IT’S ALL ABOUT A PIECE OF PAPER

 It’s a girl! 07.59, time of birth”, said the Gynaecologist. Immediately Akash  noted it down . “07.59, time of death” , told  the cardiologist, to  the anxious Akka and Dileep. 

Nihira and Akash were blessed with a baby girl after a wait for 10 long years of parenthood; and at the same time Akka had lost her husband to a massive heart attack . Akka was Akash’s  mother . Dada  and Akka  lived in a huge Wada ( a huge bungalow with big land parcel around it ) in Khed , a small town in Konkan . The wadi had an open space in the front and a well in the backyard amidst mango and arecanut trees . 

The exact moment the little angel named Pari was born , Dada , the eldest member in the Joshi family had breathed his last . Dada was well above 75 years and had undergone a bypass surgery when he was in his sixties .He was the father of Akash and Dileep, Dileep being the older son . 

When Dileep got married, all the SOPs of fixing a marriage were followed to the Tee , Horoscopes were matched , the family history was checked . The amount of gold and dowry to be given was decided in the baithak( a meeting which  only elders from both families attend) .  The “bride to be “was first approved by Dada and all the other elders etc etc etc . 

However, Akash had married by his choice . No horoscope was matched and no background checks on the family were made . One fine day he arrived at the Joshi Wada with his newly wed bride and announced “ Dada, Akka, she’s your daughter in law “, 

Dada and Akka were astounded . “ How can you just get married like that ? Who’s this girl? What’s her caste? We haven’t even matched her horoscope and checked her Gotra”, the questions were bombarded at Akash from all sides . “ She has no place in our Joshi house”, hollered Appa. “ You can go wherever you like with your bride”, he shouted , as the rest of the household watched in silence .  This was exactly ten years ago . 

Akash and Nihira took a small house on rent and setup their little world with mixed feelings . Akash was banned from entering the Joshi Wada and there was no question of Nihira being accepted as a family member . She was ostracized and labeled as a “ Chetkin”, a sorceress, a witch ,who had caste an evil spell on their handsome , intelligent and smart Akash . “ She will only bring doom to the household “, the family astrologer had predicted without even checking her horoscope , “ and her children will also be born evil”, said another one . The fact that she remained childless didn’t help her case at all . She was never invited for any social gatherings like “Haldi  Kumkum”, where ladies got together and interacted joyfully with each other . “ She’s barren besides being from a low caste and dark complexioned”, people would say . Tired of these insinuations and  out of sheer frustration, one day she told Akash “ please show my horoscope to an  astrologer and get it matched”. 

At her insistence, Akash went to a famous astrologer and priest Deshmukh Guruji . “ She’s the avatar of Lakshmi and will bring lots of prosperity to the Joshi household “, said he . “ She will also give birth to a Kanya( girl child ) , by the end of this year , who will bring with her a lot of celestial blessings and will wipe out all the bad karma and deeds made by the family “, Deshmukh Guruji predicted . “ Your horoscopes match in all the 36 Gunas”, said the priest . Guna Milan helps determine the stability and longevity in a relationship. A guna is an attribute , so going by the priest’s logic, Akash and Nihira were an auspicious match . 

Soon after , Nihira conceived and their joy knew no bounds . Just a week before her due date, Dada suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized. His condition didn’t improve , while Nihira went into labour . She was delirious with pain , while Dada was delirious due to his failing heart . In her delirium, Nihira sensed the presence of angels carrying a bundle of joy , while Dada sensed the presence of his ancestors “ we have come to take you “, he heard them say , “ I wish to forgive Akash and Nihira and welcome the bundle of joy”, Akka and Dileep heard him mumble in his delirium as he drew a flat line , while Akash heard the first cry of his little Pari . 

“07.59, time of birth “, said the family astrologer , as he went about preparing Paris’s horoscope. A chart showing the relative positions of the sun , moon and planets at the time of birth . A chart , charting out the future of little Pari . 

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