*FLASHBACK OF DR: LAXMAN, SUNDARI AND BHUVANA*
Dr: Laxman was living with Sundari's parents. Sundari's dad was Laxman's mom's brother. Sundari's dad has other brothers and sisters also. One thing going on was, Laxman was somewhat an introverted individual and this was more so because he had lost his parents and he was struggling with some internal problems within him. He was consistently judging himself and didn't find it comfortable to speak up for himself. While Sundari's other cousins mingled freely with her, Laxman was not that type. Yet he did well in his studies and later got employed in a hospital. He also took his job seriously and was very sincere in the job at times staying up for extra hours. Both at home and in the job, he always was keen to take up anything when he found he could be of use to someone. At that time, Sundari joined job as a bank officer.
Scene: Sundari's parents talking
Sundari's parents decided Sundari be married to Dr: Laxman. The family had some bitter experiences of marriages in which some women were not living happily due to the problems with mothers-in-law. Sundari's parents had a discussion.
Her dad told her mom, 'We will consider to marry Laxman with Sundari. The boy has clean habits. He is a soft individual. He has a good name in the medical circles also. Sundari will be happy and her future will be secured.'
Her mom: I also think so. Sundari will have to face no mamiyar kodumai.
Her dad: Right. He will rise also a lot. Good that you are also accepting my choice. That way, we won't have headache for finding a groom. Nor we need to go on with tensions. How the way, a prospective groom and his parents behave creates a lot of tensions. They make demands any day. They make demands even in the kalyana mandapam.
Her mom: Definitely Laxman will be loyal to not only Sundari but also us also.
Her dad: He can be persuaded to live with us.
Her mom: Everything belonging to us, belong to him also.
Sundari comes in to meet them at this moment. She was hearing whatever they had told. Her parents had a light conversation with Sundari.
Sundari was not totally keen to marry Laxman. But as she didn't want her parents to have hassles in finding a groom for her, she decided to agree to what they said.
Scene: Sundari and Laxman in a park before marriage
Sundari tells Laxman: I have a feeling our marriage could not work. I may not behave like a traditional wife. I could refuse what you ask me to do and may have the frank opinion of whatever goes on with us which could be mentally hurting to you. I also have to accept that, I won't hurt you intentionally and I am true to myself.
Laxman: We have good understanding and so we can make our marriage work.
Sundari: If so, let's hope for the best. Good Luck to both of us.
Another close relative told him, 'Sundari is a nice girl and she will definitely take care of you well. At times, she may talk rudely to you but that covers a golden heart within her despite a tough exterior. Good Luck to you.'
Laxman decided on the marriage because he believed TPS could have a good understanding of him. And they got married on an auspicious day.
Scene: A few months after the marriage both of them in a marriage party
The scene is in a kalyana mandapam. There were a lot of relatives who were from TPS's mother's side. Sundari is having a good time in that place as she meets a lot of her cousins. She is behaving in a lively way talking cheerfully to everyone. Laxman was finding himself isolated as he could not find much to talk to any of them who had come in the party. He really was thinking angrily though he could not talk much.
One of Sundari's bank colleague who works in another district had to come to the city. Sundari told he will put up at their home so that he has no hassles to find an accomodation in the city. Laxman didn't like it. Laxman expressed his uncomfortability in what Sundari wanted to do. But Sundari was not to listen to what he had to tell.She told, 'I may also be forced to stay in anyone's house, if I am to make an official visit because of the job.' Also Sundari persuaded laxman to take that person to the beach.
Next day, he asked her to come to the beach with him only which she refused to do. That made him sad. But he decided to go to another party which was for the first birthday of the son of her work colleague Venkitachalam. While the mood was really festive, Laxman's mind was gloomy. He could not make full conversation with some of the colleagues as they all formed a closed loop talking a lot of things about what were all happening in the bank. Again he was not happy. But Sundari was having a field day. He called on to her to leave the place a few times which she didn't like. But finally she had to leave the party place. That night, she had her first quarrel with Laxman.
But his ego was kindled. Also he was thinking to himself, he was not given much importance in his home, whatever was happening. Also he believed he was doing whatever Sundari was telling him to do. Yet, why was she happy to spend time with other persons, rather than him? While at times, it also happened Sundari would speak her opinion frankly to him even in presence of others and at times rudely also which pained him a lot.
He told at times he was not comfortable with the way she behaved rudely to him. But she told him, 'Whether you like me or not is your choice. I had told you how I will be even before our marriage. You have to get used to the way I am. There are people who had never liked me because of the way I am. But that is how I am.'
