Stories

Marriage or Love

'Love makes lovers live together in hearts. Love leads lovers to marriage, for a legal bond to live together lifelong. Marriage is in fact a mask to say that they are a couple but not a pair of lovers. Marriage is a bond to live together but not the sign of love and the fruit of love...

'The lovers or the couple are like two eyes to look at the sole object or the only objective in their sight. They’re like the two facets of a coin to be good as not to be a counterfeited one. If anybody says that the lovers or husband and wife are different and are like the Poles, it’s wrong. The Poles are the Poles apart, but they are not lovers to be separate...

'In an incident, one man as a lover forces a woman whom he loves on one side and has another woman to love him on the other. It's against a legal right,'

narrated a judge in the court of love by telling an incident from his life:

Anamika was a girl groomed in a rural background. She was born and brought up in a farmer's family. She liked the rural landscapes and pastoral folks. She spent all her daytime in nature enjoying its sights and sounds.

Of all sights in plenty in nature's bounty, the peacocks' dancing was the best one for Anamika. She learnt to dance gracefully at the fascinating sight. She loved beautiful pastures, hillocks, thickets. and verdant trees with full interest. She was glad when she saw the beautiful sights and listened to the sounds of the singing birds. She felt that the birds had come and sung from farther realms to gladden her heart during her stay in nature.

Nature was like her mother, and she was a child to grow in the lap of nature with all pleasures. For her, nature was her motherly companion.

In her girlhood days, Anamika was innocent like a lamb.  She loved nature very much. She went to the river and played the game of building sand dunes in the sand. She found pleasure in watching the animals like cattle around her. She used to go to the cows and touch them with love and affection.

Anamika was interested in birds and animals. She imitated birds and animals as she had interest in the sounds. She used to imitate the sounds of the cuckoo and enjoyed herself in nature. She came back home, enjoying the hues of sunset and the birds in their flight back to nests.

In her usual visits to nature, Anamika loved the sight of flowers... She liked their rich variety for the beauty in bounty enjoyed in her fond looks at them. The flowers appeared to smile on her touching them gently as if she were the only girl to enjoy the mysteries of nature by unraveling them. She reveled in her joys at the sights and sounds of nature, a heaven on earth, the earthly paradise.

Anamika listened to a melodious song from far vales and distant hills. She felt that the song was echoing on earth from heaven. She went in search of the melodies. In her search, she went further and saw a hillock. She went near the hillock and found a handsome boy playing the flute sitting on a branch of a tree nearby. She stood near the tree, listening to the song with rapt attention. The boy also looked at her listening to him happily. She did not know where she was and where he had come from.

It was a great surprise for Anamika as she found the boy as a gift offered to her by nature. She used to go to the spot and enjoy the songs played on the flute by the boy. The sight with a hillock and the tree nearby, and the boy's playing the flute was her favourite pastime.  

Anamika was a regular visitor of the sight of her choice. She did not miss her visit to the sight not even a day also. That sight was her gift offered by Nature.

In her visit to the sight one day, Anamika made up her mind to call him Prakrith when she saw him in the bower of nature.

Anamika enjoyed the melodies sung by the boy every day. She used to go to the tree to listen to him very attentively. He used to sit on the tree and sing melodies with the background sounds of singing birds. She felt like dancing in response to his melodies. One day he came down to speak to her sitting on a rock under the tree.

'I'm happy to find you here... I thought that only natural objects were enjoying my melodies. I'm happy that you are enjoying my songs by coming to me... I'm very glad to see you...,' said the boy in nature.

'I too...I felt lulled in the swing of your melodies...My happiness knew no bounds when I heard your melodies of your flute and danced to the tune of your rhythms,' said the girl, Anamika with all smiles.

'Infinite flowers glitter in your smiles,' said the boy in nature.

'I saw you first in nature...Since you’re the gift of nature, I made up my mind to call you, Prakrith...,' said Anamika.

'You can call me Prakrith...the name you like most,' said the boy, Prakrith.

