A friend of mine went to a bar for the first time and realized that Kingfisher beer was a good gift from God (Vijay Mallaya is no God. I insist.). He quit his day job at Infosys and joined Kingfisher Breweries. Believe me?
It is actually true but factually wrong. This friend did not develop a taste for beer but for a lady, and eventually ended up marrying her.
Being the good friend that he still is, he asked me: “So what do you think of Ramya?”
“She is a good girl,” I said. What else could one say.
“That she is,” my proud friend almost let out a song.
“She deserves a good husband. Marry her before she finds a good one,” I said.
My friend didn`t say anything. Neither did I get any invitation from him. Perhaps, he forgot me in all the activity that precedes and succeeds marriage.
Marriage has changed many of my friends. For instance, I met Anandh at a bar…drinking away his money.
“How is it going mate?” I asked Anandh, who was pouring beer into his mug.
“Chugging along. She has become one compartment of my life and I keep pulling at her like an engine.”
“You mean ….no fun?” I enquired. I was worried for him.
“You know what I used to do before marriage…right?”
“No…what?” I was not so sure.
“I used to be/do whatever I wanted to.. yaar. Did I tell you…you are really dumb.”
I wanted to tell Anandh that instead of drowning his sorrows in beer, he could look at drowning his troubles. But was not sure if his wife would come swimming with him. Anyways, we parted ways before he could pour himself another drink.
I did not ask him to cut down on his drinking. After all, he would not have bought my point that marriage was like the Kashmir issue. No solution in sight.
I don`t care if you don`t believe me. I have Nelson Mandela, the apartheid hero, who would stand testimony. He spent close to 30 years in jail and had no troubles there…he wrote books, watched TV, had beer…watched sport. Just about anything he could do. Two years out of the jail and he and his wife decided to divorce. Now, what do you call that?