I have not been intensely romantic in my life other than on a few occasions and they were very strong and taxing. But on the whole I have escaped from the clutches of romance without allowing it to do any great harm to me. From my few experiences and noticing the experiences of others I am certain that it can pull a person down without mercy and destroy them even, if it goes bad.
The present generation, luckily or otherwise, are quite oblivious to its charms. They take life as a serious business to be conducted in a sane manner. I don’t know whether it is good or not, but I sort of admire them for the strong mentality that they display towards life in general. Back in my times the colleges in our land were great centers of romance. Most of the relationships ended in being with each other for the rest of the life.
That could be a pretty taxing affair too. In love everything would look rosy; the lovers would only exhibit their most becoming qualities for the other to view. After the knot is tied things take on a different hue altogether. Previously unnoticed or ‘charming’ flaws become the biggest hindrance in the “fambli” life.
I don’t think the present generation is aware of these intricacies. This could not be the reason for their aversion to the lure of romance. But somehow or other they have reached the conclusion that to be involved in such a relationship is beneath them, some of them consider it to be foolish to be engaged in them too. This I learn from their interviews.
Life has gone very brainy nowadays, it seems. Feelings are taken to be weaknesses now. I feel it strange most of the time, the way the youngsters behave, they have a steely timbre in them, it frightens me a little too. Everything that they do is very businesslike, like they are out to do something with the world, what I don’t know. They are the new iron race and I am concerned about the coming generation, they could be more brutal with feelings than the present one.
May be this is the right direction, maybe it is like they say in some old science fiction tales, in the coming times the emotional types might be considered weak and stupid. Though I too have something steely in me towards emotionalism (I was a great bawler at one time and hated every moment of it, that may have turned me against it if nothing else did), I would not like to live in the coming iron epoch. It would destroy me completely.
The tastes that we have in music too are alarmingly different. I still like old melodies and romantic songs, while the cool guys of today go for the blaring variety. Though I would still run for my life if some girl says that she loves me I am moved when I listen to these love ditties. I never can understand why, maybe I am inherently romantic.
I have a special liking for songs about separation.
They say that separation makes love stronger, Kalidasa has written a wonderful poem on it, the ‘Meghasandhesha’ or the ‘message sent through a cloud’. It describes the state of the lover in ‘Viraha’ or separation. It’s an absolute classic on the subject.
All these came to my mind while I was listening to the wonderful voice of Jesudas singing a song about separation. I like everything about it other than the stupid picturization of the song in the movie it was included. The words are haunting (lyrics by ONV Kurup, put to tune by G. Devarajan) and the voice of Jesudas has no parallel in our minds. It is beyond words.
The song begins somewhat like this:
“Were you near me, I yearned idly for a moment…”
And the imagery that follows is stunning.
The rain at night, the sound of the leaves stirred by rain, the music of the rain drops spreading over the strings of the heart, the cackle of the lone bird near the window......
The time the first bud came out in Chambaka, the hot imagination that touches the soft and silken hair of someone, the recalled lines of an ancient love poem ….
And so on. Its sheer poetry and I can’t translate it. All these make him intensely long for his lover.
It is also raining outside here now, may be that has added more charm to the song. Any way I am in love with this song. Pretty deplorable taste perhaps, well, what can I do, I like all the silly stuff…..
No comments:
Post a Comment