'Very glad to call you Prakrith,' said Anamika.

'When I saw you first, I felt like calling you, 'Girl in Nature'... A girl in nature is nameless... 'Nameless' means 'Anamika'... I felt like calling you Anamika,' said the boy, Prakrith happily.

'In fact, my name is Anamika... What you wanted to call me is the same. What a coincidence! Call me Anamika...Let my name flow from your throat like your note from your flute,' said Anamika with a hearty smile like the flower to spread its maiden perfume and glow its newborn shine.

'Anamika...Anamika...,' said Prakrith.

'Call me many more times...,' said Anamika.

'Anamika... Anamika... Anamika... Anamika... Anamika...,' called Prakrith many times with all love and affection. Her name echoed everywhere for his joy.

'I'm happy to listening to you... you’re calling my name, 'Anamika'. My happiness is multiplied infinitely...,' said Anamika.

'My dear Anamika, call me Prakrith many times,' said Prakrith.

'Prakrith...Prakrith...Prakrith...Prakrith...Prakrith...,' called Anamika with love and affection. Her calls resonated everywhere to gladden the heart of Prakrith.

'Where are you from?' said Prakrith.

'I'm from nature... Where are you from,' said Anamika?

'I'm from nature...We both are in the lap of nature...,' said Prakrith.

'Your melodies made my heart bloom with happiness... My happiness is indefinable... My heart wishes to listen to your calls and melodies... I can't be away from your calls and melodies,' said Anamika with glittering smile.

'Only at your sight, I feel inspired more to produce more melodies on my flute than before,' said Prakrith happily.

Prakrith and Anamika were in nature everyday... They were not able to be away from each other... They were two in one in all respects. All days they were together in the lap of nature. What made them live together every day? They did not know what it was. They did not know that it was love that made them live together. It was an indefinable experience.      

Anamika was not able to live without seeing Prakrith. He was everything to her. She was everything to him. The sun was aware of the fact. The trees, the hills and all nature objects witnessed their love for each other.

The pigeons in a nest nearby saw Anamika and Prakrith sitting together and enjoying their love. The birds were jealous of them...their love... The birds watched them together every day.  

Anamika and Prakrith were together, enjoying the company of each other while noticing no passage of time. All the objects in nature loved to see their delightful sight. Flowers bloomed to express their joy at their sight as they do at daybreak. Cuckoos sang melodies at their sight in the spirit they naturally sing on eating tender mango leaves. Peacocks danced at their pleasant sight as they do at the sight of dark blue clouds.  Deer looked at their sight very happily with their beautiful eyes wide open as they do at no sight of cruel animals.

For the joyous witnessing of all the objects of nature, Prakrith and Anamika were together on a fine morning while the sun was shining with its tender rays.

'We met here in this holy spot. You are a river, and I am a river flowing from different directions to meet here as their confluence to flow into the ocean of bliss,' said Prakrith happily.

  'True, we're the two rivers for our union in the name of their confluence...,' said Anamika with joy knowing no bounds.

'Sacred rivers are to meet at their definite confluence,' said Prakrith.

'Our union is a miracle...You're a bird from your world...I'm a bird from my world...We're the birds to meet in the paradise of birds...We're the birds of paradise,' said Anamika happily.

'Yes, it's our paradise...the paradise created for us in the lap of nature... We're to live in the bower of nature...and so this is the paradise for us, the two birds to build the nest of paradise,' said Prakrith, while singing melodies in ecstasy.

Anamika engrossed in the beauty of his melodies in bounty and danced gracefully. Their joy transported them to a new world. All the objects in nature were still watching them in ecstasy.

~*~

Days passed to find Anamika marriageable. Her parents, Ambika and Madhava thought of celebrating her marriage with a boy in the city, as they had the fascination of urban life.

Ambika and Madhava were not aware of their daughter Anamika's love for Prakrith. She was not able to express her love for Prakrith as she was very innocent.  Her parents were also innocent as they were farmers from the rural background. Their dream was to select a boy from the city nearby. They thought of informing their close relative, Ramu who was studying in the city, as they had informed him to be in search of a match for Anamika in the city.

