Chapter 4 :

30 August, Friday, 2024

12:30 p.m.

Geetanjali's POV

Yesterday night everyone was dancing in my sangeet and now, everyone is getting the mandap ready for my marriage. Did someone skip the time? Or was it me overthinking everything the whole night?

I sighed.

I was already nervous because no matter what, I'm getting married and it was my first time. Every other girl would feel the same. I hadn't given much attention to the thought of living with someone else and having a whole new life. But now, everything seemed scarier than expected. It actually was not too scary if seen by someone else because my in-laws were good and about my husband, he's been decent enough. But through my perspective, it's not just about in-laws and husband.

I couldn't exactly point out what it was but I knew that I was nervous and lowkey scared.

"Ma'am, please calm down and don't bite your lips. We are doing your makeup," the voice of the makeup artist brought me back to reality.

I looked up at myself in the vanity mirror in front of me. My makeup wasn't done completely but the lehenga had brought a huge change to my bare look. I was already a fiancee and today I'm the bride and tomorrow, I'll be a wife. So many new responsibilities all together at once.

Honestly, I was scared. Not of responsibilities but to have a completely new life in a completely new place.

I let out a shaky breath before looking at the mehendi patterns on my hand. Maybe they'd have worked as a distraction but his name is now adding to my nervousness. So I closed my right palm and just pretended to check my nails while they did my hair.

•

"Ma'am, we're done," said the makeup artist. I let out a breath of relief before opening my eyes, adjusting my vision. I was almost dozing off because it'd been hours since they'd been implying their creativity on me.

I couldn't believe that it was me. My hair was done into a bun and two curled strands hung on either side of my face, a head jewellery added to my elegant hair look.

If I described my look in short, it'd be I was looking like a complete stranger. Their professional talent had completely changed my look. But I liked it. I felt differently beautiful like I never did.

Their each and every touch had enhanced my look and there wasn't at all any heaviness seen on my face. The fear and nervousness was hidden too.

Maybe it was true when someone had said that no matter what, looks matters and they're one of the sources of confidence. Even if it hears discriminating, it was the truth.

I thanked them for their hardwork as all of them left one by one and my cousins entered along with Neha and Niharika. My best friends would also follow of course.

"Oh my! Is this actually our zoology ma'am Ms. Manyavar?" I heard Ru exaggerating my name. I rolled my eyes at her, biting away the smile. Turning around I faced them only to earn gasps from all of them while Neha stood at the side, smiling at me.

"Gosh woman, had I been a guy I'd have kidnapped and married you," Rohini exclaimed, my chachu's only daughter.

I chuckled.

"Diya and I are already head over heels for you, Geet," said Arya di keeping her hands over her heart dramatically. She glanced at Diya, her sister to indicate to her to follow her act too. So Diya also followed suit.

I finally let out a laugh at my dramatic cousins. I won't lie that I'm actually lucky to have both maternal and fraternal cousins so soft and kind. I know it's rare so I'll consider myself lucky.

"Where are the boys?" I asked Ananya di.

"They're waiting outside to take you to the mandap. You know bhai was shedding tears already," she said suppressing her laughter. I smiled at her.

Even if Nishchay bhai was my cousin, we'd been really close like biological siblings. We used to live together until his family had to move into the states and we got separated. But our bond speciality persisted.

"Chalo chalo yeh sab chodo aur Geetanjali, tu dekh ke ki sab thik hai ki nahi. Hume bahar jana hai. Aman bhai jab bolenge to tu humare saath niklegi," said Priya. She was my mother's elder sister's second daughter but I called her by her name because we were of the same age.

(Ok ok leave all these and Geetanjali, you see if you're ready. We need to go out. Whenever Aman bhai calls us, you'll get out with us)

I nodded and gave her a thumbs up.

"Didi," I heard Neha calling me, as I looked up from my lehenga.

Her eyes were flickering and no matter how much she was trying, her tears were too evident in her eyes. I smiled at her, gulping down my own tears because if I broke down, everyone would too and now it wasn't the time. Living the whole life with your siblings and then it was suddenly your time to let go of them was very weird and new. We all were attached to them no matter what, it broke our hearts to know that we won't be bickering anymore now, fighting and seeing each other the whole day now.

It was new but painful.

I embraced her and as soon as I did, she broke down.

I rubbed her back trying to calm her down and whispered in her ear, "Calm down Neha. I'm not dying I'm just getting married. If you cry like this then I won't go. Samajh aaya meri bandariya?" I tried to joke but it was also getting hard for me to do. It clenched my heart instead.

(Understood my monkey?)

I sniffed and wiped away my tears as I glanced at my cousins only to find them in tears too. I smiled at them before detaching Neha from me and looked at her face.

"Don't cry now. Bidaai is pending", I said softly, trying to light up her mood. I've never been a consoling person because I never knew how to. As the eldest daughter of the family, I'd always been the one to take responsibilities which somehow made me emotionally introverted, even if not by nature.

