Wild Love

Our member Geetha Prasanna creates a modern take on an epic tale. Can you guess which one?

The forest of Bandhavgarh was dense. Handsome and young Dhritiman sped his new Porsche down the buffer zone eager to hunt. Being the only heir of the late Maharaj of Indore, he felt it was his birthright to hunt. Pratap his aide said, “Sir, would you like to visit Mr. Kaushal, the Chief Forest Officer, who lives nearby?” Dhritiman replied sulkily, "Alright. But it’s not as if he is going to let me do any hunting!" As he reached the CFO’s residence he saw a vision of beauty. “Who is that?“ he asked. “That’s Samriddhi, Kaushal’s only daughter." Samruddhi was cavorting about with her two friends, Parineeta and Harini. Samriddhi was a qualified Ayurvedic Doctor.

It was love at first sight. Dhritiman jumped out of the Porsche and effortlessly flirted with Samriddhi, who just couldn’t take her eyes off him. “My parents are out of town,” she told him. He laughed and said, "Then I am going to move into the guest house here for sure. “ It was a whirlwind romance. Dhritiman proposed to her and they had a secret marriage. When he discovered that she was pregnant, he realized he hadn’t been home for ages. So he said, “My love, I have been neglecting my palace duties during my stay here. Let me go. Please come with the baby. I will wait for you." Samriddhi bade him a tearful goodbye and he promised to keep in touch. He gave her his solitaire ring as a memento.

One morning closer to the time she was going to have a baby, a mystic called Dhruv came to meet her father who believed in the supernatural. She mocked him saying, "This is all hogwash and rubbish. I don’t believe a word.” Offended, Dhruv cursed her, “You arrogant girl! The man who loves you will forget you forever.”

She just laughed. Parineeti who had heard of Dhruv’s powers begged him not to be so harsh. He relented and said, “Alright! He will remember her when she shows him the ring,” and left in a state of fury. Samriddhi was concerned that Dhritiman had stopped messaging, calling or emailing her. She assumed that he was busy. She went boating with her friends one day and dreamily played with the water and didn’t realize that the ring had slipped out into the water.

Finally, a baby boy was born. Kaushal took her to Indore to leave her with her husband. When Dhritiman came down the steps, Samriddhi ran towards him excitedly showing him their son. Dhritiman looking puzzled and exclaimed, “I don’t know any of you. Please leave at once!" The curse has worked. Grief-stricken Samriddhi wept inconsolably when she suddenly remembered the ring. She ran to him with her hand outstretched and was shocked to see that it was missing. She lost all hope looking at Dhritiman’s annoyed expression. They left the palace.

 Samriddhi was depressed and decided to be brave for her son’s sake. She told her parents that she was going to live at the foothills of the Himalayas, raise her son and practice her herbal medicine there. Her parents were heartbroken.

By some strange fate, Dhritiman wasn’t attracted to anyone else. One night, he went for dinner to a seafood restaurant with his mates. As he cut into his huge whole grilled salmon, he saw a flash of light and on the fish was his ring. A fisherman had caught the fish that had swallowed his ring. He felt his mind whirling. Memories came rushing back. “Oh, Sam! We have a son! I‘m so sorry, I’m coming!” he shouted, much to the shock of his friends.

Having heard that Samriddhi and his son were in the Himalayas he decided to go searching for them. He flew down determined to find them. One morning while he was trekking near some cottages, he spied a lad who resembled him. He befriended him with hope in his heart. When he reached his mother’s clinic his heart leapt with joy.

Samriddhi looked at him with no emotion at all. “Why have you come here? She asked. “Sam, I just don't know what happened. I am so sorry. Please come back with me!” Samriddhi looked at him with disgust and said, "Don’t pretend Dhritiman, you rejected me and I don’t believe that you ever forgot me. All that mystic nonsense. Please leave. I am filing for divorce. Don’t hope to get custody.“

Dhritiman said, "Our son is the heir to the Indore Raj Gharana. Please come, Sam.” Samriddhi turned around and took her son with her, leaving poor Dhritiman clutching his head in misery.

The above short story is a modern adaptation of a famous story told in an ancient Indian epic and adapted by many writers. If you can guess the original please share with us in the comments below.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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