Along Came Bonny Meghali Barua
Related Articles
When I was a little girl, around four or probably five years of age, I used to be completely enamored by the tales narrated by my ever-wise, ever-smiling grandmother. They were usually about a breathtakingly handsome Prince and how he would woo and serenade a beautiful Princess. The Princess, never without a fail, would have silken, long tresses and would bewitch the Prince to fall in love with her, all at the first glance.
Now to think of it, I wonder at how I had imagined the ‘handsome’ Prince back then. Did I spin the image of a man having a dazzling smile? Or a man who could sing a beautiful, dulcet tune in a heartbeat, making all around him including the Princess swoon in utter delight and ecstasy. However, I think that since I was very young and innocent, I am sure that I had not tried to imagine how the Prince looked in my tender mind. And as I grew up, I started watching the Disney musicals and would be transfixed by the magic weaved by the characters. And, yes, even the hilarious antics of the evil witches and goons would hold me captivated to the idiot box, much to the chagrin and worry of my parents.
Summer holidays! This was a time very special to me when I could afford to be lazy and be with my companions, my books whole month long. I know that I am nattering like a typical bookworm but that was who I was back then and I loved every single moment of it.
Fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen played a significant role in keeping me happy and out of trouble’s way! I used to read these pretty-as-picture-illustrated fairy books till my eyes would hurt and a shout from my mother would send me scurrying to have my meal or bath. I still remember how the oh-so-beautifully done illustrations would enthrall me; transport me to a secret, vivid land, of sorcery and of love. I guess that was my first brush with love…I used to be head-over-heels in love with the fine-looking Princes and would think that never in my life I had seen more grandiose, regal people…All were so real to me; it was as if I knew them, all their covert stories, secrets…moments of happiness and sadness. And the exciting ending would leave me breathless – the Prince fighting valiantly against the villains, the evil stepmother, evil kings, and suitors – all single-handedly and finally he would rescue the waiting Princess. Happily ever after – this was how all these stories ended with the Prince and the Princess, riding away on a noble, majestic stead to their future.
Dewy-eyed after every such story-telling session, I started to believe, with my whole heart and soul, that there was a Prince out there for every girl and one day, you are going to meet him and have your own happily ever after, no matter how, no matter when.
And today as I stand in my early 30s, I can’t help but shake my head in admonishment and amazement at my own naivety…how incredibly gullible I was. Today romance is all about ‘swiping right’ or ‘swiping left’…and that’s it! Two seconds staring at the face of a complete stranger decides whether you have found your true soulmate. When I first heard of it, I was completely baffled (appalled really!). Tinder? Speed-dating? And that would make me wonder whatever happened to old-fashioned romance – to that heart-skipping-a-beat when your eyes land on that special person? To that incredible journey when that person makes you his, against all odds?
I remember my first rose…that incredible shyness which overcame me when I gingerly accepted it and how singularly special that moment felt. The memory of it lingered with me for a long, long time and even though, the remembrance holds no meaning for me today, I cannot help remembering the innocence of the whole act. How incredibly childlike we all were…a smuggled letter written painstakingly overnight, a withered rose bought at a throw-away price seemed so precious, so magical back then. In my old-fashioned world of romance, all these moments were like a little secret, a moment that becomes yours, only yours…forever.
But alas! Romance, over the years, has lost its face in the race against time. In today’s era, there’s no time for anyone to carve out that special moment and everything seems so meaningless…a waste of precious time.
Time…Time (being the unfailing Drama Queen) has dramatically changed the whole gamut of human emotions and whatever else is and was on the periphery of it. Practicality and logic, have overpowered all senses and all moments of tenderness. I guess, maybe that’s how it should be in the now dog-eats-dog world but my heart certainly does not agree to it.
Somewhere, I know for a fact, lies in every woman’s beating heart, the unspoken longing to be wooed, to be serenaded, to be made to feel special. Not to swiped left or right…not be fed with a bitter dose of practicality. Women! It’s perfectly fine if you sometimes give into your emotions, of the need to feel that you’re someone’s princess, someone’s special one…After all, hadn’t been Hans Christian Anderson been telling us just that our whole lives?
Hey sweetie.. Nice to read you again. Love Shaista.
Thank you for reading my article!
I too feel the same sometime. Now romance is more practical, and my heart also doesn’t agree to this.
Nice write up!
Thank you reading my article 🙂