Of ‘Dream Girl’ And ‘Prince Charming’
Of ‘Dream Girl’ And ‘Prince Charming’
In today’s fast changing world fifty years is a long time. This time interval is equivalent to a gap of two generations. It was around half a century back, that a flamboyant Rajesh Khanna lip-synced in his indomitable style the Kishore Kumar song ‘Mere sapno ki rani kab aayegi tu’ in the movie Aradhana.
It is indeed difficult to find out whether lyricist Anand Bakshi had any idea that the opening lines of this musical statement would henceforth become an anthem for generations to come. Millions of young boys stepping into the spring zone of life have lived the dream of visualizing the thought of finding their ‘dream girl’.
Although Rajesh Khanna had the beautiful Sharmila Tagore as the focus of his speaking mind, the mere thought of an unknown beloved is sufficient for millions of young minds to keep humming this peppy number and yearn for a life partner.
While boys continue to dream for the ‘sapno ki rani’, the girls also have their own way of fantasy based on the concept of a ‘prince’ coming from somewhere and taking away the bride. The joy of girls emerging by the thought of being swept away by the prince of their dreams is no less than that of boys conjuring the thought of their ‘dream girl’.
Across cultures and geographical boundaries, the thought process of both the sexes is universal. This universality of human thought must have an explanation. After all no animal has the instinct to fantasize the dream of a prospective mate. Humans with their evolved behaviour have become monogamous and thus invest great resources in choosing mates. The attributes which boys dream in their prospective mates are basically signatures of good health which provide an indication of possible reproductive success. Everything which appeals to the instinct of a male is somehow related to reproductive success.
The attributes which appeal to females when they create images of their ‘prince charming’ is of someone caring, reliable and faithful. Outward appearance is important however it does not play a decisive role. Facial beauty, in the eyes of the female, is a far lesser attribute compared to the hallmarks sought by males in their prospective mate.
The state of
mind when romantic thoughts overpower rational thinking is intoxicating and sheer blissful, nothing less than a gift of God. It is at this point that joy and melancholy merge together to provide a strange emotion, which is pure sublime. Poets and writers have frequently used this state of mind to highlight the power of human attraction and love. This is the point when dreams transcend the boundary between conscious and subconscious.
Dreams, however, are always ephemeral. The alluring images created by the productive mind for the ‘dream girl’ and ‘prince charming’ is, most often than not, compromised by the harsh realities of later life. The actual life mate may be far removed from the contours of the illusionary ‘dream girl’ and the ‘prince charming’.
Mate selection and reproductive success being paramount to propagation of life, the human mind has no qualms in settling down to a real life partner even if the original dream remains shattered. The feeling of love which emanates from bonding between mates plays a vital role in couples finding joy in shared company.
Mate selection mission once accomplished, the same dreams which brought immense joy and created exciting images are no longer as vivid as they used to be. The ingrained monogamous behaviour abhors such thoughts even to the extent of classifying such a behaviour into the category of sin. The emotion which till now was as pure as sky and defined as ‘love’ suddenly acquires the dirty meaning of ‘lust’.
It is indeed a misfortune that life only walks in the forward direction. The joy associated with all aspects of mate selection is immensely pleasurable. Wish humans had the opportunity to prolong this period of life or even repeat this adventure. The great poet Sahir Ludhianvi summed up this human dilemma when he wrote the song ‘Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jain hum dono’ for Sunil Dutt in the 1963 blockbuster Gumrah.
However, nature doesn’t reverse or even pause life. Probably this is the part of nature’s grand design to ensure continuity. In hindsight, the long years of younger days spent singing the Rajesh Khanna song ‘Mere sapno ki rani kab aayegi tu’ now seems fleeting.