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If there is one worry that has traumatised my mother  for the last 10 years, it is that, I am not married. Like any other parent or specifically a south Asian parent, she indulges that worry 24/7. I have two younger sisters. One unmarried and the other engaged.

Last year, when my mother mentioned that she wants us three sisters to get married with a tree and then Lord Vishnu, she was met with only chuckles. And no she wasn’t amused. Her astrologer had recommended that if we were to marry Lord Vishnu, it would take away all negativities – and in all probability, our ‘Single’ Status. And as far as my mother was concerned it was not a joking matter.

Ironically, my uncle (my mother’s brother), a well known, liberal and outspoken writer, had just mocked Amitabh Bachchan, the superstar of India and his now daughter-in-law, the famous Aishwarya Rai’s marriage to a tree, prior to her real marriage with his also famous son Abhishek, in National media. I am not sure if my uncle knows about this decision of my mother’s but she was willing to do anything that might resolve the ‘problem’ even if it was considered irrational by modern society.

I am a strange mix of personalities. I am a product of a half conservative and a half very liberal family. (It’s a wonder how some of them still get along). I was brought up in Jaipur, a small conservative city rich with history, tradition and culture – and now I live and love a big city urban and liberal life. I had heard of a few of these particular weddings amongst families in Jaipur, but it had never occurred to me that I might be one day be a participant.

With all credit to my mother, she has tolerated all that I have wanted to do with my life. Moving cities, countries, changing several jobs, including the whim to opt for a not very well paying profession – Photography. My thoughts on marriage though, differ from my mother’s. Over time I have succumbed to little faith in the institution of it and don’t deem the social contract necessary to live a legal and committed life with a partner. But to me, this irrational exercise of marrying God and a Tree to make my mother happy, didn’t seem like a terrible idea. For one, there was no real person involved, only ‘God’ and since she had given in to all whims of mine, it seemed like a fair deal. Amused, curious, and for my mother’s sake with a little bit of faith, I consented to marrying God. I also placed a condition that I could photograph it. Which too, she gave in to.

The young priest, Ganesh ji, amused with my camera entertained it. He also asked me what I shoot and why. He himself is not a Brahmin by birth, as all priests ideally must be. He has instead earned his Brahmin hood with years of ‘Sadhana’ (practice of meditation, studying and understanding all ancient Hindu scriptures and its branches). After studying my horoscope he said that since I have the blessing of Jupiter and very a positive Neptune, I will do well in the arena of photography, which I confess, is my primary concern.

Amused still, I joked with friends that I wasn’t even marrying a full fledged respectable Big tree, but marrying Lord Vishnu through a humble shrub of Holy Basil known as “Tulsi” in India. Tulsi is considered in Hindu Mythology, a representation of Laxmi, the Goddess of Prosperity and escort to Lord Vishnu, the maintenance man of Planet Earth for all chaos and order. And Tulsi Vivah is the ceremonial marriage of the Tulsi plant (who represent the Goddess within the woman) to Vishnu or his avatar Lord Krishna with fire as witness.

So here it is. A short documentation of my marriage with Lord Vishnu through a shrub of Basil.  The Shrub, Tulsi, who then will apparently absorb the jinx of not finding a real ‘human’ life partner.
For now my mother is busy planning my sister’s wedding which is to take place sometime this year. My other sister lives in New York and spends some of her time in Central Park, a park hopefully lush with Basil.
As for my marital status, I am still, legally – Unmarried.

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