Coming To Full Circle

With advancing age, Siya had started feeling the absence of elderly members of the family. Although as per the need of circumstances and now being the eldest living member of the family, she had acquired the status of elderly and was being looked up to for her advice and guidance in family matters. Like others in the family, Mahi her niece, too, always considered Siya her ideal and exemplary. Mahi would very keenly observe Siya in her lonely moments and whom she had often found lost beneath multi-layers of melancholy. Whenever out of those thick sad coverings, Siya was very loving and affectionate to all the family members. It was not difficult for her to shed away those depressing coverings once she was among her family circle. Nobody could have any inkling of her innermost feelings which Siya never shared with anyone, leaving aside giving right to anyone to scratch or tear away those thick coverings. Only Mahi, because of her sharpness, was aware of those layers of sadness and she was very sensitive towards Siya whom she always considered extraordinarily special. Although all the family members always felt traditional bonding with one another yet both of them enjoyed perfect unique tuning with each other.

There is a childlike lurking innocence and vulnerability in everyone irrespective of age factor. Siya was not exceptional. She was brought up in such an atmosphere where much emphasis was put on physical as well as mental well-being in comparison to longevity. Even then, at times child in her would crave for lying in a motherly lap and yearn for getting lost in secure, congenial affinity. It used to be often a topic of conversation among friends in their childhood to discuss parental or grandparental love and affection. She would be surprised and sad if any of her friends or classmates didn't have any of the parents or grandparents alive and never enjoyed the joys of their love, affection and guidance. Her friends and classmates used to be more surprised when Siya would take much pride in explaining the love and affection she was getting from her maternal and paternal grandparents. Just imagining the thought of not having even one of them around her would scare her child-friendly mind to no end. 

Siya's maternal grandparents' house was in the same city. She always got preferential treatment, which might be, because of her rare visits there. Although her parental grandparents were no less loving and affectionate yet she always felt like one and the only princess in maternal grandparents' house. Her maternal cousins were always overjoyed whenever she visited them. Being in the same city, there was no restriction on her for to visit her maternal grandparents' house but she preferred to go with her mother who rarely got much time from her household responsibilities. That rare time was long summer vacations or winter vacations for short period. Siya's happiness was doubled when she would have prolonged stay with her mother at her maternal grandparents' house during vacations where they felt much pampered. After vacations, returning to their home, they would get back to their respective routine. Like every vacation spent there, this wonderful vacation time too would become nostalgia with pleasant memories. 

Laughing and playing like this, Siya's carefree childhood passed over and she grew up as a smart youngster with high dreams for her future. With much enthusiasm, she prepared and appeared for competitive exams which she qualified successfully. Taking her success as an opportunity to serve people, wholeheartedly she worked for the welfare of people. She came into contact with a like-minded colleague Abby. Likemindedness cultivated deeper rapport resulting in intense intimacy and they decided to get married. Belonging to different regions and different religions was never a constraint in their understanding of eachother. Siya was well aware of the ongoing conversations in her family about her wedding propositions. Herein, before, the family could take any final decision about her wedding, she told them about her liking. They were shocked. Shocked because her liking was not only from a different region, different caste but from different religions also. Looking at her firmness, respecting and trusting their beautiful and intelligent daughter's judgemental capabilities, her parents endorsed her decision to marry Abby without raising any objection. 

Caste, region or religion was never an issue with Siya and Abby. They were just made for each other. Both of them were becoming quite popular with their capabilities in discharging their official responsibilities. Apparently, there was no obstacle in turning their close friendship into marital union. Abby went to his hometown to tell his family about his closeness with Siya and his decision to marry her. There was a big hue and cry in the family. His family was appreciative of Siya's beauty and intelligence. Their big concern was her belonging to different religion which was never any issue between Abby and Siya. So none of them thought of any religious conversion for marrying each other. Abby belonged to a fundamentalist family which never nurtured courage to go against or defy the prevailing social norms. Abby too was very religious but he refused to follow the norms blindly. He refused to accept the logic that his marriage with Siya would drive him away from his belief in his religion. 

