Today my wife and I are celebrating 'Bonded Labour Day'. Even after 19 years we have not come to a consensus on who is bonded and who is labouring. The argument still continues.
19 years ago on this day we united in bondage for the rest of our lives. Wedding, the two syllables sound like the finality of a tomb door shutting.It was an eventful day. I am eternally indebted to Shri L.K.Advani and Shri Laloo Prasad Yadav for making it an eventful day. Before you jump to any conclusion and think that these gentlemen had graced the occasion, let me request you not to let your imagination run wild. The day before our marriage was to be solemnised, Shri Advani, who was trying his damnedest to become a modern day Rama, by undertaking a Rath Yathra (Journey on Chariot) was arrested by Shri Laloo Prasad Yadav.
Politicians from various political parties of every hue and colour in Kerala who get out of their bed everyday wondering how they can bring the State to a halt that day, couldn't have asked for anything better. Promptly by evening, they had called for a Hartal the next day. The whole logistics had gone for a toss by a tiny act at Samastipur very far from Trichur. Lot of discussions were held. To postpone the wedding or not. As will be the case, everybody who was somebody had an opinion to offer. Finally better sense prevailed and they asked the opinion of the bride and the groom to be. I was scared that the wedding would be called off citing this as a bad omen. I couldn't possibly go through another 'Penn Kanal' (selecting a girl for marriage) successfully. So I suggested that we go ahead as planned. My wife also decided in going ahead, probably for the same reason. We took the help of my cousin Shri Rajgopal Narayan who was IG at that time, to get a couple of constables and a police jeep for protection.
Everything went off well, the thaaliketu (tying the nuptial knot) at Parmekkavu temple and ceremony thereafter at Sankarankulangara. It was a pity people who were nearby who had planned to reach early in the morning couldn't attend the marriage but relatives and friends from afar could. These 19 years we have gone through many ups and downs, birth of our children, death of my father,and also a brother-in-law & 3 cousins all four younger to us, a few transfers, a few promotions, a period of being jobless. Life has generally been good and no complaints.
Now when we play the CD which was converted from a video cassette ( we didn't have CDs then) and watch the car which I am going to the temple with a police jeep in front, my sons comment it looks a like wedding of a convict on parole. I agree entirely, I am still serving the sentence. Aaahhh. A rolling pin has just landed on my head. Time to scoot.
P.S. For those of you who want to know if my wife reads my blog, she proof-reads all my posts. She was always good at finding fault. Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh..........
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