Musings on tonight's episode

Tonight's episode had a lot of things and touched upon a lot of issues leaving me with mixed thoughts. I am writing down my response on it but I am sorry in advance if it meanders or makes little sense.

Here goes:

- Guman showed HYPOCRISY of society. And underlined how a woman is a woman's WORST enemy.

🤢

Her dialogues like "Aurat ke liye zamana kabhi nahi badalta" were absolutely regressive and showed a sad reality of our society in which females themselves are the first ones to raise questions on another female's character! It also showed what a badly orthodox and backward mentality she wore behind that modern, trendy NRI exterior! 😡

Yash's mother should be ashamed and jump in a well herself for talking such dirty stuff about the daughters of her own family despite being a woman herself! Who is she to talk of character or morality when she herself failed to impart any values to her shameless, freeloader, drunkard, gambler, liar son?!

And did anyone ask her to jump in a well after her husband died?! She forever curses the daughters of the family that they'll someday bring so much shame that their own parents will have to throw them in a well! Doesn't that same "samaj" curse widows also?! But NO! She forgot with what dignity she had been kept at the house - the same house whose daughters she daily curses! SHAMELESS!!!

- Guman & Yash's mom were behaving as if Kumud slept with Saras! For God's sake! You know nothing about what happened! And you know there was a bandh in the city and stormy weather! The boy & girl returned the same day itself! It's not like they spent the night away from home and returned the next day!

Still you're going on and on barking?!!! DESPICABLE!

Guman kept barking that people will say that even after break up of their rishta, the girl is trying to seduce the rich NRI boy! WHOA!! What gutter thinking! How a simple incident of getting stuck for some hours and returning late on the same day is being tweisted in worst ways by a woman!!!!

She is so shameless that even to malign Kumud and shame the family she is ready to trash Saras' character also?! Forgot that he is LN's biological and first son! And if Saras tells the truth of Guman's BS to his dad he'll throw Guman out of the country (not just his mansion)!! SHAME how she takes advantage of Saras' silence!

- Villagers might not even know what happened. Yet these banshees like Yash's mom and Guman shouting like that were sure to sow seds of suspicion and insult where there was none! They are WITCHES! And exemplify women in their worst form!

- I did not mind Guniyal slapping Kumud. She showed everyone that she was not a blind mother who had given excessive freedom to her daughter. She showed she could still discipline her the moment she wanted to.
It also showed diference between Yash's mom and Gun. The former hid her son's actual wrong deed. Whereas the latter rebuked her daughter for even a perceived/alleged wrong which her daughter had not even actually done!

That shows what parenting is all about! Kumud's parents love her and give freedom to her but they will not shy away from tightening the reins and cautioning their child when required.

It is also partly Kumud's fault for not using a mobile (if she does not have her own then she can use Saras') to somehow inform her family of her situation and reassuring them.

- Loved VC when he clarified to Guman that Gun had slapped Kumud and he had shouted at her NOT because they did not trust her character or believed Guman's BS about her. But because they were worried about her!! PROUD to see how they reposed aith in their daughter and the values they had imparted to her! LOVED Dugba's expressions in that scene as VC silenced Guman!

THAT is how parents ought to be! Discipline your daughter BUT have FAITH in her and do not get ready to throw her in a well just because others bitch about her! WOW! 👏

- Probable symbolism:

Kumud's unable to light a match earlier but a match immediately lights up and the fire burns her hand as Saras enters her room.

This is the second time she was shown getting injured around Saras. It just shows that her attraction for Saras is like a fire that will burn her.

Earlier the foot injury showed how the path shared with Saras would hurt her.

Kumud stands for a flower bud if I am not mistaken. And all this shows that this "kali" will get ravaged or hurt badly if she walks this path.

The storm and darkness in which they were trapped signifies what a spectre Guman is, who will keep haunting their relationship, causing both of them pain.

- Another moment I loved was when Guman was going on and on about how men are made to get swayed but it is women who have to keep maryada and that Saras will go to Dubai whereas Kumud will be left to face shame.
BUT Dugba immediately cuts in and says that Saras has proven his purity of character and they trust him to not to do anything that will bring shame. GREAT!