Abby's parents were very proud of their intelligent son and his achievements but they were not willing to adjust to their son's choice of bride belonging to different religion. They couldn't bring around him to accept their logic. Accepting his firm decision, they agreed for their marital alliance saying that they were willing to forgo difference in religion if Siya was converted to their religion. Now that was totally unacceptable to Abby. His love for Siya was not bound by any religious or any other consideration. It was a decision taken by two mature, intelligent and responsible persons who were fully respectful to each other's different religions and regional backgrounds. His love and respect for his parents were also beyond any doubt. He was to start his life afresh after marriage and he had found a perfect life partner in Siya. Conversion to any religion was never on their agenda. Firmly he told his parents that he wasn't in favour of any conversion and he was not going to ask Siya to convert to his religion. He refused to carry on with the belief that his inter-religion marriage would mean disrespect to his parents. 

Siya and Abby talked freely and bared their souls after their discussion about their wedding plans with their respective families. Siya's family had no objection and Abby was also prepared to marry without his parents' approval which was subject to her conversion to their religion. Siya was stunned. Unswerving love for Abby had never made her think that religion and regional differences would become big issues. Working together they had nurtured many dreams for their future where thought of any separation from each other had no place. Known for taking bold decisions and solving many tough public problems, here she wasn't finding any solution for her marital alliance with Abby. She encircled herself with iron like invisible opacity which nobody could pierce to know her frame of mind. There was no visible change in her routine discharge of official responsibilities or her closeness with Abby who was waiting for her acceptance to his proposal for marriage without his parents' consent. 

Siya had grown up in an open free atmosphere where her views about any matter had a good hearing with due respect. She was too much attached to her family. She always acknowledged her upbringing for her achievements. There was no room for any narrowmindedness in her thoughts or behaviour. Her relationship with Abby was above any regional or religious consideration. Mutual love and respect for each other had drawn them closer to each other. She was well aware that Abby could leave his family but not her. Both of them had carved out a future plan of becoming a change or bringing a change in society where each one rising above narrow considerations catered to one another's welfare. Their need to give shape to their dreams had grown stronger. Although there was no objection from her family yet Siya could not compromise with the fact that Abby's family had their reservation about her religion. She didn't want to lay down the foundation of her married life on the controversies and without the blessings of Abby's family. She knew that like her, Abby too was attached deeply with his family. He too had much love and respect for them but his love and respect for Siya weighed much heavier than any relation in the world. Trying to come over emotional upheaval, Siya decided not to go ahead with her marriage with Abby who accepted her decision breaking his heart. Two intelligent adults with heavy hearts watched their plans of togetherness shatter forever even before taking off! Unable to bear it further, with much effort, Abby got himself transferred and went away. 

A proficient administrator Siya was adept at solving public problems and implementing welfare schemes. With the same proficiency, she endured the inner turmoil keeping it to herself only and busied herself more in official responsibilities. She hid under deep cover the time spent with Abby like a sweet memory. In her weak moments, she would draw her strength by remembering the pleasant moments lived with him. Being in the same services, both of them remained aware of each other's official activities. Then one day Siya received an invitation card from Abby who was getting married to a girl of his family's choice from the same community. Suppressing maelstrom of emotions, she too sent her best wishes for his happy married life. There was no dearth of eligible bachelors keen to marry beautiful and intelligent Siya. The need was to wake up her desire for getting married which had gone into deep hibernation after a breakup with Abby. The mere thought of marriage would awake memories of Abby and she would find no one matching his standard. Invariably the desire to get married would crash and vanish. Her ever-supportive family respected her sentiments and decided never again raised the question of her marriage.

