Once there lived
 .. a small girl called Poornima. She was the only daughter of loving parents. They were not very well-off, and belonged to middle class. Poornima was a decent bright girl, with high ambitions to make it to top. She was very pretty. She also had a homely look. She was a little chubby, but everybody liked her for her charming manner and smiling calm attitude.
She grew up under the wings of her parents, under their loving, undying care. She grew up to be a stunning looking woman. She invariably turned heads whereever she went. With just the right amount of flesh in just the right places, she made guys mouth water at the sight of her.
It was time for her to get settled in life. A homely girl that she was, she never got into any love affair though many guys were waiting for one nod of her head, ready to go to the ends of the world for her. But she did not budge, as she did not want to let her parents down. She did not want to make her parents to whom she was the only daughter cringe with shame.
So when time came, lots of men, well established men came and looked at her. Some were haughty, and asked for a lot of money, to take her hand in marriage. How much do they want? To take this idol of goodness they wanted money, gold. Being a poor family, her parents could not afford so much. They wanted their daughter to get married to a rich family. As much as they could afford, they married her off to Mohan who was a banker and was very rich with a big mansion.

Her parents had to squeeze their lockers to give the groom's house what they wanted. They were still not satisfied. They wanted more.
Poornima's parents promised to give the money a month after marriage. She got married, she was happy, but she felt sad that her parents had to sell almost everything they had to give her hand in marriage to Mohan. Mohan was a good person. But he did not talk anything against his Mom, after all it was an arranged marriage and he had no part to play in the marriage except to look at the girl and decide if he liked her or not.

A month went by, and Mohan's parents started pestering Poornima for the money her parents had promised. Poornima had to leave her job which she had before marriage because the in laws did not want her to work. They apparently had enough money to 'feed four generations of Mohan'. But why they wanted more money from Poornima's poor parents is a question.

A couple of more months went by and they got upset that Poornima's parents were not giving the money. They started mistreating her.
In the mean time Poornima became pregnant. Ah! Now that happens promptly does it not.

Poornima's in laws wanted to take her to a big hospital but all her parents could afford was the near by clinic. But still, they tried to do all they can to take her regularly to the 'big' hospital in a call taxi regularly and pay the exorbitant prices.

Finally she gives birth to a....baby girl....
Well, I guess you predicted the outsome.
Poornima is now at her parents home with the baby girl waiting for her parents to get the amount to her in laws, her so called second home and second parents are asking, of which the possibility is remote, so she could go back and live HER life with HER husband and HER kid.

So much for arranged marriages...
So much for her wish to live like a proper Indian girl
So much for her intention to live by her culture and tradition.


* A true story*