Avik's Story

I generally don’t attend marriages. I remember to stand only twice with grooms and brides on decorated podiums after I stood for the last time as a bachelor with Taniya before the perplexed faces of our parents. And both the time, my office colleagues were turned into revelers and the time was spent more on food and booze than meeting and greeting the newlywed couple. But this was different. And frankly, I never did attend something like this before. I had two women with me, both dressed gorgeously. Their beauty was swaying through the stealing glances of passersby and I wondered how they could ooze so much confidence. I looked at our friend, crisscrossed on a make-shift ritual podium, jeweled with golds and covered with bright lehenga . I could see only a portion of her face through the maze of heads surrounding her. I could hear the chant of priest and see lingering smoke rising slowly only to sparse at ceiling. I looked around. People were everywhere – laughing – chatting