SHE - Episode 8

Gem · Jun 17, 2007

Hello Varalotti sir,
I read the episodes of "SHE". Some of the characters are so alive and it is interesting to read your wonderful portrayal of the characters and the story. You are truly a gifted story teller with a sharp mind for details.

I salute you,sir. I have read some of your other stories and true accounts in your life. My life has been enriched, to say the least.:-D

In 'SHE', I enjoyed reading the development of Shalini's and her father's character. But I was disappointed with Shalini's choices:
1. for divorcing her husband, because the husband didn't come out as a brute in the beginning of the story and suddenly when she mentions divorce, he becomes a verbal monster. It is not convincing.:idontgetit:

2.Living-together arrangement, especially in Indian society, without a strand of doubt, spells major disaster. Shalini is such an intelligent person - you have convincingly developed her such. So how can she be so dumb in making that choice? It is implausible.

3. Why must a woman feel complete only with a man? Why can't a woman be complete on her own? 'Marupadium' movie comes to mind. I like Revathy's choice in 'Marupadium'.

The story is unwinding in a predictable manner in the last epidode - normal tamil story style. Shalini is like any other Indian woman. Now Jaggi is going to leave Shalini. He is postponing marriage - so the next thing is obvious. There is also no deep love in this relationship. Isn't that what Shalini wanted earlier - a truly loving companion?, not someone to just fulfil her physical needs?

Sorry sir, for being so critical. You are a great writer and I am just expressing my opinions frankly. I thought many times before sending this. Hope the other readers won't badger me for this.

Well anyway, I am waiting to read your next episode.
Cheers

varalotti · Jun 17, 2007

Hello Padma,
Thanks a lot for giving your time to reading all the 8 episodes, in almost one go. Shalini has suffered a lot. Buddha said that desire is the root cause of suffering. I would like to say, that suffering is the root cause of all maturity and wisdom that is available in this world.
Thanks once again for your nice words. Looking forward to see your comments in the future episodes also.
regards,

Vandhana · Jun 17, 2007

Hello Sridhar,

Greetings from India. Just getting over jet lag, and the first thing i did when i laid hands on the pc, was to log on to read part 8. You have definitely set the pace for the story now. Like meena , i too feel that the jaggi guy is an opportunist, waiting to get back at Shalini.

Well lets see what happens next.

rgds
vandhana

varalotti · Jun 17, 2007

Hi Swati,
(Incidentally Swati is the birth-star of my mother and my younger brother. They always used to say that Swati-borns are all "Devas". Just remembered it while seeing your name)

Thanks for the nice words, Swati. The story is going fast as it centres around a really fast girl. Yes, my heroine is intelligent. No doubt about it. But it is not the cold, calculated intelligence of an Intel Processor which can inhumanly and unemotionally process a few millions of instructions per second. The intelligence is human and so the frailties that accompany it are also human.

I still feel that it is too early to pass comments on Jaggi's character. Why don't you wait for a week's time and see for yourself, how he turns out to be.

Though I have already heard of that Newton big-hole small-hole anecdote I loved your narration as it was contextual.

Looking forward to see your reactions when the story takes the next turn.
regards,

varalotti · Jun 17, 2007

Dear Gem,

Thanks for your nice post. Posts like these make me think deeper on the storyline and hone my writing skills. Believe me, Gem, no good writer thinks as he writes the story. With the plot roughly in place he starts writing. First he struggles to find words and formulate events. At one point of time when his involvement with the story reaches a critical mass, then the story takes over from there. And only when the story takes over from the writer and writes itself, the writer gets compliments like

"Some of the characters are so alive and it is interesting to read your wonderful portrayal of the characters and the story. You are truly a gifted story teller with a sharp mind for details.

I salute you,sir. I have read some of your other stories and true accounts in your life. My life has been enriched, to say the least.

from intelligent and beautiful readers like Gem.

Now let's turn to your criticisms. (Gem, you need not be apologetic for being critical. If praise is "sweet" to the writer, it is the criticism which provides "salt" to his fare. See, you can eat without sweet for days on end; but it is very difficult to eat without salt-content.)

. But I was disappointed with Shalini's choices:
1. for divorcing her husband, because the husband didn't come out as a brute in the beginning of the story and suddenly when she mentions divorce, he becomes a verbal monster. It is not convincing.:idontgetit:

I have been waiting for this question for quite a long time. Just imagine my situation. Had I shown Rishi as a "conventionally" bad husband - drinks, abuses his wife, other women etc. then the story will be, to use your own words, highly predictable. A wife divorcing such a husband is not news. A wife NOT divorcing such a husband is today, a big news.

I have shown that their marriage is dysfunctional. They do not talk to each other except to fight; even sex has deteriorated into a mechanical formality. But the man is clean - no drinks, no smoking, no bad habits, very good and honest when it comes to money blah blah... And one requires great intelligence to identify the dysfunctionality of the marriage in a case like this. And I am proud to say my heroine had that intelligence.

