Posted:
How heart wrenching...how cruel!! Such a poignant reminder that how important a mother can be in a child's life. How can a child ever cope with the fact that his mother didn't love him enough to stay ...that he was not worth her loyalty. How can an innocent ever overcome the bitter truth that he/she was abandoned by the one who supposed loves unconditionally. Was he that bad, that unwanted?? Rudra's scars are so deep..and the extent of his father's injuries is another matter altogether.This is beautifully written. Truly!
The childish scrawl of his name "Rudra" on the wall just about broke my heart. It reminds us that he was once a carefree fun loving child. It reminds me at least of the the way children draw on walls, they have this innate sense of ownership and innocence . It's my house i can draw if i want to. He had all this ripped away from him when he left the house. In a sense i think he lost all sense of home when his mother left leaving him off kilter.
It's like his life is compartmentalized into three parts.
One where he was a happy child. He had a mother, a father who loved him and not a care in the world .
Second, the days where he had waited longing for his mother to return. Holding out hope that of course she'd return. She loved him.
Third, when that hope was thoughtlessly shattered by his kaki/masi. I think that the day he left the haveli, the kaki probably broke his father's heart too with her words, throwing both their worlds into a tailspin from which neither of them emerged unscathed.
As you so beautifully pointed out, his mothers actions have left his life broken in three different dimensions...the before, the vacuum and the after...
Book Talk
Anupamaa
