As to the just desserts Janki, Ragini and Kaveri faced---I was reminded of the profound saying by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: """Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all."
I have always loved that quote, something so prophetic about the mills of God grinding inexorably to serve what is deserved 😳 Also remind me each time of "Bhagwaan ke ghar der hai, andher nahi"- a mantra I really place a lot of faith in personally.
I feel no pity whatsoever for Janki. The true, grotesque tragedy of her situation, as she herself now understands, is that she was by far a foolish woman. This wasn't a crime of passion, an impulsive, thoughtless act. It was a coldly schemed, vilely planned attempt at devastation and murder---not once, but several times over. And that too, the plot was aimed against a young girl who had considered Janki as her own mother (and had, perhaps, even loved her a tad more than she had loved Shomi). Not to mention, that Shomi herself, had treated Janki with nothing but deference and affection. Shekar himself, though he obviously loved Shomi more than he loved Janki, held his first wife in tremendous esteem. It was she who was the chatelaine of his household. As far as medieval marriages went, this was far from unusual.
Janki was entitled to resent the arrangement. She was entitled even, to decline to accept Shomi and Swara, to treat them from the beginning with scorn and coldness. But it was her duplicity and deceit that truly sticks in one's craw. She wanted everything: her image as a long suffering, self sacrificing first wife, making the supreme sacrifice to ensure her household remained together. But within that facade, an ugly bitterness bubbled and boiled.
I totally agree about Janaki. She always had a choice as you highlight and she chose to be bitter to a point of no return. There were all those justifiable feelings and reactions you spoke of she could have opted for and for that anyone could have understood her but the depths she sank to especially when she literally handed over the entirely innocent girl she knew pure heartedly loved her to that monster- for that alone she deserves to burn in the fires of everlasting hell. Shomi could have been bitter as she was the second wife always reviled and played second fiddle in so many ways. So could Swara as she was treated with the "not quite good enough" taint too but they stayed good and decent as Janaki and after her Ragini did not.
Would Ragini have turned out better had Janki been a truer person, genuinely the Janki she was pretending to be? We shall never know the answer to that hypothetical, shall we? She was weak and conniving herself, and resented having to "share" what she thought was exclusively hers, with her elder half sister.
Yes, there are a lot of "what ifs" which I find so true to life as well. But here again, my view is she too had a choice and she chose to go down the wrong path. I understand she had mitigating circumstances and she wasn't as rotten to the core as Janaki was but her hatred of Swara too was consuming and didn't stop her setting a soldier on her sister to accost her and trying to literally get Sanskaar to murder her. Plus even when her conscience spoke it was never strong enough. She could have genuinely warned Pawan more fully but even there her duality came in and she wanted her mother protected as much as she could. Hence Pawan almost lost his life to that evil woman.
One feels a tremendous rush of protective affection and sympathy for Swara and Shomi. Two very well meaning, selfless souls, who both adored Janki and Ragini---but were mercilessly stabbed in the back.
So many nuances you had put into this chapter---that moment between Durga Prasad and a commanding, strong Annapurna (I loved her in this Fic!); the way Annapurna calmly tells Durga Prasad that she would always hate Kaveri Roy, and never be able to forgive her. The Rana himself, cedes the "management" of that aspect of their problem, in the very able and determined hands of his queen! She is definitely the stronger, more admirable of the two. Sanskaar's soul mother!
I too love Annapurna, she embodies to me how a woman can truly be strong without losing her very essence as a woman and a mother or even wife and friend. Annapurna is also capable of stabbing someone like Janaki, but only to save life perhaps and not to take it for gratification or selfish aims. She wants Kaveri dead not out of jealousy as she could have done that ages ago, but as the vile woman tried to harm her children and she is a tigress there. I have imbued her with shades of my own mother and it makes me very proud to read some of the comments on her 😊
Kaveri---well, her conniving, serpentine plots are now at an end. Apart from grasping at whatever chances for materialistic enrichment which came her way, she was a horrible mother, literally pimping out her daughter. Kavita was not exactly an admirable character herself, but she at least did love Sanskaar in her way, and did (howsoever transient that emotion might have been); strive to assist Sanskaar and Swara in the end.
Kaveri, on the other hand, though her sanity is now ebbing, remains vile and selfish. One wonders if she would take those doses of poison Annapurna informs her she has placed in that house where she is held under arrest? Or would she cling on, too cowardly to take that step, and perhaps even hoping for a reprieve?
Kaveri was after Devendra, the character that really had no redeeming qualities and I personally feel it very just she is caged and in prison and being offered venom to take if she wants it. But yes she clings to life. Kavita had that in her too. We will never really know if she would end it. Perhaps some day the rigours of prison would be too much- in Medieval times they were terrible places and she might slip into that place where death is preferable.
