'Functions'

 

It was a fine evening when Asha akka was handing out invitations to everyone for her sister Shalini’s wedding, I got a card too, my name was written on the card with a glitter pen, these pens were new and in trend. The wedding was held at St. John’s auditorium, Coles Park. I, for unknown reasons, believed that it was important to belong to those social circles during my school days and I tried hard to belong there. But we could not go to the wedding because we did not know the venue and taking an auto was a luxury, I was furious and threw tantrums at my mother. This is one of the memories that refuse to go away from my head.

My dad worked in far distances, he had to travel either on foot or take the BTS buses which later became BMTC to the site he worked at, the daily passes were common sights at home, it had a silvery sticker that turned colour when tilted in the light. He skipped most weddings and birthday ‘functions’ due to his work. Most of the times, I have not seen him for weeks together when I was a child. Similarly, my mother was back from her work as a maid only after 4:00 pm. After which she got busy with the house hold chores.

 I grew up in my maternal grandmother’s house, two of my aunts used to work in the Garment factory in Domlur. One of my aunts used to work as a sales woman in a clothing shop. Three of my uncles were always away working. I used to hardly see them in their house before I went to mine, at night. So, the whole lot was struggling to make ends meet. Attending function was a luxury for our sorts, has it changed today? Maybe or maybe not.

If my mother were not a House Maid who could plan her evening for these functions and if my father could get home at least at 7:00 pm occasionally, I would not have missed the wedding that Asha akka had invited me to. I remember because I suffer from memories. Now, should I be able to attend the weddings and ‘functions’? or continue to be like my parents, aunts, and uncles? If I do not have the privilege of time unlike my family and my surrounding. I will fail my bar bender father and house maid mother in making me kneel on egg shells and beating me with plaited electric wires to get a better life than theirs.

I have made thus far with lot of struggles and dreams and I am a dream of many. This privilege is mine alone to claim.