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
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