Really loved the character of Durga Kansal aka Dadi saa. 😊 Liked the way you tied in her background with the phase when she'd cured Annapurna's severe ailment, all those years before. The way she fought to save those 3 vitally important and beloved lives was heroic indeed. And we owe her (and you!) a large debt of gratitude. Sanskaar, Swara and Pawan are too precious to lose, na? 🤗 SwaSan deserve long decades of happiness together, lead a sterling life filled with laughter and contentment; have many mini Sanskaar's and Swara's (maybe they can name them Varun, Veer, Shiv, Shruti, Vani and Vaibhavi)? 😆 😉 Birth control not being exactly available in those days---large and happy families, you see!! 😳 😆
😃 Durga was my symbolic reference to the Goddess herself- after the Mahakal and Kali references, she was the life giving form of the mother who did her work well of course. Yes, those were too precious to not have around even in our imaginations to visualise having long and happy lives. 😆😆 I hadn't worked out how many kids. I am personally not a fan of too many despite the era 😆😆 so perhaps 3 as a max ( I am one of 3 😆). Will ruminate on names. Like the S names for them for obvious reasons 😉
And likewise, a very long and happy married life is due for Pawan and Uttara, too! Tell me something Shru---if SwaSan are the Dark Knight and the Mermaid/Nymph Princess; what titles do you plan to bestow on Pawan and Uttara? 😉
It is a tale for another day and if/ when that bug bites 😉
The way Uttara got so mad at Pawan trying to practice with his sword, even though he hadn't recovered his full strength, was so very wife like!! Pawan was positively spooked! 🤣 And though he still tries to maintain a circumspect air, Pawan has accepted the way he feels about Uttara, hasn't he? And her love for him doesn't seem too much of a secret either. Sanskaar, distracted thoiugh he is by his own all consuming adoration for his beloved Princess Swara, cannot but see the equation between his sister and his comrade in arms/ soul brother. At least, I think so. 😊 I guess he would be happy for them; he is hardly a man to let narrow social prejudices stand in the way of their genuine happiness---especially since he knows what a fine man Pawan is. Right? 😊 Or is that to be revealed in a spin off pic?
There are ideas there so cannot say much at all 😆 but Pawan is probably accepting internally of his feeling but yet that path would not be in the slightest bit smooth. Sanskaar- no, he has no idea as such as you saw from the Epilogue and I will reply on that as there is a very realistic reason(s) for that to me. 😉
That little nugget was so profound Shru. About how Swara and Sanskaar were initially at death's door---since neither wanted to live if the other died. Believeing the other to be dead, they wanted nothing else than to join their very life, their very soul, in the hereafter. The Gadodias and the Maheshwaris had to repeatedly speak to their inert forms, urging them that they had to cling to life, to recover since the other was fighting for life, too. Amazing touch there. 👏 👏
Awww, that is how it made sense to me. Each fighting more for the other would give them impetus and MAKE them survive I felt 😊
Lakshya---respect for him in this chapter. Fickle and callow he might have been, and always found wanting, compared to his much more illustrious, gallant and heroic cousin. But hidden within all those layers of juvenile behavior and spoilt brat airs, was a steely core of honor and family feeling. After those misgivings between him and Sanskaar had been laid to rest, Lakshya really demonstrated why he and Sanskaar had been so very close. He did adore and hero worship Sanskaar; and his utter revulsion towards Ragini made for compelling reading. He had begun to love her truly, and for any father, casting aside his wife when she was to shortly bear his child, would not be an easy decision by any stretch of the imagination. But though he was caught in the throes of a dielemma, his stand was clear---he would treasure and care for his baby once she or he arrived, but he was just too disgusted with Ragini to accept her now, if ever.
That is exactly right about Lakshya. I never made any pretences about him but never showed him "bad" ever and tried to steer people away very firmly from active dislike of him from the start if you remember? He is who he is but at his core is quite an honourable man and once he fought the fog of fickle entitlement he had as spoilt Prince, it helped the stronger side of him to emerge too. I am sure the reformed portrayal in the show helped me refine Lakshya as I moved on too. I really didn't want him accepting Ragini, he loved her as he saw lots of qualities in her she didn't possess and if you are shown someone's side so ugly, why should you forgive UNLESS that person truly repents and earns their stripes?
Curious to see how this progresses in the epilogue. Ragini did have that impulse towards a fleeting sense of remorse, and did try to leave some word with Pawan as to where she had gone. But it was not really a remorse powerful enough to make a full reckoning of hers and Janki's sins. She had a similar pang of remorse earlier too, when Swara had been taken away by Sanskaar---but that didn't last too long, either. The moment the news of their return came in, Ragini reverted to her poisonous jealousy and resentment.
I think the Epilogue answered that and I will respond to those lovely comments separately 😊
In a way, the most horrible indictment against Janki and Ragini, is the fact that they were unwilling to reconcile themselves to Sanskaar and Swara's honorable return; and the fact that Swara would become a Maheshwari daughter in law, too. They wanted Ragini to enjoy that position untramelled, to not have to share that honor and affection of the Maheshwari royal household with Swara. Whereas Swara herself, though she was the aggrieved party, was willing to let bygones be bygones, and though not revert to a close, sisterly bond with Ragini, at least maintain a civil politeness, as long as Ragini did not attempt to harm Sanskaar!
You have as ever totally summed that up perfectly with astuteness. I need not say more as ever, you are on my wave length on how I had thought that through and shown it come to pass. 😃
Therein lies the difference between a Sanskaar, Swara, Shomi (and I dare say, Uttara, Ram, Annapurna etc) on the one hand; and Janki and Ragini on the other. The latter two's conscience and soul have been so warped by a venomous spite and jealousy, they had no perspective left, no impulse towards family feeling, empathy or even a feeling of humanity. Sad, but there it is...
Absolutely- again, the paths we choose lead us to a destination and sometimes even if the outcome may be fated, the journey we took to get there really determines our "karma" and by extension of that, our rewards for those actions.
As an aside, I loved the Sujju---Shomi bonding. 😊 Ram getting a tad nervous at the thought of the two ladies commiserating and weeping on each others shoulders, was both deeply touching and a tad humorous! 😉
Glad you enjoyed that! I thought that like Swara found Uttara, Shomi deserved a nice friend after all she suffered 😊
Loads of Love,
---Viji
I am already missing these exchanges after the chapters 😳😊.
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