Old Indian marriage

Old Indian marriage
P K Routray

Marriage is settled in heaven,
But on the earth we only make it happen.
Marriage function covers from negotiation to honeymoon.
Varied rituals and methods are adopted to solemnize the union as a bane or boon.
The purpose is perhaps to bring harmony and prosperity to the couple,
With long life, good health and blessed children to live a life joyful.
Here is a short description of Indian marriage of our time for you,
to muse and amuse, to discuss and debate for comparison of old and new.
The marriage was at the hands of parents and elders,
The boy and girl had no voice and to the incidents they are only viewers.
Just like for their children parents have no choice,
But they love and care them and to them always they bless.
The couple. after marriage only meet in the honeymoon night,
Open up their hearts with thrills accepting one another as Heaven’s order or gift.
The ecstasy, the union remains cherished,
As a souvenir of memory of this life no poem can depict
Later they share, care in spite of husband and wife’s mutual fight,
But they are tinged with love and brush the rust to keep their bondage tight.
The reunion after a fight has many interesting novelties,
Later the grand generation talks of it for their fun and fancies.
Statistcs will tell the rate of failures of such marriages were few and far between,
as it is arranged by their parents with divine love within.
Indians are afraid of planets and stars, hence the horoscopes of the boy and girl get examined by experts,
Equate family status and many attributes so that the bad omen never asserts.
The people of modern world nay laugh at it after all,,
They follow their own ways guiged by lust physical.
But this author has this firsthand experience of this bondage,
and has pondered over with keen observations of present day love and marriage..
Marriage after so called love needs elaboration,
Can this love be a true love of Shakespearian description so that it will find no alternation?
Being in the company before marriage to study each other and watch with maturity is only eyewash,
For a happy and harmonious marriage for the entire life it cannot be assured by this method for acceptance.
You must agree that for a long harmonious marriage life to exist,
Sacrifice, tolerance and love in true sense in all forms should reign forthright.
These are hard to come unless taught and forced like teaching the children,
Love, experience, good wishes have to be there behind the cane.
That is what was forced in my case, being afraid of parents, society and then later the children,
so far under the above system I am and will continue to manage till this life is taken.
Rather her care, share, love and fight so far in this life have made her to me so dear,,
I have to pray almighty to keep her for me reserved for next life and even lives after.