Posted:
Today for the first time in a very long time, my heart sang ! A song of pure unadulterated joy , I felt it rising within me ever so softly and slowly, then...as suddenly as it started the floodgates opened. Tears of joy, remembrance ,nostalgia all intermingled with sadness. Everyone knows the scene of which I speak, this magical mystical chemistry that gripped our hearts in ssn 1 and refuses even now, to let go. And today, again we held our collective breaths, only to be reclaimed by this beautiful bond. And for a moment we were suspended in time, and infused with that special magic, before we came crashing down to earth and to NBT 2. Sigh... the truth remains that there is still some measure of pain, disappointment ,frustration, even anger detectable in each and every one of us . And I understand ,mostly because I've been there myself at some crucial point in the journey that is NBT 2. I can identify, I can commiserate, I know.
Though one may contend that my own NBT journey has been much convoluted and confusing,, due to my late coming, language barrier , heritage even, I admit that my attachment to the show may be considered less impassioned perhaps.
I may not have understood all the nuances,subtlety, simplicity and beauty of ssn 1 ,but I knew from the moment I began to follow this show in earnest, it was going to be something very special. It would tug at my heart. And I was not wrong!
NBT 1 is no more, the truth is... it's gone. Familiar faces , unfamiliar scenarios. Unrecognizable storylines. NBT 2 can never be NBT 1, mostly due to the absence of Ashnoor, and so the loss of the incomparable MN magical relationship .We can all agree that the Mohan /Nanhi relationship was the heart,soul and lifeblood of NBT. But it's gone, never to return, ( except in FB) so...what are we to do?
Yes, ...it shouldn't have happened that way! Yes, the 12 year separation is ridiculous at its very core! A house built on shifting sands can never stand! Really, what total and utter rubbish! Mohan ,who fought tooth and nail to convince Megha to admit her love for him, to create a loving family against all odds, would just up and leave his devastated wife and child because of some harsh words and a promise ??!! And for 12 long years??? No way, not the Mohan we came to know and cherish! Stupid, stupid ,stupid!!! NBT lost both its innocence and essence in that leap, no question. The CVs messed up big time and we're paying the price of their folly! But to their credit, they returned the show to us , when they really didn't have to. And I'm really grateful.
So what now? To watch or not to watch? That is the question ! For those of us who continue on this most perilous of journeys ( ok, I'm being a tad melodramatic here!) , we try to come to terms with our choice. We rant and rave,fret and fume, criticize and complain ...but we trudge along in the hope of another story.
Not the same story, not possible I'm afraid. Nor even a better one, though we can always dream. But a story nevertheless. Navi will never be Nanhi, her story has forever changed drastically, subjected to the ravages of a 12 year leap. Jayshree can never be Ashnoor, we know that too. But she's trying her best against impossible odds. I give her credit, and wish her well. Thankfully, Kunal remains a genius of an actor in any and every circumstance.
Still we watch, in the hope that somewhere ,somehow, if even for a scene here and there, we may witness something . Maybe not quite magical, but thought provoking, touching,moving ...something!
Because one day it will be over, gone forever , and I will miss it, all of it, the good ,the bad and everything in between . In the meantime, I'll make peace with NBT 2 and all it's shortcomings, and continue on the journey , because ...it's all I have!
Peace.
Anupamaa
Pocket Mein Aasman
