Chapter 24: How foolish of the jasmine
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, the night-flowering jasmine or parijat, is a species of Nyctanthes native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Nyctanthes arbor-tristis is a shrub or a small tree growing to ten metre tall, with flaky grey bark.
A year and a half, ago , when Ador had gone to visit Tukul during her interview days post her college, a vendor was going from door to door selling different types of flowering plants like hibiscus, tube rose, different herbs etc. Ador had bought a small night jasmine plant from him at Rs 20. In Bengal it is called Shiuli. So when Kir and Ita shifted base from Darjeeling to their new home at Kolkata, Ador brought the plant from her uncle's home.
She used to water it everyday and say, when the plant bears it's first jasmine, she would marry that year.
She felt that God had answered her prayers, as when the date of marriage was fixed between Dev and her, the same night, the shiuli bloomed. It's heavenly fragrance spread in her bedroom. She thought Dev was the one. Her heart jumped with joy. She believed in the happily ever after stories of junior school and was feeling crazily romantic.
But today, 6th December, her beautiful world had come crushing down.
When she opened her eyes, she was back in her room. Her mother was fanning her. She looked up with tears in her eyes and asked softly "Why me?" It was her day of marriage and she was fasting. He mom made her sip on oral rehydration salt solution, one spoonful at a time. She said, " Don't worry. All will be fine. Unma has gone to police station to file a complaint. Still no whereabouts about Dev. Let's see how things behold. We will not let any harm come your way. Your father has kept the marriage registrar on hold. "
At that time her distant aunt entered the room and said, " We have found a suitor for Ador, he is a shopkeeper, a businessman to be precise, having a cold storage facility for potatoes. He is around 38 years. He has agreed to marry her, without any terms and conditions, He will reach within 3 hours from now. Your daughter will not be a lagna vrasta, I will see to it"
In Bengal, they say, a woman who does not get married in the stipulated lagna, is called lagna vrasta, whom very few people ask for marriage. She is shunned by the society. Though if the girl gets married, she does not get a suitable better half as per her liking, or there might be delay in the girl's marriage.
Ador looked out of her window, towards the small shrub, it still had two three jasmines in full bloom. She drifted off to sleep. She was very tired and weak.
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