“Love is indeed blind” thought Sharad every time he looked back at his life. He has always been in love- with a girl most of the time and at other times, with his ideas. To his chagrin, all the women he thought he was definitely in love with, thought of him as a brother. Sharad could boast of the most number of rakhi bands every year both at school and college. You thought he boasted? Every year rakhi was a day of hide-and-seek for him and the day after rakhi, a day when he was bullied mercilessly by the other boys. “Oh look! Another of Sharad’s girl friend has tied him a rakhi” was what he heard year after year.
So you would naturally feel like Sharad when finally someone reciprocated his romantic love. As always he fell in love with her soon as she smiled at him and said hello. Well Sharad may easily fall in love but when in love, he is an ardent lover who gives his heart and soul.
Sadly he had a problematic belief. Being brought up in a traditional setting, for him two people when in love should end up getting married. The belief spels problem. There was an even greater problem-his parents. They would never approve of a love marriage. Added to this is the fact that they thought their son obeyed them and did not even speak to girls, much less have a girlfriend.
It was not the same on the girl's side. They were happy that their daughter did had the courtesy to tell her parents that she was in love instead of running away with someone. Sharad’s girl and her family slowly began pressurizing him.
What could he do? Tell his parents? “don’t you think suicide would be a better option?” asked his sister every time he sought her support to talk to his parents. There was just one word to describe Sharad’s emotions when he thought of seeking his parents approval for the marriage- fear. He feared hurting them by telling them the truth.
So what could poor Sharad do? On one end was the pretty girl whom he would love to spend his life with and on the other end were his parents-old and traditional. A tough struggle went through Sharad’s mind every time his girl and her family spoke to him of marriage. He concocted every possible lie to put away the fateful marriage until finally his girlfriend said that she could wait no longer.
That day, Sharad spent hours at the beach talking to himself. He did not realize the weird looks people gave- some pitying the young guy who had gone mad and the others cursing the drunken moron talking to himself. Finally the man made his decision. He would marry the girl without letting his family know about it. After all his unwed sister had to get married first, after that he would tell his parents.
That is how he came to be a married man for his friends and a confirmed bachelor for his parents. The fear came every time he thought of telling his parents about his ‘marital status’ and the decision to inform them kept being ‘put off’. Every time his parents broached the subject of marriage he would say “later ma! Not now”
Slowly the day came when his mother was in her death bed. A very upset Sharad was by her bedside when his mother breathed her last.
“Do you realize you have been holding your mother’s photo for the past one hour now?” said his wife gently shaking Sharad out of his reverie. His mother had died saying “I wish you had married someone, anyone. At least you would not be alone after I die.” Little did his mother know that the reason he did not tell her of his marriage was out of his love for her. His love for his parents brought along with it fear, a fear that made him lie to his loved ones, a fear that made him think he was helping them while all the time he was just making them feel miserable that their son was lonely.