This is not a post about any episode. Pictures are added to support theories...explained in the simplest way!
This is a post I had in mind weeks ago but since I was not active on the Forum for last few days, I could not quite post it. Better late than never: so here it is. An interpretation on the characters of our show (Arnav, Kushi, Anjali and Shyam only) in the popular games of Chess and Cards. Mark it, there may be slight points that may or may not sound absurd but my focus is solely on the power, place and moves of each chess piece or face card...
Interpreting IPKKND: CHESS
Yes, first the game of chess, and foremost let's bring the chessboard into view. There are two sides to the chessboard: one where the white pieces stand and one where the black ones stand. Let's take the white pieces to be middle class people, that is, the Guptas and the blacks to be the Raizadas. But since I will be focusing only on Arnav, Shyam, Anjali and Kushi: let's think of Kushi's happy carefree nature as the whiteness of her life and the blackness of Arnav's and Anjali's past and present alongwith Shyam's evilness to deem these three pieces black.
Now, let's get on with the Chess interpretation:
Arnav: The Black Queen
No, it wasn't typing mistake. Funny how that came about, but it is true. The Queen is the strongest piece on the chessboard with the most strongest moves and capabilities to capture opponent pieces that Arnav had to definitely be the Queen. He is the strongest and most planned out character in the story who thinks and makes mind-blowing moves into anything that needs his attention captured. Diplomatically earnest, quick, alert and discipline-minded, he is the player who plays out the best role on the chessboard. No doubt!
Anjali: The Black King
I have told this once: it may seem that the story is about Arnav-Kushi and their learning to love amidst a circle of disasters, but the major character in the tale is no doubt "Anjali". Everything and everyone in the show revolves around this female axis. She is the reason behind why everything in the show moves towards what is destined to happen. The King is the most important piece in the game and also the most weakest. Just as Anjali is the reason for everything that happens in the show, she is weakest of the four and that is the reason why disasters follow where her vulnerability is exposed. Arnav turns into a protective beast, Shyam into a hard-to-stop murderer, and Kushi to a sacrificing scapegoat: all for defending the King on the chessboard. All to keep the "checkmate" position delayed...
Kushi: The White Pawn
This is my favourite part of the interpretation. The only piece on the white side, Kushi fights her own life's battles against all the big pieces on the other end of the chessboard. Now, the pawn is the smallest piece and the one that has the smallest moves. It is the pawn who should move first so that the bigger pieces behind the pawn can enter the game. Kushi is the one who chirpily and enthusiastically involves in a lot of matters (when it comes to crucial decision-making too) and sometimes she does things without thinking (or stops herself from revealing truths) which may prove fatal to her. She could get captured by a watchful opponent. But here comes the best part: the reason why I love the pawn: A pawn, if it reaches the eighth level, that is, the other end of the board away from where it started, the pawn can transform into another piece. Mostly it transforms into the queen. To make it more clear, when the white pawn crosses eight levels, without getting captured and comes to stand in the last row, where the black king is positioned, she can become the queen and call in a "check". Thereby making her the strongest piece to be able to face the black queen (Arnav) without fear. But since, we tend to think of Arnav as the black king in an image (though his powers are those of the black Queen), I have added an image to show how the most timid of the pieces (Kushi) becomes a queen to come and stand before the most important and tallest of the pieces, the black King (for the picture moment, let's take the King to be Arnav).
