Girl About Town

It's not easy being single. It is particularly not easy being single in a country where double is the norm and single is the weird oh-you-must-be-gay/handicapped/insane assumption. Even in my generation, beyond generation X, the generation thatdidn't even get a name, as we crawl towards our mid to late twenties, more and more of our peer groupare succumbing to marriage. In the last six months, no less than three of my friends have announced their upcoming nuptials, and two are married. In my own circle, I have couple friends, who have been dating for several years, and married friends. It all seems like such a natural and ordered part of life, like getting braces or your first job. Marriage is not an option, mostly,it's something you do.

Of course, I, who am an anomaly, need to find someone or something convenient to blame. Ican't blame my parents, like most people do, because they don't seem to care one way or the other about my relationship status. But I can blame the movies. Movies are what lead us all to feel this way. Think back to most of the mushy Bollywood moviesyou've seen recently. The nicest songs, the most tear jerking scenes, the grand finale is always, but always, a wedding. Think of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwariya Rai, and how the hullabaloo surrounding their wedding eclipsed any movie premieres they might have done. Even now"Ash's first Karva Chauth!" and "Ash and Abhishek spotted at so-and-so!" is what makes the tabloids sell.

Poor Aishwariya Rai. Poor, you ask? What's poor about her? In all likelihood,she's more loaded than most people in this country, she's bagged herself a husband that most of the young woman population in India and abroad would kill themselves to spend a night with,she's even married into one of the most eligible families in an enormous country. But, Ican't help thinking of right before she was married, how first she had to go through that traumatic time with Salman Khan, and then date the somewhat wishy-washy Vivek Oberoi. And if thatweren't enough, right before she was to marry Abhishek, she was revealed to be the worst kind of Indian brideever--the Manglik. Someone with such crossed stars, that she would bring badluck--possibly death--to the man she married. And so, she married a tree.

I could just as well say poor tree. There it was, minding its own business and then one day, without so much as a by your leave,it's married. What if it were a girl tree? What if it didn't want particularly to have death wished upon it by an actress itdidn't care very much about? And then, to make matters worse, its bride turns around and marries someone else. Bye-bye tree.We're over. I'm just not that into you.

And then, this morning, I read about a guy who married a dog. Much like the woman who married a dolphin.But at least the dolphin was the "love of her life". The man, from Tamil Nadu had stoned and hung three dogs fifteen years ago (such a catch, no?) and had since then gone deaf in one year and had partial paralysis. So, to ward off the curse, he married a stray dog called Selvi. Everyone partied, and Selvi got a bun. A bun. No meat, no bones, nodo - you - Selvi - take - this - dog - killer - to - be - your - husband and will you walk around the fire with him to signify your married life? Selvi had no choice. The tree had no choice. And I can bet you the dolphindidn't have much choice either.

I'm going to be 26 shortly. 26 is a lot older than 21. 26 is officially too old to say,"I'm too young to get married". And right now, the only boy who shares my bed is my cat. And he only loves me when he wants something. But, he is faithful. And he purrs at me even when I look like something the cat dragged in (hey, maybethat's why!). Maybe I should just marry him. Sometimes the love of your life is right under your nose, or in my case, sleeping on my keyboard.