Apr 14, 2004 02:10 AM
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(Updated Apr 14, 2004 02:10 AM)
The first time I picked up this novel from the shelf in the school library, I was still very young & did not understand the humour in many parts of it. Nevertheless, I loved the book & had tears in my eyes at the end of the beautiful Love Story. At that time, I promised to own a copy of this book sometime or the other. Years passed; I graduated to the non-romantic kind of novels & the promise slipped out of my mind. More years swooshed by & then I met the Love of my life. But fate & circumstances pulled us apart in our already long-distance Love. I swore to myself that I would never love again & then, all of a sudden, he came back....
Yesterday, on my way home from office, I visited my usual bookstore to pick up a novel to read since I have some spare time now. While scanning through the '2 Bestsellers in 1 volume' types, I spied ''Love Story'' in a lonely corner & my self-promise came back to me. Without a second thought, I payed for it with the others & ran home. At night, I had another serious long-distance talk with my Love on the phone after which I reluctantly opened the novel & started to read & never put it down till I finished. The result: In the early hours of the day, as soon as I finished the book, my Love recieved an sms whereby I pledged my Love for him again.... (So if U want to win Ur girl back, gift her a copy)
True Love really never dies! It just goes on & on.... even after the physical bodies are long gone....
Love Story by Erich Segal was written in 1970 but till date, it remains among the most loved of all Love Stories. The storyline may seem very much like a Bollywood Love Story. Rich boy, poor girl. They meet, fall in love, oppositions from boy's family, they fight & get married anyway, rich boy starts living in a small house with poor girl, problems arise, tempers flare, but Love remains.... Sounds too familiar? But the essence of the story is not just the storyline which is nothing unusual. Rather it is the bits & pieces of humour, relationships between the different characters of the story & the understanding between the two lovers.
Apart from the story of Love between the two youngsters, it also portrays the wonderful relationship of father-daughter as against the silent Love of a rich father for his son. The son doesn't understand this Love, nor does he see anything beyond that Stoneface & an equally stone heart. His wife does & it is her dream to bring father & son close to each other. & she does.. with her death....
Honestly, when I first read this book the first time, I somehow related it to a Bollywood movie by the name of 'Ankhiyon ke jharokhon se' starring the young Sachin & Ranjeeta. I still do! & till today, whenever I watch that movie, I still cry bitterly & get a terrible headache. It remains among my very favorite movies.
It is very easy to say I Love U & to make lots of promises; but it is very difficult to face the world & fight to gaurd, protect & keep that fire burning. Love seems exhilarating when it is a new born baby. But as it ages, it has to pass a lot many tests to prove its worth. Love is not just saying the words but showing it in Ur actions. It is sticking together through thick & thin, in richness & poverty, in health & sickness, Till death do us part....
The meaning behind the words of wisdom, ''Love is never ever having to say U're sorry'' is that Love really needs no words to express the feelings or matters of the heart. It simply understands the language of silence. As the ghazal goes,
''Kaun kehta hai mohabbat ki zubaan hoti hai,
Ye haqeeqat to nigahon se bayaan hoti hai....''
(Who says that Love has a tongue,
This fact is pledged through the eyes....)
Finally, I would like to recommend this book for everyone; whether U believe in love or not. It really stirs U deep inside & touches a chord somewhere, awakening a part of U which may have been slumbering since long. Even if U do not like mushy stuff, read it for the sake of reading a good book & U will never regret it. It's simply unforgettable!
(I'm dedicating this review to the one I have & will always Love- Manish just as I'll be gifting him a copy of this beautiful 'Love Story' on his birthday next month.)
