| Love's Arrangement |

who's more dominating?

The first phera, alludes to nourishment and shelter. Here the groom takes lead and promises to take care of the food and nourishment for his wife and future generations/children. This implies that he will take care of their basic needs like food, shelter and financial requirements.

The second phera, implies resilience. This is a vow taken by the couple where they ask the almighty for strength to endure any storm that enters their lives. They pledge to support each other through thick and thin - be it mental, physical or emotional turbulence.

The third phera, speaks of wealth and prosperity. The couple seeks to be blessed with affluence in their married life. They aspire to make life better for each other as well as their descendants - both materialistically as well as spiritually. In this vow, the bride and groom also make a promise to remain loyal and faithful to each other.

The fourth phera, is all about the family. Fortifying the bond with the family is of utmost importance. The fourth vow is also about giving unconditional love and respect to each other. While the groom's vow acknowledges the bride for fulfilling and whole and the bride promises to love him forever.

The fifth phera, is where the couple seeks the blessings of the almighty for noble, healthy and joyful children. This is also the vow where the couple promises to be friends and partners for life to be responsible parents to their offspring and nurture them.

The sixth phera, the couple prays for health. They wish for a healthy and abundant life together - a life free of diseases or any mental ailments, that will then enable them to live a fulfilling life embedded with delight.

The last and seventh phera, which declares the couple companions for 7 lifetimes is one that is a promise. They promise to strive for wisdom and maturity to deal with their day to day life in mutual understanding, stability and faith. This vow pronounces them inseparable for life.

After completing our pheras, it was now time for the mangalsutra. The bride sat next to the groom on his left side, as close as possible to his heart. In this position, the groom performed the Mangalyadharanam, lacing the sacred thread around his bride's neck. He then applied red vermillion, known as sindoor or kumkum, to the center of her forehead. These actions signified the groom's lifelong devotion to the bride, while the vermillion marked her as a wife in society.

By the time all the rituals were done, it was morning. We were given an hour to rest before the 'vidaai' ceremony, during which I was in a separate room and she was taken by her cousins. I was exhausted, but sleep eluded me, and before I realized it, that hour had passed.

Now it was time for the farewell. She had to bid goodbye to her family because she would be going with me, her new family, to our new home. The realization hit me that I was now a married man. She was officially my wife, and we would spend the rest of our lives together. I felt overwhelmed with different emotions—excitement, nervousness, and happiness all at once.

"Mahira, gadi me baitho beta," my mother guided her after a few more rituals. She slowly made her way to the backseat of the car, with Diya and Avni bhabhi helping her with her heavy wedding outfits. I joined her in the car, and soon we departed. She wasn't crying anymore, but she was still sad, as anyone would be. Leaving our home and family to live with complete strangers was a complete risk.

I had never been one to console others, but I did what I felt like doing. I held her hand, entwining our fingers, and gave it a light squeeze, assuring her that there was nothing to worry about. After some time, she stopped crying and remained calm.

The car stopped, indicating that we had reached our new home. I stepped out and saw the whole house decorated with flowers and lights. My mother, choti maa, and other family members were standing there to welcome us. A few more cars stopped right behind ours, and my other relatives stepped out as well.

We entered the house together, and my mother performed our aarti. Choti maa placed a kalash filled with rice at the entrance and asked Mahira to kick it over with her foot. She did as she was asked, and then they placed a plate filled with alta in front of us, along with a white piece of cloth. Mahi was asked to dip her foot in the alta and leave her footprints on the cloth. After completing these rituals, we were finally allowed to enter inside.

"And now it's time to see who will be the dominant one between the two of you," these words escaped Karnik's mouth, leaving everyone in utter shock. Well, not everyone, but those who understood the underlying meaning.

"I-I mean, kon kiske upar bhari pdhne wala hai," he quickly corrected himself upon realizing what he had said.

It was time for one more ritual, or probably the last one before I could finally get some sleep. We had to find the ring, and whoever found it first would supposedly have the upper hand in the marriage.

A large plate filled with milk, water, and rose petals was placed in front of us.

"Ab dekhte Hain kon Jeet ta hai," my mother said, as she placed a ring in the mixture. She asked us to find it, and three rounds were conducted. Everyone started cheering for one of us.

"Bhabhi Aaj to Hara hi dijiye iss veer ko, bohot jeetne ka shock h na ise," Yash said, making me laugh.

We both dipped one hand inside the plate. She started searching for the ring with her hand, but I placed my palm over hers. She waited for me to remove it, but I didn't. She attempted to remove my hand, but I held firm. As she wiggled in my grasp, other thoughts started crossing my mind. Finally, I let go, and within seconds, she found the ring. I swear, Avinash and Karnik were even happier than she was.

In the second round, I noticed she wasn't even bringing her hand closer to mine, and it was quite adorable. I suppressed my laughter and focused on finding the ring, which I successfully did.

So, after two rounds, we were tied, and the result depended on the final round.

We both dipped our hands inside the plate and began searching for the ring simultaneously. At the same time, we both kept our hands on it. However, I managed to be a few milliseconds faster. I placed my hand over the ring, and her hand rested on top of mine. I was about to remove my hand, but before I could, she withdrew hers from inside the plate, ultimately declaring me the winner.

"Koi baat ni Bhai, aap bhale hi ye game Jeet gye ho but chalegi to meri bhabhi maa ki hi" Karnik said confidently.

"Chaliye beta, ab aap dono thoda aaram kar lijiye. Shaam ko apka reception bhi hai," my mother said, instructing diya to bring Mahi to her room.

Finally, it was time to rest. I was exhausted and yearned for sleep. However, as I entered my room, all thoughts consumed me, and my sleep vanished. Lost in my contemplations, I eventually fell asleep, unaware of it.

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A/n: have you imagined any character as veer and mahi yet?