Part 2
Chapter 3: The Verdict of the Stars
Rajas stared at his father, his pulse quickening in the heavy silence of the room. He expected to hear about a financial crisis, a property dispute, or perhaps a sudden health scare.
Instead, his mother, Kamal, set the tray of tea down on the table with a sharp click, her face incredibly solemn. She sat down next to his father, taking a deep breath.
"Raju," Kamal began, her voice tight with absolute conviction. "Yesterday morning, Ira’s mother and I went to the old temple in the upper village. We took both of your birth charts to the head Pandit ji. You both are nearly 27... it is time we start looking for matches."
Rajas blinked, a sudden lump forming in his throat. He looked down at his teacup, trying to mask his panic. *Looking for matches?* The families had no idea about their love affair. They weren't looking to marry them to each other; they were planning entirely separate lives for them.
"And?" Rajas managed to ask, his voice tight. "What did he say?"
"Well, for Ira, the Pandit said she has some minor *kundali* planetary conditions, but we can officially start searching for a groom for her from next year," Kamal explained.
Rajas felt a microscopic wave of relief, but it was instantly crushed by the expression on his mother's face as she looked at him.
"But for you, Raju... it’s bad," his mother said, her eyes filling with genuine worry. "He checked your chart three times. He said there is absolutely no female partnership written in your stars. None. That is why you are always so isolated, so single, always buried in your computers. He said if we don't fix it now, you will remain alone forever."
Rajas almost laughed out of sheer irony. He wanted to blurt out that his female partnership was currently hanging laundry right next door, but he kept his mouth shut. "Aai, it's just a superstition. I'm focused on my career—"
"Listen to me!" Kamal interrupted, desperately earnest. "There is a remedy. The Pandit said to pull a female energy into your life, first you have to temporarily walk towards her. Yo need to walk on a female path. You need to live completely as a woman for one full month."
Rajas froze. His jaw literally dropped. Even his father looked surprised, clearing his throat uncomfortably, clearly having already processed the shock.
*"Mhanje kay?!"* (What does that even mean?!) Rajas gasped, his quiet demeanor completely shattered.
"The *Adhik Maas* (extra month in the Hindu calendar) is starting in exactly one month," Kamal said, leaning in, her eyes wide. "He said you must return home, live as a woman for that entire month, and end the ritual by offering prayers at the town's Devi Yatra festival at the end of the month. Only then will the defect in your stars be destroyed!"
A sudden, choked sound came from the doorway.
Ria was standing there, a plate of biscuits in her hand. Her eyes were wide, her lips trembling as she desperately tried to control an explosion of laughter. The sheer, chaotic joy in her eyes told Rajas that his life was officially over.
"Aai..." Rajas said, his voice cracking as he adjusted his glasses. "Are you out of your mind? I am a Senior Software Engineer! How can I just... become a woman for a month?!"
"It's for your future, Raju!" Kamal insisted, tears welling up. "I won't let my only son live a lonely life." Without waiting for his response, she called out toward the open side window that faced the neighbor's house. "Vandana! Ira! *Aat ya ga jara!* (Come inside for a bit!) Help me convince this boy!"
Within two minutes, the front door opened. Ira and her mother, Vandana, walked in. Ira had a curious, slightly amused look on her face, but as Kamal quickly reiterated the entire story to them, the atmosphere in the room shifted into something utterly bizarre.
Vandana, being Kamal's closest friend, instantly nodded in agreement. "Kamal is right, Raju. If Pandit ji said it, there must be a reason. And look at you, you've become so thin in Pune, no girl would choose you anyway! A little feminine grace might do you good."
Rajas looked at Ira, silently pleading for help. Surely, his confident, modern, independent girlfriend would talk some sense into their mothers.
Instead, Ira looked at Rajas, her eyes gleaming with a sudden, wicked sparkle. A slow, deeply mischievous smile spread across her face. She was a fashion designer and a makeup artist. To her, this wasn't a curse—it was the ultimate, living canvas.
