Love Jihad: The story of lovers

Kanimozhi is very happy today. She dreamt of this day for almost thirty years. At the same time, she is little sad.Sad, because her only child Rashmi will get married today and will live separatelywith her husband in another town. For last twenty five yearsRashmi was her world, her hope, her life line. She is anxious too, because, being the only parent of Rashmi,Kanimozhi has to take all the responsibilities related to the marriage. Kanimozhidreamt about this day long back, it’s matching with her dreams, almost everything. Rashmi – a self-dependent, well-educated Indian girl, like what she has thought about her child. Still, a mother isalways a mother. These all together made Kanimozhihappy, anxious and sad at the single moment.
The Muhurtam, no, the muhurtamwas not decided as per astrology, but per the availability of the registrar, close friends and relatives, is approaching. The guests have already started coming. After years, her parents will step up in her residence. Due to some issues, mainly ideological differences, her parents never came to her place. They willfinally come today, and that is one of the reasonsKanimozhi is anxious.
The clock struck 11 am, and both her parents and the groom with his companions reached her place. Things are going on as per plan. Rashmi, looking more beautiful with bride dresses entered into the marriage hall with her dignified, gorgeous mother Kanimozhi. Kanimozhi took a quick look at the small gathering. Kanimozhi came on the stage, the “stage” she always wanted to use in her dreams.
‘My dear friends and relatives, this is a very special day for me. Today, as all of you know that this is the marriage day of my only daughter Rashmi. But you don’t know the groom, except few of you. Yes, by the dress, you can understand, the guy sitting in other side of the stage is the groom. But I would like to introduce, my son in law in front of you. He has a degree in social science and currently working with an organization working for the rights of the tribal in the states of Chhattisgarh. As, per current socio-economic condition the groom may not fit to the society, but my well established daughter has chosen the right person who works for his idealism and not for money. I am very proud of my daughter for choosing such a person as her partner and I really respect my son-in-law Mr. Nuruddin Ahmed. I would like to…’
‘What!!!!’ Suddenly, Mohankumar, father of Kanimozhi, shouted and stood up. ‘You are marrying my granddaughter with a Muslim! This marriage is not possible. I will kill all of you, our society does not accept this relation…’
Other guests also started commenting, mainly against the inter-religious marriage. A total chaos!
That terrible moment came, she didn’t know how to handle this. She was trembling; she never thought that these many people, in this modern age would speak against an inter-religion marriage. Sheinvited the guests whom she and her daughter considered as educated and broad minded people. Yes, of course, she had to invite her parents even though she knew they wouldn’t support, and may not come today. But all of these so called broad minded people raised voice against an inter-religious marriage. SuddenlyRashmi stood up, came beside her mother, held her mother’s trembling hand strongly and started speaking softly.
‘My dear ones, can you please be quite for a moment and let me speak for five minutes?’
Guests, for their sake of gentleness became quiet. Rashmi continued –
‘This is a very special day for me. I know, this relation, still – yes, still, in our society is a problematic one. We knew this, we could have easily avoidedthe chaos by not inviting you and get married secretly taking the help of special marriage act as provisioned by the constitution of India. But, no, we did not. We decided to make you all aware of this special event of our life.
I know, it’s hard for you, all the Muslims and Hindus to accept an inter-religion marriage as you always want to stay within your boundary. No, I am not here, to tell about what religious people should or should not do, how they should treat their and others religions in this era of twenty first century. But I just want to share a small story, yes, a story, not possible in our society with the state of mind you, the so called well-educated, broad minded people have.
As all the stories go, once upon a time, there was a girl and a guy – Gayatri and Syed. From the name, you can easily understand that Syed and Gayatri didn’t mean to fall in love. But love happens when you least expect it. It creeps up suddenly. When someone needs attention, care, conversation, laughter and maybe even intimacy. Love doesn’t look at logic, or at backgrounds and the least of all, religion.

Gayatri was from a very conservative South Indian family that wentto a temple every Saturday. Syedbought goats for his family every Eid. That said it all. Their paths would never have crossed if it hadn’t been for that fateful day. That day when he walked into the coffee shop. Gayatri wondered if destiny chose our loved ones for us. Did we have any role to play at all?

