Open sesame...: महाश्वेता (Mahashweta)

We read through 100s of books in our lives...and often come across, a  few  memorable ones that we deeply connect with and that leave a mark on our thinking-- the way we see ourselves as well as the world around us. Mahashweta ...is one such book for me...

     Anupama...A BEAUtiful, smart, talented, compassionate, loving, idealistic girl ..who's...poor only in terms of money. Although she was endowed with a pure character, all that the world saw and acknowledged was her physical beauty and her charming talent.

Anand...A Rich and handsome, well "educated", freshly graduated "doctor".

Anand falls in "love" with Anupama at their very first meeting. He's further charmed by her acting in the play "Mahashweta". Anupama thinks Anand is her Prince charming too (mistake mistake big mistake)...They have a fairy tale wedding complete with Anand's vow in their room " Until death do us apart.". Soon Anand goes abroad for higher studies.

Suddenly, the free spirited Anupama finds herself  bound within the four walls of Anand's mansion, weighed down by her mother-in-law's heavy and exquisite jewellery and caught between people who think that acting in plays is shameful. The (smitten) letters from Anand becomes her only solace.

One fine day, Anupama notices a white patch on her foot that seemed to be spreading. As visits to skin doctors were a taboo, for the first time she lies and sneaks out of the house. The doctor confirms that its leukoderma. Her mother-in-law accuses her of hiding this secret at the time of marriage and drives her outta the house. She becomes a burden on her poor father who already has enough on his shoulders. The self respecting girl had even studied on scholarship, so living on her father's expense after marriage ate her up. She wrote dozens of letters to Anand, sure, that a doctor like him would never shy away from this cosmetic disease...Not once did he (have the guts to) reply.

One fine morning she decided to go to the village Goddess for help. On the way to the temple, she learns that Anand's mother was searching for a new bride for him. Now THAT was all she could take....From the hill top temple, she contemplates suicide....

...But then why should she die? What wrong did she do?? While Anand's sister who was in a passionate affair could marry someone else and still be happy and could still hold a respectable position in society, why should she having done no wrong suffer??

She had come to the temple to claim her married life back but now all that she prayed for was strength....

And then...she takes charge of her life..   and life in turn, embraces her. She becomes her old self again sans her immaturity and beauty-- self dependent, courageous, loving, trustworthy and righteous.Literally, she becomes... Mahashweta--The great white One.

Life had played a cruel game with her and taken away her physical beauty but whatever happens, happens for the good...for now, if people liked her, they did so for what she really was. She had a few friends but all GOLD...She even met someone whom she should have perhaps fallen for...but life isn't always fair, for it has bad timing :)

..She fiiiinally finds her small little place in this big bad world...

Thank God i bought this book :) The psychology of the Indian stereotypes has been elaborated so well...The poor remarried father, The rich, good looking,smitten,immature husband, The rich mother-in-law, The rich and pampered sister-in-law, The villagers..and sadly all of these characters are still all around us, sometimes veiled ans some other times not so .