Oh my GOD ('Om Namah Shivaya")

Contrary to the paradigm the title creates, I don’t pray God generally. I’m not an atheist either. I’m told and probably I believe there is a super power. Having exposed to Hinduism, I resolved Lord Siva is the most fascinating and deserves the highest degree of reverence as scripted in the stories and serials. I don’t remember, I ever have set myself and went for a temple, but I used to accompany with dad or mom or friends or with my wife, that too once in a year or so. I have always enjoyed the reverent atmosphere, clean and homely girls, etc during the visits. When others pray, I simply thank God for the splendid and superb life, I got. At some really difficult times (very rarely, may be once in 4 or 5 years), a kind of resolution appears from the depth of my soul, to pray God. When I do so, I do it in solitude, in serenity, with sincerity and it lasts for about 30 seconds.

On Mappillai azhaippu (the ritual on the eve of my wedding), my dad brought a ceremonial crown and proudly fitted on my head. Suddenly, the grandma of bride appeared in the scene and grabbed the crown from my head. A big argument opened up between the bride side and groom side. I was witnessing and just before me, the insane and sheer chauvinism of the crowd had let them speak some unnecessary dialogues leading to a declaration from one of the elderly to cancel the wedding. I stepped in and announced to calm down, nullified the declaration of the elderly, justifying with the statement “We are writing a history by canceling a wedding on the basis of a cap worn by the groom, If so, somebody else will start canceling on the basis of vests and briefs too”

The sixth sense was brought in by some key personnel and the wedding rituals continued. Just at the thali kattum stage (the defining moment of wedding), I saw the face of the bride in close. She was crying and literally crying. She used to have a natural smiling face on both the times I met her before wedding. I calmly enquired her and she stammeringly replied that she is not interested in the wedding. That was a shock of my life. 200 relatives and 50 friends whom I ever know and I ever cared about are going to witness the cancellation of my wedding, rather, the rejection of the groom by this bride. For a moment I was stolen by the thoughts of consequences.

I took a public permission and took her alone to a room and discussed. What I could arrive at is “The rustic behavior of my parents during the Cap - Ego fight and few more prejudices” has compelled her to take this decision. Now the problem is simpler, much simpler to be a lover of some body else or anything that is beyond my control to resolve. I displayed my talent to convince her and succeeded. SOMEHOW, I got married.

My first night started with a blank note from my beautiful wife – “I need to speak”. She laid down some series of conditions – thrusting on her liberty to live on her style. I behaved gentle till I understood (at 2:00 AM) that her behavior is an emotional, involuntary reaction due to the nervousness and panic of being with a stranger (may be notorious) ready to screw her up. I slowly unbuttoned my shirt and gently moved my fingers over her exposed hips in between her blouse and the light green colour saree. She gave up to the seduction and the kamasutra took over the scene.
Just after 5 hours, we packed and got ready for the journey to Thiruvannamalai, the place where my mom and dad resides, about 12 hours in the van during normal times. But due to the historical down pour during the last week in this part of world, the roads are damaged and might take 15 to 18 hours to reach the destination. Incidentally, today is “the day of Karthigai Deepam”, that thiruvannamalai is infamous for. It is one of the most reverent and fascinating ritual for Hindu tamilians. Not less than a tenth of a million people gather and opt for Girivalam (14 KM walk around the temple and the hill, as seen in the picture) in that small town to celebrate the function. It is an once in a year affair.
The bizarre thoughts of the day before, were going through my mind. As the van started, the kids started playing. My wife’s brother along with some of the aunts settled in the last seat. I was in the middle seat along with my wife adequately adorned with a kg of gold, silently seated by my side near the window. The look in her face somehow made me to understand, “U cheat, How the hell had u managed to seduce me yesterday….” My parents were just sitting opposite to us, and the mood was fun. As usual, I amazed the people around with my jokes and pranks. As the time pass by, slowly the crowd started to doze off. My wife for the first time, rested on my shoulders with her six senses. I smiled and slowly started a conversation (kadalai) with her.
Even at 20, she was childish, innocent, a kind of sensitive but of kind and understanding nature. I liked and admired the diversity of her nature. Moreover, she is really cute and beautiful.

We were just 25 minutes from the destination (which is full by pilgrims). The time was already 11:00 PM and it was completely dark outside. The van was traveling through a rustic meagerly thared road with a lake on the left side and arid thorny forest on the other side. As the roads were bumpy, the speed of the van was limited in the range of 10 to 45 kmph. Suddenly we felt a strong jerk in the vehicle along with an uncommon sound, like something had hit the van hardly. The jerk continued and the driver stopped the vehicle in another 2 minutes. As he checked out the vehicle, he found the shaft connecting the rear wheels got bent / broken by a big stone in the middle road. It was a narrow escape, as the speed of the vehicle was just 20 kmph. Had it been at a higher speed, the vehicle could have toppled down, putting us in great trouble. All of us got down from the vehicle.

