Love- its glories and subtleties

I was watching ‘Pearl Harbour’ on TV (for the nth time of course) and I made note of the three most romantic lines I have ever heard-

“Your love kept me alive!” –Rafe to Evelyn

“I will give Danny my whole heart but I’ll never look at another sunset without thinking of you.” –Evelyn to Rafe

“The only thing that scares me is that might you love him more than you love me.” –Danny to Evelyn

Anyone who has ever watched Pearl Harbour knows that it is an elaborate, entangled love story, packed with overwhelming emotions. It is true that it has been subjected to a LOT of disapproval with the critics and the heartless but let’s face it, it’s hard to switch channels if it’s showing on TV.

Getting to the point, (no, it’s not a post in praise of Pearl Harbour though I am of the opinion that it is a brilliant movie) the movie got me wondering if romantic tragedies, romantic comedies, basically romantic movies of any sort glorify love and heartache.

Is it possible to love so deeply? To make such intense declarations of love, that leave the whole world in tears? Is it really possible to be so selfless when you’re in love? Is it possible to be so ‘great’?

Till about a few years ago, I believed in the Hollywood/ Bollywood kind of love. The kind that makes us go ‘awww’ unfailingly, whenever we witness it. The kind that builds up expectations and weaves such fantasies in our heads that reality just isn’t good enough.

Now, I believe I have the better sense to know that love doesn’t consist in grand gestures or sweeping off feet and knights and white horses. Love is a lot more subtle, it’s much deeper than that. It’s about those hushed ‘I love you’s in crowded places; it’s in that morning cuppa in bed, made to your exact liking. It’s about fighting but not being too worried because you know you’ll make up. There’s love in those stolen glances across halls and there’s also love in those highly gross fart matches.

Love is anything that comes to you with the greatest of ease. It’s effortless. I confess, there’s still a small corner in my heart that yearns for a fairytale, but I’ll more than just settle for the subtle. 

Of Fairytales And More

Growing up, I have been an avid reader. Call it a merit or vice but I always get very involved in whatever I read. I dissect and analyse the characters and story so minutely and so quickly, that I don’t even realize it has happened.

I was often accused of ‘wasting my time’ reading ‘mindless fiction’. I usually never argued because I knew, non-readers could never understand. They could never understand how it is a boon. My reading habit has affected and moulded the person I am today. It has helped me evolve into a more mature person (if I may say so), a better thinker.

Every now and then, I pick up my childhood fairytale books and they restore my faith in goodness. They make me believe in Princes Almost-Charming (nobody’s perfect, right?) and in true love. In today’s life, that is a whirlwind, fairytales ground me and remind me of the existence of innocence.

I have probably learnt the most from my favourite franchise- Harry Potter. This series taught me the importance of bravery to face fears, loyalty and friendship. It taught me that it’s okay to dream because it’s only in our dreams that we enter a world that is completely our own. It taught me the lesson of self-acceptance. And most importantly, that we may be victors in the battles of our lives but we really never win unless we are willing to sacrifice what we hold dear.

There are some stories that inspire us, others that guide us. Some teach us to pick ourselves up after we fall, others broaden our horizons. They teach us patience, they teach us kindness. Others teach us the importance of cleverness for survival. Each story has something to tell, it’s about what we really understand of it, that makes all the difference.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda