The Lost Dewdrop

The Lost Dewdrop

What is the price of love? I asked myself for the millionth time as I watched Kaju disappear into the dark mist. At this point, this shouldn’t have come as a surprise that she would leave for Gangotri despite her frail condition. Still, the mother in me couldn’t help but wish for a miracle. For how long do I have to see my little girl stuck in this endless cycle of misery, punishing herself for something she had no control over? 

I wonder if it would have been better had I listened to her that day and walked out of Neel’s residence instead of forcing their marriage. Either way, she would be doomed. I realized it long ago when I saw her determination to save his life even if it came at the expense of hers. A village full of people ready to kill an innocent girl in the name of tradition and honor and the only promise she took from Satyakam Ji was to keep Neel out of this mess.  

Neel! How I despised that boy for he was everything I wanted to protect Kaju from. But I forgot, in our pursuit to shield our loved ones from the shadow of our dark pasts, very often we turn a blind eye to the obvious. I failed to distinguish his sincerity from what I perceived as flamboyance and kept doubting his motives while he continued to defend my child, sometimes by going against his own. 

Isn’t it funny how people coming from different spheres of life have only prejudice in common? Just as Neel’s parents always considered Kaju to be an opportunist, the same way I never acknowledged his loyalty toward my daughter. And two young people who dared to rise above the boundary set by the society eventually lost their way to the arrogance and false pride of the so-called elite. 

Sometimes I wish Neel was half as despicable as I had made him in my mind. At least that way I could blame him for Kaju’s suffering and try and coerce her into moving on in her life. But knowing how far he has gone to seek her forgiveness, how do I hold on to his one unintentional mistake and ignore his heartache? And how do I confront Kaju about her stance when I know the reason behind her conflicting emotions? If the choice was really that simple, would these two have waited this long despite knowing how much they loved each other? 

Theirs is a story that reminds me of a dewdrop on a blade of grass. Just as the lush is essential for containing the drop of water in its lap, Neel became her support when Kaju needed someone by her side. And when the time came, she chose his happiness over her own in the same way a dewdrop nourishes the green before it evaporates at the touch of the first ray of the sun. I know I can’t go against the law of nature. However, as a witness to the agonizing tale of two lovers who deserved better, I pray to Mahadev for that lost dewdrop so it can finally find its way back to the parched land in the form of rain and reunite with the one it belongs to…

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