Newly Married Indian – Bride’s House

A delightful story of a shy bridegroom who is ragged by his sisters-in-law. In India, that is how a groom is welcomed into the family!

My mother’s cousins and sisters were a boisterous lot. When my mother and father got married they thought that it was their wont to tease the new groom. In fact it was the done thing in small towns and villages to play pranks on the groom as a way of welcoming him into their family. You see it in Hindi films like “Hum apke hain kaun?”  

My mother’s naughty cousins’ non stop banter was a little too much for my father.

They really went over board after dinner. They spread crisp pappads underneath the cover of the diwan on which  father was invited to sit down.

When my father sat on it, the pappads broke, sounding very much like as if he was passing wind. The girls closed their noses and laughed, 

“Hi, I think the groom ate too much lentils today.”

My poor father was embarrassed and angry at the same time. Luckily my grand father came in and shooed them away and saved him from further humiliation.

That night when he entered the bridal chamber where my mother was waiting, he was convinced that the girl behind the covered dupatta or ghungat was a boy dressed up as the bride. When that doubt was cleared to his satisfaction, he was positive that there was something under the bed sheet. He had to remove the sheet and dust away imaginary grime and dust from the mattress.

At last they were settled for the night and just when my mom was beginning to think that her wedding night was going to get better, my father got up and switched on the light. 

He peered under the cot and said:

“I think one of your cousins is hiding under the cot!”

P. S : When my mother recounts the story to me, she laughs and adds, “And that is why you were not conceived on my wedding night!”

Story By: SB – Written By: Gulsum Basheer @ talkalittledo