It all starts with a video that is posted online where Sreenath and his girlfriend Anita are having sex outside. This could have just been awkward for only a few days, but we are in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. Traditions weigh tons. Sreenath’s parents do not understand at all and throw him out. Anita’s parents, when they learn, put all the shame on the boy’s family. After weeks of discussion, the only solution seems to marry the young couple. This is done swiftly, and they are put into a new apartment. They will flee their parents and the young brother of Sreenath that got caught in the middle of the turmoil and never return home. A story about how traditions, reputation and shame can break two whole families. An interesting insight into intergenerational India.
“The wedding happened in a small yellow room at the registrar’s office in Pattom. Aside from Anita’s parents, two of their relatives were also present. Our side had Appa, Amma and me – even this seemed too much. Earlier that morning, Appa had tried to avoid the function by complaining about his frozen shoulder. Now he seemed to be having telepathic conversations with all the dust-covered objects in the room. He’d stare at the lamp for a while, then the printer, then the winter-world paperweight, then the lamp again. Standing next to him, Amma kept blushing.”