There once was a college student named Amba. Amba was
beautiful and kind, but beared a great secret. Amba was a lesbian, and she felt like she could not come out to any of her friends or family. Amba was in love with a girl
named Priya. Their love was true and steadfast, however, very secretive. Amba’s
parents were very traditional. They already had someone in mind for Amba to
marry. He was perfect. His name was Bhishma. Bhishma was going to be a doctor,
he came from a great family, and nobody could say a bad thing about him.
Amba’s parents arranged for the two to meet each other’s
families. A date was then arranged for
the two to spend time together with a chaperon. The date was lovely- they
started with a walk in the park, they ate pizza at a local bistro, and were
concluding the afternoon with a trip to the movies. On their walk to the
movies, Amba pulled Bhishma aside. They
were far enough away from the chaperon to have a private conversation. Amba
confessed to Bhishma that she had no desire to marry him, and was in love with
someone else. Bhishma was noticeably saddened by this news, but, alas, he was a
good person. He told Amba to follow her heart. He also told her that he would
break the news to their parents that the two of them had decided to part ways.
Amba was relieved by his understanding.
Whisper
Author: Alejandro Tuzzi, Date: 2015, Source: Pixabay
The next day, Amba explained the whole situation to Priya. Priya
was annoyed to say the least. “You still haven’t told your parents about us???
Are you so ashamed of me?? I cannot be with someone who doesn’t know how to be honest.
I can’t believe you would go on a ‘fake’ date with someone just to please your
parents. This relationship is over.”
Amba was devastated. She couldn’t please her parents, and
she couldn’t be with the person she loved the most. For some reason, she was
most angry at Bhishma. If Bhisma was never in the picture, her parents would
not have tried to set her up. Priya would not have gotten upset, and everything
would still be normal. Bhishma was the root of all of her problems. And she
would get revenge. She didn’t have anything else to live for- no Priya and no
parents. She only had one desire that consumed her. Making Bhishma pay.
Author's Note: This week we re-read the Mahabharata in a new way. I chose to watch the movie version of this epic. The actress who played Amba did a wonderful job. She was so devastated by her circumstances, but also became so determined and passionate because of them. I wanted to express this character in a modern interpretation. I asked myself, how might a situation like this arise today?
Bibliography:
"Amba" by Sister Nivedita, from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists (1914). Web source: here
Peter Brook's Mahabharata (1989). Web source: here
Wow. Good job on taking the story and putting a modern twist on it. I love when authors do that to older stories because it helps me see things in a new light and I understand it better. I almost feel like Bhishma got the short end of the stick here, because he was willing to help Amba out with her situation and now she is angry at him. However, love can certainly mess with people's heads. Just double check grammar and keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you made this story so modern. It really feels like it could be a situation that happens in modern times. I really enjoyed your story and I feel so bad for Bhisma. He was willing to help her and instead of being mad at the people she is actually mad at, she decides that its his fault. I'm not really sure why she would think that but it makes for a good story.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! Your story was extremely interesting. I like how you decide to explore an issue that is probably very common among people today. It puts an aspect of the Mahabharata in modern context. It is crazy how Amba gets mad at Bhishma for nothing though. All he ever did to make her mad was exist. I wonder how this story will end.
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