We were 10 adults and 2 children, four of us were Gents – the driver, me, my father and my brother-in-law. There was no network in any of our cell phones. The driver managed to call out for another van from thiruvannamalai, from the public telephone booth on a road side motel, 15 minutes from there by walk. It was already 40 minutes in the completely dark uninhabited ambience, and we were standing on the road side. My mom and all ladies started panicking because of 1. Any thief or mob will know that this newly married couple will definitely have lot of gold. 2. There are well adorned good looking ladies standing at midnight in an uninhabited place, which on itself carries enormous amount of risk. 3. In an hour or so, the infamous “Karthigai deepam” festival will be over and a huge crowd will come against us and we will be lost in the crowd. Some might even make use of the crowd and rob something from us…

My mom lost control and started blabbering and blaming on the fate, the decision to choose this van, the late start, and then the marriage itself…. I stood cool, patient, and waiting for the next van to come. In another 10 minutes (though, It seemed like hours…), the next van came.
The driver and the children transferred all the things to the rescue van. The first choice to enter the rescue van was given to my wife and to be followed by me. As she entered the van, I could sense the van tilting on the lateral side. I was about to leave her fingers, just when the van tilted on the back side by around one feet. I immediately caught hold of her hand and pulled her back, as the van further slid in to the muddy banks of the lake. The driver checked it up, and resolved that the van is now stuck deep in to the mud and will require hours of work to make it move. He agreed his mistake to stop on the wet bank of the lake.

Oh, this was a big blow, and unexpected. The rescue van needs rescue now. We gents unsuccessfully, tried hard for another 10 minutes to get the vehicle out of the mud. For the first time now, I felt the temper. My mom and other ladies started crying in the midst of the uninhabited road. The children were frightened. My dad and my brother-in-law were speechless and nervous. They suggested lot of ideas for the way out, just to conclude themselves that these ideas were stupid. My wife is silent, watching every body without response, but had tightly held my hand from the side. I felt proud for a moment as she had chosen to be with me, and trusted me instead of her own elder brother. I had won her trust against her own brother in just one day acquaintance, that too, a strange one.

I understood that, it’s my time to act upon. Being the strongest and the sanest person of the crowd available there, I spoke out with a plan for the first time. I split the crowd into two groups. The group one comprises of me, my wife, my elderly father and my mother. Rest of the ladies and children (10 – 15 yrs old) is with my brother in law and the driver as another group. Fortunately, a late bus stopped by and the first group got in (with the jewels). We reached home safely and the second group followed us with the goods by another rescue van that I have arranged, after about 50 minutes.


I think my wife is pleased enough and has become intimate throwing out her mental shutters from there on. But yet the story is not complete.

Next day, my mom told us to go for a movie along with another couple (my cousins). She wanted us to relax. The theater is approx a 40 minutes drive from my home. We hired a taxi. As somebody has scripted earlier, the taxi stopped in between, putting as again in trouble. After reaching home, I got seriously concerned. What’s happening? From the eve of my marriage to till now, I’m facing natural hindrances from all sides. And tonight, I got to take my wife and parents to Lucknow, that means a 5 hours travel to Chennai airport by taxi, then to fly for 2 hr 40 minutes to Delhi airport, then a taxi to Delhi railway station and a 8 hour journey in train to Lucknow.

I approached my maternal Uncle for some advice. He is not so educated. He is a business man, but a revered person by the whole town. He lives his noble principles and has been the most successful in the family. I respected him from my childhood, and still I do. He silently listened the completely course and asked some questions. He wanted to check, whether I have missed any hindu ritual, that is to performed during marriage. He believes that every ritual in the marriage ceremony has a sense and bypassing or omitting any ritual may cause troubles like this in life. As I listed out in sequence, he pointed out that my trip to “Kuladeiva koil” (“The temple of family God”) got omitted. Actually, due to lack of time ( It takes 2 hours to go and 2 hours to come from the temple through a bumpy, rustic road.), I myself had cancelled the trip two days before the wedding itself, even after the repeated insistence from the in-laws. As I told him that, with solidarity, he confirmed that is the cause for all the troubles.

I replied, even If so, I don’t have time right now to go to the temple from here. I have to cancel lot of tickets, I have to cancel lot of programs and I don’t have leave from my office. Right now, I don’t have any choice, rather than to move ahead for Lucknow. My uncle offered me a solution. He told me to take a yellow cloth and tie a One Rupee coin inside it. He told me to pray god from the heart, promise to him that I will visit the temple in my next visit to home town and keep the coin in the pooja room in the house near the paths of the shrine. I obediently followed his advice (as that was a very easy solution) but I was not sure whether that will work or not. I’m also not sure that I am praying for what? A fear of something may happen as something has happened in the past………

We set for the journey. My uncle reminded me to keep the promise given to the God during my next visit to home town. I responded affirmatively, and headed to the airport.


To our surprise, one of my classmates, received us in the Delhi airport with a Mahindra Scorpia (SUV), treated us with a good Brunch at Saravana Bhavan in connaught place and dropped us in the station. The train was in time and we reached lucknow on time. There was a huge crowd (my friends and office colleagues) awaiting for us in the station, to receive the newly married couple and we safely reached home, smoothly ever in my life, for such a long trip.