Me, Mumbai & Matrimony!!
All I needed was a cup of coffee to find you!! Really? Was that all?
Naahh, not quite!
I walked into the city of dreams on 31st May, 2013. I was in the city for
a six month project. Despite not having any friends here, this it felt like
home. Having experienced life in other major cities like Delhi, Kolkata and
Pune, it was only in Mumbai where I felt safe and comfortable. Needless to say,
I wanted to stay back and pursue my career here.
Everything was going as per plan till my mom realized that I will be
turning 30 shortly.
Needless to say, like any other Indian parent, she started following up for
that dreaded ‘M’ word, Marriage. I had no intention to get into the matrimony
debate. I wished to live independently then. Irrespective of how much the
matter was avoided, the dreaded marriage talk was raised at every possible
opportunity. I also had my fair share of flings, affairs and I reached a
conclusion 'Marriage and me, naaahhh not yet'.
However under intense family pressure, I had no option but to board the
Matrimonial local (slow train). During this epic journey I came across
'characters' who have left an impression on me. Some good, some not so great!
Read on to know more. I am sure every girl who boarded the 'matrimonial'
train would have encountered these special characters at some point during
their journey.
A fairy-tale relation is not to be
with someone who loves you but to have someone who can partner in crime in
every mad activity that we undertake.
The Brand Conscious
First up, you will meet prospective grooms introducing themselves with
the ‘brand’ they are working with (Whatever happened to the surname). “Hi, I am
Mr. Blah working with XYZ Brand”. Wonder
what their parents think about this act? Are they afraid to reveal their
surname? Your guess is as good as mine! But does any girl consciously look out
for the brand? May be a few….
The Desperado
Gosh! These ones are really tough to deal with. Watch out for them! I
had an encounter with someone from this tribe. As luck would have it, this chap
wanted to meet me at a café, a couple of hours after coming across my
matrimonial profile. But me being me, I did not wish to take it further.
However ‘Mr Desperado’ wasn’t in the mood to take a ‘NO’ for an answer. So
strong were his follow up skills that he insisted on talking to my mother, if I
did not have the time to meet him.
The Commitment Phobic
This one started with messaging on matrimonial inbox. It moved on to
calls and then to regular WhatsApp chat. It was a lot of fun talking to him. I started
developing a soft corner for this guy. He was spontaneous, fun and cool! We
used to share selfies, share whereabouts and a lot more! However when it came
to talking about future and taking the friendship forward, he was uncertain. Unfortunately,
he was not the last from this tribe. Thank God I decided not pursue them.
The Mumma’s boy
Well, this was an ‘extraordinary’ character. It started with Gtalk
chats. Surprise, surprise! Despite sharing my phone number, we never spoke over
a call. We generally used to chat after dinner; it was like lullaby to fall
asleep. I realized soon enough that this isn’t going anywhere. I wished to get
a closure before moving on. So I decided to mail him on the way forward. He replied,
stating that his “Mom” may not like my overtly, outgoing attitude. Enough was
enough!
The stalker
In the age of the digital world be very wary of this type! A self-proclaimed
film director approached me online. My
issue was not with his profession. My issue was the fact that he wanted to
control my life (in his words, take ‘permission’ before doing anything). I have
no idea how people think they can monitor someone else’s life. He was a
disgusting stalker and started getting abusive with every passing day. I have
never come across such a psycho in my life, before or after this phase.
The gentleman
While interacting with “Prospective Grooms” one will also come across a
very unique species of guys. The ones who are nice, decent, polite to talk to, in
other words the ‘perfect gentleman’! What’s the issue then? Well, they have
become so attuned to being just a gentleman, they don’t know how to take the
next step after showing interest. And you will not be able to even understand
what are they upto! Better, you move on.
The gold digger
I just have to call them this, and I am sure many girls still encounter such
“Men” in their day to day activities. Unfortunately in a world where ‘packaging’
matters the most, such ‘well to do’, ‘educated’, ‘successful’ individuals are
also on the lookout for dowry. What makes it worse; they are not ashamed of
asking for it directly or indirectly. I found a guy with similar interests.
However when we met, I was shocked when he really asked for dowry politely. I
was left wondering if he wanted to take a voluntary retirement and become a
house husband
Finally, the one!
On an exceptionally monotonous phase of my life I got the notification
in my inbox and decided to meet at ‘our’ favorite place in Mumbai, Marine
Drive. The excitement began with the first conversation and it hasn’t stopped
till date.
