It was just another day on a summer after in this South Indian city, but was all about anxiousness and nervousness as the sun beat down in the afternoon.
It was the law of the land in that dystopian era that each person whose marriage is arranged for the next month should undergo a thorough fitness exam at the government health center the previous month.
Each bride-to-be, a month shy of their arranged weddings, waited anxiously cald in white color sarees in front of the government building.
"Didi," whispered Priya, clutching the edge of her saree.
Priya had just turned twenty and was about to get married through an arranged marriage.
"Why do they say we all need to see the doctor together?" She asked.
Nisha, her soon-to-be sister-in-law, who's marriage is arranged to Priya's elder brother, squeezed Priya's hand reassuringly.
"It's a rule, they say, to ensure our competence for a marriage." Said Nisha.
"Line up, single file!" Said the woman in her white coat, presumably the medical officer in charge for the day.
The ten women formed a nervous queue. The doctor, with a nod, gestured towards a row of metal benches.
"Sit down and remove your footwear."
Each one of them unhooked their sandals and removed their slippers and kept them aside and stood barefoot on the cement floor. One by one, they were called forward adjacent to a wall near which a measurement scale was placed and markings were drawn on the wall for height. One of the nurses measured their height with a cold metal ruler against the wall. Priya, the shortest of the group, blushed furiously as the nurse announced her height in a booming voice.
Next came the ENT check of the girls as they stood in a line next to each other. The doctor went one by one and peered into their ears and throats with a cold metal instrument. At the close proximity, the doctor's breath brushing against their skin, it sent a wave of unexpected heat through most of the girls who felt intimidated by the strong presence of the doctor.
"Alright, ladies," the doctor declared, her voice echoing in the sterile room.
"Ladies, it's time for the visual check. Remove your sarees, all of you, and stand in a line."