Shyam: A "little" Black Knight in a Big Black Bishop
Hold your reins! I am not calling the bloody man a Knight! I am just referring to him as the "little" Knight because of the "little" way in which his moves are that of the Knight's on the chessboard. You see, the Knight is the only piece that has a special move: he can move 'over' pieces to get to his last position. In the same way, Shyam moves his words to manipulate people, go over their heads and confidences and over their trust, to reach to that position where his goal stands to be captured. You can also see another reason why I have described Shyam as the Black Knight: its an image of a "black horse". A nightmare! He is a nightmare to not just Arnav and Kushi but to us viewers as well! *wink*
Now, Shyam was the most difficult person for me to decipher. But I kind of liked the idea of him being the Black Bishop more. Why? Not just because he speaks goodly wise words on the front, while hiding the blackness within, but also because of the moves the Bishop piece takes. The Bishop can only move diagonally. If he stands on a white square, he can move only on white squares all through the game. And he moves diagonally. Note that "dia" in diagonally is also there in "diabolic" which is a dark synonym of 'the devilish'. *evil laugh* Yeah, so as I was saying, he is the Black Bishop who is on the black square and moves all though the game in black squares, in a diagonal diabolical manner. Now, the Bishop can capture only if there are pieces on his path. On his black diagonal path. Like his diagonal mind and diagonal words that are never ever straight, if he can coax people into seeing as he wants them to see and hence bring them to his target area, he can move forward and capture them. A victim in a black square for the Black Bishop. He was able to capture so many people and still has some captured. Arnav himself was a captured piece in the beginning with his "Jeejaji" worship, but we see now that though Shyam is using his "I'm good now" words to bring Arnav to stand in his black pathway again to capture him, Arnav is not easily fooled and has gone to the extent of changing his "bank account transfer" policies and his "will" as well. Poor Black Bishop: he is all in for a wicked black end!!
Interpreting IPKKND: CARDS
Tired of chess? Then next we play cards. No, not all of them: just the face cards. Yes, that includes the King, Queen and Jack. And of course, the undeniable Joker. First a look into the symbols or 'suits' in cards: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades, of which I will take 'only three'. The Diamond, the Heart and the Club. Why?
Diamonds represent warmth, light, femininity. In the Tarot, they symbolize earthly matter, money, courage, and energy. This is a best representation for Anjali.
Hearts represent the warmth of spring and summer seasons and the power of light. They are the center of life and the world. In the Tarot, hearts can also symbolize knowledge, love, life from water, and fertility, and in fortune-telling, joy. An apt representation for Kushi (especially the 'water', joy and life parts!)
And coming to the club or trefoils. Clubs represent many things: fall, winter, night, darkness, males, fire, energy, will, wealth, work, luck, and happiness. Arnav does try to keep those he loves happy and I think you know why I refer to him by the fire element!
Now, moving onto interpreting the cards.
Arnav: The King of Clubs
If you arrange the playing cards with the number cards in the front and the face cards at the rear you will see that the last card, the one in the shadow, is the King. Arnav is the King or let's say 'the leader in the shadow'. He was in the shadow before and even now for Kushi he is in the shadow. If we place the cards in this order as a pack on the table, we can see that the King (Arnav) is the foundation on which all the other cards lie. Everyone depends on him. He is the tree that provides and protects. Did you know, symbolically, the King of Clubs represents Alexander the Great? Need I say more then? You can interpret it yourself...*wink*Arnav the Great Conqueror (not just of Kushi's heart, but ours as well!)
Anjali: The Queen of Diamonds
If you will run the entire story of the show so far in your mind, you will note that it is Anjali who is the reason why Arnav is often led to the light. The light being Kushi and the happy world from which he runs. He often prefers to do his work, be alone and when faced with the concepts of "love" and "death", hide himself in the shadow behind his Di. And whom does she seek to help her bring her brother to the light? Kushi. The Queen is placed between the King and Jack. Anjali is the reason why Kushi kept coming to the Raizadas house when Lavanya was part of the picture. Anjali is the reason why Kushi is often doing things that only a family member or daughter-in-law of that house would have done. Anjali is the reason why Arnav had to marry Kushi. Anjali is the one who tells Arnav of Kushi's goodness and caring concern for him. Anjali is the one who tells Kushi about the kind of man Arnav was and is. Anjali is the Queen holding the reins of the King and Jack.
