Posted:
To explain Vividha's perspective, I am going to present an analogy of sorts.
This is also a story of love and identity. Just a different kind of love.
I'm certain that anyone who was ever born or raised Indian or has had any kind of Indian influence or, heck, has simply watched Taare Zameen par can relate. The rest, please use your imagination. đ
In India, education is a HUGE deal to the average middle-class parent, and medicine and engineering are considered the ultimate career goals. Regardless of where your skills or interests lie, you will be relentlessly pushed to pursue and achieve these goals from a very young age.
Every kid faces different kinds of educational challenges, so this is not a comparison. But children who don't make the elite "cut-off" grade for a medical or engineering college are then regregretfully, despairingly but finally given a choice.. Fine, pick what you would like do then.
But..
For people who end up excelling in academics, the noose tightens even more. How can you "waste" your potential to go pursue art or music or dance? Do you know how many people would kill to be in your place? And so, they are burdened with well-meaning advice and guilt-tripped into pursuing the "right" career..
Forget what you love and do the "right" thing, the sensible thing, society will tell you.
Even if you find the strength and courage to rebel and pursue your passion, the voices will dog you at every step. Judging and discouraging you. If only you had pursued medicine or engineering (like you should've!), things would be different.
The only way to find peace is to tune them out. March to the beat of your own drum, listen to your inner voice alone.
But who is this society? Not some abstract judge and jury but all the people you interact with (in turn, they interact with etc.). The voices that you hear on a daily basis. The voices (and I include even family here) who think they know what you want and what is good for you even better than you do.
Hasn't Vividha recently been at a very similar crossroad? She knows what she wants, has always known it, yet has been struggling to own it.
Because she has been surrounded by people who tell her she has made the wrong choice. Who silently disapprove of her actions. Who make her feel guilty for her "selfish" actions.
How is this sanskari ladki who has been conditioned to always toe the line supposed to find any peace while defying everyone she loves?
How desperately she tried to make amends with Suman... the very thought of unintentionally wronging someone haunting her.
No wonder she remained frozen in time, hesitant to act. Because not one of the voices had told her that they were proud of her for following her heart, a concept that still remains alien to our culture.
Until Vivi reached a point when the voice in her heart became louder than all those other voices. And she realized that she did not need human approval for a decision that destiny had made. And so she runs, free to pursue her dream, her love, her life.
Epiphanies are a funny thing, aren't they? They are massive, life-altering moments to the ones having them and merely anecdotes to everyone else. đł
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