that he was not interested in marrying somebody he had not met.
He gathered some strength. “Bhaiya, would you mind if I said something regarding my marriage?”
Sashank looked at Deepak and waited for him to continue.
“Bhaiya, I do not believe in arranged marriages. The girl is a complete stranger; there is no love and affection. Even after marriage, there are misunderstandings and arguments.”
Deepak was concerned and ran his fingers through is hair. “What if I like a girl, whether Indian or an American, and I would like to pursue my relationship with her? Would you approve?”
Deepak waited anxiously for Sashank’s reaction.
“Why do you ask me this question? I have already told you that I selected a girl for you, a very nice girl indeed!”
Deepak was puzzled. He wanted to discuss it with Sashank bhaiya, but the telephone rang, and their conversation was interrupted. Akash was quietly listening to their conversation. He picked up the phone, and it was Prashant. After greeting Prashant on the phone, Akash handed the phone over to Sashank.
“Hello, Prashant, how are you?”
“I am good. I have not spoken to you since Deepak came from the US. Did he arrive safely? How is he doing?”
Sashank glanced at Deepak. “Yes, Deepak arrived safely. He is relaxing and enjoying his stay here.”
“Good,” Prashant replied, “I am happy. Please let me know when he is free; I would like to come meet him.”
Sashank agreed, and after enquiring about Rosh
ni, both hung up the phone.
~ ~ ~
It was Sunday, December 1st, a bright morning with sun rays piercing through the windows and birds chirping, welcoming the new day. Deepak had gotten used to Indian time. It was 7:30 a.m., and he was still asleep. Sashank was in the dining area, having chai and reading a newspaper. While Akash waited for Kaki to make more chai, he flipped through the newspaper, getting a glimpse of the news. Both brothers were at the dining table, quietly engrossed in their own activities.
It was around 9 a.m. when Deepak joined his brothers in the family room.
“Deepak, what is your plan for today?” asked Sashank.
“Nothing much, Sashank bhaiya, why? What do you have in mind?”
“I want to take you to Prashant’s house to meet him and his daughter, Roshni. She is the one I selected for you.”
Deepak felt the pressure and was about to say something when Sashank interrupted him. “Deepak, Prashant is a very good friend of mine; I have known him and his daughter, Roshni, for a very long time. Roshni is a very sweet girl, good looking, well educated and responsible. I think she will be a very good life partner for you.”
Deepak patiently listened to his brother while Sashank continued, “When father passed away and we went through several emotional problems – sadness, anger at bhabhi, fear and uncertainty – Prashant was always there for me. I could count on him and his wife for any support until Kaki came along to help us. Even today, although his wife passed away, Prashant is always there for me and Akash. There is nothing that he does not know of our family. He is a very nice man and has done a fabulous job raising Roshni. I have watched her grow into a beautiful young lady, very responsible and mature.”
He looked seriously at Deepak. “When you talked to me about your plans to get married, Roshni came to my mind instantly, and I did not care for anybody else.”
Love after Marriage Page 2