Love spins the world

“O my Love’s like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June
O my Love’s like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.”

This beautiful poem by Robert Burns is one of the many odes to love that resonate in the hearts of lovers across the globe. The overpowering emotion that makes the world spin, reigns freely in the imagination of poets, in the unending themes in prose, in the longing that stems from the soul of musicians and in the paintings and sculptures that immortalise it.

It has also exasperated many an unsuspecting victim in the throes of anguish and longing spurred by unrequited love. No wonder then that the famed singer of yester years, Ella Fritzgerald crooned “What is this thing called love?

This funny thing called love, Just who can solve its mystery? Why should it make a fool of me?” Stories of star crossed lovers like Romeo-Juliet, Heer-Ranjha and Laila-Majnu toasted on celluloid leave many teary eyed and nothing makes audiences happier than the ‘The End’ title over the embrace of reunited lovers after a two-and-a-half-hour drama.

There are some who philosophise that it is better to have loved and lost rather than not loved at all. Love then, is eternal celebration, a rush of emotion that has found expression in myriad ways through different times.

Love legends are common in Hindu mythology and folklore as are anthologies of romantic poetry and their commentaries. The ‘Krishnaleela’ in Bhagavata is replete with tales of Krishna and the gopis in Brindavan, particularly the love between Radha and Krishna that transcends earthly bonds and makes ‘love’ synonymous with divinity.

The moon lights up the banks of the river Yamuna, where a gentle wind is blowing and the gopis dance in abandon to the mellifluous notes of the flute, their heart beats quickened in anticipation of the ‘one’ who makes each gopi feel special despite his clear preference for Radha.

‘Radha sametha Krishna’ (Krishna along with his love Radha) is a reference that signifies this unique bond of love and longing that is ultimately liberating. Narada Bhakti Sutras that are ‘Aphorisms of love’ state that ‘Love is God’ through instances drawn from the Bhagavatha.

The twelfth-century poetic masterpiece ‘Gita-Govinda’ by the devotional poet Jayadeva also speaks of the relationship between Krishna and the gopis especially his connection with Radha. It delineates the love of Krishna for Radha, his faithlessness and subsequent return to her symbolising the straying of the human soul before returning to God.

His ‘Ashtapadis’ (Couplets grouped into eight) portrayed beautifully through classical dance forms gently caress this emotion through lyrical beauty that elevates, eulogises and empowers, striking a chord in the ‘Anahata chakra’, the energy centre in the heart region.

The juxtaposition of love and longing formed the main theme in Sanskrit poetry and drama. Kalidasa considered one of the greatest Sanskrit poets in India beautifully illustrates the theme of love through two great works Meghadhuta and Abhignyaana Shakuntahalam.

Meghaduta (cloud messenger) is a short poem of 111 stanzas, which depicts the agony of a Yaksha (Celestial being) separated from the love of his life through a curse and the beautiful manner in which he describes the route that the cloud should take to convey his lovelorn message to her.

The description of the route made as bewitching as possible by the Yaksha in order to motivate the cloud to be his messenger is pictorial and poignant bringing scenes alive to the readers. Powerful words and analogy create imagery that portrays love as a sublime feeling. The Yaksha tells the cloud…

“But if she should be lost in happy sleep
Wait…Bear with her, Grant her but three hours grace
And thunder not, O cloud, but let her keep
The dreaming vision of her lover’s face.”

In Shakuntala, an adaptation of a story from the Mahabharata Kalidasa describes the love between Shakuntala brought up in the Hermitage of Kanva Maharishi, her gandharava vivaha (marriage) to king Dushyanth, separation and anguish at being wiped out from his memory and ultimate union along with son Bharata.

A painting by the great painter Raja Ravi Varma titled ‘Shakuntala’ beautifully captures the emotions of love and sorrow on the face of the flower bedecked Shakuntala as she yearns for her lover.

Love is the central theme of all forms of creativity undergoing changes in presentation, which reflect the social conditions of the time. It has resulted in Kings abdicating thrones (King Edward VII giving up his throne to marry American commoner and divorcee Wallis Simpson), barriers of class and caste being broken and in several instances and Greek mythology wars being waged (Helen of Troy). Sharat Chandra’s immortal classic ‘Devadas’ remains a haunting tale of unrequited love that has been captured on celluloid in different languages, and at different points in time raking in profits each time.

From coy glances to holding hands genially to singing their hearts out with the moon hovering above in different frames, expressions of love have come a long way. They are now bolder, louder and wilder in keeping with the changing times.

Dialogues and scenes that leave little to imagination are a part of the new world order pretty much endorsing the famous Bob Dylan song “The times…they are a changing”. In a technology driven world without boundaries, expressions of love have changed to characters, tweets, and mangled messages, which are a mish mash of abbreviations, numbers and awful spellings.

Love letters…? Are you joking, the present tweet generation will turn around and ask. Letters have become passé both in letter and spirit.

The little magic box in the evergreen mythological film ‘Mayabazaar’ through which Sasirekha sees and talks to her beau Abhimanyu is an amazing precursor to Skype, Facetime and WhatsApp only shows that time determines modes but emotions remain constant.

So why is this celebration and hype about a special day for lovers, this exaggerated focus on love and divided camps getting into verbal duels over culture and individual freedom, an annual ritual for a long time now.

The list of days celebrated can be mind boggling with mother’s, father’s teachers, brothers, friends, doctors, nurses, engineers and people belonging to every profession allotted a day to celebrate. When all these are done with, there are other unimaginable things to celebrate like ‘World Hug Day’ and the like to provide fodder for a constantly communicating world. While other days get buried in obscurity the ‘Lovers day’ gets its extra dose of publicity from market forces and blatant consumerism that turns every emotion into a commodity.

Discounts on eating out, matching ensembles and accessories, special offers and an overdose of things in the double (for the couple) are nothing but gimmicks to double profits. There is also ‘double trouble’ in the form of the cultural policing brigade moving around with hilarious accessories to get couples in public spots married and equally determined couples out to defy and declare their love, which for all you know may not last longer than their protest. The shelf life of love is after all limited to ‘one day’ in this market driven world.

‘Love is nature’s way of giving a reason to be living. The golden crown that makes a man a king’… says Frank Sinatra in his beautiful song “Love is a Many Splendored Thing”. Unconditional love has the power to transform. It can heal the wounds of hatred that threaten to tear the world apart. The best way to celebrate love is to look at the world through a lover’s eyes.