Wednesday, June 14, 2006

A melancholic song

I know her from my childhood. She stayed at our house for some time during her job hunt phase. I was very surprised when I got the news that she had announced at home that she had found her to-be-husband herself. It was somewhat a revolutionary act considering the type of conservative household she came from. She did not ask anyone's consent and went ahead with the marriage.

After her marriage, I did not see much of her. I heard that even her mom's family did not see much of her too. Someone also told me that she had left her job. I also heard rumours that her husband was a very passive man and would not work at all. Life went on and her memories were blurred. All of a sudden, one day she came to our house unannounced. But this time, she was not alone. She had come with her family- her husband and two kids. We got to know that her husband had been trying out all new ventures in vain. He had lost all the money that he had. Now they wanted to go to Mysore and start some new venture there. She knew that my dad had a house at Mysore. So she wanted to know if he could rent it out to them. My parents generously agreed to their request.

And she disappeared again. Through my dad, I got to know that her family was going through financial crisis and were not paying the rent regularly. This went on for a couple of years. Somewhere I felt that she was taking advantage of my parents' softheartedness. She appeared at our doorstep again after a couple of years. This time she had come to tell us that she and her family would be moving to another house in Mysore itself. This time she looked very pale and weak. Her kids ate as if they had not eaten since months.

Life moved on and I forgot about her again until today. My mom told me that she and her family had come home. There are chances that she is suffering from leukemia. Her husband has a non-earning business. They are trying to put their kids in some ashram because they are not able to take care of them. And now a relative of theirs has volunteered to pay for the Upanayana of their elder son. And finally her husband wants to come to Bangalore to take up some job.

What a life! Is this destiny or self trodden path? Who should be blamed for this state? I have no answers at all.

2 comments:

i-me-moi said...

But then how could having married someone of her parent's choice have altered this fate?

Someone of great financial standing can come down from the top of the wheel of fortune.

Someone who is a pauper may become a prince overnight.

Of course you could use horoscopes but sometimes I think, life happens to you. And you must live these experiences. For the better.

Madhooo said...

Hmmmm...no, I did not mean that she would have been happier if she had married someone of her parent's choice. I knwo lot of arranged marriages that have gone sour. In fact, I am not giving my opinion anywhere in this post. I have just been stating facts. Ultimately I believe it is destiny.:)