HOW I MET MY WIFE

 

HOW I MET MY WIFE

I was enjoying the paradise on earth; the life of bachelorhood. I share a room with three others in a flat, paying 30 rupees per month. Get up in the morning, after morning chorus, have a cup of filter coffee at Mani’s café for just 25 paise, have bath and prayer, put on my office dress, take my office bag and get ready to go to office at 8.45 a.m. I walk to the “Society” for my lunch, (“lunch?” I hear you ask. Yes, I take lunch at 9 a.m.), and walk to the stop near King’s Circle Railway Station. Like me, I see many other staff of BARC waiting for our staff bus. The bus passes through Sion, Chembur, Devnar and enters Anushaktinagar. There was a large slum colony there till a couple of years back, going by the name “Janata Colony”. I reach my laboratory in the third floor of Asia’s longest building, called the Modular Laboratories” by 9.50 a.m. sharp. I am busy with my work till 6.15 p.m., taking a half-hour break for some light food in the spacious, well equipped beautifully furnished canteen below. I have heard people remarking that “BARC has Laboratories attached to Canteens, not the other way”). At 6.30, the staff bus takes us all back to the same stops. I reach my room, refresh myself, attend to some personal work and leave for a walk. I visit a temple like Asthika Samaj or my Manimama’s flat nearby. I report at the Society at 8 p.m. for my dinner. I have a chit-chat with my friends at the corner of Giri Trading Agency for some time. I reach my room by 9.30 at night. I hit my bed in an hour. There were no worries, no tension, no disappointments and had no big ambitions. I was happy that I was a Scientist in a prestigious organization of Central Government, in a Chemistry Laboratory. I got promotions regularly and I could improve my academic qualification too.

I got a break for this monotonous but carefree life when one day, Manimama called me up in my office and asked me to see him in the evening. I asked him what the matter was. “Are they at Palghat fine?” He answered, “Everyone is fine. It is about your future. I’ll tell you in the evening.”

I began to ponder. It cannot be my marriage, as he knew I was not yet ready to bring one more person in my life. I reported at Manimama’s after my early meals at the “Society”. Mama had returned from office and taking rest. He asked me to sit comfortably and began.

“Moorthy, what is your age now?”

“Past 30. Will be 31 next April.”

“Don’t you think you are past your marriagable age?”

“Mama, I can’t think of marriage now. I am happy with the life I am having now.”

“What is your problem? Why do you say you can’t get married now?”

“Mama, first, I have a large family to take care. My mother and my siblings.”

“I will answer. Your two sisters are already married. Your brother is not dependent on you, as he is getting his stipend. The two remaining sisters are too young and studying in school. It is a long way off to think of their marriage.”

“Okay, I don’t have a big salary to maintain an additional member in the gamily.”

“If the girl is also employed, she will share the burden. Moreover, Mr. Agarwal is pleased with your valuation of his students’ test papers. He has offered you the assignment of a tutor for which he will pay you by the hour. It will fetch you around Rs. 800 per month, which is more than your BARC salary. You have to sit in his class for two hours twice a week, solving the difficulties of his students. It is a job you like too.”

“That’s good. But I have no accommodation.” I reminded Mama.

“That too I have found a way. Your athan (cousin) Swaminathan has his brand new flat ready for occupation in Mulund. But he is not going to occupy it till his marriage. He is continuing to stay with his brother at Sion. Swaminathan is happy to give that flat on a low rent to you. You visit him in Sion tomorrow or so, to confirm.

“I don’t have any inheritance by way of land or house.”

“Well. Your mother sent me your horoscope to me about two weeks back, with a request to me to look for a girl for you. I circulated it among my friends and now I have a case. The girl’s father visited me two days back, agreeing fully to consider you for his daughter. Her name is Madhuram, a B.A. graduate and working for Central Railway, in the Railway Wagon Workshop, Matunga. Think it over and tell me tomorrow.” Manimama concluded.

“Mama, do you have her photo?” I meekly asked.

“I sent it to you mother. She has sent me a post card, giving her approval for the girl.” He said.

I was disappointed. I returned to my room and sat pondering. My room-mate Balasubramanian found me and came to me. He asked, “Moorthy, is there any problem? Why you look so tense?”

I told him the whole story. I added, “Balu, I want to see the girl and see if I will like her. I don’t want to visit her house formally If I don’t like her. How can you help me in this?”

“I am working in Central Railway, but not in Matunga. And, I did not have any chance to visit the Matunga workshop. So, I don’t know anybody there. “ He replied.

After sometime, he asked me, “Can you take the morning off tomorrow?”

“I will go late to my office tomorrow. I will take you to Matunga Workshop to see the girl” he said.

Matunga workshop started working at 9 a.m. Balu and I reached the gates of Matunga Railway workshop. Since Balu had his identity card, he could take e also in. On the way he heard two persons leaving the office talking to each other. Balu just went and listened to them. One of them turned to him and asked, “What do you want?” Balu replied, “I am from our office at VT. We want to meet Mr. Bahuleyan. I just heard from you that you could not meet him.”

“Yes, he is absent probably. We did not see him in his seat.” They said and went away.

Balu pushed me further. He asked someone about Madhuram. He pointed to a girl sitting in concentration at her work a little away from us. We went to her table and stood. The girl lifted her face up. “Well, how can I help you?” she asked us.

Balu replied. “I am from Accounts Division, at VT. We had some work with Mr. Bahuleyan. Can we meet him?”

“The girl looked around and said, “I don’t see him in his seat. Wait, let me see the muster and find out.” So saying, she walked to the APO’s table an opened up the muster.

Balu said in secrecy:”Moorthy that is the girl. Make a decision.” So, it was Madhuram! I liked her features. Her face resembled the popular Tamil actress, Savitri. He had two pigtails one on each side of her shoulders. Her gait was smart and her voice, sweet. Not a ‘modern’ girl as I feared. I said to Balu, “Balu, thanks. I totally approve her.”

Madhuram returned to us and said, “I am afraid, he is absent today.”

Balu replied, “That’s okay. By the way, this is my friend and room-mate, Krishnamoorthy. He is working in BARC,”

Suddenly, her face showed a surprise. Then, she said, “Happy to see you here.”

“Ask your dad to tell us when we should come to see you formally.” I said and waved my hand.

As we retraced our steps, I asked Balu, “Thanks for the help. But, who is Bahuleyan?”

Balu replied, “Who knows? The name sounded peculiar when those two people were talking while we made our way to the office. I don’t know him at all.”

Well, that is the end of the article. We got married on 10^th May, 1968 in a simple way at the temple-town of Palani in Tamil Nadu. We are happy even today. Our three children are well settled and I have discharged all my commitments in this world.

We celebrated our 52^nd wedding anniversary on May 10, 2020.