[nukkad] Excerpts

["HOMI KAIKOBAD" <>]

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VIA DEL AMORE LA FATALE

Almost all great romances humans of all races have compiled end up with both
lovers parted or killed in some gruesome manner. From Romeo and Juliet at
the graveside in carnage, to Laila Majnun to Sassi Punnu and Sohini Mahiwal
nearer home, the refrain is the same. Are they saying, "Better not love nor
follow the calling of your heart else we will make short work of you?".

Sooner or later you will rum into those eyes or hands or gait or lilt, and
you will wait a while to see what pulls at your heart, and it is done. You
have fallen in love and hopefully she has done the same, and the story most
central to your being has begun. Your whole world as you so painstakingly
structured it has disappeared and now a strange person you seem to know far
more than your own self has taken center stage. She is capricious, or staid,
or forbidding, or smiling, or reserved or forever laughing. She has fabulous
feet and a terrifyingly attractive way of settling her curls the winds
unfurl. You feel entirely without choices? This is it. Love has struck you
between the eyes.

If this is bilateral as it must be in the truer variety of love, all moments
now lived will become eternity and eternity will pass over a morning cup of
coffee and you will never know it. The heart in love does not keep time,
that is for the mind to do, which never falls in love and will give you a
dozen reasons to veer off from this folly.

Meanwhile if you have the fursat, leisure, to notice this, the whole world
has overnight distanced itself from you, and is frowning in disapproval, or
is ready with advise on conduct, or is standing against you and up in arms,
or is engaged in calumny most foul and your dear hearts are unaware and lips
a kissing away to eternity.

If you are a Montague there will be swords and rank poison, if poor Majnu,
which is Arabic Ma for no and Gunun for brains, they think the guy is crazy,
a life stripped of purpose and opposition from a real narrow society have
arrived. If a Khusroh you will be tricked and set to create a tunnel in a
granite mountain because you are the architect of the age, and the while
they will tell her you are dead. If  Mahiwal, a Fisher who has dared to love
his love who lives on the other side of the muddy crazy dangerous river,
they will replace the upturned pot with which you swim to the other side at
night, with an unbaked one. In the morning they will take care to invite her
to see your soggy corpse by the dirty shore and encourage her to take the
next logical step.

In this manner sensitive society has garnered all manner of entertainment
for anyone who wants to fall in love, emphasis on fall. And by the way,
right after you have been murdered by coercion and your lover driven insane
or into a desert grave, they will weep and lament and weave a tale which
will be repeated to all new generations which came out of lesser souls who
simply married by contract.

To this day they visit Sohini and Mahiwal's graves and set flowers on his
and a red dopatta, a headcloth on hers. I once asked why, and they said
looking me straight in the eye and said, "This was the tradition and great
sawab, blessings are derived thereby. And yes, newly wed ones or those who
fell in love yesterday need the blessings of the great souls."

So if you are in love or plan to do it tomorrow after work or over the
weekend, do it with abandon and make certain to tell the do gooders where to
go the first day. They have never been there and will not know what you are
talking about, and if you don't watch out they will reach for the barbed
sword or the warped word of cavil. If this happens stay firm and use some
expletives and kiss her and tell them to mind their own business and kiss
her and keep on at life which has still remained and kiss her and hold her
hand and look into her eyes, there are worlds there, and kiss her and break
all the rules of God or Man and kiss her and stay firm and say little and
not a word to the close friend, that's where the leak begins, and kiss her
and wait.

If she thinks you have deserved it, one day she will kiss you back. Whereby
the stuff of glittering heaven is made.

[Excerpted from Leif and Life. By Dr. Homi Kaikobad. Copyright 2000. All
Rights Reserved]




































































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