How COVID Almost Broke My Heart, by Gopika Kormath Pannikotte, Chennai

Born and raised in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and currently living in Kottayam, Kerala, Gopika is a journalist trying to explore whatever comes her way.

My parents finally met my boyfriend's family in early March, to discuss our 'inter-faith' wedding. While it may not seem to matter, here in India, marrying outside one's caste is still inconceivable to many. All sorts of stereotypes were considered to be true, and they tried to talk me out of it. But the lockdown threw a spanner in the works.

I tried to call and convince my parents to agree to this wedding, but the fact that I was living apart from them, too, complicated the situation. My efforts were futile. It wasn't easy to get a yes or no.

“We don't want to hurt you by not agreeing to this, but what if you are not happy after the wedding?” 

That was the question that plagued my parents' minds. In fact, we were all just trying not to hurt each other. But the stress on me and my fiancé of not knowing when we'd get to marry was a big challenge. My parents were waiting for the lockdown to be over. For us, this was too long a wait. The moment the government eased the lockdown in June, I rushed home to convince them, and they finally agreed, for my happiness. 

A few days later, my mother fell sick, and I was struggling to manage office work and to keep my fiancé in the loop. Another surprising lockdown added to my woes, and I was just upset and blank with the looming uncertainty. I was so close to marrying the person I was supposed to marry, and yet so far. 

After a lot of difficulties, we finally registered our wedding in August, under the Special Marriage Act. We were never going to have religious rituals anyhow, and this helped hasten the process. The small function that we had with our family and close relatives, with our masks on, of course, showered on us all the love we will need.

The fact that the pieces in the puzzle just fit together so beautifully on the day of the party made us realize that happiness is all that matters. Our wedding was special and intimate, and even my relatives who were hesitant of us doing it were so pleased to celebrate us. 

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(This story was prepared for an “Imagine Another World” online storytelling workshop held October 28, 2020.)

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