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The end result of today's PR episode – the highlight of which was a rather disappointing face-off between Archana and the rest - was to drive the Arjun-Purvi relationship into a cul de sac, a dead end from which escape is very difficult, if not impossible, for it usually calls for climbing over the high wall at the very end.
To realize this, we did not need to listen to what Purvi is talking (or thinking) to herself as she gets back home, drenched in the rain that seems to be the leit motif of this unhappy love story. When one sees how far this impasse is self-inflicted, it is enough to make one weep in sheer frustration.
But first things first. Though Archana springs to the defence of Purvi at the party, after Ovi slaps her, with the same fierce protectiveness that she displayed at the Vinay engagement fiasco, the scene, and her lines, seem curiously unsatisfactory. The iron clad self-assurance that Archana displayed then seems somewhat muted, and though she lands Punni a stinging slap, and faces up to Savita unhesitatingly, the aggressiveness is not at the same level.
This is understandable, for here she is not on equally sure ground, and the protagonists are not so easy to tackle. With Ovi, for example, she does not condemn her outright for her behaviour towards Purvi, but appeals to her reason and sense of justice (we could have advised Archana not to waste her breath!).
This apart, Archana has only one mantra to fall back upon, that her sanskaars have shaped Purvi and so Purvi can do no such wrong. And, as a corollary, that Punni is merely seeking revenge on Purvi and that she cannot be trusted in the slightest.
Now, the first point is not a matter of fact or proof. It is solely a matter of faith in Purvi and her principles. Manav backs Archana on the same grounds, dismisses the MMS as a malicious fabrication, and finally routs Punni from the party. Such backing from both her aai and her baba must have come as much needed balm to Purvi's badly bruised heart.
But this is a Pyrhhic victory, for there is an obvious catch here: their unstinting support for Purvi is based on their belief that Punni's accusation is a malicious lie. Its continuation thus depends on the suppression of the truth about Purvi and Arjun. It follows that either
(a) Purvi will have to risk hurting and alienating both of them (and many others) when the truth comes out or,
(b) to retain their love and trust, she must prevent the truth from ever coming out. The latter would of course mean that she must give up Arjun for good, and force him to fall in line.
Whence the cul de sac, and the wall at the end is very high.
As she approaches the white painted gate leading to the Karanjakar residence, Purvi is clearly moving towards the second option. This is because she cannot bear either to let down the mother who trusts her so blindly, or to be the reason for the worsening of both Archana's relationship with Manav and the problems she already faces in the Deshmukh household.
One cannot blame Purvi for this, or deride her decision as due to a lemming like self-sacrifice syndrome.On the contrary, it is the result of a very real and painful dilemma, and is dictated by a compulsion that is stronger than romantic love: profound gratitude and the deepest affection for a woman who has protected and cherished her all her life, and made her what she is today.
It remains to be seen how Purvi follows through on this decision.
For one thing, it is difficult to see how she can continue working in Arjun's office after this scandalous scene, that must have been watched by the whole office (thanks to the Deshmukh tradition of populating their party guest lists with their staff). For one thing, Ovi will move heaven and earth to have her removed. Arjun will not to oblige her in this matter regardless of her hysterical reactions, but Purvi would very likely want to avoid any further scenes and scandals. Besides, she can hardly ignore all the malicious gossip that is bound to swirl around her, even if Punni is sacked forthwith by Manav.
If she does resign for the nth time, PoA or no PoA. Arjun would be effectively cut off from her, as Sulochana, once she gets to know about these accusations, will hardly look kindly on his turning up at their place.
Now the focus will move to Arjun and to DK, in whichever order. If both of them move in tandem, Punni will be very soon proved right in part, as far as Arjun and Purvi being in love is concerned. Ovi, Savita & Co. will then promptly hold Purvi guilty of the other part as well, of scheming to detach Arjun from Ovi.
Manav is then very likely to suffer a sharp revulsion of feeling, and conclude that Purvi has betrayed his trust, and that by supporting her regardless (as we presume she will, regardless of the shock), Archana is effectively an accessory after the fact.
This will matter very little to Arjun, but for Purvi it will be very different. Not only will she lose the quasi-paternal relationship with Manav that she longs for and values immensely, but she will also be terrified of the likely damage to the slowly mending relationship between her aai and her baba.
It will be very tough for Arjun to coax her over these hurdles; they are high enough to unseat anyone. In fact, he is likely to become largely irrelevant to what Purvi decides to do, and to end up as the sacrifice in the process. To quote what she tells Arjun is their last scene together, halaat vaakayi badal gaye hain (the circumstances have really changed).
Time and tide truly wait for no man. If only Arjun had confessed his love to DK on the day he first intended to and had not been sidetracked by the idea of a 'surprise'. It only he had spoken up at least after the engagement ceremony. If only he had not, at the engagement party, let himself be overwhelmed by sympathy for a childhood friend in trouble and had not put off telling Ovi till it was solved. If, if, if, if…..
Now, thanks to this series of ill-considered procrastinations, Purvi is left facing a cruel dilemma – she has to choose between her deep love for Arjun, and her equally deep, in fact deeper need to retain the trust and love of Manav and Archana. Either way, she stands to lose something very dear to her.
As I have felt for a long time now, there is, for Purvi at least, no really happy ending. Not even if Arjun stands by her, as he is bound to do, publicly, stoutly and unhesitatingly. That is the real tragedy of this ill-fated love story. It is not a tangled skein that can, with care and patience, be unravelled cleanly. It is a Gordian knot, and it can be dealt with only in the way of Alexander the Great, by cutting it. The ragged edges, and the scars – or a lost love or of damaged relationships – will remain.
