Arranged marriage ,
It was the case of my sister in law’s betrothal. After
looking for a suitor for almost 3 years , she had finally stumbled upon someone
whom she found worthy enough for a meeting. Di was a web designer and a
successful one at that. Not many families in the community could handle that
fact. But this time around, things looked bright. The boy hailed from an educated
background and looked handsome (by whatever we could gauge from the 4*6.) He was a
banker, settled in Australia and was looking for bride who could do a little more than her chores. They both (the perspective bride and the groom ) had common interest of
listening to old Hindi classics and they both enjoyed cooking and long drives. Sounded like a match made in heaven.
The call was made,
Thursday,
Friday ,
My mother in law went into an overdrive. She turned into
this obsessive cleaning lady , scrubbing and re-scrubbing every inch of the
house. The expensive crockery and silverware were buffed and all the exotic linens were laid out. Mum over looked
the entire operation like a hawk, making sure that me and the four other servants
don’t miss a single spot. At the end of the day , I went into Di’s bedroom and crashed. I begged her to agree to this
rishta as I dint have the energy to do this all over again one more time!
We both laughed and then I noticed the look In her eyes, this time around she was hopeful too.
We both laughed and then I noticed the look In her eyes, this time around she was hopeful too.
Saturday ,
The welcome drinks , the accomplishments, the savories, the
salads , the mains , the sides and the desserts, they were all meticulously
penned down. My husband , my father in law , the driver, the office peon and
the watchman , they were all dispersed in different parts of town sourcing
delicacies. As for me , my cook and my helper were all busy juggling dishes for the
Sunday feast!
Sunday morning roundup ,
Like a pumped up NBA coach she started hurling
instructions at everyone.
My father-in-law was asked to cut back on his sarcastic jokes,
My husband was asked to refrain from his detailed portfolio discussions ,
My sister in law was asked to smile and not throw her otherwise “am the queen of the world attitude”,
The helpers were asked to be an their toes,
And I was asked to make sure that everyone dose their job.
My father-in-law was asked to cut back on his sarcastic jokes,
My husband was asked to refrain from his detailed portfolio discussions ,
My sister in law was asked to smile and not throw her otherwise “am the queen of the world attitude”,
The helpers were asked to be an their toes,
And I was asked to make sure that everyone dose their job.
The minute she stopped instructing , we all broke out into a laughter. That pissed her off ever more.
I sat her down , asked her to take a few deep breaths and told her , mum Di is like a sister to me and will not let anything hamper her big day. You just relax and look after the guest, i will take care of the rest.
At that moment my Nazist mother in-law got all teary-eyed and planted a kiss on my forehead saying "beta just make sure puris are piping hot!"
Sunday afternoon ,
The guest arrived . The groom looked like a dream, and so
did his family. Not the typical north
Indian “We are the grooms side, so we will suffocate you for the rest of your
life , type.”
The first round of refreshments went out . I noticed Di and Kailash both stealing glances at each other. They were least interested in the “ do you know our chacheri mausi ji’s second cousin’s wife who hails from Queensland” type of conversation.
The first round of refreshments went out . I noticed Di and Kailash both stealing glances at each other. They were least interested in the “ do you know our chacheri mausi ji’s second cousin’s wife who hails from Queensland” type of conversation.
Am sure their restless souls were just waiting for a chance to get to know each other. Having had a love marriage myself , I found all this rather amusing. But my amusement was short lived when Di gave me the “do something or I will strangle you look"
Reading her desperation , I slyly suggested we give Di and
Kailash some alone time.They both had the “phew! bless the bhabhi expression”. His parents agreed
and I excused myself to go and get the room ready .
The horror !
As I entered the room , it smelled funny . I asked my
husband who at that time was playing with my 9mth'ol son. (have barely had the time to look after him , but with the crazy going on in the house can you blame
me?)
What is that smell?
What is that smell?
