Proud and Dismayed by the Family

I have known for a while that my family has royal connections. Connections to what passes as royalty in India. I am, of course, referring to the Kapoors and Bachchans of Bollywood fame. Abhishek Bachchan, you see, is my father-in-law's cousin's husband's sister-in-law's grand-son's brother-in-law. I truly feel the kinship between us.

So naturally I was pleased and proud to see his engagement announced recently in Time's milestone section. Pleased, because the announcement in Time reinforces India's new found place in the world, and proud, well, because he is family.

And now to the dismay part ...

Aishwarya Rai, his bride to be, is a Manglik.

No, I am not disappointed by that fact. What vexes me is what she, at the behest of her future father-in-law, Amitabh, has been doing to de-Manglify herself. Besides offering prayers at various temples, it is now rumored that she'll be marrying a tree, too! And I am not sure I want a tree to be part of my family er, tree.