A Fatal Bolt from the Blue

After the groom's family was satisfied, they let Mamta and Amit have a conversation in private. Amit was amazed by her beauty and concluded that she was the one that he had been searching for in years! Mamta too was impressed with Amit and after a brief chat both returned to their families and disclosed their mutual approval for the marriage. Everyone present cheered, sweets were distributed and music was played loudly. 

Umashankar was a very content man and he was thankful to the Almighty for protecting him and his family. Umashankar's life post retirement was passing very smoothly; he had received all his pending dues from the company that he had worked in and he had ample leisure time to spend with his friends and indulge in his hobbies that included cooking. Now only worried about getting his daughter, Mamta married. A lot of marriage proposals had come a few years ago, however Umashankar had not gathered the courage to accept any of these proposals because he had been waiting to receive all his financial dues. Now with all his dues obtained he was seriously thinking of finding an ideal match for Mamta. His wife Nirmala wanted a boy from the same clan who completely abstains from cigarette, alcohol, addictive substances and non-vegetarian food. They were concerned about the dowry demands of the groom's family too. Their only resource was the money Umashankar had got after retirement; and they well knew that was not an exorbitant amount at all! To start the auspicious mission of finding a bridegroom for their daughter they both decided to have a Satyanarayana puja. Consequently the puja was fixed for the coming Monday and would be performed by Pandit Ramnarain.

On the day of the puja, Umashankar woke up early and urged his wife to get up from the bed. Apart from his curvaceous tummy and salt and pepper hair, Umashankar was still a handsome and fit man. He went for walks every day, did household chores and read the chalisa too every day. In short, he was an active man.

As expected Ramnarain reached early in the evening, prepared the altar and bhog for puja and checked every little ingredient, which would be required to perform the puja. The evening deepened and the room where the puja was going on wore a different look. The chanting of the hymns, the fragrance of the havan and agarbattis and the rituals (for invoking the deity) filled the room with a divine and cosmic aura. After knowing the purpose of the puja, Ramnarain asked Umashankar "Why don't you have a talk with Dubey ji? His son is working in the state electricity board, earning a handsome amount. They are of your same clan and fulfil all your requirements. I know that family very closely as I am their regular priest.'' Umashankar sighed and replied, "I know that family's background, Amit Dubeyji's son will make a perfect match for our Mamta, but a matter of concern here is the dowry that they will demand'' "No they aren't greedy as you think, I shall initiate this proposal,'' saying this Ramnarian dialled his phone and spoke to Mr. Dubey. As expected they readily accepted the offer and fixed a day in the coming week to come over to Umashankar's house.

When the Dubey family came to see Mamta, all the members of the latter's family and relatives were busy decorating the house, monitoring the kitchen and dressing up Mamta. Pyarelal the cook prepared different delicacies to woo the prospective groom's family. Deserts were ordered from the nearby Sharma Sweets. This place was famous for pure milk pedas. Altogether Umashankar left no stone unturned to convert the proposal into marriage.

Mamta looked stunning in a sari, although her face was covered with a veil in front of the groom's family members. She was asked numerous questions to justify her credibility for a perfect daughter in law! She was asked whether she could cook, sing a song or even perform aarti and she patiently answered all of these questions.

After the groom's family was satisfied, they let Mamta and Amit have a conversation in private. Amit was amazed by her beauty and concluded that she was the one that he had been searching for years! Mamta too was impressed with Amit and after a brief chat both returned to their families and disclosed their mutual approval for the marriage.

Everyone present cheered and sweets were distributed and music played loudly. The parents of the bride and groom went for a closed door discussion about the marriage nitty gritties including the dowry. Both the families were eager to fix a date quickly. With some intervention from the matchmaker Ramnarain (he checked both horoscopes) November 18th was finalised.

Umashankar was ofcourse very happy. Mamta was their only child and now they had found a good match for her. He became restless and would sometimes skip his lunch only to meet different vendors for arranging the marriage. His decade old grey Bajaj Super scooter became his all time companion. However, it would never start at one go. On some days it would successfully take Umashankar to the desired destination otherwise he had to push it and fix it before reaching anywhere!

One day Umashankar and Nirmala went to Leela Furniture House (situated closeby) to choose the design for the furniture that would be sent with Mamta. All the furniture, which was showcased in the store was minutely crafted and engraved with intricate designs. "These are all personalised designs and made from very good quality wood, so you can also advise us about the look of your furniture," stated the manager. The furniture was ordered with a whopping bill of five lakhs. Only the token money was paid and Umashankar assured to pay the balance one week before the marriage. They visited the jewellery shop after this. The shop was filled with glittering golden jewellery that had intricate designs. The prices ofcourse were steep. Another huge bill was generated after the order and after paying the advance they returned home with a sigh of relief.

"Only ten days are left for the ceremony and there is so much work to be finished,'' Umashankar murmured. It was evening and the aroma of piping hot tea rejuvenated his tired senses. He was sitting on his easy chair in the small veranda and staring continuously at Mamta and Nirmala who were offering prayers to the Tulsi plant. The thoughts of parting from his daughter made him emotional and tears welled up in his eyes. With a cracked voice he asked Mamta to sit beside him. Mamta sat for hours and talked to him. Suddenly Nirmala looked at them from the kitchen and yelled "Dinner is ready, come fast." The small dining table had been their favourite place for years as three of them would talk relentlessly during dinner and watch the TV. That night Nirmala had prepared some of their favourite dishes. Suddenly Mamta raised the volume of the television set and heard the news minutely. The Prime Minister had addressed the nation; they were stunned to hear the Prime Minister's announcement! It was announced that from the midnight of November 8, India's 500 and 1000 rupee notes (currency) would no longer be legal tender and would become worthless pieces of paper! Umashankar screamed, "Oh my God! I have withdrawn seven lakh rupees today! What will happen now?'' He almost froze after hearing the shocking news. Pressing his hand towards his chest he tried to say something but in vain. He soon collapsed! Mamta rushed to the nearby doctor's chamber and brought in Dr Sharma. He checked Umashankar and declared him dead due to a massive heart attack!

By: Nabajyoti Bhuyan

VIP Road, Guwahati

Also Read: A Commitment for Holistic Development of the Region

Also Watch: