My report card

Now that I am at a stage where queries about marriage are bound to crop up in any social gathering, I realize that all those years of collecting annual report cards was actually preparing me for the most decisive report card of my life. The bits and pieces I have heard in the last few months help me understand that a girl is a girl at the end of the day. The objectification of the weaker sex is instilled within each of us, no matter how much we may try to prove otherwise. Even though I view myself as a worthy life partner for someone, my so called worthiness is subject to a number of criteria being fulfilled. So, today, I am going to analyze myself with respect to my acceptability as a potential bride.

1. The first skill that should be inherent, no points for guessing here, is the art of cooking. Even during these modern times, this skill is something much looked forward to. And as if to say that just knowing how to cook were not enough, we are expected to be masters at it i.e. to be able to prepare a full meal for the entire family or make our presence felt at the family kitchen just to prove our point. Where do I stand with regard to this skill? I suppose I am a fairly good cook. I do know my spices and condiments along with whatever little I know of baking thrown into the pot. Although my Mum enters the kitchen on very few occasions, I am glad she ensured I knew this trait well because it has surely helped during my years as a college student and will definitely come in handy in the near future.
2. Person-to-person interactions is something that does not come easily to me. I happen to take my time before I can be my true self around people. My sister very openly confides that I have a moody personality and, as much as I would have liked to disagree with her, some part of me knows that I can be difficult to handle at times. When things get a little uncomfortable, I manage to just switch off. As long as it is my family we are talking about, they understand me well but adjusting in a new setting, with new faces is going to need some patience from both ends. This is something I need to work on.
3. Academically as well as professionally, I think I am in a good place right now. Ofcourse, there is a lot left to achieve but all that will happen in good time. I am positive about this.
4. One skill that is most definitely not a criteria but still makes sense to me is that I am a good driver. I feel this makes me independent and equally at par with my significant other since gone are the days when women had to be waiting by the door for a male to drive them to town or to a social event etc. I can always step in when options are few.
5. This skill should have come in second after cooking but I only remembered to add it now. Girls are expected to be a home-maker so naturally we are expected to ensure (thorough) cleaning and maintenance of the home. Here I think my OCD comes in handy. I am constantly trying to achieve perfection in my place. Every Sunday, and on other free days, I manage to squeeze in some amount of house work, whether it be washing the toilets, clothes or mopping the floor etc. I cannot seem to stay idle at home. Recently, I indulged in some gardening in my village and I was delighted with myself.
6. Following the previous point, I do not have this one ability though - the patience to sew. I do manage to stitch every now and then but I am not a fan of the task. Thankfully this is not a trait we are expected to possess, maybe in the pan Indian setting but not in Sikkim for sure. Phew.
7. Another important area of the house which every potential bride must know her way around is definitely the prayer room. Here, I am a goner. I do read a lot about Buddhism and I think I  have a fairly good understanding of the philosophy. However, when it comes to practical application in a ritualistic setting I know zilch about the details that go into organizing a puja. Preparing and serving food to the monks, offering water to the idols in the mornings and removing them in the evenings, lighting a butter lamp in the evenings followed by prostrations etc. are a few things I am well conversed in but, saving these, I am  lost.
8. Finally, one of the most important skills and also much sought after in Sikkim is knowledge of one's mother tongue. Here I stand in a very good position. More than happy though, I am sad because knowing that our language is fast disappearing is not good news.

So, on this sad note I have reached my quota for the day so far as thinking is concerned. To add a few concluding lines...

In my culture, when the groom's side comes to the bride's house, they bring a few offerings in exchange for the girl. I have been witness to this symbolic exchange on a few occasions now and the only dominant picture that has remained in my head is the image of a dead pig. Thus, my point being that no matter how qualified a girl may be, at the end of the day all we are worth is a dead pig. Yes, a dead pig.