The evolution of these stories shows that while the setting might change—from a haveli to a high-rise apartment—the core of the Indian family story remains the same: a deep-seated love and a commitment to navigating life together.

At the center of the mahogany dining table sat a stack of wedding invites. To anyone else, they were just gold-embossed cards. To the Malhotras, they were a ticking time bomb. The youngest daughter, Anjali, had just announced she wasn't marrying the neurosurgeon her parents had hand-picked. Instead, she was moving to Goa to open a sustainable pottery studio with a man who owned three shirts and zero retirement plans.

"Goa is very humid," Ramesh grumbled, finally sitting down. "I’ll need to buy linen shirts if we’re visiting."