The arranged marriage of Prithvi Malhotra, the elder son of Sagar Malhotra and Navya the daughter of a successful real estate businessman, came about due to their families being introduced through common friends. Both Prithvi and Navya were fond of each other, and their elders decided to arrange their marriage.
The news of their union filled everyone with joy and happiness could be seen in every corner. Usha Malhotra, three years younger than Prithvi . The family was proud to see the strong bond that their children shared. Sagar and Ambika Malhotra beamed with pride.
Gagana Murthy looked around nervously and overheard guests complaining. “Aiyyo! Amma, where are you? I can’t handle this anymore. I don’t know how to handle this saree and I can’t walk properly,” she thought to herself, feeling the safety pin holding the pallu of her saree becoming loose. She was trying to figure out where she could fix it.
Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder and she dropped the gift she was holding. Usha Malhotra quickly caught the gift and said, “Be careful.”
“Thank you,” Gagana Replied gratefully.
Usha handed the gift back to Gagana and introduced herself, “I’m Usha Malhotra, the groom’s younger sister.”
Gagana shook Usha’s hand and introduced herself, “Gagana Murthy.”
“I know we’re from the same colony. Even though we’re new to the area, I’ve seen you around many times. You seem like someone who doesn’t talk much,” Usha said, before realising she was talking too much herself.
Gagana nodded, then shook her head, indicating a mix of agreement and disagreement.
Usha chuckled and said, “I mean, what does it mean? I’m just really happy today. You know what I mean, right?”
Gagana Nodded in agreement.
“Do you need anything?” Usha asked.”
Actually, I need to adjust my saree properly,” Gagana responded.
“Is this your first time wearing a saree?” Usha asked.
Yes,” Gagana Replied.”I understand. Come on, I’ll show you to a room. The wedding hall is filled with people and it’s hard to navigate through the crowd.
Usha Malhotra led Gagana to the first floor and asked, “Do you need any help?
“No, it’s okay i will manage, and Usha left the place, leaving Gagana in the room,
The sudden appearance of the 6 feet tall groom, caught Gaganaoff guard as she was in the middle of fixing her saree. Embarrassed, she turned away and covered herself with her arms, not knowing how to react to the unexpected intrusion. The groom, engrossed in his phone conversation, seemed momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure and continued his call. Gagana Stood there, feeling uneasy and unsure of what to do next.
Excuse me, I need to make an emergency call and don’t mind me”. He rushed to the balcony. “Can you please carry on with what you were doing?”
Gagana quickly put on her saree, her gaze fixed on him as she let out a sigh of relief that he hadn’t turned around. She made sure the saree was pinned properly, but as she reached for the door, she realized it was closed and wouldn’t budge. She stood there, frozen, watching him.
His eyes turned red with anger as he yelled, “What nonsense are you saying? Why should I call off this marriage?” But after a few minutes, he was quiet, listening intently to the person on the other end of the line. A range of emotions played across his face – from helplessness to tears.
Finally, he came back into the room, and although Gagana couldn’t hear what was being said, she could tell from his demeanour that he was going to stop the wedding.
He realized that Gagana had overheard his conversation and his anger boiled over. He clenched his fists as he angrily scolded her, “Don’t you have any manners? How could you listen in on a private conversation like that?”
Gagana Shot back, her voice filled with anger, “Mind your words Mr. Malhotra. Watch how you speak to me. Are you talking about manners? Before you lecture me about my manners, you should think about your own. “
He apologized, “I’m sorry, I was… Anyway, forget about what happened here and if you heard anything, don’t tell anyone.”
Gagana Thought to herself, “This guy is so self-absorbed. He thinks I have nothing better to do than spread his breaking news.” She said curtly, “Open the door.”
He obliged, apologizing again, “I’m sorry.”
She gave him a stern look before walking out of the room.
As she left, she thought to herself, “I actually like this gift, but my mom decided to give it to him. It must be fate to have such a gift. But how could he call off the wedding?”
Navya Naveli was waiting in the Mandap, but Prithvi Malhotra was nowhere to be found. Guests at the wedding had started gossiping and the Malhotra family members were frantically searching for Prithvi throughout the wedding hall with no luck. Suddenly, Navya’s father had a heart attack and they rushed him to the hospital.