Pre - Nuptial Drama

Ahhh !!! I got a job offer. I will soon be employed. 15k plus gross salary for a month is a pretty good way to start for a FRESHER, Gosh I was sick and tired of this tag. Sigh of relief !!! Thats how I had felt after getting a job offer from Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. after a failed attempt of having a go at GRE. Did I just say 'FAILED', actually there is nothing called as PASS or FAIL in GRE. I thought I didn't score enough to get substantial financial assistance. Ah, forget it. It's debatable. I am sure most IT professionals might have felt the same after getting their first offer letter. You feel on top of the world. Cloud number 9 !!! So many things to do, so many stuff to buy, so many places to go, so much money to make blah blah blah..... Feel so independent.

An year passes by and what have I saved? GHANTA ! Ya thats the word. And what have I earned? Habits ! Habit of watching movies in plush multiplexes of Mumbai, habit of eating out in costly restaurants, habit of buying branded clothes and what not. But then what do we earn for?  Pay hike, Hurray !!! 'I am gonna save some this year' I had said to myself. Since then I have made millions :) I am not good at keeping promises, specially the ones I make to myself. But then amidst all this there are murmurs, strange voices, questions, expectations etc. 'Beta, when do you intend to get married?' I am sure all of you might have experienced this. First thought that hit me was "Nanga nahayega kya aur nichodega kya?".

In the beginning you just evade such questions, you pay little attention but soon once you cross the 25 year barrier they are all over you. 'I mean you are settled now, so whats the problem?', Settled? Ahem, Ahem. Dunno when thats gonna happen? Will someone tell me what that means? Does being settled a criterion for marriage? In that case I guess I will stay single all my life. These things seem hard to understand when you see them unfolding in front of you. I guess thats what they call generation gap.

According to folks marriage is the panacea for all your problems. Don't ever fall ill, don't even dare to. "See I had told you. All these things are happening because of you eating outside. Once a woman comes in your life everything is gonna be fine". It makes me think if this is the first time I have ever fallen sick? or will it be the last time I will ever fall sick after getting married? Maybe they are right I might just cease to exist :) Kidding !!! Family functions are potential hunting grounds to find a match. Your folks, your cousins act as if they are on a search mission but the problem is neither do they nor do you know what you are looking for. It becomes difficult to duck such questions when elders from family start shooting at you. I wonder what new reason I can give to change the topic of conversation. But they just come at you harder and harder that it becomes increasingly difficult to escape from such an awkward situation. This is the classic example, advise, scenario... whatever I have most often got from the experienced lot. It goes like this, "You are 25 now if you get married then you will have a kid by say 28 then by the time you are 50 your kid will be out of college and earning. If you delay it now then you better think of the situation you will be in your fifties". You know what guys I sometimes get convinced when they give me this lecture. Its true but it just doesn't fit into my scheme of things at this moment. Ah how can I forgot the emotional blackmail by the good old sweet grandmas and grandpas in the family. And when your friends start getting engaged, hooked then the pressure just starts mounting again. 

So what is it that decides when to get married? Is it the age? or is it your financial stability? your physical well being? your maturity level? Its hard to arrive at a conclusion. We ponder on this topic, we debate but everyone has different views to present but nothing seems convincing. I guess everybody has their own set of ideas, problems, ambitions to take care of before they decide to tie the knot. For some believe in the institution of marriage and there are others who think of it as a social obligation. For the moment the best time to get hitched is when the global economic crisis ends. Naa.. think again you might have to wait longer. Ohh... it all sounds so confusing :)