It is inauspicious to see the face of a new bride for 15 days

My name is Ashok. I belong to a middle class family. I had told my family that I will not get married until I get a good job.

I was preparing for bank. Which took a lot of time. Due to this I became 32 years old. But I had got a good job.

Now my family started worrying about my marriage. They talked about my marriage at many places but nothing worked out. Everywhere there was some problem or the other.

One more year passed in all these things. My mother and father started getting more tensed now. They used to worry about my marriage morning and evening.

But then one day their efforts bore fruit. After searching for a long time, a proposal came which was liked by the family. They were from the village and were poorer than us.

The family showed me the picture of that girl. The girl was good. I used to work in some other city. Mom and Dad had gone to the girl's house and seen her.

I also told them but I could not come. Mummy liked the girl. Mummy said that now the marriage has to be done soon. The situation was such that the marriage could either be in 15 days or after 2 years but now the marriage could not be postponed. Hence it was decided that the marriage would be done in 15 days.

Now I could not go to see the girl in such a short time. Hence I took leave for the marriage. I came 5 days before the marriage.

The preparations for the marriage were going on. I had to complete all the preparations very quickly. And then the time of marriage came. On the day of marriage, we reached the girl's house with the baraat.

I felt a little strange seeing everyone's faces there. I was kept in a small room. I asked Papa. Papa, is everything fine here? Papa said everything is fine.

The marriage was in the village, even during the rounds, the girl had covered her face with a veil. After the marriage, we all came back to our home after bidaai.

On coming home, just before my Suhaagraat, my mother and father took me alone and told me something which I had never heard before.

They said that there is a custom and tradition in our house that the groom does not see the face of his bride for 15 days after marriage. I said what is this, why did you not tell me about this before today.

They said that they could not tell me before because telling before is considered inauspicious, hence it is told only after marriage. I was not able to understand why.

How did this thing come up suddenly. But then after a lot of insistence from my mother and father, I had to agree. Father also gave me a black cloth and said that I should tie it before going to the room.

Do not open it by mistake. Many kinds of questions and thoughts were coming to my mind, but I had to agree to them. Because the way they were explaining to me,

I also felt a little fear in their eyes, so I listened to them. I took the black cloth and went to my room. I closed the door and my wife was already sitting on the bed with her face covered.

I had not yet tied the black cloth on my eyes. When I went to her, the first thing she said was. Your mother and father have explained everything to you, right?

I asked, did they tell you too? She said yes, they told me too and we have to follow it. You just don't have to look at my face.

For 15 days. My wife was in front of me but I could not see her face. I gave her my black cloth and sat with my back towards her.

She tied the cloth tightly on my eyes. After tying the cloth, I took her hands in mine. They were very soft.

After that, I talked to her a lot till around midnight. I was not able to see her but I saw her picture. In this way, our new life was starting between closed eyes.

We had to take special care of this even during the day. She used to stay in veil the whole time. Before marriage, I did not know what love is.

But after marriage, I fell in love with my wife. I was impatiently waiting for the 15 days to end. Days kept passing and my love kept increasing.

Finally 15 days passed and I told my mother and father that today 15 days have passed, should we do some puja or any other remedy.

There was a strange nervousness on both their faces. I did not understand why. They said nothing. I asked them again that is there something wrong?

Why are you looking like this? They said nothing. That night I went to the room. Now I did not have the black cloth in my hand. My wife was still sitting wearing a veil.

As soon as I went, I asked her why this veil today. My wife told me that I want to ask you some questions. I said ask. She said how much you love me.

I said that you did not know in 15 days. She said that you had not seen me for so many days. Now imagine if you get to see something which you had not even imagined, will you still love me as much or not. I did not understand this thing of hers. I said what are you talking about. I will love you, you are my wife. She became silent. Then finally I did what I wanted to do. I lifted her veil. And as soon as I lifted the veil and saw her face, I could not believe it. This was not the girl whose picture I was shown. This was some other girl. I asked her who are you. She said you know my voice. I am the same girl, your wife. I called my mom and dad. Hearing my voice, they came in the room. I said so you did all this drama because who is this girl, you had shown me the picture of someone else.

There was panic on their faces. My mother said, son, we were afraid of this very thing. We had found a match for you with great difficulty.

That girl was his elder sister. She left the house 2 days before the wedding. She did not want to marry you. These people again started refusing the marriage but we pressurized his father. Threatened him.

We told him our identity. So he got you married to her younger sister who is 2 years younger to you. If we had told you, you would not have let us do this. You would never have married after knowing the truth, that is why we hid it from you.

You both should become husband and wife in the true sense, so we did the drama of 15 days so that later you could not leave her. I could not believe what they said.

I never said that you threatened anyone for your son's marriage. You lied to me too, you did not feel ashamed. You got this girl married to me forcibly without her consent.

Even after that she is listening to you people. Mummy and Papa said that we did all this for you. I said you did this not for me but for yourself so that you are relieved of the burden of my marriage. The next day I went to work without saying anything. But when I reached there I thought what was the girl's fault in this, she was already a victim of rape. I kept thinking this. And I also fell in love with her voice. I came back home after 2 days. I took her to her house and apologized to her family. There were tears in their eyes. Then I asked her do you love me. She said that I consider myself lucky. That I got a husband like you. Whatever happened was only to bring us together. I was made for you and you were made for me. Then the paths started forming automatically. I started loving her more because of these things. Now it is my duty to give her all the happiness in the world.