Frankly, Asha was hearing the name for the first time. Her mother had sounded excited as she narrated the events of the previous night, when the ‘guy from Ernakulam’ and his parents had come visiting to Asha’s parents’ home. Mr. & Mrs. Menon were pretty happy with the kind of guy they had chosen for their daughter; and found the guy to be a healthy mixture of brains and humour; of traditional values and a modern outlook to life. They were really pressurising Asha to meet and/or speak with Mr. Ernakulam so that they get comfortable with each other and decide for themselves if they wanted a future together.Â

When she looked up on the internet, Asha was surprised by what she found. Incidentally, Ernakulam happened to be another name for the place in Kerala which had caught her attention quite a few years ago. When still in school, she had come across references to the city of Cochin which was a hub for spice trade during the British reign in India.Â
She had also read about the Venice of the East and to visit those places were on her bucket list.
The fact that this guy belonged from one of her dream destinations was a point in favour of him and she didn’t like that honestly. She somehow wanted the guy to be an out and out MCP – a Male Chauvinistic Pig as her friends loved to refer to some of the typical men. She realised she didn’t have to be all that anxious, all her woes would be laid to rest tomorrow. Tomorrow was the day she would come face to face with this man.
The thought of meeting with this guy reminded that she was due for an appointment at the beauty salon. Normally, whenever she wanted to make an impression on someone, Asha would have made sure she looked her best, but not tomorrow. She wanted this man to see her at her hideous best, to sort of warn him of what he was getting into. She somehow wanted him to pull out of this alliance, she was not ready to get married…yet!
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Girls in India are caught in the drift when they reach a particular age. They suddenly face a dilemma as to what to focus on in their life, whether to make a career and ensure a living or to get married and secure their life. Girls who remain single after the so called marriageable age are frowned upon by the society and are considered a burden for their families.
A -Â An Arranged Marriage
B -Â Bridal Dreams
C -Â Cherubs From Heaven
D -Â Rusty Dusty Delhi
E -Â ErnakulamÂ
F - Fretting Over F.R.I.E.N.D.S & Fiancé
G -Â Gratifying Rendezvous
H -Â Hospitality Crash Course
I -Â I Love You??!!
J -Â Journalism’s Joy
K -Â Krishna
L -Â Love, Longing & Life
M -Â Milan – A Meeting
N-Â Noodles, Nimbu Paani & A Nice Guy
O -Â Online?
P -Â Phone Number
Q -Â Questions!
R -Â Risks
S -Â Some Soul Searching
T -Â Timeless Tableau, A Twist in The Tale
U -Â Union
Fascinating read. Does the name Ernahklum have a meaning? Looking forward to reading more of this story.
The name ‘Ernakulam’ is derived from the name of a very famous temple of Lord Shiva called the Ernakulathappan Temple. You can read more about it here
http://creative.sulekha.com/mahadeva-kshethram-ernakulam-kochi-kerala_379882_blog
Interesting and fascinating story… Will check out your other posts on Asha to know more!
Please do so Shilpa, and feel free to share your opinions and comments with me 🙂
Fantastic writing, I love the idea of carrying this story through the alphabet. India is a country that has always fascinated and inspired me. It seems like such a beautiful, exotic place.
Thanks,
Dan Miller
Thank you for coming by my blog and liking it. This is my first time in the challenge, and am attempting this with the hope that I can pull it off.
I loved Kerala! I visited a friend’s family near Palakhad (sp?) a couple of years ago when I had the chance to do some work in India. Beautiful state and beautiful people! (Thanks for stopping by my blog as well! Am emjoying the A to Z challenge!)
Hi Janice 🙂
Thank you for stopping by, and glad to know you had a good time in Palakkad.
I love this story. it’s like a crash course in Indian culture, geography and history all in one!