Scene in the hospital
Bhuvana was those days working as a hospital clerk. We know she is married to MM and was living with him and his mother. That day she could spot Laxman in a gloomy mood and decided to talk to him. She asked him softly, 'Why are you feeling unhappy?' Laxman told he was not well. But Bhuvana would not leave him. She asked him, 'I learn you really have some deep pain in your mind. The pain in the mind will go off, only when you are able to share the pain with someone. Whatever you have, you can freely talk to me.' Still Laxman would not tell anything. But she told, 'Let us atleast take coffee together in the canteen.' He decided he would go with her as that was really tension reliever for him. That was their first date together. On that day, as they were having coffee, Bhuvana asked him certain things about him. She asked just something trivially on the breakfast he took, the lunch he had and on the programs he has for this day etc.
But the first meeting they had really put Dr: Laxman in a spin. He could see Bhuvana is the first person genuinely interested in him and asking about him. He believed she is giving importance to him. He thought, 'No one considers me as a human being in my home. Bhuvana is different. In her husky voice, he could see she had concern towards her. Sundari behaves rudely with me any time. she needs to learn lesson for treating me with contempt.'
Laxman made a decision that next time if Bhuvana came to him, he will talk to her freely on his problems. But he was hesitating whether to call Bhuvana to his cabin. But his quandary was answered as Bhuvana herself came to his room. Still she told him the same thing, 'You can confide in me freely whatever you have in your mind.' Laxman hesitatingly told, 'if it is OK with you, I like to spend some time with you in the nearby park.' Bhuvana told, 'Surely we can meet in the park in the evening.' Laxman was relieved.
Scene in the park: Laxman and Bhuvana.
Laxman tells her how much arrogant his wife is to him and how no one cares about his opinion in the home and no body is giving him importance. Initially he had hesitation telling what he wanted to but slowly the conversation went on smoothly as he found Bhuvana was approving whatever he had to tell her. As they sat together for one hour, Laxman was feeling very much different.
He asked her to meet him once more. Bhuvana's crooked brain also began to work. She was having a dry life with her husband who had low wages. She was looking at the richest people in Chennai full of envy and she thought, 'Why could not I find a way to be rich?' MM is not ambitious and he always moved with some fixed ideas according to her.
Laxman found each meeting he had with Bhuvana more amd more exciting. And Bhuvana also worked such that he would be taken in by her wiles. Each time they both met, she always presented his wife Sundari in a bad picture ridiculing the way she behaved. Bhuvana repeatedly told him, 'Sundari has been behaving haughtily with you. She is an arrogant person. she never values you. She never gives you importance. She never thinks your happiness is important.'Listening to what she told repeatedly, he more and more went on to spend time with her. He told her once, 'I wish I had married you and not Sundari'. As he was more and more drawn to Bhuvana, he was not finding Sundari attractive. He was feeling even more badly as Sundari talked rudely to him or she refused to do what he wanted her to do. As Bhuvana could find she was able to Valachufy Laxman, she began to think of how to make this relationship permanent with her crooked brain and her crooked ambitions.
By then, they were holding their hands also. This was seen by one of Dr: L's relatives. He asked Dr: L, what he was doing. Laxman would not say anything on that. Then came a day, Bhuvana also asked him, 'Can't we make our relationship permanent? We have only one life and we are meant to enjoy the life full to brim. Living in unhappy married life has no meaning. You are living with a woman who is not understanding your value. I am living with a man who is not understanding my worth. What meaning our lives have? We both are living in pain only when there is a way, we could get rid of our pains. We both are understanding each other. Marriages could not be considered to be made in heaven, if they make a hell for our lives. So it is totally OK, if you marry me and we can live happily.' Laxman was hesitating to make this bold move. Whom could he ask what is to be done?
But Bhuvana was pressing her demand whenever she got opportunity. Then came a day, Sundari saw him with Bhuvana and demanded him what he was up to in presence of a few of her relatives and their one uear old boy. That day he shouted at her, 'No more life with you. You have always been arrogant to me. You never respected me as a human being. You always were finding faults with me. I am leaving you for good. You can be happy the way yourself.'
And so he 'surrendered' to Bhuvana believing she is the right 'wife' for him. On that day, they both decided to move off to Bangalore, where they started living together. Bhuvana's ambition worked both of them began to rise in the society. They started with a small dispensary which grew into a big hospital and they constructed a super speciality hospital in Chennai also. He rose in the life in the same way as Michael Henchard. Even as things seemed rosy for him, things were not totally same in his mind. His conscience was pricking him and he could definitely see Sundari valued him more than this woman who is seeing him only as a ladder to rise in her status.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNYdpvimsCY&feature=plcp&context=C4b89c3eVDvjVQa1PpcFO8UoOEcMCYusfPvwsbS6d_IEJ23-W6_qk%3D[/YOUTUBE]
Anupamaa
