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Kala Ramesh

ARRANGED MARRIAGES

Tens of thousands of thirsty throats and more ... dry wells—bore wells go deeper and deeper to find that missing elixir of life ... water. Villages in Chennai this summer went dry.

Colorful sarees, glass and gold bangles dwarfed by multi-colored plastic pots. I see muddy street after muddy street with dried-up water tanks ...

By 2 pm, people line up their colorful plastic pots in long serpentine queues and sit down to wait ... for the
Government water vehicles to arrive.

afternoon heat
women lap up spicy gossip
steaming hot

Soon teashops open, men assemble straight from work. There is talk of government, politics, sports, regional movies—of Aishwarya Rai, Sania Mirza and A.R.Rehman's Bombay dreams—a run-away success in London ...

Grandparents finding their homes too quiet start walking towards these get-togethers with a purpose. People know each other by their first names; they exchange problems for problems, recipes for
jokes ...

conspiracy—
moms knitting
their wards in wedlock

Chennai - the capital of Tamilnadu, South-India

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