1950.......A love Story

Thought I would share with all of you a true love story that happened in my family more than 50 years ago…

It was somewhere in the 1950's…My mothers uncle K ,grandfathers cousin brother belonged to a very well to do family. By that I mean they had a lot of land and cultivated a lot of crops…had a lot of servants working for them etc. And uncle K was sent to the city for his higher studies. I have seen uncle K only in his late fifties and even then he was very fair, tall and handsome and looked royal…like a zameendar I thought. Now when K was of marriageable age his parents started looking out for a bride for him. And in due course after the initial matching of horoscopes he met R .He liked her immediately and informed his parents of his ok to the proposal. The parents then decided to talk over things, negotiate over what R would bring as dowry etc. R belonged to a very middle class family and what she lacked by way of dowry was more than made up for by her beauty. She was very fair, tall and slim, a lovely face with big eyes and long hair. I was told she looked like vyjayanthimala the leading heroine of yesteryears.
Well, talks were concluded, R's parents couldn’t afford the dowry they were asked, so K's parents decided they would look out for some other girl for their accomplished son.
K was terribly disappointed; his heart was already set on R and had decided he would marry no one else. No amount of talking to his parents could change their minds and the more they said no, K was convinced he will marry only R .In the end he could think of only one solution. He quietly went to R's father, gave him the required amount of money for the dowry and asked his prospective FIL not to breathe a word about it to his own parents. Then all was well. The marriage was celebrated grandly and both sets of parents were very happy and K and R beamed with joy. They made a very lovely couple, I am told.

They had two sons in due course, moved to the big happening place of those days called Bombay and were staying very near our house. We used to meet them often and as a kid I used to be very fond of aunty R who was grace personified. Now I must tell u when I heard this story…it must have been in the 1980's when their son S fell in love with a girl from a different caste and asked his parents permission to marry her. K and R absolutely refused and confided in my mother about their son's obstinacy. That was when I was told their love story and I remember wondering …what would S do now … How could he possibly convince his parents…. After all he cannot change the girls caste ,right? Anyway he was his father's son and he did marry that girl only but how he did it is quite another story……

Dear Mindian,

A very sweet love story. We generally see this in movies ,but good to hear something like this in real life too. Your Mr.K seem to have been smitten by R and well history does repeat itself in the form of S.
Really nice to hear about R looking like Vyjanthimala. Wow! And they live in our own Bombay (now Mumbai). Really nice story Mindian. Thanks for sharing it here!!

Love,
Devika

Originally Posted by Mindian

Thought I would share with all of you a true love story that happened in my family more than 50 years ago…

It was somewhere in the 1950's…My mothers uncle K ,grandfathers cousin brother belonged to a very well to do family. By that I mean they had a lot of land and cultivated a lot of crops…had a lot of servants working for them etc. And uncle K was sent to the city for his higher studies. I have seen uncle K only in his late fifties and even then he was very fair, tall and handsome and looked royal…like a zameendar I thought. Now when K was of marriageable age his parents started looking out for a bride for him. And in due course after the initial matching of horoscopes he met R .He liked her immediately and informed his parents of his ok to the proposal. The parents then decided to talk over things, negotiate over what R would bring as dowry etc. R belonged to a very middle class family and what she lacked by way of dowry was more than made up for by her beauty. She was very fair, tall and slim, a lovely face with big eyes and long hair. I was told she looked like vyjayanthimala the leading heroine of yesteryears.
Well, talks were concluded, R's parents couldn’t afford the dowry they were asked, so K's parents decided they would look out for some other girl for their accomplished son.
K was terribly disappointed; his heart was already set on R and had decided he would marry no one else. No amount of talking to his parents could change their minds and the more they said no, K was convinced he will marry only R .In the end he could think of only one solution. He quietly went to R's father, gave him the required amount of money for the dowry and asked his prospective FIL not to breathe a word about it to his own parents. Then all was well. The marriage was celebrated grandly and both sets of parents were very happy and K and R beamed with joy. They made a very lovely couple, I am told.

They had two sons in due course, moved to the big happening place of those days called Bombay and were staying very near our house. We used to meet them often and as a kid I used to be very fond of aunty R who was grace personified. Now I must tell u when I heard this story…it must have been in the 1980's when their son S fell in love with a girl from a different caste and asked his parents permission to marry her. K and R absolutely refused and confided in my mother about their son's obstinacy. That was when I was told their love story and I remember wondering …what would S do now … How could he possibly convince his parents…. After all he cannot change the girls caste ,right? Anyway he was his father's son and he did marry that girl only but how he did it is quite another story……

yes mindi,
some people are like that and it is a wonderful story, here in my story my father gave a list to my would be husband and asked him to write it in his hand and give it, when i saw the list i was damn angry i said no way i dont want to marry a man who wants all these things come on they are the basic of life, but dad convinced said nothing wrong i do know the boy and so on, so after marriage when i confronted my hubby he says it was my father who gave the list and showed the original, wondered why he did that, may be to avoid all speculations at home, or he wanted to give it as being demanded i dont know till date but then it was a great gesture and i felt sorry later....sunkan

hi devika,

thank u for being the first one to comment..it feels nice to have your appreciation...and such true stories give u a very good feeling,isnt it...i remember having such a high opinion of uncle after hearing this but aunty R was too good..later she only stood between her husband and son and pacified them and welcomed the new DIL Iinto the family...A real nice couple......

Mindi

Hi sunkan,

thanks for commenting on my story...Yes I also know of cases where the grooms family draws out a list.....so i guess it takes all types to make up this world...but for uncle to have done it so many years ago was really cute,isnt it...

Mindi

Very Interesting !

Santosh
a stubborn love thru the generations

That was a cute love story. So at laste the son brot his choice into the house.

Dear santhosh and Arunarc,

thanks for your fb...glad that u found it interesting

mindi

Hi Mindian

it is such a sweet ,love story-

hi mindian,
nice story...but isnt in ironical that the unce himself wouldnt let his son marry the girl of his choice... i've seen similar situations too...gud to know that aunty was finally able to pacify them both :)