Introduction -- Kakheri -- The love commandos -- Snakes and mongooses -- Right wrong, wrong right -- I am Reshma -- You look to me, I look to you -- Dirty children -- Manoj and Babli -- Love jidah -- A delicate world toppled - A free life -- Take me as I am -- Within yourself make patience the bow -- Love marriage = destroy life -- Objects in the mirror -- Sorry, wrong number -- A matter of price -- How to say it -- Afterword.
Summary:
"In India, there are 650 million people under the age of 35. These are men and women who grew up with the Internet, and the advent of smartphones and social media. But when it comes to love and marriage, they're expected to adhere to thousands of years of tradition. It's that tension between obeying tradition and accepting modernity that drives journalist Mansi Choksi's THE NEWLYWEDS-also signaling the arrival of a major literary talent. Through gorgeous, lyrical prose, Choksi shines a light on three young couples who buck against arranged marriages in the pursuit of true love. Choski illustrates the challenges, shame, anger, triumph, and loss their collective actions set in play. Against the backdrop of India's beautiful villages, mountains, and cities, Choksi introduces readers to: Reshma & Preeti, a lesbian couple forced to flee town for a chance at a life together-all while the headstrong Reshma continues to convince Preeti their love is right and unconquerable: to Monika & Arif, a Hindu woman and Muslim man leaving their families behind in the cover of night as they and their loved ones are harassed by the "Love Commandos," a violent militia group (implicitly sanctioned by Narendra Modi) whose chief aim is to prevent all interfaith marriages: and to Neetu & Dawinder, an inter-caste couple who, despite learning about a similar couple being burned alive for their "crime," resolve to work towards a different fate. Ultimately, while thousands of miles separate the principal characters from readers, the questions their pursuits ask are universal. Specifically: What are we really willing to risk for love? If we're lucky enough to find it, does it change us? If so, for the better? Or for the worse? The answers to these questions vary upon the three couples, but their collective fight allows readers into a world whose customs and traditions are rarely discussed-or questioned"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.