- Romantic moment for me was when Saras had tears in his eyes when Kumud was slapped! BOY! That guy has such a tender and sensitive heart! I've seen heroes shown hurt or angry when their love is assaulted BUT this is the FIRST TIME I saw a man crying upon seeing his lady love slapped!

NEGATIVES:

It's okay for Saras to protect Kumud but all that caressing her face, tending to her wounded feet, fiddling with her hair, holding her close to him, touching her waist and even Kumud's so called teasing him in the mud or visiting him alone at night or day or sleeping in the room given to Saras ARE ALL WRONG!

Even if Saras had NOT refused her hand for marriage still this physical proximity between a boy and girl are wrong in context of Indian culture and more so in the conservative environment in which Kumud lives!

They were not engaged let alone married. So these actions are wrong and BOUND to raise eyebrows. And the girl suffers more than a boy due to society's bias!

For all his purity Saras has no right to behave like that nor does Kumud!

Does he even realise that just refusing Kumud for marriage has also led people to question and insult her and her family? (Rejection is a big deal in such conservative areas)

Does he realise that by getting close to her without having intention of marrying her he is giving ample chances to gossipmongers & troublemakers to malign her and her parents?!

Same for Kumud! She kept saying she was helping him for humanity but does insaniyat ke naate ki gayi help include allowing another man to caress your face, fiddle with your hair or hold your hands or waist?!
Okay she is in love with him but still why does she fall weak and forget the milieu she is in?

I do not know why SLB has penchant for showing forbidden sexual relations or gestures in his works?! Manisha becomes an unwed mother in Khamoshi. Nandini and Sameer make out both openly and stealthily in HDDCS and Nandini pines for Sameer even after marriage! Dev and Paro make out at night when family is busy in a function! Both stealthily sneak into each other's houses to meet each other late at night - that is why Paro is shamed by Dev's father in Devdas! A bride to be is not allowed to meet any paraya mard on her wedding day. Whereas Dev meets Paro and even beats her giving her an injury on her forehead.
Black shows a student Rani asking her aged teacher Amitabh to kiss her on the lips and he even agrees!

I am sorry but I hate this shameless immoral stuff shown in SLB works in name of passionate love!

Why choose old classics or stories set in old era to show his BS?

If he wants to show people crossing every boundary in the name of passion, attraction or love then spare the classics and old era please. Or go back to prehistoric era in which anyone could do anything with anyone!

He seems to use society, culture and tradition as a hindrance or source of pain for lovers (who seem to have equal amount of lust in them as their sensitivity and care!).

For God's sake! If you live in a conservative family and area and are not married yet then why play this touchy-feely cootchie coo game?!

And Saras' dialogues about ehsaas were BS! You refused to marry her and have not changed your NO to a YES yet. So what's this closeness and ehsaas?! Immediately change your decision to YES, talk out things to Dugba, VC and Kumud about your reservations, ask for forgiveness and settle the drama.
And if you hesitate to do this
and NO will remain a NO then stay away from her and quit that passionate caressing or gazing!

Till now I did not respond to threads questioning Saras' behaviour. But now I wonder where this man's sense goes while dealing with Kumud!

I know he is a good guy but anyone can misconstrue his behaviour as taking advantage of a girl who he knows is hopelessly in love with him!

Same for Kumud! When you know he is not going to marry you then why succumb to those gazing and caresses?! Why get weak and forget society and family?

This drama is stretching too much without any explanation of why characters behave tthe way they do! No wonder they are not getting TRPs!

You write really well but I don't understand your views on SLB and his 'immoral work'. What immorality? The fact that two people are in love or falling in love are physically attracted towards each other? Isn't that the most natural thing to occur? Why does having physical needs equal to impurity?

SLB doesn't impose his thoughts on others, he gives your another viewpoint. He tells you that not all things are black and White. Marriage is NOT a switch button which suddenly makes you stop pining for your ex-lover. It COULD happen like it did for Nandini.

