HE - Episode 5

Dear Varloo,

That has been happening since the time of Adam and Eve. And I, a poor mofussil accountant cannot think of a way to better them, nor can I go into greater detail about the "happenings" in this forum.

Priya has a pragmatic approach to life. If I had written this story in the 70s, I should have described the scene like this. "After "that" the lady sat in the corner and cried. The man was sitting restlessly on the cot and smoking." We have seen that scene in many Tamil movies. Priya as an empowered lady boldly acknowledges her part in the act. And as a practical lady does not demand marriage because of the "act". I am happy you liked her attitude.

I am tempted to quote the great mystic Omar Khayyam in full here.

[FONT=Courier,sans-serif]
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it</pre>[/FONT]

I understand your problem. My suggestion is, first write whatever comes to your mind. Then after reading the episode slowly once again, write a feedback again. There is no limitation on the number of fbs a person can write. As to me, more the merrier.

Thanks once again, varloo.

regards,

 

Dear Chithra,
I bow down to your affection for saying that I can understand all those things. I read Upanishads like I would read a piece of poetry. And only very few lines have remained. And it is aeons since I laid my hands on those great works.

I will take a rain-check on your inviation. I am made of pure accountant stuff. And you know it better than anybody else. The stuff consists of balance sheets, profit and loss accounts, tax deductions, cost control, audit and the like.
Thanks once again for the invitation.
Love,
sridhar

That's great Kamla. So NP is no problem. You have filled in some gaps in my education. TIG. (That's Great) ha ha ha

Love,
sridhar

 

Dear Jaya,

I appreciate the way you have minutely studied the scene and the characters. I should make a confession to you. I did not have much time to write HE 5. The original version I wrote was exactly like what you have described here. But there was something lacking in it. Their readily jumping into a sexual relationship showed them in a poor light.

No doubt Priya is a bold lady. But if the physical relationship had happened without a prelude of a touching conversation, then the relationship would have been only physical. At the same time I did not want to present Priya as sex-starved woman, nor Madhavan as a sex-maniac. That's why I introduced the conversation.

They talk about something very personal. And slowly one thing leads to another and soon they find themselves together. That sequence appeared natural.

Thanks, Jaya.

Thanks once again,
Love,
sridhar

 

Hello Meena,

You have a way of doing things. You don't come in for a while. But when you come, you come with a bang. The poem you have written is so wonderful and so apt for the scene I have described. Can you please tell me, who was the poet and where does this poem appear?

I could have, Meena. But I was not sure how will it be received. I was mortally afraid of the moderators' issuing infractions. In any case if I had gone any deeper, the moods of ILites would have changed and....... well, let me not describe anything here.

Again there is a coincidence with this quote as well. You see, I just finished translating Osho's Book of Man. In this book he has dedicated whole chapters to this concept. He explains this in the context of man-woman relationship. Like me he does not have to fear moderators' infractions. So he explains the subtleties in the man-woman relationship at the sexual level and at the psychological level, stressing all the while, the man in the woman and the woman in man.


Thanks a lot Meena for your detailed feedback. I will be happier still if you could grace this forum with your presence every week.

regards,

 

Most Gracious ILites,

Writing HE for all of you has been a rewarding experience in itself. And I now get some other rewards as well.

One such thing was a call I received from ILite this afternoon. She talked to me for 25 minutes on the way I handled the man and woman in the same room scene. I first have to bow down for her love and affection. Well, I have my own reasons for the way I handled the subject. But conversation with her, I am sure, will hone my writing skills.

She makes a valid point. She says for a woman like Priya,especially, when she is not able to forget her deceased husband, to decide to give herself to another man, is a very significant decision. She can't just like that decide on that. Something should have happened between them in one of the earlier meetings that should have led the woman to believe that this man is worthy of being her life companion. And I have not adequately explained that in my story.

At one level, I agree. But I am afraid that in our effort to sanitise sex, we tend to push up to the level of head, ok, let's say heart. Emotions do play a role, no doubt about it. But body in itself is a powerful factor to be considered. An attractive man and an attractive woman are closeted in a hotel room in a far off country. They now have privacy as well as anonymity. They already share a good working relationship and a good friendship. Each admires the other.

Naturally there is likely to be a strong physical attraction between them. And at a weak moment their bodies take over. That was why I said in the prelude that we are still caught in the body-mind dichotomy. After her husband's death, Priya should have been quite celebate. And Madhavan too, preoccupied with his business would not have had a prior sexual relationship. At that time seeing each other in a closed room, well, their feelings would have gotten out of hand.

I am here reminded of my another story where a young man is closeted in the same room with a lady colleauge who is elder to him.There also sex happens. But the young man is already happily married to another woman. He confesses his escapade to his wife and waits for her decision. In fact there was a contest in IL about two years back on what should be the proper climax for the story.

You see, there, the lady gave herself to him without any thought. She was a professional accountant and knew for sure that the relationship will not end in marriage. Yet she gave herself. And she did not insist on any kind of a permanent relationship just because of the sex on that fateful day.

Priya is ready to marry Madhavan. But she being a progressive woman does not want the marriage to be based on the one-night stand. That's why she first issues a caveat to Madhavan on marriage. I have attempted to highlight Priya's maturity on the subject by delinking that sexual act from her decision to marry.

The second point the dear ILite made was this: For a woman to have sex is a stupendous decision. She won't get up next morning just like that and dress herself up. I should have elaborated on how she looked at the dishevelled sheets, her dresses being tossed around and stay thinking about that for a while.

That's a vaild point. I could have done that.

In fact if you see old Tamil movies, if the woman had had sex with her lover before marriage, she will be sitting in the corner and crying. Her love would go and pacify her, "Don't worry. I will surely marry you." only to disappear for the next 25 years, when the child born out of that relationship would have grown into a handsome young man and challenge his own father to a combat.

I wanted my Priya to be different. She is the quintessence of a modern woman. She would have thought of so many things immediately after the act and before going to sleep. She might have decided not to brood over what had already happened and focus on what's happening and move on.

But all these things apart, Madam, I salute you for taking time off your busy schedule (I know the ILIte is really busy) and call me to express your views.
And I have to also thank you for the confidence reposed in me. To discuss such a scene with another male talks about the absolute confidence you have in me. Thanks again for that.

Now ILites, I want your views on these.

Love,

 

Hello Aruna,

Thanks. I agree with you. If Priya was not ready for sex, she might not have slapped; but told Madhavan right on his face that she was not
interested.

And though she likes Madhavan she does not want him to marry him merely as a measure of atonement. That's why she does not say a straight yes and makes her intention clear on that.

regards,

 

Re: HE - Episode 6

Most Gracious ILites,

HE 6 is almost ready and will be hopefully on time.As the story advances, with two timelines to be dealt with, I am becoming anxious day by day. Apart from developing the story on two timelines (believe me it is far more difficult that telling two separate stories) I will have to have the end in mind (which has been chaging quite often) as well as the connection between Timeline A and Timeline B.

"Sir, if writing the story itself is that difficult, then imagine our fate. We have to wait for 14 days to get the next episode. And have to remember the point where the last episode for that particular timeline ended."

Such complaints are not uncommon. At one time I thought of abandoning one of the timelines and go ahead with the other. That will be easy for me too.

But managing two timelines will be a real challenge, something, which has not often been attempted by the writers.

Let me know what you think,
love,