THE PAPAD ROASTING CEREMONY REDEFINED

My aunt is very excited today. Her one and only son has finally agreed to get married and has also “finalized” a girl from the various photographs presented to him. The girl is educated, fair, slim and ‘looks like Katrina’ as told to me by my aunt. She has done her masters in computer applications and works in a reputed IT firm earning a whopping 70000 per month. Everything is just perfect till now. My aunt is preparing for a meeting with the girls family. She has only seen the girl, her anticipatory daughter in law, in photograph. Tomorrow she will meet her in person. She has been waiting for this day since her son was born. She is super excited to become a mother in law. She became nostalgic when she remembered how her mother in law had come to see her for the first time 30 years back.

My aunt was still in her teenage and very shy and reserved. She recalls that she was shivering when her would be mother in law expressed her desire to be with her in the kitchen for a while. She then told my aunt to roast a papad there and then. My aunt, still shivering, took out a papad from the papad box and roasted it to perfection within few seconds. Her mom in law took the papad in her hands. She looked at it carefully turning it two three times. Then she smiled and called my aunt’s mom and confirmed that she liked my aunt and that she will be very happy to have her in their family.

My aunt was all amused and astonished and couldn’t believe that the papad was her destiny decider for that moment!! Later after marriage my aunt asked her mom in law about the “papad roasting ceremony”. She then unfolded the secret that this particular ceremony was very important in choosing the right daughter in law. The papad roasting was used to determine the kitchen skills of a girl. The perfect roasted papad must be clean, without any black spots. The girl should be able to handle the heat of the stove and simultaneously roast the papad to perfection taking the least time possible. The roasted papad was like a symbol of what the girl will make out of her relationships and how will she handle the heat and stress involved in marital life. My aunt was all convinced that it was a brilliant method of choosing a good and perfect daughter in law. She had decided at that time itself that she will also carry forward the age old tradition, “the papad roasting ceremony” to choose her daughter in law.

So many years have passed since then. And tomorrow is the day when she will be the “esteemed judge” who will witness and judge the “papad roasting ceremony” of her would be daughter in law. My aunt took out her best salwar kameez for the next day. She was all prepared to meet her new relatives. Finally, the day had come. Time to go. My aunt wanted me to accompany her so that she can have a second opinion!! We all reached the girl’s house. The house was neat and clean. Properly accessorized for the occasion. The girl looked more beautiful than her photograph. She wore a simple pink and white salwar kameez and had silky straight hair spread over her shoulders making her look very naïve and sweet. After some formal talking, my aunt whispered something in the girl’s mother’s ears. I understood that finally the time had come to accomplish the “papad roasting ceremony”.  Then the girl’s mother ordered her daughter to show us their kitchen. The girl stood up with poise and escorted us to the kitchen. The kitchen was also all clean and tidy and just one glance at it told a lot about the cleanliness regime practiced in the house. It was equipped with the latest gadgets and food processors which were placed very systematically. My aunt couldn’t wait any longer and in a hushed voice she told the girl to roast a papad. The girl looked amazed but without wasting a single moment she took out the papad box. She took out 5 papads, placed them in the microwave and switched it on. Within 30 seconds we had 5 evenly roasted papads before us. My aunt gave a smile and looked at me. She then told me to call the girl’s mother. I was not sure what the decision was. Was the girl selected or rejected?? With thoughts clouding my mind, I called the girl’s mother and we all gathered in the kitchen. My aunt then extended her arms towards the girl and gave her a hug. I understood that the girl had passed the papad test and she was a member of our family now. Rest of the time passed quickly. We then came out of their house and started proceeding towards our car. I was desperate to know that how did the “redefined papad roasting ceremony” help my aunt choose the girl? I asked her that wasn’t she shocked to see the papad being roasted in the microwave? The heat- stress formula, implemented by my aunt’s mother in law, was not applicable today. Then what made her decide that the girl was the right one?

My aunt told that the girl was clever enough to understand that it will take the same time to roast one papad or 5 papads and she opted for roasting 5. This showed she could take correct cost and time effective decisions and be the perfect match for her son in the modern times. I also agreed and saluted the “papad roasting ceremony, which though redefined gave the expected results.