There were no teeming relatives, hustling and bustling with renewed vigor as they do on all weddings as if to correct all the past omissions committed on any such family occasion; each with some piece of advice as to how to conduct the whole gamut of affairs-be it the decoration, hospitality, the wedding menu, the guest list, or discuss the idiosyncrasies of the groom's family. There were no mandatory display of yards and yards of new and not-so-new brocade and silk, or tons of precious jewelry worn customarily with no regard or respect to the dictates of the weather. Nor were there any colorful tents pitched to contain the fragrance of crushed flowers, the squealing children and a plethora of looking-busy-doing-nothing quota of near and dear ones. No music blared from loudspeakers. There was no wafting aroma of at least a dozen items being cooked to serve the guests; nor were there any signs of the hustle and bustle of an imminent religious ceremony.

So, what was there, you may as well inquire ? Well, there were only the 'bride', the 'groom' and their three friends-to sign a document and bear witness to a matrimonial union taking place according to The Special Marriages Act.

It was a dull and dreary magistrate's office located in the by-lanes of a small town where both Priya and Amit, were students in a prestigious technical institution. The 'ceremony' took barely five minutes, officiated by a weary magistrate and an officious-looking clerk. They had to hurry off the entire procedure as there were about 15 couples eagerly waiting their turn for the same fate. At last, it was done. Mandatory round of congratulations and eating of sweets that someone had thoughtfully brought along.

The couple were even blessed by an apology of a smile by the magistrate once the "I Do" was done with. Nonetheless it was the beginning of a new life even without the whole wedding paraphernalia, or the blessings or even presence of any set of parents-all had boycotted the occasion as Priya and Amit had decided to break the insurmountable caste barrier with their decision to tie the knot. It was heartbreaking to go through it all in the absence of parents and relatives; but what to do? Both had tried for a year to convince their families with no result. Hence, this step.

A Year Later….

Life was good. Amit was successfully employed by a giant software company in a metropolitan city and Priya had also acquired a job teaching young children in a local school. They had set up house in a rented apartment and things were moving smoothly. Till one day the long-expected happened. Amit was assigned an overseas project in USA. He was to take up charge within a fortnight. His passport and visa were in order, courtesy the efficient HR Department of the office. Priya too had her passport ready. She was asked to proceed to the local American Consulate office for obtaining her H4 visa.

Finally the day dawned. Amit's office had made available all the required documents and she was assured that appearing in the Consulate was a mere formality (after all no "wife" of an employee in Amit's office had been denied a visa!!!). There was the mandatory 3-4 hours wait in a long queue full of America-bound hopeful desis, all patiently awaiting their turn to be interviewed and allowed entrance to the land of golden opportunities. Time passed quickly and happily in the company of Amit and a few of his colleagues' wives-all there for the same reason.

Finally, Priya's turn came. She tentatively stepped up to the interview window. Well, the person on the other side seemed friendly enough!!! Here's how the "interview" went :

Priya : Good Morning!

Official : How are you doing today?

Priya : Good.

Official : Well, lets see (looks at the few photographs of the marriage taken hastily and surreptitiously at the magistrate's office-as in keeping with the usual paranoia about photography in government offices in India, they had been told to refrain from clicking their cameras). So, how many people were there for your wedding ?

Priya (gulping, and already losing some of her previous confidence) : There were 3 friends, that is apart from us.

Official : That's all? Why???

Priya : Sir, it was a 'court marriage". Our respective parents and other relatives had decided not to participate in the wedding.

Official : Hummm! This does not look like a wedding to me!

Priya : Sir, I have attached the marriage certificate. You can verify from there. Official : But to me this does not look like a marriage.

More articles by Amit Rajpurkar

1. American Roads - An important part of life
2. "American Roads - An important part of life"