ಹೇಗೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದ್ರಿ?

Kavya and Rohan had rehearsed the story for three weeks. "We met through friends." Simple. Respectable. Technically true, if you count a dating app as a friend.

Deepavali lunch at Kavya's family home in Davanagere was the big day. Both families, twenty-two people, banana leaves on the floor, Kavya's mother's holige, Rohan's mother's very sharp eyes.

The question

Halfway through the payasa, Kavya's ajji put down her spoon. "So," she said, loudly, to the whole room. "How did you two meet?"

Twenty-two people went quiet. Rohan said, "Through friends." At the exact same moment, Kavya panicked and said, "On an app."

Silence. A cousin choked on a vade. Rohan's father studied the ceiling. Kavya wanted the floor to open up.

Ajji's verdict

Then Ajji laughed. Properly laughed, head back, the laugh the family hadn't heard in years. "Your Ajja and I met at a bus stand," she said. "Our parents fixed it later and told everyone it was their idea. Same story, new bus stand."

She raised her hand over both their heads in blessing. The room erupted. Someone burst a cracker outside at exactly the right moment, and Rohan's mother, finally, smiled.

Zabardast is for celebrations like that: sweet, warm and golden, and a little bit spectacular.