walking the plank

* graduating from b-school
* getting a job of my liking
* living on my own
* doing things i liked most....

hmmm sounds like fun! but relatives think otherwise. or maybe they think i've had too much of fun! i have begun to dread the weekend trips i make home. wanna give them a lowdown on my life, the office party, the long drive i went on, the new friends i made here in chennai, et al. but they beat me to it. sometimes i wonder if they can see the happiness on my face and read it all. 'son, we think its time you settle down. we have this proposal coming our way and....' i blurt an exasperated 'what the...!' and hear no more. i say they are jealous! the whole bunch of them.

by living true to Darwin's theory, they have done their bit to this world by furthering their blood, but now they insist on me following suit. my brother getting married last year, hasnt advanced my cause one bit. of course, the countless sinister looking and sounding 'beta, you are next!' that followed soon after. and to think of it, i consider them my well wishers!

they claimed logic in their demand. 'look, there are so few eligible girls in our community nowadays!' i wonder if i missed some early-bird bonanza or am at a clearance sale. attending a cousin's wedding was no less a nightmare. 'you are their second son is it!? what are you doing now?' seemingly harmless question this, but 'running away from you!' is the best answer one can give. have a polite, jaw-aching conversation with relatives i wouldnt care to remember and hear them talking behind my back 'you know, he's done his MBA. he just returned from the US. his elder brother is married too.' hullo! am i invisible!? by now i am feeling like a sitting duck, or a bleating ba-lamb at the butcher's block. raise my head either way and find huge bindi-stamped mercenaries giving me that snearing look...

'you are well educated, have a decent job. what more is it that you want to do!? whats wrong in getting married!?' eh? what? do i even need to answer that? i am sorry, but i would like to know if i am the only one who fails to see a logic chain in that. its like finding rakes with SE and NW on the same train but i get a feeling i am in a minority. of course, there's that random dose of senti from grandparents thrown in for good measure. 'as long as i can move around, i would like to do so and see you married.' what the...? but they are not done yet. there still is that last gasp of life left in me. parents are only glad to pitch in. 'son, if there's someone on your mind let us know. we are quite open to all these things nowadays' aarrggghhh! by now i am counting the hours for my train back to chennai. but i must say, my parents seem to be more optimistic on this matter than i am!

friends until yesterday who evoked an eye of censure through dad's bifocals are today pieces of human treasure. all them are either betrothed or have gone ahead and taken the plunge. examples of ideal sons is what they represent today!

it was rather amusing to watch my group of friends at a friend's wedding. almost every one of them present there with their significant other (certainly better) halves! i could hardly contain my pleasure when i told them about my latest escapades, weekend getaways... somewhere through those tanned faces i saw a shade of green creep up :-) my ears began to take shape of that of Mr. Spock. 'man! we (it no longer is 'i') would love to do such trips yaar, but.... she is busy when i am free and...' poor bloke gets a whack before he could go any further. ouch! told them about the andaman trip and the other treks that i've lined up for myself. never knew they had such long tonuges. wow! so many red carpets :-)