-S  H  R  E  E      P  R  A  S  A  D-

I conceal my twelfth yawn since this morning. Today morning has been abuzz as I was to be married to Madhav today.

I was woken up an hour before sunrise for the traditional bridal bath with the paste of tumeric and sandalwood. I was dressed in a red sari with gold jewelry, some of which were lent to me from relatives. Earrings shaped like open umbrellas dangled on my ears, almost reaching my shoulders, their weight pulled my earlobes terribly. Ahaana's mother had lent a beautiful yet simple nose ring which was clipped to my nose. Amma slipped the gold bangles over my wrists with red glass bangles interspersed. Ahaana gave me a light touchup of makeup, while Devi pinned a rope of jasmines and roses to the top of my braided hair.

We arrived in the wedding hall by eight, I was ritually welcomed by Madhav's parents who smiled and embraced me as they lead me to the majestic manavarai. The wedding stage looked regal and extraordinary with the rose and jasmine decorations and the gold effigies of celestial beauties.

I was to perform the wedding rituals before the entry of the groom. The rituals ended soon and I was ushered into my dressing room to be grandly bedecked for the mahurat. Everyone left to welcome the groom, or rather Madhav. As he walked into the wedding hall to perform his rituals, I tried to steal a glance but Amma and Ahaana's mother locked the door saying I can't see Madhav until I was escorted to the manavari for the mahurat.

Inside, I could hear the muffled sounds of the naathaswaram and the miruthangam being played. I was all alone in the room with the beautician who smiled at me as she combed and twisted my hair into an exquisite hairdo. She helped me change out of my red sari and into the beautiful cream colored sari with the red and green border. My lent and borrowed jewelry was removed and safely placed inside their respective boxes. I was wearing the ornate and stately jewelry Madhav had got for me.

A few minutes later everyone returned, and the first to enter the room would be Ahaana, Nabha and Devi.

"OMG I need air! He is so freaking hot!" Nabha exaggerates as she looks into her phone. "More like the hottest person in the room!"

"Did you even look at Ashok?" Ahaana asks and Nabha shook her head. Ahaana murmurs as. "Amateur!

Nabha says as she slides to the next image. "Okay look at this, Madhav is totes searching for Shree babes!"

I try to catch a glance.

"Shree look at him-" Ahaana says but is stopped by her mother.

"What are you doing?" she quips sternly as she confiscates her phone. "What friend are you to Shree? Don't you know it is bad luck for Shree to see groom before mahurat? Go help the flower girl get ready."

Tara and Jhanvi too walked in remarking how cute and hot Madhav's brother Shyaam was. Amma's sisters and Maya also walked in with her new parents. She was wearing a pink silken blouse and a matching skirt. Her new mother, Mrs. Ratnam had volunteered to help me dress for the mahurat. She crouched down and straightened the pleats of the cream colored sari I was wearing.

A few minutes later Amma and Yashoda walk in.

"Madhav has gone to change into his mahurat veshti." Amma says as she walks in, her loud voice dominating the bickering and the excitement going around the room. "He'll be ready within seconds and we must finish dressing up Shree by then."

"She's almost ready, Miss." The beautician says as she pins more ropes of jasmines and roses on top of my braid.

"She looks so beautiful, Lakshmi." Yashoda croons as she walks towards me and presses a quick kiss on top of my head. "Madhav has indeed selected a princess for a wife."

Amma has tears brimming in her eyes. Ashok barges in excitedly holding his niece, in his arms, "It's time folks! Is the bride ready?"

I turn red as a tomato, I am finally going to get married to him! My heart leaps in joy. In a few minutes I can officially call myself 'Mrs. Shree Madhav Ramakrishna'

"Yes! Devi, bring Shree's varmala! QUICK!" Amma shouts across the dressing room at the wedding hall as she outlines my eyes with black kajal.

I take the garland into my hand as I stand up. My legs feel faint and frail all of a sudden. I walk out of the dressing room and into the wedding hall. Maya walks ahead of us, scattering rose petals on the aisle. The guests, have increased in number, most of them I do not know, look at me, some of them complementing and criticizing as I walk, or rather try to walk towards the manavarai. Amma and Yashoda walk beside me, each holding me firmly. With each step forward there is the feeling of his love caressing my heart.