She looked at her watch. Syed was late. They met every Thursday at five pm to catch up. Their conversation lasted for hours. Sometimes at the cafe, sometimes in his car, sometimes in places that she could never tell her friends about. They would never understand. And yet Syed made her happy.

Suddenly her phone beeped. He had sent a message. “On my way. Have something important to tell you.”

Gayatri stared at it and realized she had knots in her stomach. Thoughts flooded her mind. What did he want to tell her?’
Rashmi paused for a moment. Now, there’s almost pin drop silence in the hall. She drank a sip of water, actually to have a glance on all the audience. Again she started slowly, ‘Syed came, and started without any hesitation, “See, Gayatri, I thought lot of times, but today I, I mean, we have to clarify something. I took lot of time, I thought, ok let it go wherever it is going, but it’s not that simple!”
Gayatri, with her knots in stomach, just in reflexasked, “What? What do you want to clarify?”
Syed told, “Well, you know that very well, at least as far as I know, you know that…”
“What?”Gayatri asked again.
“I love you”, Syed closed his eyes after saying those most lovely three words.
Gayatri knew that, because, as much Syedknew her, Gayatri tooknewSyed. She already had thought of this scenario, actually dreamt of this day. But, when ‘the day’ came, Gayatri, always being a serious and conservative girl, camewith the real life scenario. Gayatri told, “See, Syed, I know you know my answer. But at the same time, I know, you also know that it is not possible for us to get married and settled.”
Syed nodded in acceptance. Gayatri continued, “My parents, your parents, nobody will be ready to accept our relationship. Although, they are very close to each other as a family friend but they will not accept this.”
Syed, smiled, a silent, painful smile and told, “I know Gayatri, and that’s why I messaged you that I have something important to tell you”
Gayatrigave a glance, like, were not those three words the important one!
Syed continued, “As we know each other, we know that we love each other. But we can’t marry each other because we both love our parents. We can easily go away from here and live our own lives but we cannot hurt our parents too. At the same time we can’t think of getting married with someone else as well. So, the important thing, what came to my mind while reading some article, can’t we stay single for our life time?”
Gayatri smiled and said, “For this you had to read an article!!”Gayatri laughed, “I thought of this long back, that I will stay alone rest of my life, you may get married, but as I know you, you will also not marry someone else. So both of us will remain single.”
Now, Syed smiled, “Gayatri, staying single is not the important thing. Important thing is that, we will adopt a child. As per law, I have to adopt a boy and you can adopt boy or girl. But I would like you to adopt a girl.”
“Single parent!” Gayatri exclaimed.
“Yes, single parent.”
“That’s tough fight”
“Yes, I know that’s a very tough fight. But as we cannot marry each other and have our own kids, we must carry forward our views, idealism to the next generation so that they can easily cross the boundary of religion and they will get the support of their parents not like us who did not get any support from our parents”
– Syed paused after a long statement.
“Uff, Syed, that’s why I love you”
Syed smiled, a silent and painful smile.’
Rashmi paused, looked at all the audience. She could see the emotion, the respect, the gratitude of the audience for Syed and Gayatri.
‘Well’, Rashmi continued, ‘I was not supposed to speak this much, and not an imaginary story. But sometimes, it does not happen as you think or dream. So I had to tell this imaginary story. As per the plan, my mother was supposed to introduce my groom and me, but she was interrupted in between. So, I will now introduce…’ paused, in dramatic way, ‘…Gayatri. She is standing beside me, my mother. And Syed isNur’s father. Theyalmost 30 years back decided to sacrifice their love for their parents but at the same time they thought to transfer their idealism, views to the next generation, even though they remained single. They had started the love jihad then we are following their path.
I would like to saluteour single parents for taking such big step almost thirty years back, in twentieth century. Due to their life-long sacrifice, and sacrifices of many people for centuries, I hope there will be lot of inter-religion marriages in this so called modern age so that our next generation will be relatives of each other irrespective of their religion.’

Rashmi stopped. The pin-drop silence is now filled with the sound of claps. Nobody noticed the four little drops of water, two eachon the cheeks of Kanimozhi and Rashmi. These tears are not of joy, but of the separation to be made between mother and daughter. Rashmi thought, we still need generations to avoid this separation between mother and daughter,and probably, Rashmi has to carry onthis jihadforthe next generations to come.