* For my non-hindi-speaking friends : Beti/bete = Daughter, Theek hai = Alright , Samajhdar = sensible
"You want to Whaaaat???!!!? " Umm.. Go to Canada dad, now calm down!
Ever been on a roller coaster? Or jumped into a pool of sharks with an iron cage around you? Or went bungee jumping? Well, you might know you'll be safe, but there's nothing that will calm the butterflies in your stomach or make the palpitations go away just before you take the plunge. This is exactly what I felt an hour before I decided its about time I tell my dad that I want to move to Canada.
I wanted to break free, travel, meet people, make snow angels, get more tattoos - live on my own! I wanted to experience life on my own terms, I can't do that in India! And, being an Indian girl let me tell you, isn't easy! An Indian girl is a ticking time bomb.
"Bete now you should be settling down" - read : get married!
Dad, I am just 23. I have a lotta time to settle down !
He gave me the expression which said " you really want to be the thirty-something in the family to marry the leftovers"
Jeez. Leftovers. Thats what my dad calls all the baldies and the divorcees, since these are the guys you have to choose from if you decide to marry post-thirty.
So I did my math. I have about , maybe, a 7 year bracket right? Right??
WRONG! If you're a brown girl, you know you have two neat choices - academics or marriage. I chose Academics. Now that my program is coming to an end, I am reminded of my expiry date, my very limited shelf-life! Well my parents gave up with all the "beti, you should be thinking about marriage", (for now!!! ) i know this won't last long. Everyday, I am reminded of my doomed future if I choose to stay single. See, Indian parents don't hand you a 'Kit Kat' if you want to take a break from life. 'Break from life' does not exist in the Indian society dictionary! Sigh!!
So, what do you tell them? I have decided to get a third degree! "What? you already have a masters". But dad, this is an advanced program, its really cool!
"But why Canada, you can study here too". Can I? Sure! But do I want to? NO!!
But if I said instead: daddy dearest, here is my high resolution photograph in an indian outfit so that you can put it up on 'Shaadi.com' & that I am ready to make little brown babies,I would've been rewarded with a "Aren't-I -lucky-to-have-such-a-samajhdar-beti" look! But instead this not-so-samajhdar-beti decided to fly half way across the globe to be herself.
"Theek hai, go, do what makes you happy. I hope you find a good Indian boy there".
Parents, I tell you... will never change
:D