Last night I was told by several of my aunts that I must keep my eyes on my feet. I could not resist looking up and I do not care if people gossip about me being a bold bride. I look up at the mandapam, and my eyes instantly land at him.

He is standing on the manavarai in a pearl white veshti, holding a garland in his hand. His toned muscles visible and rippling through his crisp white shirt ironed to perfection. He looks at me in fascination, refusing to blink. My legs become lifeless and it feels difficult to breathe as I am made to stand facing him. The garland seems heavier in my hands and I feel his piercing sight on me. We exchange garlands and take a seat on the red divan placed facing the priest who poured ghee and offered flowers to the flames that danced on the bricked hearth.

The ceremony progresses slowly, my mother's brother and his wife perform the kanyadaan, the giving away of the bride. Amma is unable to perform the ritual without Nanna. He would have loved to witness this. Just as Madhav's late mother would have loved to see her son get married.

I gasp as I feel Madhav inches closer to me until I feel our thighs touch. He inches closer and I feel his arm brush against mine. "I love you, my beautiful wife." He whispers as he holds my hand, intertwining our fingers.

I look down at my lap trying to conceal my flushing face. I can feel him looking at me, smiling cheekily. Why couldn't I wear a veil like a Christian bride or why couldn't we do it like a like a Marathi couple, having to sit facing each other, our sight of each other obscured by a large cloth between us. Despite the priest's loud chanting, the naathaswaram and the miruthangam being played, I hear Tara and Nabha giggling from a corner. And from the corner of my eyes I see Ahaana grinning sheepishly too and I notice why, Ashok was holding her hand, their fingers too were intertwined.

The priest throws the last flower into the flames and lifts a platter that has a golden necklace- my mangalsutra, resting on a coconut surrounded by rose and lotus petals. My heart leaps in joy as Madhav reaches out to take the mangalsutra. Like every quintessential bride I have seen, I close my eyes as Madhav brings it to my neck. There's a sudden crescendo from the instrumentalists who are playing the naathaswaram and the miruthangam, flower petals falling on us, the feeling of Madhav's breath falling on my face as he securely clips on the mangalsutra around my neck.

I open my eyes, and I see him smiling at me.

"Mine." Madhav whispers smiling as he applies the sindoor on my hair partition.

"Yours." I whisper back coyly.

-S  H  Y  A  A  M          R  A  M  A  K  R  I  S  H  N  A-

Devi Prasad, the hottest fresher at my university, my sister-in-law's sister, has been looking around the dining area for the past twenty three minutes. Her deep black eyes behind her nerdy frames are searching. Her wavy hair is pulled into a ponytail graced with yellow champa flowers and jasmines pinned to the top of her head. She's wearing a dazzling yellow sari and she looks like a canary bird.

I've seen and dated most the girls who came before her intake. Something is special about her. She doesn't see me as an irresistible man unlike her seniors. I rarely propose, and even if I do I never get rejected. Never! She is the only girl in my university who has rejected my proposal. The only junior girl in campus to not only reject me, but to reject all the coffee dates I offered to take her on.

She stops looking when her eyes land on me. Her expression changes to a solemn glare and she walks towards me. There's an indescribable grace every time she walks, and she looks exquisitely beautiful in sari.

"What are you doing here?" she quips crossing her arms. She has no idea that I am her brother-in-law's brother. Maybe that is because I wasn't there for the engagement nor did I accompany Ma when she went over to her apartment to give the bridal gifts to her sister. She must be thinking I am one of those people who walk into an unknown wedding ceremony just for the food.

"Uhm...gulab jamun?" I shrug.

"Oh I see what you are upto! You're those people who waltz into an unknown person's wedding just to eat the food!"

And I am right in my guess!

"Okay! I'm here for the food!" I confess and tell chidingly. "What are you doing here? Are you a relative or are you one of my kind?"

She gets often within a second. "Excuse me! I am the bride's sister."

I know that sweetheart.

"Why are you alone, then? Don't you have cousins or anyone to be hanging out with?" I ask.

"I am looking for someone!" She remarks and looks at me and adds "The groom's brother! Have you seen him?"