Oh nothing sweetheart , Vihaan has the case of the
loosies , didn’t want to bother you. I goggled it up, at his age he is probably
teething. Gosh Siddharth! Instead of goggling you should have aired the room after you changed his diaper. Its stinking mad in here. Di
and Kailash will be in here in no time ….. We can’t have them walk
into a room that smells like a Rajdhani lavatory.
Will this little accident potentially jeopardize this proposal and defame my families name in the community?
All I could picture was my mother in law’s fuming face where she is all set to slap me ,
My sister in law claiming that
this was all a conspiracy for I never wanna see her happy,
And my father in law ready with
my suitcase all set to send me back to my Maika………..
No wait , wasn't that a scene
from the last night’s episode of Khooni Saas ,Pyasa Pati !
I need to stop watching those godforsaken soaps. Cut to reality! My family is nothing like that, and the situation is not that dire. But I had promised mum I will make sure everything goes well. But having the bride and the groom sit in a room full of potty smell and hoping for the Cupid to strike, was a total opposite of well!
Damage control!
Firstly, I asked Siddharth to leave the room with Vihaan and get in touch with his pediatrician and put him on meds, couldn’t
risk another explosion in here.
Secondly, how do I get this stink out ?
I could air the room, but with the little time on hand and 42 degrees of Delhi summer, that was not an option. I looked for a deodorant , but what if the smell is too over powering ? That could put them off. That’s when I remembered the sample I got from Indiblogger , the AmbiPur Set & Refresh.
Secondly, how do I get this stink out ?
I could air the room, but with the little time on hand and 42 degrees of Delhi summer, that was not an option. I looked for a deodorant , but what if the smell is too over powering ? That could put them off. That’s when I remembered the sample I got from Indiblogger , the AmbiPur Set & Refresh.
I dashed to my room , picked it up the Set & Refresh from my side table and ran into Di’s room . I needed fast action so I took the non spill refill out of its stand and placed it in front of the ac vents.(inspired from the mechanism of the AmbiPur's MINI VENT CLIP) And almost instantly the room started to smell like a Lavender Bough.
Just in Time,
I heard a knock on the door, I quickly put the refill back
in to stand, placed it near the bed , hoping it would keep doing its work. I
opened the door and let Di and Kailash in. Praying it all works out , I made an exit , but not
before taking one last long breath to double check if my sons loosies had left
any traces in the room and in turn all I got is a lung full of Lavender.
With some apple juice in my tow I sat down with Vihaan. Not knowing what an embarrassment his little bottom could have created for his mommy. My innocent little angel was busy playing with his toys.
The Climax,
After an hour I saw them emerging from Di’s room, they both
looked happy , they both looked refreshed. Happy for finally having found the
one , refreshed that this daunting task of meeting strangers was finally ending
at a happy note.
As soon as the guest left I narrated the entire episode to
mum. She thanked my presence of mind and the very next minute she
called up the local stores and ordered 5 more of the little contraptions. Place
one in each room she instructed , we can’t have this happen again the next time
around. Mum I think Di and Kailash make a perfect pair , I hope we hear from them soon , I said. I hope so too beta ,
she said.
30th November2013,
The little yet powerful Set'n'Refresh surely saved the day. In a few minutes it magically eliminated the stink and replaced it with a comforting aroma. So we continue to use it in every room of the house, from the living room to the bedrooms. It also works wonders in the inhabited guestrooms which otherwise has a suffocation musty stink. The best place for the Set'n'Refesh is in the shoe cabinet which otherwise has a powerful enough fume that can wake a man from his coma. And my personal favorite to have it in my bathroom as its safer and less maintenance than those scented candles.
What I love about the Set'n'Refresh ?
#What's great about it is that with a destructive toddler on the loose, its no spill technology makes it safe and hassle free for everyday use.
#It also comes with an adjusting pull out setting so that you can adjust the output according to your preference, which is a nice touch I must say .
#I think its a steal for the retail price of 220rs
#Love the design on the product. Looks chic! Not like those other ugly diffusers.
#Plus unlike other air freshness that tend to disappear within a few days , this one comes with a guaranteed life of 60+ days and just for that , the people at AmbiPur should rename the Set'n'Refresh to Set'n'Forget.