"Aai, Kaku, you both are absolutely right," Ira said, her voice dripping with mock solemnity as she stepped closer to Rajas. *"Our Rajas needs to take this seriously."*
Rajas stared at her, betrayed. "Ira! You too?"
"Think about it, Rajas," Ira teased, openly enjoying his torment while their mothers nodded approvingly. "You are so shy anyway. You already have the quiet voice down. With a little bit of my makeup and some of my mother’s custom-stitched sarees, we could actually save your future!"
Ria couldn't hold it in anymore. She dropped onto the sofa, howling with laughter. "Oh my god! Dada in a saree! Ira, you have to do his makeup! I'll handle the hairstyling!"
"Stop it, both of you!" Rajas stood up, his face burning red, his introverted soul dying a thousand deaths. "I reject this. I have a job! What will the office say? What will the neighbours say? The relatives? If anyone sees me, I’ll be the laughing stock of the entire district!"
"You can take work from home for a month, you said your IT job allows it," his mother argued, grasping at straws.
Ira walked a full circle around Rajas, tapping her chin thoughtfully as if measuring him up for a collection. "Don't worry about the other people, Rajas. If I do your makeup, nobody will even recognize you. You'll look like a beautiful guest visiting our village." She leaned in slightly, whispering just loud enough for Ria to hear, "In fact, I think a traditional Paithani saree would look lovely on you."
Ria clapped her hands in delight. "Yes! And we need to teach him how to walk! Dada, show us how you swing your hips!"
*"Ria, gapp bas!"* (Ria, shut up!) Rajas snapped softly, covering his face with his hands, utterly overwhelmed.
His mother took his arm, her eyes pleading. "Please, Raju. Do this for your mother. It's just for one month. One month to fix your entire life."
Rajas looked around the room. His mother was on the verge of tears, his father was quietly resigned, his sister was practically vibrating with wicked excitement, and the girl he loved was already mentally designing his female wardrobe.
Chapter 4: The Ultimate Ultimatums
"I said no, Aai! And that is final!" Rajas’s voice echoed through the modest living room, his usual quiet restraint pushed to its absolute limit. "This isn’t just a superstition; it’s completely insane. I am not doing it."
Kamal’s face crumpled. She looked at her husband, who remained hopelessly silent, and then back at her son. Slowly, she stood up from the table, her expression shifting from pleading to a dangerous, maternal resolve.
"Fine," Kamal said, her voice dropping to a calm, terrifying whisper. "If you don't care about your future, why should I care about my present? From this exact moment, not a single drop of water or a morsel of food will pass my lips. If my only son chooses to live a lonely, ruined life, I will gladly leave this world before I have to watch it happen."
"Aai, that's emotional blackmail!" Rajas gasped.
"Call it whatever you want, Raju," she said, turning her back on him and walking straight toward the small house altar, sitting down cross-legged on the floor.
Rajas looked around the room in a frenzy. His father gave a heavy, helpless shrug. He looked at Ira and Ria, but before he could even ask for backup, the sheer weight of Indian parental guilt crushed him.
"Fine! Fine! I'll do it!" Rajas yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "I'll do the stupid ritual!"
Kamal instantly turned around, the tears vanishing as a triumphant smile took over. "Good. But remember, the *Adhik Maas* starts in exactly one month. The Pandit ji said the new girl must be completely convincing from day one. There can be no mistakes. So, your training starts tomorrow morning."
Rajas froze. "Tomorrow? But the month starts in four weeks!"
"Exactly," Kamal said, thoroughly practical now. "Just 4 weeks. It takes time to turn a rough IT block into a proper lady. You have just one month to learn how to look, talk, and act like a girl."
Beside him, a synchronized gasp of pure, unadulterated joy erupted. Ria and Ira looked at each other, their eyes sparkling with a naughty, chaotic energy. Rajas felt a cold dread settle deep in his gut. His life wasn't just over; it was about to become a spectator sport.
"Oh my god," Ria squealed, jumping up and down. "I finally get a sister! Dada, you have no idea how long I've wanted someone to share my wardrobe with. We can do skincare routines, gossip, and you can finally help me clean the room!"
"Ria, shut up," Rajas groaned, burying his face in his hands.
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