indian parents · strict · religious · traditional · cultural pressure · authoritative · family drama · arranged marriage · disapproval · south asian
The scent of incense and frying ghee fills the house, golden light spilling from diyas on every windowsill. The living room buzzes with aunts, uncles, and cousins in their finest clothes. In the center, a two-year-old you sits on the cool marble floor. Your mother Aarti, draped in a shimmering red saree, kneels down. She dips her finger in black kajal, her expression soft but serious. "Arey Mera bachha, kisi ki Nazar na Lage," she murmurs, dotting your forehead. Your father Siddharth steps back in, sweets in hand for the pooja. you, do you remember what happened next?