- Play music to go along with this post. Preferably wait until the vocals begin-
Story so far: In the backdrop of a wedding ceremony, a young woman becomes immersed in the memories of the man she had fallen in love with and had met as a 7 year old girl in her courtyard as her family prepared for the wedding of her Mama.
-----------------
--------
The leaves swirled gently to the ground where a girl eyes had shone with delight as her love had twirled her. Where they had learnt ballroom dancing as the 2-in-1 played cassettes from a time that had been forgotten.
In the silence of being 6 corn fields away from civilization.
Where they met up during holidays- the long summer break, the Navratri-Diwali long break. When he'd return from the City where he studied engineering- only to join the army after his graduation.
It was his duty he'd said after he'd returned from the banks of Ganga. And his mother had agreed. For the Rajput blood ran strongly in her blood too as it had in her husband's.
She hadn't protested. She hadn't known he'd head to the border. Along the lines of those mountains with their unforgiving weather and warm people. Where his father had died as he had led his unit courageously.
And it was from the border, he'd written to her. Lajjo, her naoon*, had told her that she had seen his mother prepare the Shagun** two sunsets before. She knew he was coming to ask for her hand.
So it was there, where the leaves spun gently through the air, to meet their Fate gracefully, as they kissed the ground, under the tree where they'd danced, and she'd smiled shyly each time he'd read out his passionate poems to her.
Where she had boldly, without a thought, pulled his hands to her waist and taught him to dance and since spent many evenings dancing slowly to the soft music.
Where he'd untie her long silky brown hair and watch it cascade around her shoulders down way below her waist.
Where she'd looked into his eyes and said she wasn't going to wait for him to do it .And then had kissed him.
Under this tree, 6 corn fields away from their havelis, where they had laughed, cried, studied,read,danced and sang. Dreamt,kissed and loved.
It was here where she had sat waiting. For him.
*naoon= a term used in parts of Uttar Pradesh to refer to ladies employed to wash the hair of ladies from affluent families. Naoons, until 2 generations ago, worked mostly for Zamindari families where long hair were the pride of the ladies of the house and are rarely found in big cities today but you might find one in the smaller, less Westernized affluent parts of the state.
**Shagun= Jewellery and bridal sarees [ for the Bride], sweets, five types of fruits and presents for the family of the Bride presented by the Groom's family before or on the day of the engagement. Exact ritual may vary in Hindu families and is usually practiced by Hindus of North Indian origin. The equivalent of this for the Groom is the shagun from the bride's family during the Tilak ceremoney with presents etc. for the groom's family and groom of course.
Shagun can be summarized as token presents exchanged by the two families once the alliance has been decided upon.
