Avni! My best
friend. My buddy since childhood. She had called to tell me that her wedding was
fixed. To whom? Some guy called Mihir,
working in a huge software company at Bangalore. Mihir was an ex-IITian and had been a topper
in his studies throughout. He worked
abroad for a few years, where he seemed to have earned a fortune. Now he was back to India, ready to get
married to a beautiful and decent Indian girl and settle down.
Avni and I
had known each other since nursery; hence we understood each other really well. She was a simple and fun-loving girl. She had been in a relationship with a guy from
her class during college. After their studies
got over, the guy moved to another country and the relationship ended. Avni had a tuff time overcoming the
breakup. After a few years of being
single, her parents decided to find a partner for her. This is when Mihir’s proposal
came through one of the wedding sites, which are like the Facebook of Indian Matrimony.
Horoscopes were matched, the families met, and the wedding was
fixed. Avni’s family was happy that she
had found a well educated boy, hailing from a good family, having a great
job.
I met Avni
a few days later. I had never seen her
so happy since a long time. She seemed
to be in a world of her own, and I am sure Mihir was at the core of it. She smiled and blushed for no reason, and had
a glow on her face which comes when one is happy from within. Avni said Mihir was the sweetest guy she had
ever come across. He was caring,
sensitive and made time to talk to her in spite of his hectic work
schedule. I thought I was witnessing a
perfect fairy tale. Avni had finally
found her Mr. Right, and I was happy for her.
Two weeks
passed. I was busy with my work. My mom
asked me about Avni, and her marriage preparation. I realized I hadn’t heard from her all this
time. I called her but her phone was
switched off. Her Whatsapp showed an old
date. There were no mails or unread chats
from her. I was worried now. What was wrong? Had something happened to
her? Desperate, I called her mother and asked for her. Her mother said she was in her room and went
to give her the phone. In a few minutes,
I heard a faint “Hello” from Avni. Her voice
seemed weak, although she tried to appear normal. Her wedding
had broken. The reason? Mihir’s family
demanded a huge fortune from her family and threatened to break the wedding if
the money was not given. When asked why
they didn’t bring up the topic earlier, they said they waited for the wedding
to be fixed, so that Avni’s father would not be able to say ‘No’ to the
demand. Avni’s father, outraged with
this behaviour, broke the marriage. Avni
called Mihir after this, thinking that it was just his family who had made this
unreasonable demand. She expected him to have understood her and her family as he had spoken to her so many times and he seemed like a person with principles and
values. But the Mihir she spoke to now
was a completely different person. A stranger. He didn’t feel that his
family had done something wrong, and instead blamed her parents for being
misers. He said he expected her to have
been more understanding and to have spoken to her parents making them agree to
the demand. The conclusion? That was the last time Avni spoke to Mihir. His chapter was closed by her forever.
In today’s
world, on one hand we say we have advanced so much, yet on the other hand we still
come across people like Mihir and his family.
Mihir was well educated, had a good job, had the exposure of living in a
foreign land, and he belonged to a well-to-do family. Yet, what made him behave like this? And, what about the times he
spoke to Avni as though he cared? Would he not miss her even a little bit if
she was not around in his life? Was it
so easy for him to erase her from his life?
Was money a reason strong enough for him to stop being with her? The harsh reality is that there are many
Mihirs in our country even today. Their
homes are big, bank accounts are even bigger, but their hearts are cold and
hard. They are like robots that have
been pre-programmed.
Though it
was difficult for Avni to overcome the broken wedding, I feel she was saved from being
married to a jerk who would treat her well as long as she brought him money. The moment she encountered a problem in
life, he would escape. She would have to
deal with it alone. People like Mihir will never be satisfied with their life,
and they will make everyone’s lives miserable.
So now what?
Well, Avni is single, but she keeps herself busy with her work and things
that make her happy. She is grateful to
have not married Mihir. It is better to
be alone a little while longer than to be with someone who doesn’t value
relationships. She has resolved to make
each day of her life count, by making the most of it.
As for
Mihir, I heard he got engaged to some rich and beautiful girl. Some businessman’s daughter. Someone who can afford the money his family
asked, and who doesn’t find it morally wrong to be part of the practice. My advice to Mihir and his fiancée? I don’t really care. I am happy that my lovely friend Avni is safe and
free!
