On this day after Valentine’s Day…!

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Apparently, I almost forgot that I had a blog. Now when I revisit at the 11th hour, I see the last post I ever wrote was on a Feb 14th of yesteryear 2013 and simply nothing thereafter?? How could that be possible…was it that the last ever sulky solitude I had to showcase on my blog was my last post scribbled in the then bachelor’s diary? Or perhaps it’s How-This-Lovelorn-Met-You post V-day that year that I completely lost score of time and the virtual life I lived on socially, by choice, or by no other choice!

2 years on, as I hit this online diary, I have an identity crisis. But that’s how destiny has it all. Never did I again get a chance to sulk in solitude or worse, loneliness on a Feb 14th. What St. Valentine did on Feb 14th, in that era, is what we were destined to do – a day after – Feb 15th – WE GOT MARRIED – barring those great grand walls of caste, fateful (astro) lines, oriental society norms, parental pressures…so my darling, I’ll take some time off here to retrospect how I came along to spend this One Complete Year of Bliss with you, just to take it forever ahead in this juggernaut filled with love, traveling through the sands of time and stopping today to celebrate our 1st ever Wedding Anniversary – Feb 15th, 2015 – 02152015!

At the outset, Huney! A big – Thank You! And this note of gratitude is for being so awesome that I never felt the need to come back to this virtual world of Social Media and even a total abstinence from my so-called passions are unregrettable. Yet, am grateful to these times of technology which is why we’re together!

That fateful day “jab we met” and were sure that we won’t meet ever again. But who knew destiny had different plans. From a delayed unexpected response to a final bye from my end to the days where I spent nights talking to you and slept as dawn broke…the feeling deep within was simply getting profound. So profound and strong that it costed us to be bonded into a knot forever, for good. Everything else looks pale when you’re truly, madly, deeply in love and get into that “come-what-may” attitude the moment you listen to your heart, through your mind. And this is how we met and we continued…

When I met you for the 1st time, and this funny pic was clicked by your sister (then) & my sis-in-law now, followed by a disapproval.

When I gave you the 1st kiss ( the color in the wallpaper will always remind you) –

When I took you to a surprise date to a place close to my heart – Gokarna –

And when we took our 1st #selfie –

And when I clicked your 1st Portrait –

As I kept knowing you better –

When our parents met (it was worth the struggle) –

When we got “happily engaged” –

And continued the courtship –

When we got “Just Married” –

When we went to an Adventure Trip with our idea of Honeymoon –

And then continued the Honeymoon with some leisure –

When we celebrated our 1st Holi together –

• When we knew my father was diagnosed with Colon Cancer …………………
• When you gave me an unstinting, selfless single-handed support for continuous 6 months in overcoming this agonizing trauma and hugged me with a hope that those unstoppable tears of the only son for his admitted father could subside…
• When you gave me strength to yet again admit my father in ICU despite we both suffering from Dengue …
• When you were beside me as I was admitted in one Hospital and went to see my father who was admitted at the other on the same day…

When we collected our shattered bits n pieces to smile our ways from grief to rejoice at Goa –

When we celebrated Diwali together –

And continuing the celebration streak on NYE –

And to sum it all up, we’re heading for yet another celebration to have overcome all the ups & downs and faced all odds of life to even it out in an Island Nation on our 1st Wedding Anniversary………..(to be continued….)

When U visit hometown at 28!

28 is not a nice age to visit hometown if you are still single. But you have to, not to see possible matches that have been talked about by your parents before your visit, but to attend one of your best friend’s wedding (baraat) and to spend some time with your family. But thanks to the constant reminders from your parents, and now that you’re  eligible, you tend to see newly wed couples everywhere. 3 years back, it was just single ladies in front of your eyes that have now been replaced by young “just married” couples.

I really do not know what this syndrome is, that I end up seeing them – at the airport, in the flight, in the malls, at the theatres,  ugh! Everywhere! Ab sab chhod chhad ke Facebook pe baitho….to wahaan bi Wedding Albums ke alava kuch hai hi nai!! The then FarmVille updates have now been replaced by marriage pics. Oh yes, there’s a LIKE button. Hit like – the best thing you could do to bless the couple, ONLINE. You see even Mark Zuckerberg is married now!! And hence the status follows:

Currently, it’s Wedding Season on Facebook —
As per Census: For every 1000 men in India, there r only 778 women. So, 778 couples are busy updating relationship statuses & uploading albums. The rest 222 men (including me) are busy hitting Like button.

Kya karein, jisne humein chaha, naa uska bhala ho paya…Aur jise humne chaha, naa humara bhala ho paya. Par chaahat mein hum ek bewakoof insaan jaroor ban gaye the. Spiderman bhi bana hoga. Thanks to Female Foeticides, finding even “a little close to the right match” is like spotting a tiger in India – Only 1411 left!  So the final straw – Arranged Marriage. But that’s like going on a wild goose chase – Caste, Color, Height, Horoscope, Family status, Age, Package…are to name some of the criteria of this concept. More than 50% of matrimony profiles out there are of BROKEN HEARTS that need some healing before they’re actually ready to accept you. Whew!!!  Hum to kaafi kuch compromise karke bas 3 essential/basic cheezon pe atke hain but uspe bhi not a single proposal that you will “feel good” about. Humein to yaar dowry bi nai chahiye. Totally against it. The ones your parents feel, you don’t; the ones you feel, your parents don’t; the ones both feel, caste/kundalis don’t!  Although I agree to some extent with the concept of risk/uncertainty based on Kundali matches since predictions are based on the science of Astrology but I fail to understand the relevance of caste system in today’s self-made progressive world. [ An elaborate post on Caste system and broken hearts in the offing]

You being the only child, your parents are deeply disappointed, you are upset because your parents are and feeling immense pressure but you keep citing some examples to console their much delicate hearts. (Ab ‘Haan‘ kaise kehdein, humari bi koi preference hai ki nai? Poora life kisika banna hai. Moreover, I don’t like seeing girls and refusing. More girls have refused me just seeing my matrimony profile rather!! )

Ab Pyar koi chai ke dukaan pe to nai mil raha, ki ek mangaa lein…time chahiye, jo shayad hai nai. Aur humein koi stranger ko chahne ke liye jab tak woh feel aaye, tab humare kundali mismatch ho jaate hain. Aur ladkiyon ke kahaan kam nakhre hain aaj kal. When they are getting interests from any Tom, Dick and Harry on Matrimonial sites with counts that match their FB ‘unknown’ friend requests, bhao to badhna hi hai. Aur us race mein shayad hum kahin chip jaate honge. Jab nazar aate hain, tab race is over! Unko kya chahiye ab rabb jaane. Perhaps they want Greek Gods who can give dowry to them instead. Or guys with altitude but size of brain immaterial!

I would rather not elaborate else this post would turn into a work of fiction!  Dil nai kar raha aur likhne ko, but one day I’ll pen down all my experiences. Now Men don’t have a choice. They really don’t. Perhaps the wise ones could wait for that “One day of Autumn” after 500 days of harrowing Summer is over. It’s all about time. 🙂

Here’s a small video from one of my fave movies – 500 Days of Summer , that speaks all about the above line:

I may be aging as the days pass by, my hairs might be greying (but there’s always Schwarzkopf professional to your aid, nuh?) but barely my parents know that I still feel, act and think young, just like the way I was at 21. And at 41, I’ll still be the same. Love (when it fails) may make you weak, timid, numb and dumb but never lose hope in finding love, again. Just have to keep your eyes wide open. Hope you found a suitable match – that would be your love. 🙂