This That and the Other – Part 1

April 3, 2008 at 12:52 (story tellers, Uncategorized) (beauty, freedom, kamasutra, love, lust, maurya)

She wakes up frightened and startled, its 3am, walks up to her dressing table turns on the light, stares at her beautiful reflection and wonders why she’s been created; confused and ugly. “If only I had this that and the other, like those other people in beauty magazines, maybe then he and they might pay more attention, like they do, to those who have this that and the other.” She further wondered whether she could call what she had with him as love. He was too demanding so demanding that he wanted “that” from her, as a confirmation (a cremation rather) or a commemoration of their; these many weeks, months or years of dating or hanging around together.

“I don’t think its right, darling.” Ananya said

“Well, what’s wrong, don’t you love me.” He said

“Yes, I do!”

“Well, then why can’t we”

“I don’t know… I think there is an ordained time for this …, because I believe; Love knows when to say No! If you love me you can wait too.”

“But then aren’t we animals and animals don’t wait”

“But then don’t you see Damien, I’m not an animal, and if I were one I would have bitten that tail and plucked that eye of yours the last time I saw you ogling. Actually I wouldn’t have really cared if I were an animal; I would have simply made the most of my animal rights instinct and bit that empty head of yours. Well, even if you were to say it’s an appetite like any other appetite; wouldn’t it be really odd if one our appetites were to become our only preoccupation.”

The lines were beginning to fade, she thought, “Love and lust now mean the same thing” reminiscing about what had been taught many years back, a kid then it meant something different, but now it meant more: “isn’t love patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love doesn’t demand its own way, it’s not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it’s been wronged. It’s never glad about injustice but rejoices when the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Isn’t lust selfish the opposite of or a crooked imitation of true love?”

Ananya had come across a quack who said that: ‘we were a very liberal society, way ahead of our time. Chandragupta Maurya actually had naked female bodyguards. This is the land of Kamasutra.’– I wonder how it would feel if this quack would have his relative as one of those vulnerable women embellishing that elaborately dressed king’s palace. Even tribal cultures have had some idea of right and wrong, gift and punishment.

Neways, slowly her thoughts began to drift on those same lines and suddenly a random thought appeared, “Talking about freedom, man, today media seems to be dictating terms; even our ideas on friendship and family are shaped by some movie or serial. Now they have begun to curb on our freedom to laugh, by giving us a cue with a bunch of muffs laughing in the background, to inform us its time to laugh. No doubt it’s funny, hilarious and all, but then shouldn’t we have the freedom to know when to and when not to laugh.”

Staring at her reflection she thought, “what if I tell them”, her friends i.e., “man, they would freak out, cause sometimes I’ve noticed our world, the way we dress, behave and relate to each other, revolves around that box, sometimes it’s nice and exciting but most times its really frustrating. I remember speaking to Krithi though she has this that and the other yet, she mentioned that, she too feels empty, miserable, vulnerable, and living in denial. I guess we are expecting to find the right answers, in the wrong places, from the wrong people; we are people in need.”

– Bobby Thejus