Kushi: The Jack of Hearts
Jack of all trades. She is the only character in this story who takes up every role and every emotion with 'great ease and style'. Whether it is in taking up challenges, sundry jobs here and there, facing the wrath of a lion, bouncing from deep pain to sudden cheer, entering into a contract relationship, doing as per Di's and Nani's or Buaji's orders, uncovering Shyam and shielding herself from his approaches, Kushi is the "Jack" for whom all the impossibles are possibles. In her little childish ways, she thinks, plans, decides and goes about doing doing doing until she gets what she wants. Though all the times it may not work. But that doesn't stop her from trying. Chirpy and activated, she is always smiling, trying and doing things! Fun and feisty!
Did you know that there are certain "combinations" in cards that have symbolisms? When a King or Queen is placed between two Jacks or if a Jack is placed next to either King or Queen: it stands for protection from enemies! Kushi near Arnav and Anjali is a sign of protection... A good omen that the other will be cared for and be kept safe! Go for it, Jack! Eh...I mean, go for it, Kushi!
And now, to Shyam: The Joker.
Yeah I know. He fits to the title. But do you know, he was hard to fit here too! He is always the hardest person for me to interpret. Both as Knight-Bishop and here again as Joker. My problem here was because he shared some traits with Kushi and I was wondering whether I had to exchange them as Kushi being Joker and Shyam being Jack: The Joker is something like 'Jack of all trades'. He is a substitute. Like that slippery soap in his hand (not lifebuoy) he tries to slip into everywhere and anywhere. I was in a dilemma here because Kushi is also someone who easily fits in anywhere and everywhere. Remember her "water" quality? But the more I thought into Shyam as the Joker, I decided there could be no other role fit for him. He played as 'substitute for Arnav' in Kushi's life: trying to be Kushi's lover. He was a 'substitute of the Queen' in the King's life: Arnav at first would not always listen to his Di's advice but would obey his beloved Jeejaji's honeyed requests. *bah!* He plays substitute of Arnav; to Anjali where if Arnav takes care of Anjali through his actions, Shyam takes care of her through his words. Remember, today Anjali told him "to stop talking like Chotey." He was a substitute in many ways...never a man with a real face. Always in a clown's mask. Always with painted face that hid the 'real' him. He has a cap on his head like his brain is protruding out like his never-to-be-cut-hair trying to think of evil ways to win whatever he desires! Yes, his failures do assure him to be a Joker: always making a fool of himself in his failures and his facial twitches!!
Now, to some interesting facts of the "Joker" in the cards, which you must already know of course, because we see movies and sometimes even play these games! Did you know that in Tarot, he is often compared to "the Fool" and is seen as an "excuse" if one cannot win. The Fool is also called as the "black" Joker. I love that part!! Since he represents other cards, the Joker is called the "wild card" and we know how Shyam the "black" Joker can be called "wild." Anyone against the idea? No? *chuckle* But wait till you hear this: there is a children's card game called "Old Maid" in which the Joker represents the 'Maid' which is the card that is to be avoided! Shyam the Joker: embrace him or avoid him? *wink* There are many evil symbols for the Joker. I'd rather not dwell deep into it since it is scary but I will mention this: In Tarot, Death is personated as a Jester... "The last laugh is reserved for death..."
The number of a "wild card" is zero. Ha! Shyam the "zero", Arnav the "hero"!! Also the Joker appears in Tarot reading as 'something unexpected and uncontrollable is about to occur'. You can see how all these points made me affirm that Shyam should be the Joker and not Kushi! Yes!!
Okay, you can drop your cards and close your chessboard, buddies! Yes, a long post again! But it was the only one I posted in these last eight days! I used to try and find time to peep into the Forum just to comment for raising our Cast's ranking. That was all I could manage. I know there are PMs I have not read yet, but I still haven't found the time to sit and explore them as I want. I can only request you to wait until I can give my time to peacefully check my Inbox. I don't think I will be regular on the Forum anymore but when I get time I will definitely share my thoughts and also update my Gothic FF too. I will miss you all and I will pray for you all in my absence for you are all on my thoughts every time. This Forum was a place for me to learn more about myself and I am grateful to all of my friends who in small and big ways helped me find my "self". I am truly grateful to those who read all my posts and commented on them. I want to mention names, but I will... later. And thank you for all those who will brave this post to this very last sentence! *wink*
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