It's a shame you didn't understand the reason behind that kiss in 'Black'. Michelle was blind, deaf and dumb but she was also a WOMAN and the fact was that her chances of having an intimate moment ever with a man were NIL. She would DIE without even having pecked a man. Is that fair? How would that make any human feel? They live their entire life without that companionship and intimacy. All she asked was a few moments of leading a 'normal' life. It had a much deeper meaning than just a kiss.

Whether SLB is right or wrong in expressing his thoughts on forbidden love is another matter. He wants to tell a story which has layers! It doesn't have to be morally right.

Love isn't meant to be logical...that's the whole point. Saras and Kumud aren't getting intimate consciously. If that was the case then Saras would have looked around to see if anyone's looking at them while he touches her waist lol :/ It's just happening and I think it's the most natural emotion to feel. You rightly point about the hypocrisy and narrow-minded views of the villagers yet you also feel a man and woman who are falling in love should keep their hands off each other? Not sure if I quite understand that.

Hey! this has come as a bit of a surprise for me to be honest.. I thought you of all people who writes so exceptionally well and has deciphered all the characters n their emotions so beautifully in your posts, will have a better understanding of the context .. So here are few things I would like to point out before I go on to anything else :

1. Nandini and Sameer in HDDCS NEVER made out.. NEVER !
2. Dev and Paro again NEVER made out in Devdas .
The point is even if they did... even if Nandini pined for Sameer after marriage.. doesnt that happen? And if things like these happen then why can't a film maker show it? I am not even arguing about right or wrong here...
3. The scene in Black where Michelle asks her teacher to kiss her is one of the most beautiful moments in the movie.. it wasnt for physical attraction or anything.the blind n deaf girl had always seen and heard the world from her teachers eyes and ears... now when she wanted to experience this completely alien feeling of being kissed.. who does she go to? she asks her teacher.. she knew nothing about man's touch , sexual desire ..the teacher obliged the woman in her... knowing that her fate would never allow her to experience a kiss ever...it was just like granting the last wish of a person in deathbed knowing he/she would never live to experience anything again..

Coming to this show, I think Reema has already said whatever I had to say... its not about right or wrong, moral or immoral.. Nobody plans love..Love happens just like it has happened with them.. They had never planned to get close to each other... It has been a mutual attraction which they have been fighting for a long time now...Saras still thinks that he is jinxed and that he either loses people who he loves or they get hurt ... But how can he deny or possibly stop the natural attraction he feels for her..?? It doesnt come with an on and off button ! Same goes for Kumud... Isnt it natural for a girl to want to feel the touch of the man she so ardently loves, even if momentarily??

I actually really like how you described Guman and "Mara Dikra Yash" in today's episode. I can totally relate their behaviour to my Literary Fem Studies classes, and thus, I believe they are a lesson which I like to call (adapting from Kenneth Burke) "equipment for living." A strong point in your musings was when you stated that women can be women's worst enemies. It is absolute truth that unfortunately, no matter how well educated, how highly principled and good intentioned women may be, they will still have a slight underhand in society. If you even look at the western world, it's still like that here too. So yes, thank you for pointing this fact out. I'm glad you were also able to decipher this intellect from SLB and the CVs.

Originally posted by: veera25

I actually really like how you described Guman and "Mara Dikra Yash" in today's episode. I can totally relate their behaviour to my Literary Fem Studies classes, and thus, I believe they are a lesson which I like to call (adapting from Kenneth Burke) "equipment for living." A strong point in your musings was when you stated that women can be women's worst enemies. It is absolute truth that unfortunately, no matter how well educated, how highly principled and good intentioned women may be, they will still have a slight underhand in society. If you even look at the western world, it's still like that here too. So yes, thank you for pointing this fact out. I'm glad you were also able to decipher this intellect from SLB and the CVs.

I also agree with you about VC, and Gun's parenting. I personally think today's episode helped me understand my own parents better; even though it may seem like VC and Gun are angry at Kumud, in reality their anger towards her was a form of expressing their love and concern for her. Again, hats off to SLB for being able to bring our attention to this area of family relationships and society as well. It really is an important and profound topic of parental sentiments and he conveyed it beautifully.

