Barish: One Rainy Day

Punitha Muniandy

avg, 2011 · iUniverse

Bu e-kitob haqida

Everything about an Indian wedding is signi?cantthe mantras, the sacred ?re in the middle of the altar, the seven rounds around the ?re, and the colors of the brides sari. This day of an arranged marriage for the Sharma family is drenched in heavy rain, but far deeper problems lay within this particular Indian family, who has lived in Canada for the last thirty years.

For Gangga Sharma, marrying Subash has been her dreamuntil her wedding day, when her dream turns into a nightmare. For Jamuna Sharma, the wedding is sacred; she vows if she gets married, itll be an Indian wedding. Shes not certain, though, that it will be with an Indian man. For Kaveri Sharma, the sacredness of her marriage meant nothing.

For Menaka, her marriage destroyed the life shed always dreamed of living. When she discovers Ajays a?air, she believes shes failed at being a good wife. For Ajay, his daughters wedding opens a can of worms that could potentially destroy his life and his relationship with his daughters.

The Sharma family must analyze what marriage means to each and reconcile their expectations with the old culture of India and the di?ering culture in Canada.

Muallif haqida

Everything about an Indian wedding is signi?cant—the mantras, the sacred ?re in the middle of the altar, the seven rounds around the ?re, and the colors of the bride’s sari. This day of an arranged marriage for the Sharma family is drenched in heavy rain, but far deeper problems lay within this particular Indian family, who has lived in Canada for the last thirty years.

For Gangga Sharma, marrying Subash has been her dream—until her wedding day, when her dream turns into a nightmare. For Jamuna Sharma, the wedding is sacred; she vows if she gets married, it’ll be an Indian wedding. She’s not certain, though, that it will be with an Indian man. For Kaveri Sharma, the sacredness of her marriage meant nothing.

For Menaka, her marriage destroyed the life she’d always dreamed of living. When she discovers Ajay’s a?air, she believes she’s failed at being a good wife. For Ajay, his daughter’s wedding opens a can of worms that could potentially destroy his life and his relationship with his daughters.

The Sharma family must analyze what marriage means to each and reconcile their expectations with the old culture of India and the di?ering culture in Canada.

PUNITHA MUNIANDY was born and raised in Malaysia. She followed her Canadian husband home in the year 2000. Punitha now lives in Victoria, BC with her husband and two children. She has published non-?ction articles, short stories and ebooks. Punitha is now working on her second multicultural novel revolving around another Indian family in Canada. She’d love to hear from her readers about Barish. Punitha can be contacted at [e-mail]