I have always pondered on what prompts Men to rush into relationships which are doomed or futureless----is it the fact that they take it as a challenge ?-----are they masochists at heart ? -----are they afraid if they don't act fast ,they themselves or the object of their attention might lose interest ?----or is it just a case of " fools rush in where angels fear to tread "? Why oh why cant they take things one step at a time ? Mohan is very well aware that Megha is unprepared and reluctant to enter into any kind of complicated relationship or emotional entanglement that might desecrate the temple of her heart, built lovingly with bricks of her memories with Amar---but still couldn't control his impulse to pressurize Megha into some kind of a response , by stating that he knew she loved him. Putting a label or naming the relationship so soon after the emotional trauma Megha (the widow, the mother, the daughter-in-law & the friend) had been through, was one of the biggest mistakes that Mohan could've made in my pov.
Unbeknown to Megha , despite her resistance and acknowledgement, new feelings for Mohan seem to be weeding their way into her heart and soul , much like the Banyan tree which spreads its roots and damages the foundation of an edifice. What Megha fails to realize is that , if trained properly, Banyan trees can not only co-exist with structures , but can reinforce the shelter and protection from nature's destructive elements---- so too is Mohan's expectation from Megha---not to replace Amar n her heart but to beg for the honor of a place to co-exist , to grow old with her, to provide a shelter and to protect her from the big bad world . Mohan's plea to Megha that she should move on ,and that along with her future ,he too was waiting for her, scared the living daylights out of Megha . Megha was happy with her be-naam rishta ---which she knows is much more than friendship, but was hoping that since it was born out of mutual respect , empathy , and inherent humanity----- it was priceless and worthy of a much higher value than mere friendship. Therefore, giving this relationship between two kindered souls the tag of " pyaar" "mohabbat" or even "dosti" would be demeaning. For Megha , her angry frustration at her inability to convey the extent of her complicated feelings to Mohan despite several deliberate attempts and warnings ---was more directed at herself than Mohan----but unfortunately we mortals end up hurting the ones we love the most----and Megha was no exception . Slapping Mohan seemed to hurt Megha much more than it did Mohan, who was surely stunned but somewhere in his heart knew where all this anger was coming from. His silent look of resignation and sitting down on the bench in the pouring rain, rather than run after her was enough to depict his regret at having goaded Megha towards putting a label upon her complicated feelings and their be-naam rishta. Mohan silently , looking at Megha's handkerchief which was seemed inadequate to hold the torrential tears of their pain , gave me hope that maybe the rain will help to wash away all the sorrows, emotional baggage , complaints and repressed anger ---to herald a new day with new beginings for this " Benaam Rishta".
Jhanak
