SHE - Episode 7

Dear Chitra,

Thanks for being the very first to comment on SHE 7. Shalini is not a perfect character but a highly human character. Many times in our lives we postpone major decisions for a long, long time. Then suddenly, unable to bear the supression and withholding any longer, we burst out with major decisions in just nanoseconds, surprising ourselves more than surprising others. I think Shal is in such a stage in her life.

Her professional life is a different story. She is cool-headed and brings the world around to her way, because there she has not so far committed any major blunders.

But her personal life as of now is in a mess. She regrets her marriage with Rishi. Devastated by her father's death and confounded by her new-found freedom.

Now regarding the bribe-offers, I am now being tempted by many beautiful women with attractive bribe offers. Give me some time Chitra, I am in the process of preparing a wish-list and then barter it with you for a peep into the future chapters. ha ha ha.

regards,

 

Dear Sundari,
I am happy that you liked the way Episode 7 was written. My heroine is perfectly free to make all major decisions in her life. She is free even to make mistakes. If the freedom does not include the right to make mistakes and wrong decisions, then it is worthless. That's why God has created us perfectly free- free to live our lives, free to commit errors, free to be happy and to be sad.

Whether Shalini is going to make silly mistakes or whether she will be forced by others to do so, whether her loneliness will influence her decisions - all these things we need to wait and see, Sundari.

By the way, like Chitra and Vandhana, you have not offered any bribes for knowing about Shal's future? ha ha
regards,

 

Dear Passenger Kamla,

Thanks for adhering to the Flight Attendant's instructions and also for heaping praise on him. Yes there were a few air pockets; but more are in the way. The pilot is being put to the ultimate test.

Other than the basic assurance that you will all be delivered in one piece at the destination, the pilot does not want to give any additional guarantees, especially concerning the smoothness of the ride.

Writing this story is not unlike that of drawing a picture. The picture is rich in colours no doubt. But in no picture will you find all the colours so very rich. There will be places where the colour has to be dull, a little faded so as to contrast the other bright colours. In this picture Rishi's part goes with a dull colour. But wait, in the future chapters this character is going to.... Oh my God, what is this, I am revealing the future story to this lady, that too a person, who unlike Chitra and Vandhana, has not offered any bribes.... no no.. I am stopping it now.
Madam, you now think of the bribes you can offer for a peep into the future; we can discuss Rishi's character in detail. ha ha ha

The next flight seeming to be delayed is only an optical illusion. It will take off exactly at the scheduled time.
While waiting for it, you may think of the bribe-list, ha ha

Thanks for the nice comments,
At your service always,
Love,

 

Dear Vandhana,

Well, let's first discuss about the bribe first. ha ha. It's thrilling to receive so many tempting offers. And all of you know very well that I can resist anything except temptation.

You have observed correctly, Vandhana. Shal being once bitten is twice shy. But please remember that the offer for a live-in came in from Jaggi and it was not from Shalini. And also remember the offer though might have flattered her was also a shock to her.

How did Shal decide on this is a matter of......(I cant say any more here). Well will Rishi be back in the story? To be frank, he will.......(No, Madam, let's first discuss the bribe first ha ha)

regards,

 

Dear Sujatha,

As we have taken off the ground with this chapter, we have to move fast. In fact we are moving fast, though we are flying slow.

As people think marriages do not break all of a sudden. The cracks develop some years before the actual break. People always wait till the last minute. And at the last minute it appears to us outsiders, that everything happened in a flash of lightning. Actually it happened gradually in this case. But the explosion came all of a sudden.

I am reminded of a parable told by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. A lady complains to her husband that her sister's husband is slowly withdrawing from the world. And that he has cut his food, his sexual relationship, his outings and so on. She also expresses her fear that her sister's husband might renounce the world to become a sanyassin. To which her husband replies, 'Sanyas does not happen in a step by step process. May be the soul prepares itself for ages; but the decision happens as if in a flash of lightning.'
The wife laughs at this suggestion and tells him it could not be so. Can he explain how it happens in a flash?
To which the husband immediately tore of his dhoti had a bath and immediately became a sanyasi then and there and left the house.
Shal's decision can be compared only to that kind of intensity.

