Barrister Parvateesam

“It’s not something forbidden by the scriptures, nor is it against dharma. So, just because we stop this, no one will blame us. And even if they do, we needn’t bother about it,” I said.

My father, without saying a word, paced back and forth for five minutes. Then he said, “Alright, as you wish.”

Feeling as if I’d been granted a new lease on life, I let out a huge sigh of relief. My father then went and found a good cart among those available, arranged it so that my mother and two others could sit comfortably by spreading hay and laying a mattress and blanket on top, and brought it to the doorway.

Meanwhile, I went around inspecting all the carts to see what had become of the carts of the couples who were about to leave when I arrived. Ten or fifteen carts had already set off. I heard that the couples had seated themselves, and the cart drivers, eager to help, had driven off without telling anyone. In four or five more carts, bedding had been spread and they seemed to be waiting for the couples. In any case, after a while, all the carts moved ahead. My father and another man made sure all the doors and locks at home were secure, checked that nothing was forgotten, left reliable caretakers and villagers to look after the house, and finally came in the last cart.

It was still a little dark when the carts neared Bhimavaram. The carts were stopped for a while outside the town. All the men and women got down quickly to relieve themselves. Then, after moving a little further, the carts stopped again near a pond. Here, everyone got down to brush their teeth.

As soon as we got down, the cart I was in, my father’s cart, and our priest’s cart were led ahead to their house. Hearing of our arrival, they took us into our quarters. We all walked together, chatting as we went. Our carts followed behind us.

By the time we had finished brushing our teeth and such, all the remaining carriages had arrived. Many villagers—women, children, and elders with no urgent work—came running in haste to see these carriages and the wedding party. Everyone got down from the carriages, arranged their luggage, and began preparing for their baths and ablutions.

Even here, the energetic, modern young couples, as far as possible, had their belongings placed in separate rooms and promptly locked their doors. However, as this was a very large house, and perhaps even that was deemed insufficient, another house next door had also been vacated and cleaned for our use. Because of this, there was no need for the young couples to hurry so much. No matter how many couples there were among the wedding guests—young or old—there were enough rooms for each to have one to themselves if they wished.

Once everyone in the wedding party had bathed and adorned themselves, milk was