Yesterday Binita, her parents, Rai Uncle and his wife, and I went over to the West Bengal Marriage Registration Office. We’re just another step closer to actually being married.
If you want to get marriage legally in India and/or Nepal, it’s quite complicated. There’s a clear separation between a legal marriage and a regular marriage.
In the eyes of the new Indian government, Binita and I are married. In the eyes of the people that Binita and her parents know, we are not. So we’re about half married as of yesterday.
When we have the tikka-giving ceremony in June, then Binita and I will be fully, 100% married. Wow.
Getting the court marriage, must like dealing with the police in Nepal for stuff that Binita will need for her visa, is a process mostly undermined by bribing.
I have to say, there’s nothing that exciting about bribing people. Think of bribing and you think of smiles and handshakes laced with cash.
Mostly in fake receipts and long, confusing explanations of hidden costs. It’s a process saturated in shame, which makes it seem much worse than it is.
I feel bad doing it, even though all the other folks who need something from such an office do the same. I wish it were bolder, shameless.
In other news, I’ve been emailing back and forth with the US Consulates and Embassy in India as well as the Embassy in Kathmandu, trying to get information for Binita’s Visa.
There’s a fine print under the fine print, which makes exactly confirming the details nearly impossible, since for details there are details.
Slowly, we’re figuring it out.
