The River and the Ocean

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Ek nadi se maine poocha, ithla ke chaldi kahan…

Sagar se milne ka uska jo sapna tha meri hi tarha piya

Our poets and philosophers have equated the relationship between a woman and a man with the relationship between a river and an ocean. We all know how rivers originate from icy glaciers, come frolicking down the mountains, dig deep into the plains while rushing incessantly towards its final destination…the ocean! The ocean thrives on the fresh water added to it by the river , and in turn, offers its water to the clouds that go back to divest their bounty over the glaciers. The entire creation depends on the love affair between the River and the Ocean!   

I am forever on the lookout for the human counterparts of the Ocean and the River, and I did actually spot one such couple!

 My husband was super-excited after talking with him for the first time. He said about him, “This man is a mine of ideas. He simply stormed my brain with myriad business schemes in just half an hour of telephonic conversation!”We visited his home, and saw a bundle of energy in him. Our daughter instantly got glued to his various tricks, and found a worthy playmate in him. His wife, in the later stages of pregnancy at that time, glowed with happiness and contentment.  She was a curious mix of friendliness and reticence.

The next time I visited her after she had delivered her second son. She was looked after and fussed over by many family members. It was a big happy family spectacle. The most beautiful thing about this family was that they all had fond memories to share about each other, and all seemed eager to help in whatever way they could. She was full of praise for her mother-in-law for caring about her younger brother staying with her for his studies. It looked as if the entire existence in that household was soaked in the sunshine of love and care.

I could witness a full-fledged household thriving on the fruits of the love affair between him and her. His oceanic nature provided nourishment to everyone who came in contact with him, and he, in turn, got flourished by the sweet attentions that his wife showered upon him.