A few days back I posted an one liner - "Obedience of the bookish, good students from my generation has shifted from parents to wives". It was laconic, equivalent to the "Precis" we wrote during our intermediate college days (now Twitter is the modern equivalent of precis, restricted to 140 characters).
Now it is time to convert the precis to an essay form (Facebook posts are modern counterpart of essays) - expand and elaborate my one liner. It is the ethos and pathos of the modern times, a test case of Human relationship which can be fragile unless handled with care.
Nothing withstands the sands of time, certainly not relationships. I present the case of a brother duo, both academically brilliant and absolutely obedient to their parents. During my childhood days they were considered as Ram - Laxman duo (based on our epic Ramayan), epitome of sibling love.
Everyone heaved paeans of praise on them. The siblings commanded immense respect and adulation in the neighborhood, worthy enough to emulate and idolize. But post marriage, it didn't take long for their obedience slowly shift to their wives, followed by relationship with their parents going bust.
Far from Ram Laxman, now they were branded as the MAICHIA duo, which in Odia means effeminate, but usually alludes to the hubbies who have gone a complete transformation, a la from Caterpillar to Butterfly, now SAT PRATISHAD (100%) controlled by their wives. Roll reversed, playing "Maichia" they were more like modern day SITA devoted to their RAM like wives. They were the SATI BRATA PATI (the truthful hubbies), devoted SATYAVANs to their SAVITRIs.
The brothers still loved each other, but afraid to proclaim it in public, lest they earn their wives wrath. They blame the other one's wife for initiating the rivalry. It's a common occurrence these days - story line of many movies and soap operas.
They say if your wife incessantly whispers vituperative thoughts against someone, spilling venom into your ear every day and night, sooner or later you will fall pray to it. As the poison percolates into your mind through the ears, one fine morning you wake up brainwashed, with a splitting headache and a reluctant desire to split from your family.
Their parents are now mute spectator to the relationship turning sour, slowly drifting away like shifting sand in desert wind, on its way to lie ruined in the sands of time. The saying "A daughter is daughter all life, a son is a son until he gets his wife", stands never more vindicated these days.
One of my friends justified his forced hibernation at his inlaw's place in his Barhampuri (a local dialect) accented Odia - "FADRAA-IN-LAA (Father in law) GHARE BESI DINA RAHIBARA EKKA. SASHURA GHARA PARA SWARGAPUR HEY."
Another guy when confronted with accusations by his relatives as JORU KA GHULAM (the Slave of his wife) had this swift self defense, "I am proud to be the slave of my wife. But there are others who are slaves of others wives". Life is relative and full of relatives. He had no remorse as he drove his point.
Both drove their points equally well. As Lord Krishna (A Hindu God) said MAM EKAM SHARANAM BRAJA (surrender to Me). "If you can't fight them, join them" - can be the best policy.
This blog can't end without a mention of this well known Odia DHAGA (Adage) -
MAICHIA DUKHEI SAHOO,
MAIPA HATARE KAHUNI KHAU.
Roughly transliterated...
The wife battered Effeminate John Doe
Perennially punched by his wife's elbow.
(Disclaimer - Any coincidence with any characters dead or alive is purely coincidental).
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