Ramu, their relative, brought a boy called Krish for Anamika from the city. The boy was suitable and looked ultramodern and stylish. The parents, Ambika and Madhava thought that he was well educated and highly placed for his higher education. They were happy to receive him.

As per their invitation, Krish came and occupied a seat provided for him in their house. They offered him fruit and all and he had. Meanwhile they called Anamika to appear before him. She appeared angelic and sat like an angel before him. She did not know why the parents called her to the boy.

Anamika sat in their presence. The marriage party were in a good impression on the girl. After the meeting, she slowly went inside but she was not inside. She went to her favourite spot to see Prakrith and listen to his songs on the flute. Prakrith had been waiting for her anxiously.

When Anamika was the only daughter for the farmer-parents, Krish thought that he would own all the property of her parents. He expected many things from them. He said that he liked the girl a lot.

Ambika and Madhava never tried to know their daughter Anamika’s heart, her will and wish, as they were very innocent. The city boy’s liking her was very important for them. They settled her marriage and Krish would be her bridegroom.

~*~

Ramu, the close relative of Ambika and Madhava came from the city after the settlement of Anamika's marriage. He came to Anamika. He had a conversation with her,

'I'm happy that you are going to the city after your marriage... It's a big city...We find all that we don't find here at this village...,' said Ramu.

'I don't want to go to the city...I want to stay here,' said Anamika.

'How do you stay here...?' said Ramu.

'In the way I've been staying here since birth,' said Anamika.

'It's the marriage of a city boy and a village girl...You're bound to stay in the city...It's inevitable...,' said Ramu.

'I'm not ready to go to the city,' said Anamika.

'Your parents like you to live in the city... It's their cherished dream... If you're not ready for that, your parents can’t live ahead. They commit suicide...You can't go as per your wish...Go as per your parents’ wish… Remember that...,' said Ramu.

Anamika felt shocked when she heard that she was bound to go to the city, as per the wish of her parents. She did not know what to do. She was in deep thoughts while she was listening to the song of Prakrith in her heart. It was echoing in her heart all the time.

The day came for the marriage of Anamika and Krish. The time for their marriage also arrived to see them in the venue. All were busy. The marriage was going on. Ambika and Madhava did not allow Anamika to go anywhere that day. The matrimonial musical lutes and drums were going on. In all the sounds, she listened to the only song played by Prakrith on the flute. She felt like running to the sight to see him.

The priest asked Anamika to come to the marriage venue. Ambika and Madhava led her to the venue and made her sit in the venue.

Krish was in a hilarious mood. Anamika did not know what exactly was going on. She did not know that the marriage would prevent her from going to Prakrith for her seeing him and listening to his songs. Everything in the marriage venue was going on in a mechanical way but she was listening to the song of Prakrith in her heart amidst all matrimonial sounds of pipes and drums. His song was ringing in her ears and echoing in her heart.

It was the time for the bridegroom to tie mangala sutra, the wedlock in the neck of the bride, Anamika. He tied it while the priest was chanting the key spell for the process of marriage performance. She did not mind all the things. All lutes and drums were going on, but she was listening to the song of Prakrith, its tone and tune. It was ringing in her heart. She slowly went out when all the people were busily engaged in their activities.

Anamika ran to Prakrith and was with him. She was enjoying the song of Prakrith.

All noticed that Anamika was missing... They searched for her, but they did not find her in the house. All the villagers launched their search. They ultimately went to the sight where she went every day.

Anamika and Prakrit were together hand in hand as the bond of their love beyond the ties of marriage. They looked at them in deep love on one side and Anamika’s parents were searching for her on the other.   

That was the marriage of Krish and Anamika. That was love of Prakrith and Anamika. Marriage or love, what is going to win?


Image (c) istock.com

15-Jun-2025

More by :  Dr. Katta Rajamouli


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