© All Rights Reserved

© C. Raghunathan
THE VOW
By
C.Raghunathan


"What? Another vow? No Ramya, don't tell me you were not warned." I rasped at my spouse.

There was some justification for my chagrin. When year before last I escaped from an accident, Ramya coolly vowed to offer my hair to Lord Venkateswara. And needles to say that it was done without my approval. I fretted and fumed for I never liked to commit myself to any vows.

Not that I am an atheist. I have faith in God ..... enough faith to visit temples and and strictly follow all religious festivals. But to me, a vow is a different proposition. I always felt that people would do well to avoid taking vows. We need not try to bribe God with vows. Vow or no vow, He's merciful enough to help us.

In taking vows my mother-in-law is the chief culprit. No wonder that her daughter has inherited this vowing business from her.

Ramya's mother is an incorrigible vow-maker. Let her daughter just sneeze thrice, you can be quite sure that this wonderful mother-in-law of mine would have immediately vowed to break atleast a coconut before Lord Ganesa if He would cure her illness. Maybe, I'm exaggerating, but there's much truth in what I'm saying.

A vow is a vow is a vow and it should be honoured. If you delay it's fulfilment even by a short time, you will feel guilty and fidgety. And woe betide you if anything goes wrong in your family. Everything will be invariably traced to the non-fulfilment of the vow. So, that year we faithfully went to...