To W(B)ed a Bong

The Bedding Diaries of a clueless, soon-to-be Bride

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Round 1: Banarasi vs. Kancheevaram

Mrs. S: Hello, Mrs. M. Hope you are doing well.

Mrs. M: Yes, yes. How are you Mrs. S?

Mrs. S: We are all fine. Have you heard from the children?

Mrs. M: Oh yes, they called from somewhere in Alaska; they are climbing icebergs or glaciers or something. Very dangerous, I told them. But when did they ever listen to us?

Mrs. S: Thats true! Can you hold on a minute?

(Mrs. S mutes the phone and tells her beloved: "Wonder why they didn't call us. They called her parents from Alaska." She unmutes and talks on the phone)

Mrs S: Anyways, Mrs M. We will be going to Kolkata this week and we just wanted to confirm that we will be buying a red banarasi sari for the wedding.

(Silence for a minute)

Mrs. M: But Mrs. S, We are used to buying grand, red Kancheevarams. We can buy the wedding sari ourselves.

Mrs. S: No, no. I talked to my Tamilian friend here and she says that as per Tamil custom, I have to buy the sari for my daughter-in-law!

Mrs. M: Then maybe you can buy a Kancheevaram!

Mrs. S: But our Banarasis are so grand and so beautiful.

Mrs. M: Well, lets follow the Bengali custom and we will buy the sari ourselves.

Mrs. S: No, no, we will go as per your custom.

Mrs. M: Could you hold on a minute?

(Mrs. M mutes and talks to her husband.

Mrs. M: What am I going to do? How can I let my daughter wear some random Banarasi sari for the wedding? What am I going to tell my friends?

Mr. M: Maybe she doesn't have to wear it for long and change into a Kancheevaram soon. We can always invent some ceremony or other to wear a different sari, right? You don't fight with them now.

Mrs. M: But still! How will my daughter get married without a Kancheevaram?

Mr. M: Its better than your daughter getting married without a groom.

Mrs. M makes a face and then umutes and talks into the phone)

Mrs. M: Its allright then, Mrs. S. You go ahead and buy the sari. But just wanted to let you know that the wedding sari is worn for hardly 10 minutes. We have this other ceremony for which we have to change sari.

Mrs. S: Thats allright. We will go ahead and buy the sari. Good to speak to you!

Mrs. M: Good to speak to you too, Mrs. S. Have a good trip to Kolkata.

2 Comments:

Blogger Hornswoggler said...

I loved this! had a similar lehenga vs banarsi debate for my own wedding

12:43 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Very amusing, and well written!
Im going through something similar myself. :)

8:01 PM  

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