Some weddings aren't worth the weight

I have three TamBrahm friends getting married in the near future. All male. And all of them have planned, in addition to the usual wedding preparations, to tone up so as to not embarass themselves when in half-naked glory on D-Day.

Without further ado, then, here is my latest bit of extremely scientific analysis:

Emotional Atyachaar

(Note: features some literal translation from Tamil)

On a visit home recently...

Aged Relative (AR): Vaada, va. How are you? Are you eating properly?

Me: Yes, don't worry, I'm eating properly

AR: How is work?

Me: Yes, yes. Work is going. How are you? Are you without ailment?

AR: Something, I exist. When are you going to get married?

Me (sighing): We'll see, paati, there's time

AR: What, pa. Simply don't keep saying this. Age has happened, you should get married.

Me: What, paati... where has age happened...

AR: You must. Only if you get married now, two years from now can have a child-small, before you are thirty

Me: Child-small-a! Little too much, no? Let the marriage happen first

AR: Listen to what I'm saying, da. I am alive only to see you get married and settled with a nice girl

Me (seeing the loophole and swooping in to win the argument): Aha! If you are with life only for that... I don't want you to die, so I shouldn't get married!

AR: Ada poda... In comparison to living unhappy, dying happy is so much better!

Me (flummoxed): ... (retire at a loss for words)

Another day, another wedding

More people around me are getting married. Colleagues, fellow IIMA alumni (seniors, batchmates, juniors), friends from Chennai.

And we make the usual jokes, poking fun at those sacrificing their independence and single status at the altar of marital bliss.

Pointing out that they will no longer be available for movies, a drink or a game, much less 3-day road trips.

Making snide comments about their transformation from marauding masters to simpering slaves.

Laughingly churning out the usual cliches - "one more wicket down", "crossing over to the dark side", "another one bites the dust"


But then I leave work for home.

It's a long, lonely drive.

I come home to a forbiddingly dark, cold house.

I wonder what to do with my Friday evening, unable to muster the enthusiasm or energy to hit one of the many parties I could be at.

I make myself some Maggi, the instant noodles a choice born out of tiredness and laziness rather than of taste.

I sit on my bed, watching random movies and reading random books until I'm bored asleep.

I half-write blog posts, a million thoughts, emotions, anecdotes in my head but no one to share them with.


And I think: Maybe this whole marriage thing isn't so bad after all.