A Silk Saree For Sister-In-Law

Raghu was desperate. He was trying his best to make his wife Sita attend his younger brother’s wedding. “Sita dear” he implored. “We may have umpteen family squabbles among us. But on a festive occasion like this we must seem united.” So you’re attending the wedding: Aren’t You?”he looked at her hopefully.

  But contrary to his expectations, she declared “ No, I am not. I don’t care even if the heavens fall down.”

  Sita was the eldest daughter-in-law of the family. Raghu and she lived in the joint family till recently. But they were forced to opt for separate accommodation a little far away because individualism, a synonym of selfishness in many cases overtook them. Raghu had no objection to live with his parents, brothers and sisters. But his wife brainwashed him into seeking separate accommodation.

  Now came the wedding of Raghu’s younger brother Raju. A dowry of thirty thousand rupees was agreed to be paid and apart from the dowry, in-laws gifts were also agreed upon. The five daughters-in-law were to be presented with a five hundred rupee saree each during the wedding by the bride’s parents.

  It was suggested by the bride’s party that the gift sarees could be bought at a notified cloth emporium where a wide range of selections were available. All the other in-laws' hearts throbbed and their eyes glittered as they visualised before their eyes terene, terycot, nylex, American georgette, chiffon, polyester and voile sarees in bright colours and beautiful designs.

  And here came the hitch. The domineering daughter-in-law Sita rejected the proposal. She demanded that she be presented with a Jaipur silk saree which cost ten thousand rupees, because she was the eldest daughter-in-law.

  The hapless mother-in-law Lakshamma  found herself in a fix. A Jaipur silk saree would not cost less than ten thousand rupees. If Sita were to be presented with a costly Jaipur silk saree, in recognition of her seniority as the eldest daughter-in-law, other daughters-in-law would demand the same. Lakshamma was conscious that it would be a financial liability on the bride’s parents. Obviously Lakshamma was opposed to it.

  Now poor Raghu found himself a piece of thread in the scissors. He could neither convince his wife nor persuade his mother to buy the costly saree. Yet he had not lost his hopes. “Look dear,”he said,”After all this is the wedding of Raju whom you have raised in your arms when he was a little child. You’re like a mother to him. Have you forgotten?” He tried to appeal to her sentiment.

  But Sita was intelligent enough to see his game through. “Yes, I brought him up like my own son. I know it.”she replied. “I would like to invite Raju and the bride to our home and present them with a mixi as soon as the wedding is over. But mind it, I won’t be attending the wedding.”

  “Do as you like,” Raghu lost his temper and cried. Having failed to make her fall in line, he badly wanted to escape the tense atmosphere. “I am going out,”he said bitterly. “Mind one thing, we’ll not be on talking terms unless you change your obstinate attitude.”

  During their happy married life for two decades, Raghu had never been so rude to her. He was so understanding and affectionate to her. Now his tough attitude made her cry. “It’s all because of me.” she thought, sobbing and blowing her nose. “After all this is the wedding of my brother-in-law Raju. Shouldn’t  I make it up?” she thought.

  Then there was a knock on the door, Sita peeped through the keyhole. Her bosom friends Shakuntala Bai of Sholapur and Meenakshi Ammal of Madurai were standing in the verandah. On seeing them, Seeta’s face beamed with joy. “Please come in.” She opened the door for them. 

  Hefty Sakuntala Bai and lean Meenakshi Ammal were seated on the sofa comfortably. Sita served them hot, steaming coffee.

  Sipping the coffee, Sakuntala Bai asked eagerly,” Sitaji, have you brought your husband round? Did he agree to convince his mother into buying you a costly Jaipur saree?”

  Sita shook her head in the negative. “No, I couldn't,” she said. “My heart melts at the predicament of my husband. Tell me Shakunlaji, can’t I come down? Can’t I attend the wedding and make my in-laws happy?”

  “Hey Ram!” Shakuntala Bai exclaimed and drew the veil over her head. “An in-law gift of a hundred rupee saree for the eldest daughter-in-law!”

  Shakunlaji is right, Sita,” Meenakshi Ammal chimed in. “Do you know what I did during my sister-in-law’s wedding? I threatened my mother-in-law that If I were presented with a cheap saree as the in-law’s gift, I would throw it into a dustbin at the street corner. This made her realise that I was a tough daughter-in-law to deal with.”

  Once the poison was injected into Sita, who otherwise would have come down, it began to work on her gradually.

  When Raghu returned late in the night, his needs were looked after by his three children. Sita had locked herself in the bedroom.

  This way a week rolled on and Raghu and Sita had not patched it up. The worst sufferers in this conflict were the children. But they bore it stoically and prayed to God that their parents should be friends again.

  Meanwhile Raghu was not blind to the thickening gloomy atmosphere at home. He had hectic consultations with his mother as to how to resolve this issue. But she pleaded her inability. Both of them reviewed the pros and cons in case they demanded Jaipur silk sarees for all the in-laws but realised the impossibility of the demand. Then they were worried about the social impact of Sita’s absence at the wedding. They would have to devise an excuse for it. Otherwise what would the bride’s people think about Sita’s absence at the wedding. Then Raghu hit upon a bright idea. “Mother” he suggested,”can’t we say that Sita is busy preparing Ravi for his engineering entrance exam?”

  Lakshamma appreciated this ruse. They sighed with relief as if they had surmounted a great tension that gnawed at their minds for two weeks.

  Then the unexpected happened. Sita arrived on the scene. She looked at her mother-in-law and said,”Mother, how are the wedding preparations going on?”

  The mother and the son looked at each other, unable to comprehend this sudden development. Raghu scratched his head and as soon as the act cleared his head, he looked at Sita with love and gratitude.

  Lakshamma also adjusted her spectacles and offered Sita hot coffee as it would keep her in good stead. 

  Sita said, sipping the coffee, “Sorry mother, I couldn’t assist you all these days in the wedding arrangements as I had been busy all these days, helping Ravi in his engineering entrance exam. Now the revision of the lessons is over, I am at your disposal.

  That Sita had changed her mind and decided to attend the wedding was now clear to the mother and the son. But what brought about change? Is this realization or repentance? They did not know.

  Naturally Sita also had no intention of revealing what factors had brought about the change in her. How could she? A cantankerous wife, a domineering daughter-in-law and a formidable neighbour when her strong individuality is threatened, is but an indulgent mother to her children.
The children made her swallow a bitter pill to bring their mother to terms with their father.

  Sita was too proud to let the others in the family know that her children, inspired by the Gandhiji lesson in their textbook, made it clear to their mother that they would not touch their meal if she did not change her decision.

  “Anyway, all is well that ends well,”thought Raghu. He was very happy.