Every journey brings a new experience. It doesn’t matter whether you are traveling to same place again and again or to a new destination. Every tiem when one is in journey, can see the new faces known-unknown, new scenarios inside and outside the windows of bus and trains. After all the meaning of journey is that we are still in mid way though we left our home but having not reached to our destination.
It was morning time, while finishing domestic works quickly; all above thoughts were coming into Poorva’s mind. Suddenly her cell phone rang up. Her husband Arjun was on the other side.
“Poorva your ticket for Mumbai in A.C. first class is confirmed and there is an old age couple in your coach. I inquired from the booking clerk about the co-passengers.”
“Ok, that’s good news.”
After two days of this conversation poorva was at railway station with her husband, Arjun was arranging luggage in the coach meanwhile poorva looked at her co-passengers. An old couple, both were seem above sixty. The lady initiated the talk and gave her introduction as Mrs. Rekha agrawal and her husband Mister Hemchandr agrawal. Poorva also introduced herself. As the train started moving from plate-form the flow of conversation also increased. The agrawal came to Udaipur to attend a family function at their native village and now going back to Mumbai.
Mrs. Agrawal asked poorva. “Dear do you study in Mumbai?” she asked so because Poorva was not wearing any such thing that could show her marital status, e.g. bindi, mangalsootra etc. poorva laughed and replied,” no aunty I am married and I the man who came to see me of was my husband , I have a daughter too.”
“Oh, is that so? Well, we have a daughter of your age and a son who is younger then her. My daughter is a lecturer in a prestigious medical college in Mumbai and son is doing IIT”.
“Is she married?”
“Yes and nobody came to attend her marriage.” Mrs. agrawal spoke in such a way that expressed her inner sorrow and grievance in front of an unknown person.
For a moment poorva couldn’t understand what to say then she softly asked,” why what happened?”
“Well. ...she gets married with a Marathi boy therefore none of our relatives came in her marriage. In fact now she don’t get invitations of family gatherings and other functions of our relatives, all because of her inter-caste marriage though she wants to come and meet them. But, her presence is not much welcomed. Truly speaking then we also don’t like that Marathi boy and it creates embarrassing situation for us too.”
Poorva noticed that Mrs. Agrawal is not calling her sun-in-law by her name, but before she says anything, Mrs. Agrawal again started speaking,
“However we are also watching that how long they are willing to continue their relation, she got married around a year an ago so if she came back to us in next couple of years or before that then the chapter will be finished itself. In other case if the marriage continued happily then we will rethink about it and probably will give her a flat also as a wedding present.”
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