Second, Rishi's character was not fully brought out; I had just hinted about his traits. Some traits always lie deep inside the person and come out only in times of pressure or opportunity.

I will quote a different example. I did CA with one of my friends, who was exceedingly nice. We used to be together all the time. He dropped out of CA and was in some dreary job. Then a few friends decided to start a business venture and we invited him to join us. Six months into the venture he started showing his true colours. The man who had always remained extremely sweet now was irritant, dishonest, corrupt and hurtful. We had to terminate the venture with a heavy heart.

Somebody asked, "How did that fellow change? I still can't believe it." You see God, unlike novelists, need not convince people about sudden changes. But my intrepretation of his change in behaviour is like this. He was bad from the beginning. But till then he did not have the proper opportunity to manifest his badness. Now he had that chance and he used it to the fullest.

If you want further proof on this matter, just have a look at some very good people who suddenly get a jackpot or a legacy and become very rich. Their behaviour would change totally. People naively say that money has changed them. I beg to disagree. They were bad from the beginning and money brought their badness out in the open. That's all.

That's the case with Rishi. When cornered (like a cat which turns ferocious) he manifests the qualities hidden deep inside him. Have I convinced you, Madam?

The story is unwinding in a predictable manner in the last epidode - normal tamil story style. Shalini is like any other Indian woman. Now Jaggi is going to leave Shalini. He is postponing marriage - so the next thing is obvious. There is also no deep love in this relationship.

I do not know what do you mean by "last episode". If you mean this episode, then nothing is predictable; if you mean the final episode of this serial, the comment is way too early. Let's wait and see,Gem.

Living-together arrangement, especially in Indian society, without a strand of doubt, spells major disaster. Shalini is such an intelligent person - you have convincingly developed her such. So how can she be so dumb in making that choice? It is implausible.

Live-in does not spell disaster as such. But I do agree that it requires a lot of intelligence to handle a live-in relationship. At least a hundred times more than what is required for a conventional marriage. I am sure my heroine has it. Live-in has its problems; but for some it is the only way then can relate to a member of the opposite sex. Today I read about a network operating in Bangalore for the live-in people. These people even help the live-in couples sign a 'gentleman's agreement' and also provide for some arbitration clause.

They clearly spell out the exit clause - that is what to do if one does not want to continue and the enlargement clause - what if both the parties want to make that permanent. I do not know your age, Gem. But I belong to an earlier generation which did not think of live-in at all. This generation is debating it. In the next generation that might be the rule. When I was young there were only test matches. Then one-day internationals came in. Now there are ODIs only. I think a similar thing is happening in the marriage front, whether we like it or not.

3. Why must a woman feel complete only with a man? Why can't a woman be complete on her own? 'Marupadium' movie comes to mind. I like Revathy's choice in 'Marupadium'.

Revathy's was one choice; and Shalini's the other. Marupadiyum author liked Revathi's choice. The author of SHE loves Shalini's.

I personally feel that a woman without a man is not complete .. wait, wait, wait... in the same way, a man without a woman is not complete. Man is one half and the woman the other. How can "completeness" come without joining the two halves, temporarily or permanently? That's what I think. But what will Shalini do eventually? Let's wait and see, Gem.

Sorry sir, for being so critical. You are a great writer and I am just expressing my opinions frankly. I thought many times before sending this. Hope the other readers won't badger me for this.
As I told earlier no need for apologies. This is a public forum and the moment I post my writings here, I give you a complete right to criticise me. Let me assure you that none of the ILites are mean enough to badger you for criticising me. But in the unlikely event of such a thing happening, I assure you, Gem, I will stand by you and support you. I will see to it that all the stones thrown at you fall on me and not on you.

Thanks once again for the active participation.

regards,

varalotti · Jun 17, 2007

Hello Vandhana,

Welcome to India. I am really flattered that the first thing you did after logging on was to read SHE 8.

I do appreciate your concerns regarding Jaggi's character; but I am unable to give an answer to you now as that would mean letting the cat out of the bag, a little too early.

Take rest and relax, first. We will have detailed discussion on these points in the next episode.

regards,

Gem · Jun 18, 2007

Dear Varalotti,
(I won’t add ‘sir’ anymore, I think it makes you uncomfortable. I added it in my earlier replies because you are a great teacher – I have learnt a great deal about life and people after getting involved in IndusLadies and in particular your articles/stories. So you will remain in my heart as a guru.:mrgreen: )

Thank you for taking so much trouble to reply and give explanations to my comments. I enjoyed reading it.:-D

It has helped me a lot to look at things more clearly now. When I read your story ‘SHE’ a few days ago, I read all the episodes from 1 - 8 in one go. It was so mesmerising that I couldn’t stop, as I can’t now wait for the subsequent episode. Maybe the queries that I posed, arose in my mind too rapidly as I read the episodes in quick successions. And I asked too quickly in the forum (Avasaram) . As I said, some things are clearer now– like Rishi’s volatile change, the hints were there – implied subtly.