To realize this, we did not need to listen to what Purvi is talking (or thinking) to herself as she gets back home, drenched in the rain that seems to be the leit motif of this unhappy love story. When one sees how far this impasse is self-inflicted, it is enough to make one weep in sheer frustration.
But first things first. Though Archana springs to the defence of Purvi at the party, after Ovi slaps her, with the same fierce protectiveness that she displayed at the Vinay engagement fiasco, the scene, and her lines, seem curiously unsatisfactory. The iron clad self-assurance that Archana displayed then seems somewhat muted, and though she lands Punni a stinging slap, and faces up to Savita unhesitatingly, the aggressiveness is not at the same level.
This is understandable, for here she is not on equally sure ground, and the protagonists are not so easy to tackle. With Ovi, for example, she does not condemn her outright for her behaviour towards Purvi, but appeals to her reason and sense of justice (we could have advised Archana not to waste her breath!).
This apart, Archana has only one mantra to fall back upon, that her sanskaars have shaped Purvi and so Purvi can do no such wrong. And, as a corollary, that Punni is merely seeking revenge on Purvi and that she cannot be trusted in the slightest.
Now, the first point is not a matter of fact or proof. It is solely a matter of faith in Purvi and her principles. Manav backs Archana on the same grounds, dismisses the MMS as a malicious fabrication, and finally routs Punni from the party. Such backing from both her aai and her baba must have come as much needed balm to Purvi's badly bruised heart.
But this is a Pyrhhic victory, for there is an obvious catch here: their unstinting support for Purvi is based on their belief that Punni's accusation is a malicious lie. Its continuation thus depends on the suppression of the truth about Purvi and Arjun. It follows that either
(a) Purvi will have to risk hurting and alienating both of them (and many others) when the truth comes out or,
(b) to retain their love and trust, she must prevent the truth from ever coming out. The latter would of course mean that she must give up Arjun for good, and force him to fall in line.
Whence the cul de sac, and the wall at the end is very high.
As she approaches the white painted gate leading to the Karanjakar residence, Purvi is clearly moving towards the second option. This is because she cannot bear either to let down the mother who trusts her so blindly, or to be the reason for the worsening of both Archana's relationship with Manav and the problems she already faces in the Deshmukh household.
One cannot blame Purvi for this, or deride her decision as due to a lemming like self-sacrifice syndrome.On the contrary, it is the result of a very real and painful dilemma, and is dictated by a compulsion that is stronger than romantic love: profound gratitude and the deepest affection for a woman who has protected and cherished her all her life, and made her what she is today.
It remains to be seen how Purvi follows through on this decision.
For one thing, it is difficult to see how she can continue working in Arjun's office after this scandalous scene, that must have been watched by the whole office (thanks to the Deshmukh tradition of populating their party guest lists with their staff). For one thing, Ovi will move heaven and earth to have her removed. Arjun will not to oblige her in this matter regardless of her hysterical reactions, but Purvi would very likely want to avoid any further scenes and scandals. Besides, she can hardly ignore all the malicious gossip that is bound to swirl around her, even if Punni is sacked forthwith by Manav.
If she does resign for the nth time, PoA or no PoA. Arjun would be effectively cut off from her, as Sulochana, once she gets to know about these accusations, will hardly look kindly on his turning up at their place.
Now the focus will move to Arjun and to DK, in whichever order. If both of them move in tandem, Punni will be very soon proved right in part, as far as Arjun and Purvi being in love is concerned. Ovi, Savita & Co. will then promptly hold Purvi guilty of the other part as well, of scheming to detach Arjun from Ovi.
Manav is then very likely to suffer a sharp revulsion of feeling, and conclude that Purvi has betrayed his trust, and that by supporting her regardless (as we presume she will, regardless of the shock), Archana is effectively an accessory after the fact.
This will matter very little to Arjun, but for Purvi it will be very different. Not only will she lose the quasi-paternal relationship with Manav that she longs for and values immensely, but she will also be terrified of the likely damage to the slowly mending relationship between her aai and her baba.
It will be very tough for Arjun to coax her over these hurdles; they are high enough to unseat anyone. In fact, he is likely to become largely irrelevant to what Purvi decides to do, and to end up as the sacrifice in the process. To quote what she tells Arjun is their last scene together, halaat vaakayi badal gaye hain (the circumstances have really changed).
Time and tide truly wait for no man. If only Arjun had confessed his love to DK on the day he first intended to and had not been sidetracked by the idea of a 'surprise'. It only he had spoken up at least after the engagement ceremony. If only he had not, at the engagement party, let himself be overwhelmed by sympathy for a childhood friend in trouble and had not put off telling Ovi till it was solved. If, if, if, if…..
Now, thanks to this series of ill-considered procrastinations, Purvi is left facing a cruel dilemma – she has to choose between her deep love for Arjun, and her equally deep, in fact deeper need to retain the trust and love of Manav and Archana. Either way, she stands to lose something very dear to her.
As I have felt for a long time now, there is, for Purvi at least, no really happy ending. Not even if Arjun stands by her, as he is bound to do, publicly, stoutly and unhesitatingly. That is the real tragedy of this ill-fated love story. It is not a tangled skein that can, with care and patience, be unravelled cleanly. It is a Gordian knot, and it can be dealt with only in the way of Alexander the Great, by cutting it. The ragged edges, and the scars – or a lost love or of damaged relationships – will remain.
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