One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat

enthusiastic to be complete strangers. It took me a second to place them. All right, they were my in-
laws. Mr Aadarsh Gulati and Mrs Sulochana Gulati. Radhika, behave. Don’t say anything stupid. Be
like mom. Be like Aditi. What would Aditi didi do? She would touch their feet. C’mon, dive, then.
I bent down. I touched the feet of people I had only Skyped twice in my life but who now
deserved my total respect. My parents had met them several times, of course. Dad told me they were
nice people. Nice people? How does anyone figure out nice people? Are there any nice people in
this world? See, my mind won’t stop chattering. Ever.
‘How was your flight, uncle?’ I said.
‘Just one hour from Mumbai. Not like Brijesh, who has come from halfway across the world,’
Aadarsh uncle said.
‘For you, of course,’ Sulochana aunty said and cupped my cheeks. She planted a big kiss on my
forehead. I guess, considering this is a country where in-laws burn brides, they did seem like nice
people.
More of Brijesh’s relatives swarmed around us.
‘Come, come, see the dulhan,’ one of the aunts said. The monkey was out of the cage and there
was a free sighting in the lobby. A crowd gathered around me. I tried to remember as many names as
possible.
‘My mother’s sisters, Rohini masi and Gunjan masi,’ Brijesh said, ‘and that’s dad’s brothers,
Purohit chacha and Amit chacha.’
Bob-bob went my head as I wished them all. If I saw anyone with even a hint of white or dyed
or henna-tinted hair, I went for their feet. Exactly as my mother would expect me to. Amid the
introductions and obsequious respect going on, Brijesh pulled me aside.
‘Hey, is this too much for you?’
I shrugged.
‘Is there somewhere we could take a walk?’ he said.
There, he was being sweet. I had told him earlier I wanted to get to know him better, and he
was making an effort.
‘Sure. Let’s go to the poolside,’ I said.