For the first time since I came to India, I didn’t have diarrhoea the night before the christmas exams. Akkachi sat with me and together we revised the subjects. I was studying about Mughul emperor Shah Jahan. I noticed that Shah Jahan’s father was a muslim(Mughul emperor Jahangir) and his mother was a hindu(Rajput Princess Manmati)
I looked at Akkachi and asked her
“You told me, Prem Nasir and Sharada weren’t married because muslims and hindus can’t marry, but Emperor Jahangir married a hindu princess and their son Shah Jahan ruled India. How come?”
“No way Nina, there is no way a hindu can marry a muslim.” Akkachi responded
“Then you look at this.” I showed my text book to Akkachi
Akkachi read my history text book over and over.
“I don’t know Nina, may be the rich have separate rules! “
“What building is this?” Akkachi pointed to the photograph in my book
“Akkachi, That is Taj Mahal. It is one of the seven wonders in the world. Emperor Shah Jahan loved his second wife Arjumand Bano begum(Mumtaz Mahal) so much that he built a memorial for her.”
“Really? he built this building for his wife?”
“Yes Akkachi, he did. It took almost 22 years to build it. When he died, he was buried next to his wife’s tomb. So even at death, they are still together.”
“Wow, how lucky his wife was, to have such a beautiful building built in her name. He must have truly loved her!”
“Don’t worry Akkachi, One day you will marry a man who will truly love you.” I told her
“No, Nina, it won’t happen”
“How do you know?” I asked her
“Because there isn’t a malayalee man born yet, who can marry only a woman and not her family.”
I looked at Akkachi trying to see what exactly she meant
“What do you mean Akkachi?”
“Nina, I am an illegitimate child. That is the truth. And that truth can be used against me anytime.”
“How?”
“aiyyo this child will never leave me in peace.” Akkachi got up from the floor. “Imagine this Nina, I got married to a nice guy, one day we have an argument and we fight. You know what he would say to end it?” Akkachi asked me
“Don’t know Akkachi”
Akkachi pretended to be a man, She extended her right hand and pointed her index finger
“he would say, all this is your family fault, jathygunam thothal poovulla.(you can’t rub off your bad genes!)”
“Go Akkachi, you are imagining too much. No one is going to blame you for your birth.”
“If you don’t want to believe, don’t. But that is the truth!”
I thought about my parents. Each time Appa and Amma fought, Appa would say, he should have never married a Malaysian manga.(malaysian woman) and Amma would say, she should have never married a penkonthan(?henpecked) who was raised by a single mother.
“Akkachi, Appa and Amma always fight. Then my future husband too will say that it is my jathyagunam(genetic fault)”
“No Nina, you are a smart and pretty girl. If you study well, one day you will become a doctor, then you can marry a doctor. If he talks like that to you, you can tell him off. Unfortunately I can’t do that, because I am just an ordinary servant girl, no money, no education, no family. I will have to listen to everything my future husband says!”
I thought of Biju. Would he talk like that to me? May be I should seriously consider becoming a doctor.
how many of you know the old and the new seven wonders of the world?
I know I can not so not making an effort.
I know Taj Mahal, Pyramids, great wall of china, Gardens of babylons are in the list.
I’m too lazy to google and find the rite answers.
Nice post. so true you marry the whole family whether you like it or not.
The seven wonders of the world are.Taj Mahal, Pyramids,Great wall of china.The grand canyon, mount everest,mount rushmore. i think these are some of the new and old.dont know for sure.and niagra falls.
It is always so easy to blame things on genes and whatnot. We Indians never learnt to analyse or talk around problems.
http://www.answers.com/7%20wonders
i could only remember 2 of the old one
the new one keeps changing n theres so mny versions of it
ah so akkachi was ur inspiration
Taj mahal
gr8 wall of china
hanging gardens
the egyptian pyramids (am not sure which one)
leaning tower of pizza
eiffel tower
and the green lady who stands with the torch in her hand and crazy crown, in new yorks harbour
the collosium in rome….
thats as far as i can get
hope that all of these are in the list…
well,
nice post and a gr8 blog….
one of the oddest reasons to be a doctor…
a nice post as usual…
the7 wonders of the world keeps changing..there is a list for ancient period, one for medieval times and one for modern times….
Vinodh
I am so fond of Akkachi now…she is so sweet..did she get married to a good man Sarah?
“may be the rich have separate rules!”
“may be the rich have separate rules!”
Words.. Golden words..
Hey i thot the new 7 wonders of the world wud be declared on the coming New Year’s Day…
The ancient 7 wonders remains the same to this day.. I remember them like this
Zeus and colossus of Rhodes(both are statues) guarding the temple of artemis and tomb of halicarnassus, with the pyramid, hanging gardens and light house of Alexandria.
new ones keep changing..but almost all of the lists have Taj mahal and great wall of China in it
Thanu: you got most of the new wonders correct
Starrynights:I think what Akkachi told that day was so very true.. Malayalees marry the family..not the girl.
Siverine: We Indians don’t know to talk.. talking is always blaming someone else.. Our men are the paragon of virtue..
Visithra: Many played a part in me becoming a doctor.. The Dr at the Kottayam medical college, Akkachi, my mother who told me I would never be able to join a professional college and my won insecurities…
Wanderer: On the first day at the medical school, my anatomy prof asked each and every one of us why we chose to do medicine.. As my name starts with S, i was in the last group. i listenend to all the comments about saving fellow human beings, offering free medical service type ideologies by my fellow classmates, I was laughing in my mind, thinking what their reaction would be, if i told about the one good reason I wanted to do medicine..
Vinodh: Thank you and yes the list keeps changing
neihal: I don’t know Niehal.. I very much wanted to know..but the only person who knows her whereabouts, never let me have her address.
Rose: it is ok for an muslim emperor to marry rajput princess, but ordinary people will be killed.. Where is the fairness in all these
Not only Malayalis,but if it is an arranged marry,family comes first!
An adult’s world is the most insane, scrupulous and the farthest from any sense of sanity..
Not only that it is not fair.. It doesnt even make sense!!!
..Me
I don’t know much about the wonders about the world.But I do remember vividly how I was taught about the beauty of the Taj Mahal and how it’s losing it’s charm to nature and thieves
to let u know