Who takes prime position? Parents or spouse.
Parents push their way to the front in India, but, in the US, it's the wife. One family learnt it the hard way.
Nagesh comes home and gets engaged to this girl. It was pipelined for some time. He was gaga and went out on long drives with the girl and showed her all the family property, including the benami ones which no one was supposed to know.
Anyways, marriage solemnised, and he flew back to the US. He will now begin paperwork for his new wife and she will join him soon. From the airport, he went to a relative’s place where he had parked his car. Here he slept for 2 hrs and then, after a hearty meal, left for his place, which was 3 hrs away. The relatives ask him to stay, rest – esp. after the long flight - and leave the next day. But the next day was Monday, and he needed to be at work first thing. Midway, he met with an accident and, sadly, passed away.
His parents and the newlywed wife leave for the US. They get no info from the authorities. Just asked to wait. The father makes daily trips to the police station – Indian style - but is told nothing. Please wait for the investigation to complete. This makes the father very suspicious. The vehicle is badly damaged but no other vehicle in the accident.
The relatives in India get a sad report. Some say that Americans seem to be protecting their own. Something fishy, says the other.
Then they are asked to visit the hospital. So the three reach there. The son is in a bed as though sleeping. Only the wife is allowed into the room. She is allowed to sit there and hold his hands. The parents are only allowed to look through a glass window. All this was reported to India.
Chalu Americans. What are they up to? Finally, the body is handed over to them. Technically, it was handed over to the wife. All correspondence was directed to the wife. They contact some local temples, and a 25-year-old sw engineer— who is also the head priest there — performs the last rights.
A week later, they get the police report. Things are a lot clearer now. It looks like the poor fellow fell asleep behind the wheel, hit the road divider, and flipped. The authorities took time to track an eyewitness and record his statement.
Crystal clear.
No doubts in anyone’s mind. Only the cultural shock that the wife is given precedence over the parents.
One wonders what else could have been sought with this "new found precedence".
ReplyDeleteAll his stuff goes to the wife after all -since shes the "primary" now.
If she is not the kind to shed a tear for ever and a day- here's to her building a marble castle and wail in it , in her loss.
Daresay a reverse tajmahal is still a tajmahal.
mourn in style!