The portrait of a gutsy family

NJ Ravi Chander

IN the 1950s, my grandfather was tasked with finding a suitable life partner for his brother-in-law Jeevarathnam. One day, his chance encounter with Angamuthu, an old neighbour and childhood friend from Shivajinagar, Bengaluru, rekindled a dormant connection. During their conversation, Angamuthu talked about seeking an alliance for his teenaged daughter. Seizing the opportunity, grandpa suggested that the girl marry his brother-in-law if their horoscopes matched and everything else fell into place. Despite the considerable age gap (14 years) between the boy and the girl, her father gave the go-ahead.

Jeevarathnam was not keen on wedlock, but his relatives ferried him to the girl’s place. In those days, the girl would touch her prospective husband’s feet to catch his attention. The meeting ended with both parties giving the green light for the betrothal.

Relatives from both families gathered at the bride’s house on the engagement day. There was fun and laughter as the ladies chatted indoors while the men conversed outside, seated or standing. The stage was finally ready for the ceremony, but to everyone’s astonishment, an unruly man showed up in an autorickshaw and started raising a hue and cry.

The man was the girl’s maternal uncle, who had harboured intentions to marry her. Upon discovering that she was engaged to another man, he threatened to disrupt the ceremony. Besides, he cautioned the groom and his family about severe repercussions if they proceeded with the ceremony. The entire gathering was taken aback. However, the groom’s younger siblings refused to be intimidated by the threats. They swiftly rallied a group of young people, bundled the irate man back into the autorickshaw and watched him depart. Subsequently, the engagement proceeded without a hitch.

Later, the bride’s family hid her in a relative’s house to keep her uncle at bay. The frustrated man desperately tried to locate her but was unsuccessful. On the wedding day, the groom’s family took the help of the police. As expected, the girl’s family chose not to involve the troublemaker in the wedding celebration. The anxious groom voiced his concerns about his and his spouse’s safety post-wedding, but his brothers assured him that everything would be fine. The nuptials went off smoothly, and as the tension eased, everybody breathed a sigh of relief.

The couple eventually found their place in a harmonious joint family, which included the groom’s mother, siblings, nieces and nephews, and they lived happily ever after. Accepting his fate, the troublemaker refrained from getting into more misadventures. Despite the joy and laughter that filled their home, the drama leading up to their wedding remained etched in their minds. It served as a powerful testament to the unwavering strength of their family. Their story shows that anybody can overcome adversity with tact, cooperation and guts.