However, I think I have to disagree with many of your negative points, mostly because I believe they don't line up with your argument. Reema and Vaishali brilliantly and eloquently summed up the scenes of HDDCS, Devdas and Black for you, so I don't have to express my views on that. However, I find it contradictory and slightly confusing when you state that Kumud should act according to her family and society's expectations. I am aware that Saras' actions are debatable. Indeed, his present actions, thoughts, and feelings are not lining up with his past. How is it Kumud's fault if she is irrevocably in love with a man? Women are always told to be strong. To sacrifice themselves for their families and society without ever questioning anything. But Kumud is a human being. That means she has flaws. Not only is she already battling her family, and society, but she is also fighting her own ego. And she's trying all she can to keep Saras away. But, realistically speaking, how will she be able to do that if she doesn't want to stay away from him herself? But again, I believe you're doing exactly what you criticized (which is certainly not your fault, we've been raised in a society which instills these opinions within us, whether we'd like them or not) and criticizing a woman like Kumud, who we already know as a very fierce, very protective, educated and principled woman.

I very much believe that SLB's works always question society. When you look at every great artist in the world, whether it is William Shakespeare, Anton Chekov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Catherine Mansfield, Emily Bronte, Harper Lee, Leo Tolstoy etc. there always seems to be a common theme in their writings: each and every of these authors have questioned traditions, customs, and the ways of society in their works. When SLB created the film Saawariya, in the beginning credits it said "Adapted from Fyodor Dostoevsky's White Nights." White Nights is one of my favourite stories of all time. When you read it, it not only focuses upon the internal affairs of the protagonist (his love for and interactions with the female protagonist of the story, Nastenka,) but also, the external affairs around him (the ways of society, of Nastenka's family, etc.) White Nights very much questions society, its ways, and explores the sentiments and experiences of unrequited love. It's a very powerful story, indeed. Like White Nights, Saawariya had a few "forbidden love" scenes in it as well, but it had a few common themes to which SLB very much caters in his works: the human condition of love, of pining, of pain, of moral duty, of individualism, and of spirituality vs. ego. These are all very real topics which he presents in his works, including Devdas, HDDCS, Black etc. I firmly believe that Saraswatichandra is no different than the rest of his works. It also very much caters to the human condition and the common themes SLB enjoys portraying on screen. Every character in this show is so complex and it's so hard to compartmentalize everyone neatly into good and bad. And when you think about it, in actuality, we cannot really compartmentalize anyone into good and bad either because we as humans are very intense, very hypocritical, and very confusing creatures, I would put a large chunk of money upon the notion that SLB very much likes to exploit the human condition, the ways of society and customs in his works, considering the very profound concepts which feed his muse. He is an artist, and in reality, I believe he creates these works for us to question ourselves and our surroundings.

I find it very unfortunate when people criticize SLB without actually looking deeper into his works, and the pieces that inspire him. Really looking at the works that SLB gets his ideas from will help you understand his intentions better, I think.

Anyway, I apologize for my long post, but I really believe it is necessary for people to look deeper into what an artist, be it a writer, a director, a painter, a photographer, or a sculptor intends from their work. Only then will we able to formulate an adequate opinion.

Nonetheless, very interesting musings you have, and I appreciate the fact that you've shared your views with us 😳

Originally posted by: humeshaa

I was going to reply to the original post and then I read yours and others before you. I'm done, nothing more or better I can add. 🤔

"Every character in this show is so complex and it's so hard to compartmentalize everyone neatly into good and bad. And when you think about it, in actuality, we cannot really compartmentalize anyone into good and bad either because we as humans are very intense, very hypocritical, and very confusing creatures, I would put a large chunk of money upon the notion that SLB very much likes to exploit the human condition, the ways of society and customs in his works, considering the very profound concepts which feed his muse. He is an artist, and in reality, I believe he creates these works for us to question ourselves and our surroundings."

Very well said my friend!! 👏

@Veera- What a pleasure it was reading your thoughts...Absolutely brilliant :)

@Skepblum- Such a prolific writer you are! Do keep writing... Just didnt agree with the last bit..

Ok here goes

Sorry got carried away with the love bit