There is nothing like a love story to lift your mood, and if it ends in a tragedy -- even better! The tears will wash away your pent up stress (faster than a visit to the shrink) and leave you feeling refreshed and kinder! It’s time India woke up to its own treasure-trove of love stories that can rock the world.
La histoire
The story of Heer and Ranjha has been around since the beginning of time, but was made into a brand celebrating tragic love by Waris Shah in the 18th century. The qissa poem was the apotheosis of Punjabi literary culture and is still hugely popular (as evident from multiple Bollywood remakes!) all over the country. Few stories bear such an awesome combo of high romance, self-sacrifice and tragic love asHeer-Ranjha.
Our homegrown Romeo-Juliet...
The story involves the chance meeting of a very beautiful and wealthy Jatt woman, Heer, and Dheedo Ranjha, another Jatt, who leaves his prosperous home after a family dispute. A talented flutist, Ranjha soon wins the heart of the indomitable Heer and enters the employ of her father Chuchak as an attendant to the family’s herd. For years, even a decade, love blossoms between the two. But a jealous uncle, Kaido, catches them together and reports her to Chuchak. Heer is married off by force and Ranjha becomes a wanderer, and eventually, an ascetic.
Years later, he runs into Heer and the couple comes back to Chuchak, asking for his blessings. Disaster strikes again -- on the morning of the wedding day, Kaido brings Heer a poisoned laddu; she takes a bite and dies instantly. Heartbroken, Ranjha gulps down the remaining laddu and dies next to Heer. O Romeo, alas Juliet! Certain versions of the story even incorporate a long-lasting feud between the two Jatt families!
And this is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg! At least a dozen more love stories have been circulating the Indian mainland for centuries and enjoy immense popularity to this day.
Maybe it is time India introduces its own icons of love to the world – after all it is the land of Taj Mahal, the monument of love!
Are you familiar with the Heer-Ranjha legend, or any other Indian stories of the kind? Do you feel these Indian legends have the potential to move audiences worldwide?
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