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Married love can be a thing all its own, and only those inside it will recognise it, really; and only the fortunate few have it in their lives.
So much of what we know about love, we learn from movies and books. Dashing dudes on motorcycles and sultry femmes in their pastel best. A formula for romance, peppered with grand gestures and heady kisses. Ah, so magical! We yearn for those fireworks and try our hardest to replicate the same formula in our lives.
And yes, sometimes Love is dazzling. Scary in its intensity, thrilling, all-consuming. Verses of poetry waiting on our work desk. A dozen roses, simply because. He’s loud, he’s magnetic, and he takes your breath away. You walk around in a daze, drunk on this love.
But sometimes Love is subtle. Unexpressed with words but loud in its own way. He gets home Pizza and a tub of chocolate ice cream. Surprise breakfasts delivered to your bed, buying tampons with zero embarrassment. Fuelling up your car to save you time in the morning, seeking your agreement but respecting your ‘NO’s. He may forget to kiss you before leaving for work, but calls at noon just to hear your voice.
Sometimes Love is plain boring. Filling out loan applications together. Attending his tiresome coworker’s party. “Babe, what’s for dinner?” “Hey can you pick Kiddo up from school today?”
You wake up hating the non-drama. Envying the newlyweds next door. Mr. Hot Guy and Mrs. Perky Boobs. Wasn’t that you once upon a time? You look over at your husband, making you hot chocolate with infinite patience. Trying to cheer you up with a droopy little rose he plucked from the backyard. And suddenly you want to kiss him right there in front of the kids because how did you get so lucky?!
Often Love is difficult. It requires you to be unselfish. To care for someone else even if you’re just as sick. To forgive angry words said in heated voices. To see past wet towels on the floor and work meetings on Sundays. It takes every ounce of patience to not scream. Fights, sulk fests, smudged rivulets of mascara on white pillowcases. You’re shocked by how hard marriage is. But you vow to work harder on your relationship. You’re a warrior and he’s worth fighting for.
And then sometimes Love takes a little nap. Years of togetherness, decades of comfort with each other’s routines. He forgets your birthday, you lose that watch he got you for your first anniversary. Life and kids and a million pesky things come between you. One day, he gets home a hastily wrapped present. Perplexed, you open it, while he hops around on his middle-aged feet. It’s a rather ugly watch with a too-large dial.
“Do you like it? Do you like it?”
And you do! You adore the damn thing, just like you cherish this darling man standing before you. Guess what? Naptime is over. And hey, Love was always a light sleeper!
Married love can be dazzling or subtle, dull or infuriating. It can be all of these types at different times for different people. And some days, love sleeps for a really long while. But there‘s no right or wrong here. Our relationships are our own unique experiences and how we cherish our spouses. Married Love is more of a verb and less of an established noun.
Occasionally love comes in bursts and waves, like a glorious thunderstorm. You can get drenched in it and swept off your feet. But like a gentle rain that nourishes, love can also be quiet. Modest and unappreciated for its simplicity. We must be careful not to overlook the unsaid because often the biggest acts of love happen in the quietest moments.
So much of what we know of love, we learn from movies. Dashing dudes and sultry femmes with their grand gestures and heady kisses.
But if you asked me, I’d choose that droopy little rose any day.
A version of this was first published here.
Image source: a still from the movie Badhaai Ho
I'm a proud wife and a warrior mom awaiting my certificate in "Advanced helicopter parenting". An avid coffee enthusiast. A physician in another life. My hobbies include reading and writing, then nitpicking what I read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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