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| Photo credit HERE |
The beautiful, soft cover of the book was an instant draw
for me, when it arrived at my door step. The mesmerizing face of the cover, and
the light pastel colours were soothing to my mind. Naturally, I read the book
at almost one sitting. The absorbing content can be clearly seen at three
levels.
The first is direct. Vibhavari, a girl from a poor family in
Rishikesh, is married off early at sixteen to a man from Dubai. The marriage
turns abusive and the young Vibhavari is beaten and sexually abused by husband
and brother-in-law. Innocent, shy and beautiful Vibhavati, bears this brunt,
including bearing two sons from this marriage. At last, finding a way to escape
from this torture, she is back to her own country, the two boys being placed in
a boarding school in Panchgani, near Pune, Maharashtra.
After a marriage in which she literally undergoes marital
rape, Vibhavari, is however, still looking for love, as she quite understands
that there is a distinction between love and sex. She is looking for love,
when, on her visit to see her sons, she meets a man, with whom she gets
physically and emotionally close. However, when the question of marriage is
brought before the man, he quickly retreats, saying the togetherness was more
for mutual sexual pleasure and not for making commitment. Vibhavari is shocked
and decides to stop meeting him.
Shortly after she meets a man from her own building
residence, who is bethropped to a lady,
but does carry on an illicit sexual relationship with Vibhavari. This too meets
the same fate – there will be no marriage in future. Vibhavari is depressed,
lonely and still searching for that love, when, at the Yoga class she finally
meets the man, older and wiser, with whom she is married again, and learns and
travels a lot. Vibhavari, however, it seems is unlucky in love, as this last,
treasure trove of love, is snatched away from her by death. Vibhavari is left
alone, but this time, many things change in her life and lead her to an amazing
end, coming the full circle, of life and love.
But, there is a deeper second level to this book and I would
like to dwell on that. The perfect abuse story, of marital rape, physical abuse
and mental torture would have lead to two consequences – one, Vibhavari would
have shied away from society and become a recluse, but in fact, the opposite
happens. She celebrates her body, her ability to find sexual gratification and
to be engaged sexually with men she isa attracted to, showing the reader that
there are two options available to the abused human; they can chose to become a
recluse or they can embrace the world with more desire. Vibhavari chose the
latter, but was still unfulfilled, because, she was really looking for love.
The third level of the book and story is complex and
uplifting. Desire, deviance and divinity
make the third level the most exciting, for the reader with a ‘third eye’ that
goes beyond the mundane. It is Freudian in nature – desire is inherent in man. Id,Ego, Superego. But where Freud stops, Indian spiritual therapy begins and so, Vibhabavi, the
simple girl from Rishikesh, returns home, physhically, metaphorically and
spiritually, back to where she came from and the reader now must travel with
her, to Rishikesh to see what love finally is and where it finds its ultimate
source and resting place.
Where Love Begins Vibhavari, is a powerful story at all levels,
for love, is a primal search that is the be all and end all in our lives, until
we know better.
Click HERE to buy
the book.
Dr. Jashodhara Purkayastha (Yashodhara) is a professor from the education field with twenty-five years' experience in teaching psychology and philosophy, having done her master's in education from Mumbai University, India. She has completed post-graduate work in economics, this being one of the subjects taught. She has done her doctorate in education also and is giving her time to set up teacher training methods. She has written a poetry book consisting of 105 poems in three languages.You can reach her at:
jashodharap(at)gmail.com
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