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On a Saturday, a month after the WhatsApp talk with Girish and Ruta Joshi, we decide to arrange a party to announce the engagement of Lakshmi and Akaash. Dad calls the same people that we had for the Diwali celebration. It’s like an extended family. No matter what the occasion, they are always invited.

Mom visits the Rajdhani temple on Pleasant Valley Road and arranges for a priest to come to our house. She likes Pandit Shastri, who is from north India and only speaks Hindi but understands English. He instructs Mom to get the items required for the Pooja. A Pooja is a prayer session where the priest chants Vedic mantras and blesses the couple. The engagement is not just a party, but a religious event. I am coming to realize that getting married is a serious affair among people of Indian origin.

I’m busy helping mom and dad organize the event. I hope Krishna can take time from his college and attend the function.

“Where do you think we should perform the ceremony?” asks Mom.

Dad walks around the family room and the living room.

“I think we can move the furniture in the living room and put the rug in front of the windows. We can have Panditji sit by the windows,” Dad says.

“But where will people sit during the Pooja?” Mom asks, cupping her chin with the palm of her hand.

“Well,” Dad replies. “We have to manage. The two most important people are Akaash and Lakshmi. They need to sit close to the prayer platform and Panditji.”

“Okay, what about our guests?”

Dad recommends the women sit on the floor in the vicinity of the Pooja. In his opinion, men are generally not that much interested in rituals as long as they have good food and good drinks. They can go to the basement or sit in the family room, he says.

“Are they allowed to have a drink or alcohol during this celebration?” I butt in, thinking that because we have a priest in the house, there would be no drinking.

“Of course,” Dad is definite. “This is a happy occasion, a celebration. The Pooja is to invoke the Gods and ask their blessing for the happiness of the couple.”

I don’t say anything. I know Uncle Raj and Uncle Soman will be there. I am hoping they won’t bring up the subject of my career again and compare me to Krishna. Now that Lakshmi’s wedding is the main topic of interest. I hope the conversation will all be about Akaash and his expected glorious future as a doctor, and how lucky Lakshmi is for getting a good partner. Well, I can live with that.

On the day of the party, we all get up early and arrange the furniture in the living room to create a space for the Pooja and for Akaash and Lakshmi to sit. I help Dad arrange the furniture in the basement for men to gather when the Pooja is going on upstairs. This time, I have an additional duty. That is to be the video operator. I am in charge of capturing the events that will be seen by people in India. The reason for holding the party in the morning is to coordinate with the time in India, which is ten hours ahead.

Mom has ordered lunch from the Bombay Café. She doesn’t have the stamina to cook for so many people. At nine in the morning, we get a call from the Rajdhani temple that Pandit Shastri will not be able to come.

“What’s the problem?” Mom asks.

“He left for India yesterday. His mother is very sick. We are sorry to inconvenience you.”

“But he didn’t call us. I spoke to him just a week ago.” Mom is upset at this unexpected event.

“It was urgent. He had to leave in a hurry. Therefore, he couldn’t call. Our apologies.”

“What options do we have at this late hour? I have so many people coming.” Mom sounds as if she’s choking. I think she’s going to cry.

“Well. Not very many, madam, I’m afraid,” the caller from the temple says. Mom has put the phone on speaker so that we can hear the conversation. She is dismayed; the person she’s speaking to doesn’t understand the importance of our function or doesn’t care.

“How so? Can’t you send a substitute for the Sashtriji?”

“I wish I could. We have two other priests, but they are both booked.”

I am so mad. Just a week ago, the Shashtriji seemed okay. Mom is talking to herself, loudly. Just my luck. What are we going to do now?

Dad comes down. Mom tells him what happened, and he is upset, too.

“Well, there’s not much we can do,” he says. “Let’s just celebrate without the priest.”

“Are you serious?” Mom turns to Dad, almost shouting. “Sometimes you just don’t care, Daddy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I back out of the room. Things are getting hot. I hope the situation doesn’t escalate into an emotional argument between Mom and Dad, not today.

The phone rings.

Dad answers it. “Oh, hi, Raj, what’s up?”

“I’m just calling to ask at what time are we supposed to come.” Uncle Raj never remembers these details. He has a habit of calling at the last minute to make sure.

“We were hoping everyone could come around eleven.”

Maybe Uncle Raj senses something from Dad’s voice.

“Are you okay, Vijay? Do you have a cold or something?”

“To tell you the truth, we have a serious problem.”

Dad explains the situation with the priest from the Rajdhani temple and says that he thinks we may have to forgo the Pooja. He also tells Uncle Raj how upset my Mom is with this situation.

“Don’t worry. I’ll see if a priest from the Shiv Vishnu Temple is available.”

“Do you know anyone there?”

“Well, not anyone in particular. But we go there often, and they are very nice. A man is always sitting by the entrance to attend to your questions.”

“Shiv Vishnu? It looks like they are South Indian.”

“Does it make a difference?” Uncle Raj is concerned that Dad doesn’t understand the difference.

“Well, yes and no.” Dad does not want to raise the alarm. He adds, “They worship Gods not familiar to us, and further, they may speak a different language than we do.”

“All you want is a blessing to the couple, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, what difference does it make if it is a South Indian God or a North Indian God? I am sure all the Gods will treat us the same way, without discrimination.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“So, give me an hour, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Raj.”

Uncle Raj calls half an hour later.

“We’re in luck,” he says. “You can have priest Rangaswamy. But there is one problem.”

“Yes. I am listening.” Dad’s voice has an encouraging tone.

“Priest Rangaswami does not drive, but he speaks English.”

“That’s a small problem. I can pick him up. Give me the address.”

Dad says this without consulting Mom. Upon learning that a new arrangement has been worked out, she accepts it. She is happy that there will be a pooja and that Lakshmi and Akaash will get their blessings. Although she would have been happier if we had Pandit Shashtri.

The ceremony goes without any significant glitches. Priest Rangaswamy has a cheerful demeanor. He even makes jokes to keep the atmosphere light.

A couple of days later, we get a WhatsApp call from the Joshis thanking us for arranging the video streaming of the engagement.

“We felt like we were there taking part in all the activities.” Girish uncle tells Dad.

“Glad we could do that,” Dad replies.

They continue talking for a while.

“We want to set a mid-August date for the wedding, and we think it will be better if it takes place in India,” Dad adds.

“Fine with me.”

Mom is happy that things are taking shape faster than she thought. A wedding in India makes sense in her mind.

“You know, come to think of it, it’s better to have the wedding in India,” Mom says. “It looks like the Joshis have a lot of older people. It will be hard for them to travel all the way here. Besides, all our relatives, your side and my side, are in India. They can all attend.”

“And,” Dad adds with an enthusiastic smile. “It will be cheaper to have the wedding in India. I will have a light schedule in summer, and I can take time off for a couple of weeks.”

“Can you rely on your brother to make all the arrangements?”

“I think so. He’s done it a few times, and he has all the connections.”

“It’s settled then. Let’s start planning.”

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To read chapter 20, click here. https://wp.me/p2b25R-iO