Wow! She has been looking for me!

Darling you just found him!

"Why?" I ask, trying to hold back a hearty laugh.

"That's personal!" she curtly cuts and looks at me. "I am going to ask him if we can date each other."

And my heartbeat stops for a second. She wants to date me? Is she trying to make me jealous?

"I'll help you look for him! How does he look like?"

"How would I know? I haven't even met him!" She exclaims.

I try to stop laughing. This is going to be a fun game to play.

"Do you plan on marrying him?"

"Yes!" she says boldly. "If things works out."

Darling you won't be saying all these if you knew I was the brother you are so keen to woo.

"Why don't you ask someone who's seen him to introduce him to you?" I look around and see Dad filling up his plate with laddoos. How many times am I supposed to forbid him from eating sugary sweets? His blood pressure is going to hit the pinnacle today! "That's Mr. RK right, the groom's father?"

She nods. "He might know. He's the father after all!"

I walk towards dad and surprisingly, she follows. Baby, why can't you follow me this way to the campus canteen and seven times around the sacred fire?

"Good afternoon sir." I announce and wink at him. "Ms. Prasad has a certain concern which she'd like to address."

"Hi, Mr. RK." Devi stammers. "Uhm-I've seen everyone in your family except your second son. Can you introduce him-"

"You haven't met my second son, yet?" he cuts surprised.

"Uhm-no." She says shaking her head and I try to control a laugh.

"Are you kidding me?" he asks laughing. Time for the biggest revelation of the millennium. "He's standing right next to you!"

She gasps and looks at me. She knew me as Shyaam the arrogant college senior, rich play boy and now she'll remember me as her brother-in-law's brother, the man who she showed interest in.

"How you doin' Ms. Prasad?" I ask offering a hand to her. "I am Shyaam. Shyaam Ramakrishna."

Her nose crinkled and she walked away.

To be continued....

Express all your views and thoughts about this chapter through your comments. Also let me know the about following:

-How was this chapter?

-Did you like the wedding sequence?

-What was your favourite part of this chapter?

-What do you think will happen next?

-How do you think Shyaam and Devi's story will progress in the upcoming chapters?

Please vote, comment and share in order to support this great story. 

Apologies if there are too many unfamiliar words in this chapter, I believe that those words would give the story it's authentic Indian flavour to the story. A glossary has been integrated at the end of the chapter for your convenience.

Glossary

Amma: Mother

Nanna: Father

Manavarai/Mandapam: Wedding dias

Mahurat: Auspicious time to get married

Laddoos: Sphere shaped Indian sweet made of flour, sugar, nuts, dried raisins, ghee, butter and oil.

Gulab Jamun: Indian milk solid based sweet made with milk, sugar, rose syrup and cardamom powder.

Naathaswaram and the Miruthangam: Music instruments played at Indian weddings (primarily in South Indian weddings)

Veshti: A long white traditional men's garment about 15ft in lenght, which is wrapped around the waist of the man wearing it.

Sindoor: Red powder that is worn on the forehead or on the hairline parting of a married Hindu woman.

Mangalsutra: A necklace that the groom ties around the neck of a bride which is used to identify her as a married woman.

Kanyadaan: The ritual where the bride's parent give away the bride to the groom.

Announcement

It's Dedication Time! As a way of returning your unwavering love and support to the story, I have decided to dedicate ALL the chapters of this book to each reader.

1: A question will be asked at the end of each chapter, regarding the story and/or the characters.

2: One person will be selected from all those who have provide the correct answer.

3: The lucky winner gets one chapter of this book dedicated to him/her. This process will happen repeatedly until all/most of the readers, active and silent, have chapters dedicated to them.

PREVIOUS WEEK'S QUESTION: How are Shyaam and Madhav related?

ANSWER: They are half brothers sharing the same father.

Thank you to all those who submitted the correct answers but we can have only one winner.

WINNER: sruthigomathi

Congratulations! Chapter 6 is dedicated to you.

Here is the question, the winner gets the 7th chapter dedicated to him/her.

What is the first name of Shree's father? 

Submit your answers with inline comments. May the correct and most accurate answer win!