She nodded and wiped away her tears as we all got out of the room. We're at the marriage hall hired by the groom's family. They're kind enough to do that.

The veil was put over my head, obstructing my view. I had my head lowered but not enough to be unable to see anything except my skirt below. As I approached the mandap, with slow and steady steps, my heart started hammering against my ribs violently. There was a sudden wave of cold fear washing through my whole body. I hadn't committed any murder to get scared but I was nervous, more than I was during the past few days.

My mind had gone blank the moment I laid my eyes on him. He was sitting in front of the fire, a calm expression was etched to his face unlike the turmoil swirling inside me. His eyes were focused on the fire until Niharika whispered something in his ears and his gaze trailed over to me.

I don't know if I suddenly got my eye power increased because I was still at a distance from him, yet I noticed a fleeting change in his expression. I didn't care about anyone around me because my eyes were fixed on him.

He looked sinfully handsome, the beauty a stark contrast to the cold, intense aura he possessed. He possessed a flawlessly handsome face with pin pointed features. His almond eyes possessed the hazel brown orbs no one can easily have. He can pull any ordinary outfit and make it look drop dead gorgeous. No doubt why girls drooled over him.

Anyway.

I heaved out a shaky breath before taking off my heels and got up on the stage. My mother helped me sit down beside him and lifted up my veil. I fisted my palms on my lap as I kept my gaze fixed to the fire.

I peeked up at my sisters to find them smiling at me while my brothers  gave me thumbs up. I smiled in response and looked back at the fire. The sacred fire burned with glory, its purity and power evident in its furiously swirling flames. The priest chanted the mantras while throwing something on the fire.

He performed all the necessary rituals until it was time for kanyadaan.

(Kanyadaan—a daughter is handed over to the groom by her father)

The priest asked my father to come on the stage and asked him to sit down beside me. Papa followed as asked and put his right palm under my right one and moved it towards Adhvik's direction where he had held out his right palm.

I stared at my palm over my father's one with tears in my eyes. The hand that had taught me how to walk and stand up, taught me how to cross the road, the hand that held mine one during every hurdle in my childhood, was now going to hand that hand over to another hand. All these felt really overwhelming but I held back my tears.

I knew he must be sad too despite the strict nature he possessed. Yes, my parents have been a bit controlling and strict but they never did anything wrong to me. They loved me and cared for me as good parents. They gave me everything except for a few things. It's just that they belonged to the X generation and older generation people found it hard to completely adjust with this new generation. It was no one's fault.

The touch of a slightly rough palm under mine brought me back to reality. I realised that my hand was finally on his, the person who'll be my husband within a few moments.

I hadn't had any skinship with him except the times during our photoshoots in the past few days. The priest continued chanting the mantras and a few moments later I took my hand back.

Few moments passed in nervousness because I knew what was coming next.

"Saat phere ke liye khade hoyiye", spoke the priest in a loud straight tone.

(Stand up for the seven rounds)

He stood up first and helped me to follow him. Someone had tied up the hem of my veil to a piece of cloth hanging from Adhvik's shoulder so we started walking after that. I walked behind him around the fire, staring at the ground. My mind was full of thoughts but the uneasiness about the changing situations wasn't settling well with me.

With each round I sacrificed every thing I held dear to me in the past. With every round I vowed to be a good wife, daughter-in-law and a mother in future. I vowed to stand tall and strong beside my husband, to support him regardless of the situation or the condition. I vowed to retain the purity of the bond till I can.

After the pheras, we exchanged the garlands as the crowd cheered us.

He still bore those cold eyes while making me wear the garland. We then proceeded to sit down before the priest asked him to do something I was most nervous about.

"Dulhan ko sindoor aur mangalsutra pehnayiye", the priest asked.

(Wear the bride the vermillion and nuptial chain)

My heart left like falling into the depth of my stomach when a sudden wave of nausea of nervousness filled me. I was feeling really weird inside because I was lowkey scared.

I remained silent, tightly clutching onto the hem of my churni while wishing for the moment to pass away quickly.

Someone came from behind and raised up the mangtika to let him fill my hairline. He reached out for my forehead and finally, filled the empty space with the vermillion in his name. I felt some vermillion falling on the tip of my nose.

"Lagta hai dulhan ko dulha kafi pyar dega", I heard some female saying from the back and laughing.

(Seems like the groom will give the bride a lot of love)

I just smiled faintly, because it was getting really hard to smile and not start sobbing. I was getting overwhelmed.

After that, he tied the mangalsutra around my neck and sat back properly on his seat. The priest then said the final line, as if an ultimatum I couldn't return from,

"Vivah sampanna hua."

(The marriage is concluded here)

I sighed in relief because I was feeling suffocated. It was suffocating to act normal when everything had taken a three-sixty degree turn in just a few hours. A few hours ago I was an unmarried woman living with her family and now, I was married and will live with some other family.

I didn't say anything until he stood up and helped me to stand up too.

Now it was the time of vidaai, the hardest part of a girl's life.

(Farewell)