I Too Had A Love Story

It was mid January 2010, I was back to my hostel, sitting lonely and idle; missing the people whom I loved the most. I was simply surfing the net to find some good Indian fiction books and came across this book. The title “I Too Had a Love Story” urged me to read more about this book and after reading the synopsis I knew instantly that I should be reading this novel! It took me another two weeks to get the book. I happened to finish it at dawn of 4^th February 2010, the day coincidentally being the author’s birthday!

The writing style of the author is amusing. Simple and lucid language which anybody can understand without referring a dictionary and wondering what certain words mean. It’s the most simple yet the most touching story I have read so far. Sometimes I wonder how it’s possible for a story written very simple and short can be the most favorite of mine among every other, but I guess the question itself has the answer in it. The simplicity of the novel itself is the charm to make the reader fall for the book.

It unfolds the story of Ravin and Khushi, a young boy and a girl working in the IT industry and surprisingly sharing few more things in common too. They meet each other in a little different way but a lot common nowadays because of the modernized technology. Yet the story takes a wonderful and surprising turn with them falling in love. Those who haven’t read the story so far might think what is so surprising in two strangers to meet and fall in love, yes it’s natural but their situation was different and would be considered as a situation which is impossible to fall in love by majority of the society. Still, they came across each other, the hearts spoke, they entwined and there bloomed the eternal love which spreads the fragrance even now, and that mere fact makes the story unique.

I love both the main characters adorned with simple lifestyles, innocent dreams and genuine qualities. I admire the strength of them for accepting what their hearts felt and nurture the buds of love in their hearts and let it grow and spread the fragrance beyond eternity without worrying  that the so called criteria or first steps to fall in love was not covered by them. I respect the faith and trust they had upon their feelings and the commitment of Ravin which is so rare to find even in an ordinary love story with number of dates included which are considered as a very practical approach to fall in true love nowadays.

The first half of the story swiftly flows through the happy moments of two innocent love birds far away from each other with no sweet memories of dates in theatre, coffee shops, parks, etc. but only the romantic telephonic conversations to cherish. Still, it was wonderful how they manage to make up to those missing moments and move on with their love story which is as exciting, lovely and pure as of others’.

But, as the author says in the start of the book, “Not everyone in this world has the fate to cherish the fullest form of love. Some are born, just to experience the abbreviation of it.”

The final chapters are the most touching part of the story. An incident which will make each and every heart beat of Ravin’s be a prayer , with every breath he takes he will wish that the next moment everything will be fine , every second he pass the longing and the desire to be with his lover would be more but the chances left will be less and he is helpless. He would wish for the ability to reverse and write back his life story again without the mishaps. A situation, which will make the person realize whether he or she is really in love? Whether his/her love just an infatuation or as pure as they believe?

What will be your life when your better half has left you forever? Only the lonely hearts know and could understand, and the happy hearts will wonder or may be won’t dare to even think of! The last two chapters are the most touching. The story is narrated in such a manner that by each paragraph you will get deeper into the skin of characters so the climax would be painful and leave you wondering how the life can change so drastically in a short span of time. A life so lively and colourful suddenly becomes gloomy, a future you were so excited to explore suddenly becomes a torture to think of stepping into and everything seems futile. You have no any interest to go on with your life and it turns into mere surviving for the sake of your loved ones!

Most of the people will call it a depressing novel. Yes I agree it has a sad end… a very sad end. It’s a love tragedy, but I believe, it’s worth the tears you may shed at the end. It’s a story of an eternal love, a commitment beyond limits which many would consider as impossible or unnecessary.

I consider the novel as an epitome, a living memory of pure love, may be even greater than the world wonder Taj Mahal, as it’s a tribute from a heart which is left alone in the world to survive cherishing only those moments but not live with the person whom he wanted to live those moments with!

Love doesn’t have boundaries, it can happen anywhere anytime, may be in an ordinary way or the  strangest way, but no matter how, its LOVE, it’s pure and eternal and powerful so that the whole universe seems so small in front of it!

I would end my note with the lines which touched my heart so deeply at the start of the book and made me fall in love with it.

“Tere jaane ka asar kuch aisa hua mujh par… tujhe dhoondate dhoondate, main ne khud ko paa liya…”

(Since the day you left…. Something happened in me… I went on searching for you… and found me myself instead…)