Scoop of Life Part 74-- Arya Samaj Mandir

March 4th 2011
Noonish
Kilokri--Clean Water Initiative

In a flight of fancy she had actually declared to her mother last nite, "Main aur Raghav shaadi ki soch rahe hain".
There had been something akin to an explosion in the house.......... no not any created by Sushil in protest, but by Sudha......... she had called Rachit over, dialled Ritwik's number conferenced him in....
Her Dad actually had smiled when he had heard the word "shaadi".
Raghav had chuckled under his breath, embracing her on the sidewalk last nite........ a quick one....
When he released her he held her hand.....
"There is an Arya Samaj Mandir in Lodi Colony, do you want to go there?" he grinned.
She looked at his face seriously.... "Tum mazaak kar rahe ho?"
His eyes were not smiling... but his face was........."Havent been married before" he had shrugged after that.....
"I cant go away with you!" she had responded annoyed........ squishing any/all thoughts of sexual escapades in Singapore.... he may have
"We dont have to go "away"! he had countered.....
Something about going all the way without tying the knot........... tied her stomach up in knots..........
She had gone to first base...... second........ and thats about it...........
She would feel guilty for days about any such encounters..........
"Middle class in mind" she would mock herself on such occasions.
"Tumhe dar nahi lagta" she had asked innocently?
"About going away or making love?" he had responded
She had giggled..... tongue tied........
"Tum aise keh rahe ho jaise tum dono kar chuke ho..... with ease" she argued accusingly
"Ofcourse!" he had admitted.....

Too preoccupied playing out a scene or her parents... she had actually ignored his admittance........ she was imagining the look on Ma's face.... Papa's silent approval..... the twinkle in his eyes.........
Ritwik razzing her about becoming a "Punjaban"
"Why did you have to be Papa's boss's son?" "Tum aiyvanyi koi regular dude nahi ho sakte the kya?"
That would have made you jump into bed with me?" he had asked.......
"Shaayad" she had chuckled
He had laughed out loud....... until now women would go to bed with him overjoyed that they had "nailed" "netted" a heir or tycoon in the making.......... Radhika was DIFFERENT
But then he had never dated any one middle class before.........
"Tum ne mera proposal reject nahi kiya, na hi accept kiya" she remembered stuff when she wated to!
His heart slammed against his chest.... unknowingly.......... color rushed to his face.......... he wondered how his family would react........... they knew he was reckless uncontrolled and wild.............. but never in THEIR wildest dreams they would have imagined him wanting to marry..........
His male cousins knew he was "active" since his teen years......... but this would stump them...........
His Dad would excommunicate him..... ban him from home.......... change passwords to his corner office.......... some how it all seemed quite comical and amusing to him........... he for a brief second worried how it would impact his Mom's book release.........

"I should just plan the wedding tumhare silence ko yes samajhkar, agar tum shaadi waale din Arya Samaj nahi aaye to I should just marry my ex number 2"
The Gujju jeweler?" he asked..... irritated for some reason about the whole idea
"No, the jeweler's son was Ex number 3 (showing the number with her fingers) Ex number 2 is an Engineer.... works for Ingersol Rand" she smiled knowingly...........
"I will then become Ex-4?"
"Pretty much!" she laughed....
He shook his head in disbelief........... NOBODY......... particularly NO female HE had ever known would joke about her own wedding like Radhika

Radhika was goofy and serious all at the same time...........
"We cant have THAT! (Have me become Ex number 4 that is...).... Arya Samaj Mandir it is then......" he said under his breath laughing as she jumped up and squealed  "YESSSSSSSSSS" like she had scored the highest in her CBSE 12th Boards............

Under a shady peepal tree.... alongside the main Jor Bagh road.........A proposal was made by a  hasty, careless middle class girl and accepted by a reckless wealthy rakish guy.
Only time will tell if this wedding will last or if there will be love...........