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Hello Folks!
Initiating, BEWARE and DO NOT PROCEED if you are not interested in knowing what this story is really all about!... What follows is a brief overview of the novel.. and hence the themes and storyline
Now, that we have a check on the greetings, we proceed 😛
Folks, this is a brief summary of what the novel tells.
PHASE 1: Falling in love
Saraswatichandra, a brilliant student an obedient son - the perfect as it gets perfect man , is born to wealthy Lakshminandan ( Bombay has been shifted to Dubai here :P )
(FYI, I think mother's name was chadralakshmi and not saraswati )
A barrister by profession, Saras is all set to be one of the most successful professional seen. His mother dies and father remarries to typical stepmother Guman.
On the other hand, Vidyachatur and Gunasundari are blessed with two daughters - Kumud and Kusum ( another rich family in ratnagiri)
Saraswati chandra's marriage is fixed by his father to kumud to which SC objects and writes a letter to the lady in question stating he doesn't want to be married. And thus begins exchange of leters letting them fall in love with each other without seeing each other
(You have got mail anybody 😉 . .and they say we copy from hollywood ..😆)
The lovers meet: (not quite)
As love blossoms, SC promises Kumud that he will marry her ... sooon
PHASE 2: The first renouncement
Issues at home with regards to wealth and conflicts between the residing members, lack of trust of his father on him .. forces SC to renounce the world ( literally ) leaving Kumud in lurch
(and ofcourse with this renewed insult of the family , poor kumud ends up paying the price)
While SC takes his time to realize what he did, steam off his anger.. and reach out to Kumud, Kumud has been married .. 😔
PHASE 3: Devdas meets SaraswatiChandra (actually paro)
Kumud is married to a man who does not have much of a character. ( paro love track)
( One thing I never get in these novels is ,
how come with a woman of never seen beauty and adorned with manners and all possible good qualities .. who btw.. has the hero (again someone to die for with a strong character, personality and he is but of course smart since he always excels at what he does ) madly in love with her that he can go about renouncing the world not able to attract the petty, worthless husbands 😲)
And we move from brahmin families to a baniya family. Kumud is married off int a rich family but a husband who still lusts after courtesans... and thus begins loveless marriage
( which miraculously works in favour of the heroine as no tension of pleasing the husband given she is still in love with SC)
Enter SC, who loves kumud and wants her back ( not so outright, game of destiny ensures). But Kumud must uphold the dignity of being a woman .. and thus comes the recurring message of this entire novel .. that its the woman who must ensure morality is upheld at all times
SC changes his name and starts working at her husband's place. Thus opening gates for proximity and reigniting the love.
A sidey character, jealous ( or maybe because it is a sidey character thrown in by destiny to wreck lovers life) complains to the husband of SC and Kumud's fling
Meanwhile, SC leaves owing the the tension between him and kumud - givent he love and no destination to the relaitionship - he leaves! ( yet again .. 🤔)
PHASE 4: The second renunciation
SC is attacked by bandits and left injured in a forest. Attack is planned on Kumud (courtsey the hubby) but she is saved in time by her own family .. but given the guilt, shame she decides to kill herself... and she drowns herself leaving world to believe she is dead
SC is rescued by men from an aashram and as destiny would have it Kumud is saved by the women of the same ashram... thus bringing the lovers together again ..
(Darn destiny!! .. Did you watch dil mil gaye 😡)
Soon, SC and kumud realise they have been brought together again. Now, reiteration , lest you forgot, comes the lesson: woman must uphold the morality always
Ascetics try to bring them closer, abandoning them in a cave .. .now this proximity for the first time ever convinces them to reunite.. problem being how will society view this reunion - after all she is a married woman .. ( darn! destiny did you stop watching dil mill gaye at this point 😕)
PHASE 5: The third renunciation, the love and the solution
Lakshminandan loses his mind following absence of his son. Guman learns her lesson. SC's friend is at Vidyachatur's trying to bring SC back. Everyone is trying to find Kumud and SC
Well, everyone wants them back.. back from the ascetic's life.. they convince the ashram vaasis..
the only problem, how to accept SC and Kumud's relationship!
Also, kumud's husband dies and she is not aware of being a widow. The news is broken to her bringing us back to the lesson ( i told you dont forget) .. the woman must uphold the morality at all times
The only solution everyone comes up with is that to avoid being outcast, and keem kumud and SC together, SC must marry Kusum ( 😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 )
Kumud shall continue living life of an ascetic and SC to go back to bombay and 'get back into the world'.. and needless to say, Kumud does convince SC to do so .. reminding him and us again .. the woman must uphold the morality always
(but why marry him to the sister .. duuuh.. seriously destiny ... DMG no???)
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Its a romance not to have a happy ending .. so here begins the tear jerking ride.
What I am intrigued to see is, how SLB handles the widow drama, and having a lowly perosn for a husband to a woman who is in 21st century and upholds her in the highest esteem ..
Cricket
CID