With passing time, Siya's maternal, paternal cousins kept getting married and the house was again echoing now with their kids' laughter and playful activities. Siya felt happy in their company, showering love and affection over them the same way she had been getting from her elders in the family. Her parents had already left for heavenly abode. Her position as one of the younger clan had been replaced as the eldest in the family became clear to her when after she retired from active service and returned back to live with her family. She had an apartment of her own built-in a cosmopolitan city during her service period. Knowing her attachment with the family and apprehending that she would prefer to stay in the family fold after her retirement in case she didn't get married, her parents had left a considerable portion for her in ancestral property. Their apprehension turned out to be right. Siya preferred to stay with her siblings' family in the ancestral home in small-town instead of living separately in a cosmopolitan city. Her siblings' family was also very happy about her decision. She had made a mark in public life and as beloved of the family, she had become an ideal for the family. They were always taking her advice in family matters and she was happy to be of some use to them. Thriving on hustle-bustle and noise in large family, she started enjoying this new phase in her life. She never felt any loneliness in their company. Had she been married, she would have had been blessed with her own children like her siblings' children! She couldn't help smiling to herself at the mere thought of marriage and children. Quite often her family would make use of her personal residence to enjoy cosmopolitan life with or without Siya accompanying them. Living a simple life no one had any complaint with anyone. 

Years passed by. Kids in the family had grown up having their individual approaches to life and settling in their chosen professions. Mahi, Siya's niece had followed Siya's footsteps and qualified in competitive exams. Siya was very proud of Mahi's achievements. The pride and admiration for each other were mutual. Mahi always looked up to Siya as her mentor. She was posted in some far off place. She would keep Siya aware of the work she was doing and Siya would also feel happy to relive those moments of her service tenure through Mahi's interaction. She would always seek Siya's guidance whenever she faced any problem in her profession and would try to gain through her experiences. Such interaction brought both of them closer to each other and they decided to live together at Mahi's place of posting where invariably good work done by Siya during her service would come up in some conversation or the other among colleagues and Mahi would feel very proud to introduce Siya to her colleagues and friends. Siya was also having a good time. 

Living along such way, one day Mahi told Siya about one of her senior officers Kris. He was her classmate but having appeared in and qualified competitive exams earlier to had made him senior to her in services. During their college days, they had become intimate resulting in promise to life long association by marrying eachother. They kept encouraging and assisting each other to do well in their chosen professions. Hence, now feeling settled as successful officials, they decided on their marriage. Mahi needed Siya's consent for her choice of groom because she very well knew that in Siya's consent lied the rest of family's consent. So when Mahi told Siya about Kris's family invitation to meet Mahi and Siya, Siya gladly accompanied Mahi. She was highly impressed with Kris whose parents greeted both of them very warmly. There had never been discussion between Siya and Mahi about Kris's caste, region or religion. Now after meeting them, all these things became clear to her. They belonged to different regions. Momentarily Siya was shaken that her destiny might not be repeated here. Mahi and Kris were quick and sharp to notice the apprehensive expressions on Siya's face. They were well aware of not only Siya's successful impressive professional life but also turbulence private life which she had endured very gracefully raising her status to a higher pedestal for them. Comprehending her momentary uneasiness, simultaneously both of them gave her respectful, affectionate and assuring look. Siya relaxed under their caring, understanding watch. Their marriage was confirmed with heartiest blessings without any reference to religion conversion on any side.

Life had come a full circle for Siya. She had such people without whom she couldn't imagine her life. They knew her close enough to spend lots of time interacting and trusting. Love had been the most wonderful experience in her life. She had been together with people with quite open hearts in essence and spirit, with the person whom she had loved and who was equally reciprocatively responsive. It had a safe, gentle, pleasant, graceful, dreamy, peacefulness, and relaxation lifelong effect on her. The events in her life had unfolded extensive meaning representing the notions of totality, wholeness, original perfection, the Self, the infinite, eternity, timelessness, all cyclic movement and God who is at the centre everywhere with invisible circumference. Courageously giving positive tum to the events affecting her life, she had moved on. Courageously giving positive tum to the events.