An Indian Wife's Party Quickie

The party was going on in full swing. It was to celebrate my husbands' boss being a father of a baby boy. I am Nina. 29 years of age, married to Vivek for the last 6 years. We have no children as we have decided to delay being parents till we settle down with a good financial base. Vivek, my husband, who is 2 years older than me, was working as an Engineer for Mr. Raghavan's firm since the last many years and they had become very good friends; in fact we had become very good family friends, - visiting each others' houses, for lunches and dinners or just a casual drink.

Komal, Raghavan's wife had delivered a day earlier and was at her parents' house, which was a day's travel. Komal had gone to her parents place for delivery, as is the tradition in Indian houses, since the last three months and Raghavan & Vivek either had their meals in hotels or sometimes came home for lunch or a casual dinner on weekends. We had become very close friends. To celebrate this occasion, Raghavan had given a party, to us and another 3 couples whose husbands worked in the firm, at his home which was a beautifully landscaped bungalow on the outskirts of Pune. It offered a fantastic view of the mountain range and offered good privacy. His house was aesthetically designed and Komal was a stickler for cleanliness and had a good sense of décor. Though sparsely decorated, it had the touch of a connoisseur.

Though we were just 8 guests, Raghavan had brought food for 20 guests. He had brought the most expensive liquors & wines and everyone, including the other three ladies enjoyed them, generously. The mood had lightened and the jokes had turned raunchier. While some of them giggled, the rest joined in with bursts of laughter.

The Chess Master

The personal impact of a recession can bring out the best or the worst in people. In my case, it was both. But on balance, whether it good or bad, I still haven't been able to figure it out. Only time will tell, I guess. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Let me start at the beginning. My name is Prerna and until a few months back, my husband Dhruv and I were living the vaunted Indian middle class dream. We were both working in mid-level positions in the same small but influential financial corporation. In fact we met as colleagues, became friends, then fell in love, and then got married. We had decided to postpone having children until I got promoted to a managerial position. So two decent incomes without any children translated into a pretty comfortable lifestyle. We had both grown up in families with financial troubles, so when we had a good income, we spared no expense at acquiring any luxuries. A sea-side 2 bedroom rented apartment in Juhu equipped with every luxury from a flat screen TV to a washing machine and even a drier. An expensive foreign-made sedan. Frequent foreign trips in Europe and East Asia. And of course, the services of a drive, a maid and a cook.

The problem is, we started living more like middle class Americans than middle class Indians. And by that, I mean, we racked up quite a debt. Our salaries were decent, but not lavish enough to pay for all these luxuries out of our pocket. So almost everything had been financed by loans, and most of our incomes went in paying the monthly installments, credit card bills, and the rent. The thought of saving for a rainy day did cross our minds occasionally, but Dhruv and I always said that we'd start saving once we get promoted to senior positions and our salaries grew really big. After all, the stock markets worldwide were booming, our bonuses every year were growing, our stock option value was multiplying, and our company was considered one of the rising stars in the financial sector. So we thought that as long as we were both young, we should enjoy our lives, and start saving later. The later, as it happened, was really bad.

The Maharani - Part 3

Parvati expanded her territory by seeking out the larger kingdoms around her. She annexed Gwalior, then later Ajmer. She had perfected the technique of firmly squeezing kingdoms into submission. It was much cleaner than a full scale bloody assault and allowed easier assimilation of the conquered people. It involved 'retiring' the king of Gwalior; but sadly the king of Ajmer had to be beheaded. However, it proved to be a popular move because he had been a tyrant.

Parvati stayed away from the Punjab. She was not yet ready for Mahmud of Ghazni.

To the south lay a few kingdoms that stretched to the Vindhya Mountains. And beyond the mountains, rumors of great kingdoms. Of immediate interest to her were the kingdoms that lay to the east; in the lush plains fed by the great rivers -- Ganga and Jamuna. She set about annexing them, one by one.

It was during this period of expansion that a wandering Brahmin demanded an audience with her. It was not at all unusual for ordinary citizens to meet the queen and air their grievances. In fact she welcomed it and set aside certain days entirely for this.

But they had to state the purpose of their visit so that officials could gather relevant information beforehand to help the queen prepare for the appointment. She paid attention to detail and really took these meetings seriously. This fellow however refused; except to state that he was here to help the queen and would speak to her alone and not to underlings. And so, of course, the officials denied him access to the queen.

The Maharani - Part 2

Parvati knew that while her father was alive and in good health she and her child were safe, but what if something were to happen to him?

She began preparing for that eventuality.

From the Brahmins she learnt how to read and write. She knew neither because it was not thought necessary for girls to be literate, not even those of high birth. So, she had to start at the bottom-- the alphabet. From there she progressed in leaps and bounds, eventually reading whatever she could get her hands on -- from the classics to the most modern tomes that her father had collected in the Royal Library. Concomitantly she sat down with the Brahmins everyday to learn about Philosophy, Religion, Economics, Governance, Warfare and anything else they cared to throw at her.

She learnt all the physical aspects of warfare -- hand to hand fighting, effective wielding of a sword, archery, and proficient horse riding. She was tall, lithe and well coordinated. Her strength would never be the equal of a man's but by using her natural attributes she was able to subdue most of the men she trained with.

She used Yoga to keep her body supple and strong and her mind sharp. She never indulged in alcohol or cannabis (not even during the spring festival of Holi when most people, men mainly, consumed large quantities of either and went wild). And her diet was strictly vegetarian.

The Maharani - Part 1

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