Well! Most
probably in class 3, we had read a story of a boy whose parents gifted him a
canary on his birthday. Initially, he nurtured the bird with utmost care but
after a few days, his caring attitude shrunk to zero. Alas! The poor animal died one day following
the lad’s slackness.
Relationships are
ditto. A “relationship” perishes when it is not cultivated well. Perseverance,
patience, love, time and care are the ingredients required for a healthy
relationship …“Gently Falls The Bakula” hinges on the same theme. It’s a story of a marriage turned sour.
The prolific
writer, Sudha
Murthy, has precisely
captured the reality of the society, in fact of the corporate world, in a book.
The simple language laden with an intense theme adds additional stars to the
beauty of the novel.
The novel lingers
around Shrikant and Shrimati , who are neighbours . Also they are classmates
and more than that, tough competitors. Bakula
holds great significance in the novel as it is the bakula flower only which
first attracts shrikant towards shrimati. Love blooms between them during their higher studies. Shrikant pursues
engineering from IIT, Bombay. But distance doesn’t diminish the love between ‘Shri’
and Shrimati. To put it better, the relationship stands the test of time and
distance. Every time Shrimati writes to Shri, she attaches a bakula flower to the letter and these attachments
are symbolic of the fact that the fragrance of their love would never go away. Though,
the families of the two are engaged in a feud but still the love birds tie a
knot.
But fate has
something else in store for the couple. “Behind every man’s success, there is a woman.” This statement is true as far as the story is
concerned. Shrikant climbs the corporate
ladder steadily whereas Shrimati acts like air under his wings. The horse vision
of Shri makes him overlook Shrimati’s aspirations. Be it doing a job for the
sake of her in-laws or putting on hold her studies; be it suppressing her motherly
instinct or craving for Shri’s love and time…Shrimati bears it all. She curbs her
own dreams; her love for History. But Shri just doesn’t acknowledge Shrimati’s silent
support. Rather he uses her as a tool; a tool that is intelligent and who, he
knows would never voice anything. True! “When favours are expected, then they
are not appreciated” and henceforth, things are bound to go downhill.
Shrimati’s life
takes a somersault when she gains deeper insight into the fact as how she makes
her husband’s dream hers and in the process digresses from her own path and
loses not only her identity but her self-esteem as well!!
So, what do you think she does
next?
Does she carry on with her
deplorable life or does she break free?
Does she chase her passion for History?
What becomes of her relationship
with Shrikant whom she had loved so much?
Whatsoever happens
in end, one thing that is obvious is that Sudha Murthy etches her characters
wonderfully and the message in her books leaves you introspecting and brooding.
The bakula tree whose flowers once
stood for the love between Shrikant and Shrimati collapses sadly. The fragrance
of their love disappears. And hence, the bakula gently falls!!
Harshita Kaushik