Will she be careful in her future relationships? We need to only wait and see.
Stay tuned. Thanks for your nice comments,
regards,

 

Dear Usha,

I am Shalini's creator and not her defence lawyer, Usha. In one way Shalini is utterly defenceless. But the truth is that she need not defend her decisions or actions.
As I have repeatedly telling in this thread, the decision and implementation may be sudden, but it has been cooking for five years. As you know it takes some time for the rice to cook in the pressure cooker. But there is a tipping point where the pressure reaches the specified parameter, the cooker gives out a loud whistle. Shal's decision to divorce is equivalent to that loud whistle. While we can only hear the whistle we cannot fully see the cooking process. Though I tried my best to show at least a part of the process - Shalini going to the counsellor, her loveless life with Rishi, Rishi's almost non-existent relationship with her, his taking her for granted - all these are parts of cooking process. Her outburst in this episode is the final whistle-blowing.

Agreed, Usha, I should have added some more colour to Rishi's character to justify my heroine and her decision. I deliberately omitted that because I want to use this omission later in the story. Secondly, to tell all, that freedom does not imply that whatever the person does is right, especially from our point of view.

There is one area where I will have to file a vakalat for Shalini - when she is accused of a hasty marriage. During courtship both men and women put their best foot forward. In India as the physical relationship does not usually happen in many cases, there is a craving for that also, which forces the man (even woman too, but mostly the man) to show himself in the best light. Shalini might have been deceived by that, as thousands of girls do get deceived and eventually fall into a loveless 'love marriage'.

She might have found out about her husband within 6 months; but why should she wait for 5 years is a moot question. And here lies the classic problem. Rishi did not have a 'major problem' like physical violence, drinking, squandering money, or other women. His was a problem which affects a majority of men. So Shalini is a little confused and that confusion has robbed five precious years in her life.

But let's not worry, she is still young with a daring and an adventurous mind. Le's see what she is up to.

"Being level headed in profession and sheer arrogance incarnate in her personal life" wonderful words, Usha. Though I am yet to be convinced of the truth in it, they show the writer in you.

And you being a CA I can confide in you. I see so many of my professional brothers in a similar situation. Tops in their profession; but their personal life, especially their married life sucks. Why? Are we laying too much emphasis on the growth of intellect to the neglect of emotional growth?

While on this I remember the words I spoke in a school some 30 years ago. We have doctor-making education, lawyer-making education, engineer-making education and even accountant-making education but no man-making education.

These opinions do not confine my dear heroine and are just an aside while on the topic of professional success and personal failure.

Thanks Usha for your kind comments. My request is that you stay tuned and give me your comments for ever chapter.
regards,

 

Dear Mythili,
I am happy that you liked those arguments though I wrote them with rather a heavy heart.
Well, Mythili, Shalini has decided to get out of the marriage. But when her father-in-law or her husband, force her to stay back, when they flatly refuse her freedom to quit, she got wild and had to threaten them.
With my little experience in the ways of the world, I tell you this: when someone like Rishi threatens to complain about Shailini's insanity and deviously plans to confine her to a marriage and to the house she does not like, then, her method alone would work.
As the great Ramakrishna Paramahamsa illustrated in the parable of a snake, it is not right to bite people and kill them; but it is perfectly all right to hiss and frighten people as a measure of self-preservation. Shalini's action has to be taken only in that sense.
In that way if Rishi did not consent she might not have alleged misbehaviour or impotency; but her threatening to do so have put them in their places. Thats what she wanted.

About Jaggi and Shal's relationship, well, to tell you the truth....(no, Mythili, I cannot say anything now; we'll have to wait and see)

How will Shall be to Jaggi or he to her, let's just keep our fingers crossed.
regards,

 

Hello Meena,
Thanks a lot for your matured, balanced response to Shal's actions. The surprise about Rishi's reaction is quite understandable. Now we need to take a closer look on that character. Rishi has taken everything, his life and his wife included, for granted. And he loves and can only deal with smooth sailing conditions and not a rough weather. As a soldier he is capable only of handling peace and not war. So when Shalini threatened to leave he is undermined, threatened and scandalised. How was he going to explain that to his friends, to his relatives and all? That kind of fear can make any man (or woman, bad).
If you have a cat in the house you can verify this statement. It will be a very timid animal. But when cornered with no way to escape it can turn out to be as ferocious as the tiger. Rishi's action is borne out of extreme fear.

Your friends' talk on freedom is quite interesting. I know a lady in Chennai. She used to be very good looking. She conducted some yoga classes and was making good money. She loved freedom. When her parents insisted that she should marry she flatly refused. But as she turned 35 she suddenly felt the insecurity of life and is now ready to sacrifice all her freedom at the altar of marriage. But she is 38 now and there are a few takers in the marriage market.

Marriage vs. Freedom is an eternal debate. Many married women prefer freedom and many "free" women want to marry. Strange are the ways of the world.

Thanks once again for the participation and for enriching this thread.
regards,