From the funeral pyre
of the past
dusting the ashes
is reborn the phoenix
of yore;
shedding the memories
looking for a new beginning.
Fire is a potent element, created to destroy and to nurture. In different hands, it becomes a weapon or a nourisher. & fire played its role in the lives of Vansh & Riddhima, both as a destroyer and as a nourisher.
From a mother’s point of view, what Anupriya did was acceptable, she knew her son was suffering silently. writhing in the fires of hell, screaming silently while his heart smoldered in the fire, burning again and again as memories assailed him of betrayal, of abandonment, of not knowing the reason WHY? The portrait was a fetter that kept him fastened to emotions that were quietly and surely destroying the man from within. Stoic he was, unfeeling he wasn’t, yet he kept his emotions deep within himself, bundled in the cloth of memories, reminding him of the times, of happiness, of laughter, of trust and of love! Time rolled on, the cloth of memories turned to rags, the emotions turned dark, of pain, of despair and of betrayal. Still Vansh continued to hold on to the memories and the connected emotions, those 5 days, a window for his soul to come out, mourn the loss, relive the pain openly, thus giving a new lease of life to those painful memories.
A mother watched, observed, she was not fooled by the tranquil face of her son. She was very much aware of the blaze burning deep within, but she was helpless to do anything, so Anupriya watched, observed and waited for the opportune time.. The time came with the arrival of Riddhima!
Riddhima’s arrival alarmed her, she rightly senses that Riddhima is going to dig the bones and the mother in her also knows that with appropriate manipulation, Riddhima can be that knife, that cuts the umblical chord between Vansh and his past. In one stroke, Anupriya can sever the connection between Vansh & his mother while at the same time offer a ripe excuse for Riddhima’s exit – for that is one of her main priorities, never you forget that. Anupriya is rattled by Riddhima’s inquisitiveness, She definitely does not want the ghosts rising up ( wonder what Anupriya’s black deeds are). Everyday Riddhima spends there is one day closer to exposure of truth. So, in a master stroke, she burns the portrait, traps Riddhima ! expecting healing of Vansh and ouster of Riddhima .. But what she expected does not happen, Vansh’s link to his past does not turn to ashes nor does his pain evaporate because emotions are felt and are not tied to just one physical attribute. Emotions can be healed only when the other person FEELS, reciprocates and in turn their emotions becomes the emotional balm, that gently soothes, and heals the broken heart.
For feelings or emotions to work, heart has to be pure as do the intentions. Neither Anupriya and Riddhima have a pure heart, both hold secrets, both have hidden intentions. In Riddhima’s case, she does not have the ‘understanding’ of the pain of loss ! Yes, she knows what ‘loss’ is, being an orphan but the understanding of a loss was not there! So the platform has to be leveled !
With Bappa in the house, can pain, darkness thrive? But for the removal of the pain, a battle field has to be chosen, weapons finalized. First however, is the battle field – A broken & zen like Vansh destroys all the things that Riddhima holds dear. In fact, he even makes her watch the crumbling of memories into ashes. Riddhima cries emanate from her heart matching the cries that were silently howling from Vansh’s heart . NOW, she ‘UNDERSTANDS’ what ‘loss’ means. She begins to have the glimmer of ‘pain’ that Vansh nurses within the depths of his soul.
Though a beginning of ‘Understanding’ has begun, understanding and healing are two different things altogether. Riddhima has not climbed to that rung yet.
The destruction of all things that Riddhima held dear also suggests the beginning of end of Riddhima as we knew. Dadi says, ‘Saaf dil’ but Riddhima’s dil is not saaf yet, she plays the role of do-gooder to Rai Singhania yet her motive is to destroy the Singhania’s , for when you take out Vansh, you leave the rest of Singhania’s helpless, vulnerable to attacks from rivals, make his sisters the complete orphan, break the heart of a old woman who trusted her. Yes, her heart is not pure and will not be as long as she remains connected to her past. That connection has to be burned to forge a new beginning. The process began with turning to ashes of all things related to Kabir, yet a link is retained . It could also be a suggestion that the brain washing of Riddhima died. A new Riddhima who will begin to ‘see’ is born.
& here will come Dadi telling Vansh, that one should forgive their partner’s one mistake. Dadi warning Riddhima not to repeat her mistake and Riddhima confidently assuring Dadi that she will never do mistakes again.
Mistakes Riddhima will do, all the while taking steps towards Raisinghania’s , While trying to make a new beginning. The secrets she has hidden will come back to haunt her , Will Vansh forgive ushering a new beginning or will he burn everything to ashes ?
