Mehendi

It was a bright sunny day with cool breezes refreshing the mood of everyone. The date was 1st October, 2018, Jasmeet Kaur aka Jazz was getting married to Harinderpal Singh aka Harry. Harry is settled in Canada and drives trucks there. They both did their schooling together and after Senior Secondary school, Harry left for Canada while Jazz opted to go for graduation in Chandigarh. Both were in touch with each other. Jazz used to do late night video calls to Harry, thus she would wake up little late in the morning. This habit of Jazz was not liked by her grandmother Haab Kaur.

It has been 9 A.M. in the morning and Jazz is still sleeping. Haab Kaur tells the servant i.e., Jaswant to wake her up. When Jaswant asked Jazz to wake up, she refused and said for 5 more minutes. When Jaswant told what she replied, Haab Kaur got furious. She went to her room and forcefully shaked Jazz to wake her up. Jazz couldn’t believed what happened, so she started to argue with her grandmother and went to the washroom.

While tying up the quilt, Haab mumbled, ‘The girls of today’s generation are so careless! When we were of their age, we used to do all the household chores all by ourselves. These girls cant even pick a glass of water! What will she do when she will get married and settled to her- in-laws’ home? God knows!’

After that, Haab Kaur went to the park to meet her old friends. The trio of Haab Kaur, Husnah Kaur and Jaafi Kaur was well known for their friendship all around the area they lived in. Jaafi and Husnah were already there waiting for Haab. Haab was seen mumbling and Husnah asked her that what is the matter and why are you mumbling like that? Jaafi sarcastly exclaimed that she might have again argued with her granddaughter. Haab agreed with a nod. After sitting on the bench, she narrated the whole incident to both of them. Both Husnah and Jaafi started to laugh. Haab couldn’t understand the reason for their laughter. Jaafi exclaimed that today’s generation is of no match with that of ours’. Husnah agreed and spoke that she is right. Husnah further exclaimed that lets take the example of my grandchildren. They both came around 3 A.M. in the morning from a party. Haab asked that how she came to know about their arrival. Husnah replied that she wakes up daily in the wee hours to have a bath and go for the prayers to the nearby Gurudwara Sahib. Jaafi couldn’t resist to tell the incidents involving her grandson. She said that her grandson usually eats the outside food and rarely eats the homemade food. That’s why he is having so many health issues.

Haab concluded the conversation by saying that god knows what will happen of this generation. Before leaving, she told them to come to her granddaughter’s wedding.

On the other hand Jazz’s two best friends i.e., Parmeet Kaur aka Pam and Simarpreet Kaur aka Sim, came to meet her. They lifted the mood of Jazz after her argument with Haab. They both tried their best and were able to achieve success in the first go. On seeking approval from her mom, Jazz decided to go to the local bazaar for getting her hands, arms, legs and feet decorated with mehendi. As she was leaving, Haab asked her where is she going. Jazz was not in a mood to reply her. Sim told that they are going to the bazaar for applying mehendi as it is Jazz’s wedding.

On listening to this Haab spoke that she wont allow her to do this. How can an unmarried girl go to the bazaar for the sake of getting better mehendi? How can a girl show her body parts like feet, legs, hand, arms to a stranger? There is no need to do this, bride’s sisters and friends can apply the mehendi. We Punjabis cannot let a part of our jewel to be displayed to strangers.

On listening to this everyone started laughing. Parmeet told that Beeji this is 2018, not 1948, when you got married! Everyone does the same and we are doing it too. Do you think that the society will accept us if we don’t get the best mehendi designs?

Haab couldn’t hold more of this conversation and she left for her room. The modern trio went to the bazaar and fulfilled their desires.

After sometime, when it was evening, Haab again went to the park. This time she was bit early than the other two. She was seen crying. On being asked by Jaafi, she told the whole incident. Husnah exclaimed that what time has come in Punjab! Our forefathers used to fight for our respect and culture and today’s generation is ruining our culture and the respect for elders. Jaafi recalled the day, when she was getting married and her sisters and friends applied the mehendi to her.

Haab recalled her memories, how her two sisters applied the mehendi to her on the occasion of her wedding. Husnah told that though she got the lightest shade for the colour of mehendi, yet her mother in law loved her more than her own daughters.(In traditional Punjabi culture, the relation of a Bride with her mother-in-law would be analysed by the shade of the colour of mehendi applied on the hands of the bride).

At last Jaafi concluded the conversation by quoting, ‘ Kuch cheezah khareed nahi sakde, unha vichon ikk cheez hain VIRSA!’. She meant that we cant buy all the things and one of that is our culture.