When I read your reply about ‘live-in’ issue (I really appreciate the explanation), I understood new things and of course it made sense. I am not from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> but I grew up in a close-knit Indian community in another country (in a small town) where till now ‘live-in’ among Indians (in that town) is unthinkable and I was wrong in assuming that in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">India</st1lace></st1:country-region> too, it is so. But your explanation was an eye-opener. The world is changing especially in cities, even in the country I grew up in. Hmmm...sometimes I don’t see what I don’t want to see. :bang

Yes, by 'last episode', I meant Episode 8 – sorry I didn’t make it clear.

I am fascinated by your writing process. I was under the impression that a story just flows magically from a writer’s mind to paper (or screen). I see there is magic (you are truly a gifted story teller), as well as hard work. Your narrations and stories seem so effortlessly written.

Thank you very much for willing to defend me. It gives me courage. I know that hundreds of Indusladies’ members are your ardent fans, for you are not just a wonderful writer but human being as well.

I will keep reading your works. Keep writing Varalotti!

Gem

varalotti · Jun 18, 2007

Dear Gem,
thanks a lot for the very nice reply. It means a lot to me.
regards,

Kamla · Jun 18, 2007

There is another area in which I want your specific comments. And here you should not act in the capacity of my friend. As a moderator and more than that, as a mother of two girls, you tell me, whether my narration of this episode is okay. If I publish a book with exactly the same wordings will you let your teenage daughter to read that book?

This has been in my mind for quite some time. I dont write about sex. But when sex has a place in the story, nor do I ignore it. And most of the writing happens in a "flow" which I edit and tone down later. (Fortunately I never had to tone up ha ha )

Dear friend,

I cannot help but address you so, this time around Because, your question to me was quite specific and you are trying to draw more out of me than I am willing to share! But you are a friend, and I cannot deny you! Hence I shall be frank and answer you

Dear Varalotti.....You are a writer. You should always remember that when you are writing. Your ideas should come from within you and flow into the paper, not minding what others may think or not think. A writer is an artist. Just like a painter splashes colors on his canvas and satisfies his thirst for creation, so also should you splash your thoughts on to the paper. If you are worried as to who will accept it and will not, it will mar your ability for creation. Knowing you, I am sure you too think in these terms. But your question to me here raised a small doubt in me and hence the above lines
Coming to your question, perhaps I am not your average Indian mother to whom this question should have been directed to! I say this in all humbleness.
I read books of A.J. Cronin to Harold Robbins in my teens! I was a city bread, convent educated, English speaking middle class girl from India, all those years ago. And mind you, I was not alone. Many of my friends were just like me...we all went through those books and some more! My poor mother was not aware of these books and I suspect that my dad practiced a controlled tolerance You are aware that my girls were born and brought up in Europe. Need I say more? Parents in Europe are instructed by schools to teach their kids about where and how the babies come before they are admitted to their first class (!!) so that no false myths should prevail about such things!! Even I did that...there are very well written illustrated books which are aimed at tiny tots to answer their innocent but embarrassing questions. It is another matter that these tiny kids do not really remember what is told to them in a matter of weeks.
My children were exposed to all sorts of literature from a very young age. As long as it was not pure **** and as long as it was appropriate for their ages, there was no restriction as to what they read and what questions they asked. As parents, we explained to them to the best of our knowledge.
As such, your SHE is very innocent! When compared to Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Hardy's Tess of D'arbanville or even the tempestuous Scarlett O'Hara of the Gone with the Wind, Shalini is a baby. I have NO problems with my daughters reading it even as school girls, leave alone now, they are adults)
I think some of the problems with our Metro kids is also due to the lack of proper direction and instruction in man-woman relationships. When you take away the myth, the allure is not so tempting. Hope I do not offend anyone with these thoughts and if I do, I beg your pardon.

L, Kamla

varalotti · Jun 18, 2007

Dear Friend,

That was a really eloquent reply. When I write I dont care for others; to be very frank I give a damn to what the world may think. After finishing the writing I have to then marry the writing and the medium. Today, that is a tough task for a writer. Should I publish that in Ananda Vikatan, Dinamalar, Deccan Herald or Indusladies? At the time of this marriage I have to see the compatability of the medium and the message. Doubts assail me only at this time. Here I make some small changes here and there, more like stitching falls to the saree or giving a lining to the blouse (to make it less transparent), without changing the basic design of the garment.

And it is in these small tasks that I indulge in approval-seeking. And today I have got it from you. Thanks.
You will soon see the effects of your reply. Where and how?

Like SHE let it also hang in suspense.

Thanks a lot my dear friend. It is my good fortune to have a friend like you.
regards,