Hearing that the Doc alliance was not making headway,Thirupara mami sent another horoscope to Subbu. Subbu's transfer orders were awaited and the family was getting ready for the D Day to move out of Calcutta.
This particular boy had completed his engineering and was pursuing higher studies in Pennsylvania.The alliance was referred to my uncle Chandru who was in Chennai at that time.It was the year 1986.
Chandru was entrusted with the preliminary investigations.One day the parents of the boy met chittappa at his residence in Chennai.The boy was in India for a month and the parents were keen to get him married before he left.
Horoscopes and photographs were exchanged and matched in a hurry. The astrologers Nagarajan and Thirupurasundari were consulted.Having received the green signal to go ahead, Radha's father and uncle were very keen on proceeding. In the meantime, Radha's uncle also met the boy and he was highly impressed.
Then as far as he was concerned,the match was already made. He made an SOS call to his brother ,Radha's dad Subbu instructing him to send her at the earliest. Radhu was despatched by an Indian Airlines flight to Chennai the very next day.Arrangements for the boy and the girl to meet was done on a war footing..
We met .He came over to the uncle's home and spent half a day.Ramani was a six footer and very good looking.As the boy and the girl sat around the dining table,they exchanged pleasantries and Chittappa kept him engaged in intelligent conversation..
Radhu was not comfortable though.Chandru had made enquiries about him from his friends in the US.Common friends as references emerged in the midst of the conversation and chittappa was in a mood of jubiliation and celebration.She hardly spoke ...She was incredibly shy those days and terribly nervous too on that particular day..
Her limbs shivered,her voice quivered and her palms were sweaty.Radhu did try to put up a brave front but her face gave it away.Sensing that ,after he left,her aunt reprimanded her husband Chandru saying that he was being too hasty and creating unnecessary expectations for the boy's family,even before the girl and her parents had given consent..
Ramani's father called the uncle later in the day and informed him that they were willing to go ahead with the alliance and requested for a formal meet yet again between the two families..
Paying no heed to his wife's advice,Chandru immediately called up his brother and instructed him to come immediately.Subbu,Viji and Karthi flew to Chennai immediately.Air fares were exorbitant and Subbu would have shelled out half a lakh for an impending misadventure.
The date was fixed and the family arrived,father,mother,two sons including Ramani,and a daughter in tow...
Ramani was the eldest of the three.The proverbial saying that sojji bajji make matches was not followed on that day.Uncle had made special arrangements for the choicest kachoris ,samosas and Bengali sweets..
They spent a couple of hours with the girl's family.The conversation was very lively and they were very friendly,without giving away the slightest sign of being total strangers.The mother seemed to be dominating...that is what Viji sensed in the course of the conversation .Though they were very clear about not accepting dowry,they kept repeating that their son was incurring a lot expendirture abroad...
As they prepared to leave,they reiterated that they were willing to go ahead with the alliance..Ramani would leave in a month's time and if possible the bride could accompany him too
As soon as they left, Radhu's mother and aunt got going with the usual cleaning chores even as the Father Subbu and uncle Chandru continued with the conversation...Plans to fix a date for the wedding and choose a venue was on top of their agenda.Radha slipped away into a corner of the balcony with a story book in her hand.She was in a state of daze too...and the best part was nobody had even bothered to ask if she was marriage ready..
Lunch was delayed on that day and later during the day ,over lunch, the six of them were together again.Viji was too scared of her brother-in-law Chandru ,never crossed his path.They hardly spoke to each other...But on that day she spoke..
As she swallowed the first morsel of rice,her voice trembled and choked....Please I beg of you..Please do not proceed with this alliance.....But the adamant uncle was still determined.....
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