Love: Acts of Faith- Erich Segal and Darjeeling-Bharti Kirchner

It happened so that coincidentally, I read two books on “challenging women” successively. By challenging, I don’t mean the social challenges, rather the emotional challenges. I am strongly convinced that beyond the social/economical/physical challenges, womenfolk need real courage to overcome what I term as “emotional challenge”- a self-imposed challenge, egoistical, maybe, war between one’s heart and head. And as far as I have encountered with, these “Delicate” women, regardless of their history or genealogy have the courage to bear these challenges and make an epic of emotions. Two interesting characters- Deborah in “Acts of Faith” by Erich Segal and Sujatha in “Darjeeling” by Jeff Koelher. Both these women fell in love with the man who won their hearts, both were deported to distant lands for different reasons. 

Deborah has always been concerned about the lack of womenness in sermons, belongs to the Jewish Rabi Luria family, and falls in love with catholic Timothy, who is orphaned and parentless as of then. He is engaged with blowing off lights on Sabbath day in Deborah’s and her neighborhood. When their affair comes to light to the Luria’s, they decide to send their lovely daughter off to Israel- a sort of captivity. Deborah’s love for Timothy only grew with time and distance, as did Timothy’s for Deborah. Inspite of their increasing reputations and the imposition of laws, each carried the other in themselves, the barriers to break them notwithstanding. That was love, that flowed like a castle of water in all its strength and vigor and enriched the energy in each other for each other. This, to me, is the truest of love- love for soulmate. It energizes, vitalizes, dares to accomplish anything for the sake of the loved. It can be beautifully seen in Deborah’s sensitivity not to inform Tim of their newborn, for the concern of not wanting to stand between his career. The pain of concealment did not bother the bold-hearted, for she wanted not to distract Tim of his priesthood. A painless, yet painful responsibility, for when her son is complained of the “lack of masculine touch” at school and the clinic, she only decides to go back to her adopted in-laws and not bark at tim. Tim, on the other hand, takes every opportunity to discover Deborah after their parting. The journeys with Daniel (Deborah’s understanding brother) that he relishes the most, be even for a few minutes, he took the discourse of the conversation towards “learning” Deborah. The Deborah-timothy love is the “love of the soul”, “love of the hearts”- what not? They were truly engrossed with each other, no materials, no show-off, no hidden intents.

Contrary to that, the love between Sujatha and Pranab had, if not malevolic, serious intentions. For Sujatha, it was a need to outsmart her envied sister Aloka- the lovely, tenderhearted Aloka- the beloved of papa and Nina Thakurma. The relationship begins itself as a show-off, as Sujatha “prepares” herself to meet Pranab in the living room, in Aloka’s absence. Every time, she plans to meet him, she does so with an extra care about her appearance. That was a cooked, crooked love- not the love that flows naturally. Years of longingness- yes! Though Pranab risks his marriage to Aloka for Sujatha, though neither of them is filled with cherished moments of time spent with each other, there isn’t a sincere, sacrificial, unexpected love. This is evident when Sujatha gets bored of Pranab a decade later, and denies his proposal for marriage. I would say, she only loved his brave-hearted dynamism, and the dances he displayed, than she loved him. Whereas, for Pranab, it was Gupta’s daughter, and not Sujatha, that he wanted. Evidently, he impressed both of Gupta’s daughters and shattered the peace between the two. This is not characteristic of “love”. It does not hamper peace, rather it abounds in peace and extends itself to the environment around- the mark of Deborah-Tim!!

 - Written in late 2006 at 904 JW 91

BOOK: BEFORE WE VISIT THE GODDESS

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni- My favorite author. She ladles my emotions and mostly unseen creativity with her words. Never has it been possible to shove away her book midway, never have her characters moved past me long after completion. My most favorite of her is 'The Palace of Illusions'- her portrayal of the relationship between Karna and Panchali- for that alone, I adore her. This closely ranks second.

As always, I was impatient to read the initial few pages. The narration was shifting between times, and for someone as me who had began reading after nearly 3 years, it was difficult to comprehend. Yet, as I persevered, it was every bit THAT tantalizing.

Sabitri, Bela and Tara- their (non)-relationship between three generations of women, and how their relationships are largely influenced by the men of their lives. Sabitri yearns for an education, ensures Bela receives it. But love lures Bela into running out of the country without her mother's knowledge and consent, ofcourse, dropping out of college. Sabitri is torn by this separation, much more by her daughter's deceit. Her relationship with Bipin Babu, rather his relation to Sabitri. How despite all these ordeals and despite Bipin's insistence, she reinforces her stand of living alone. The scene where Durga Sweets is vandalized by Naxals and their immediate conversations are a class apart.

Bela: How her innocent narration of a truth distanced her mother and dad. How Sabitri blames her for something she does not even realize. While she realizes and yearns for her mother post marriage in the US, she is mostly influenced by her husband- Sanjay - the only villian, if i may say so, of the novel. How he tries hard to keep Tara, their daughter, out of her. How every action of his has an ulterior motivation. How a bitter unannounced divorce tears her apart and how she picks up herself post divorce with the help of Ken-the boy who stayed right above her apartment. Her weight loss episodes and her taking to writing culinary books are an inspiration. Although a small part, Ken's characterization is very integral to the raise of Bela from shambles. If only every disastrous life had an upliftment as Ken!!!!

Tara: The girl who had to undergo a surge of happiness to the valley of disaster post her parent's divorce. As much as I would resent girls her age behave the way she does, at every instant she had my sympathy. Caught between the melodrama of her mother and manipulations of her father, she makes up for everything she was denied with, being a Kleptomaniac. The near death encounter with Dr Venkatachalapathi and her visit to the temple with Dr V were God's directions to her- a reinforcement of faith that howmuchsoever you may waver from the destined path, your strings are with GOD and He/She will ensure you are back on the track.

All the three women rose from ashes with near death encounters. If it was her husband's death and winning the case over her deceased husband's  organization for Sabitri that led her to Durga Sweets- the sweet stall she names after her dead mother, it was the unexpected divorce for Bela and her rise to being the best selling author of two culinary books. For Tara, it is her ability to build her family after her near encounter with death following a failed relationship and an abortion.

And, what a way to end an epic.

"a new recipe I had perfected, the sweet I would go on to name after my dead mother. I took a bite of the conch-shaped dessert, the palest, most elegant mango color. The smooth creamy flavor of fruit and milk, sugar and saffron mingled and melted on my tongue. Satisfaction overwhelmed me. This was something I had achieved by myself, without having to depend on anyone. No one could take it away. That's what I want from you, my Tara, my Bela. That's what it means to be a fortunate lamp"

To say the book enthralled me is an understatement.  One interesting observation about CBD's women are the lack of sainthood with which she paints her characters. Be it the sisters of 'Sisters of the heart' or the most celebrated Panchali of 'The palace of illusions' or Sabitri, Bela and Tara of 'Before we visit the Goddess'- all these women have their own share of sins. Either situation driven, or deceit driven or age driven- all these women have a thread of sin connecting them- sin, a very innate nature of humanhood. For Sabitri it was to avenge the insult she was subjected to. for Bela, it was the nonacceptance of cruelty (that her tenants were subjected to). For Tara, it was all those 'so near, yet so far' persons/things/happiness that she was denied. I retrospected my own life with respect to my sins and began understanding myself in a new dimension after this book.