Vedveer’s hand is on my back as we walk together into his father’s study a little after noon. The room is dark for the most part, except for where we are to be seated, a cream-coloured two-seater on which light pours.
We are introduced to our interviewer, Naveen Sharma, with whom we chat briefly before the cameras roll. Sharma, a senior (political) journalist, speaks for a few minutes, making introductory remarks, before he turns on us.
Sharma sits upright, holding up his height, which almost matches Vedveer’s, whose posture is relaxed.
He starts engaging by making a show of the rings we are wearing. Sharma says the ornaments are ‘steeped in tradition’. The solitaire wasn’t presented by the Gowda family, as is custom for some communities, but was worn by Maharaj Rawal Rathore Singh, while the emerald ring belonged to his wife, Maharani Pavitra Hansa.
Pavitra Hansa’s parents likely gifted her the ring, which the Rathores are now claiming as their precious tradition.I try not to smirk. Vedveer’s eyes are on my hand.
Sharma goes straight to Vedveer. ‘How did this proposal come about?’ he asks.
Vedveer smiles and turns to look at me, like he is checking if I am okay.
I nod. Just the slightest shift of my head.
‘This is a match arranged by our families. Our fathers are well known to one another; that’s how it began. It was Father who raised the topic of marriage to Mr Prathap Gowda, and everyone was happy with it,’ Vedveer says.
There was just the slightest hesitation when Vedveer said ‘Father’. Is it because he should have referred to his dad as Maharaj in a public interaction?
‘How long have you known each other, Yuvrajji?’ Sharma asks.
‘We’ve been chatting since January, getting to know each other gradually,’ Vedveer says, looking away from the camera and directly at me, lifting a brow in question. ‘We use all forms of communication, even email. It’s been a fun experience. Myfiancée is an extremely intelligent, smart woman, and we like to spar.’ Vedveer concludes with a soft laugh.
My fiancée? I don’t understand this energy spike, but I feel it.
Sharma decides to up the ante. ‘You are the crown prince, and you have various palace responsibilities that include the charities your family runs. Do you think the princess-to-be will be able to share your load, given that she’s also a career woman and is very different from you culturally?’
‘This is a conversation we have obviously had,’ Vedveer says, pressing his palms together. He’s not impressed with the question.
‘Aaditha is aware of her role and responsibilities as much to her own family as to the one she will be marrying into. She’s been leading from the front with her coffee chain these last years, doing a very good job. It’s clear that when she commits, she has worked out all that it entails. Besides, she’ll have all of us supporting her. If you remember, the ranisa also embraced a culture very different from hers, and she has done quite well.’
Vedveer turns and looks at me like he is passing the ball to me in a game of field hockey, cheering me to go score.
My breath is ragged, and I’m flexing my palm unconsciously. His gaze shifts to my hand, and his face lights up with a smile. Vedveer closes my palm with his, like he is simply taking my hand in his instead of covering a nervous tic.
Something in me melts in that moment.
I take a deep breath and begin. ‘I don’t see why one cannottryto do it all. A full-time professional, daughter, sister andwife. I’m not the first person to attempt this; it is an everyday thing in most households. Not everything will go like you planned; a lot of days are a struggle, but it is okay.
‘I’m aware that I come from a different cultural background to the Rathores. There are a lot of things about my culture that Vedveer will have to fine-tune himself to. I speak Hindi, so that’salready a beginning; he will start learning Kannada, I’m sure.’
Vedveer’s smile is so broad it spreads to the dark corners of the room. Not so much Sharma’s smile. With no scandalous scope so far, he is positively sour.
‘What was your first meeting with the Rathores like?’ he asks, shifting in his seat.
Vedveer looks at me and nods, his grip on my hand firm.
‘Very pleasant. They’re good people. The ranisa enjoys my coffee, and Navya Mrinalini has been drinking COFFEE Before Books & Bras coffee for a while now. We bond over coffee. Most of all, they’re kind people and made my family and me comfortable instantly.’
Vedveer’s brow shoots up, and his eyes are boring into me. I turn away and look at my footwear.
‘Can I ask if you always wanted to be a princess? How young were you when you first heard of the Rathores?’
I sit up, my shoulders snapping back instantly. This question is a hailstorm, disruptive at so many levels.
I look at Vedveer, who is equally stunned.
Sharma is so impressed with himself that I hear his smile more than see it.
