Small Story 77.KaliyugEffect.

Small Story 77 Kaliyug Effect. Janaki slowly entered her brother Sarangan's house. Her sister-in-law, Shubha, welcomed her warmly. "Come, Janaki! It's been a long time. How is everything?" "Yes, Manni. Everything is fine. How is Rekha in Australia?" "She's doing well, Janaki. How is Ashwin in the US?" "Oh, he's fine," Janaki replied, hesitating slightly. She was unsure how to bring up the topic. Her brother Sarangan and Shubha were both strict, orthodox, and followed community guidelines closely. "You seem like you want to tell me something, Janaki," Shubha observed. Janaki took a deep breath. "Yes, Manni. Where is Anna?" "He just finished the pooja and will be here soon," Shubha replied. Just then, Sarangan arrived and welcomed his sister. "Long time, no see. How is Raghunathan?" "He's fine. He's gone to Dubai on an official trip," Janaki answered. "Good. You can have lunch with us," Sarangan said. "No problem, Anna." After a moment of silence, Janaki finally spoke up, though she hesitated. "Anna, Manni, I have some good news to share with you. But I don't know how you will take it." Sarangan and Shubha looked at her curiously. "Go ahead," Sarangan encouraged. Janaki took a deep breath. "Ashwin is going to marry a Native American next week in Boston." Shubha was surprised. "What? She’s working in her office. She lost both her parents in a recent car accident, but she is doing fine. The marriage will be quick. They will marry and come to Bengaluru. And I will arrange it in our style." Sarangan was shocked. "What? Ashwin is doing this? I can’t believe it. I’m against this. We follow our orthodox ways. This is not our culture. I can't accept this." He was visibly upset. "From this moment, our relationship is over. Shubha, our tradition, our family name—it’s all gone." Janaki’s face dropped, feeling defeated. "Okay, Anna, Manni, I will make a move," she said quietly. As Janaki turned to leave, Shubha stopped her. "One minute, Janaki. Take some kumkum." Just then, the courier man arrived with a large envelope. Shubha took it, opened it quickly, and paused. "One minute, Janaki," Shubha said, still holding the envelope. She opened it to find a picture of Rekha, holding garlands, in front of an Australian landmark. She was wearing a wedding dress. At that moment, Sarangan’s phone rang. He answered it. "Dad, it's me, Rekha. I’m fine. Yesterday, I married my colleague. We’ve been good friends for the past year. When I come for my holidays, we will have the ceremony in our Indian style for all our relatives. My husband is a forward thinker and respects my faith." Sarangan, unable to process the news, stood frozen for a moment. The shock was overwhelming. He fainted. Shubha stood there, stunned, unable to look at Janaki. She realized that things were changing, perhaps more than they could understand. This is Kaliyug and whatever you do for others with bad intentions will reflect back on you immediately." K.Ragavan 14-11-24