Fiction

Ernakulam

| by Bhavya

This is a series of alphabetical blog posts that I’m doing as part of AtoZ Challenge. Today’s story involves the letter E.
There are more posts on Asha’s life, in case you liked this and want to read more of my posts. 

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. 



According to what Asha gathered from her mother, the guy seemed to be from a well to do Nair family settled in Delhi; but whose ancestral roots were in the city of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. Asha cared two hoots about ancestry and economic status; those things seemed trivial to her. Her mind had always given prominence to things like love, chemistry and compatibility.






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. 


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.

Throughout the month of April, thanks to the AtoZ Challenge, I am trying to portray the life of Asha, a common Indian girl with dreams and aspirations. Everyday we focus on one alphabet starting from A on April 1st till Z on April 30th. Stick with me till the end of the journey and do tell me what you think of my writing and my Asha.

A - An Arranged Marriage
B - Bridal Dreams
C - Cherubs From Heaven
D - Rusty Dusty Delhi
E - Ernakulam 
F - Fretting Over F.R.I.E.N.D.S & Fiancé
G - Gratifying Rendezvous
H - Hospitality Crash Course
I - I Love You??!!
J - Journalism’s Joy
K - Krishna
L - Love, Longing & Life
M - Milan – A Meeting
N- Noodles, Nimbu Paani & A Nice Guy
O - Online?
P - Phone Number
Q - Questions!
R - Risks
S - Some Soul Searching
T - Timeless Tableau, A Twist in The Tale
U - Union

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Author: Bhavya

Writing to me is therapy, it frightens and comforts at the same time. Liberates like nothing else. A book in my own name is a dream, but a bigger dream would be to write something that haunts the reader even after the last page is turned and the book is shut. I enjoy reading and music, spending time with family whilst battling my social awkwardness.

9 Comments on “Ernakulam”

  3. 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

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply

  4. 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!)

    Reply

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