Another peculiar aspect of Indian love stories, particularly in South India (or perhaps it was just my experience), is the significant influence friends hold in determining whether you should pursue a romantic relationship. It didn't matter what I wanted; it was their opinions that carried weight.
One by one, my South Indian best friends disapproved of my budding romance with Vardaan, a North Indian. This added a tremendous amount of stress to my already tumultuous mind, leading me to abruptly break up with him. This concept seemed unfathomable to my North Indian sweetheart. "Friends deciding if you can date someone or not?" It simply didn't make sense to him. He knew he had to make me see reason.
In an incredibly daring move, Vardaan decided to pay a surprise visit to my college. In the span of an hour, he traversed the entire campus, inadvertently caught the attention of my principal, and ended up being kicked out! Eventually, he texted my friend's phone, stating, "I'm waiting outside, and I won't leave until I meet her." In a manner reminiscent of movies, my spirit seemed to escape my body, propelled towards him. Of course, my physical body followed suit. It may sound spooky, but that's how it felt!
I sprinted as swiftly as the wind to find him sheepishly waiting outside my college. There, he knelt down on one knee, holding a rose, and professed his love for me. It all happened outside the college gate, with onlookers gawking at the spectacle. What a captivating way to charm a girl! After five hours of intense conversation, we finally reached a turning point, and I reciprocated his feelings. From that moment on, we decided to keep our relationship a secret and not involve anyone else. That was the only way we could navigate through the obstacles.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly until one of my childhood best friends, unable to accept that I would defy her wishes and continue seeing Vardaan, disclosed the secret to my traditional South Indian mother, proclaiming, and I quote, "Your daughter is roaming around with a North Indian boy." Chaos ensued! This very friend whom I loved like no other, adored, admired, and even worshipped, had shattered the harmonious relationship I shared with my mother. I couldn't comprehend why no one trusted me, why they believed I was fragile and naive. I understood their fear of me getting hurt, but pushing someone into the fire to prevent them from navigating a fire hoop seemed excessive.
I was devastated. My heart shattered into pieces. How could my friend have the audacity to dictate what was best for me? How could she ruin the previously amicable bond between my mother and me? My mother, like any typical protective South Indian mom, and I engaged in a heated argument as a result. It took every ounce of my energy and effort to convince her that there was nothing going on. "I am absolutely, positively NOT dating anyone, Mom. Trust me, please." However, she remained unconvinced, closely monitoring my every move from then on.
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The North-South Love Saga
RomanceOnce upon a time, Uma, a Telugu girl, and Vardaan, a Hindi boy, fatefully crossed paths in a library. Little did they know that their encounter would ignite a love that would shape their lives forever. In the face of a daunting long-distance relatio...
