There is a tyrannized bride, Gauri, in the story whose tears at one point of her life, couldn’t relieve her of her plight; so she was advised not to cry. The same bride, after suffering years of trauma finds herself in a different situation later on. The new situation is one where there is only strength and positivity. There is no thought of tears at all for she has by then woken up to the power she has in determining her own happiness and growth. She looks back to her torturous past only to carry forward the beautiful and useful from there. In helping her realize her own worth and strength is the ‘new man’, with leanings towards the female principle, like the God Shiva. In the story Shankar comes into Gauri’s life, helps her understand her strengths and shows her the trick to subdue her weaknesses; the trick being complete faith and dedication to her chosen passion in life. After his work is done, Shankar exits from her life, leaving her with her bethrothed, who is also called Shiva, in a flood of beauty and love of her own making. The story intends to say that we are the creator, destroyer and preserver of our own lives on earth. We only need to choose truth and beauty and Shiva, the symbolic creator, destroyer and preserver, is our friend for life!

#About the Author

Preeti Brahmin hails from the Darjeeling hills. She has been  an educator of children  in  village  schools for the last twenty years in the Terai and Dooars of North Bengal . Between looking after her  children in school and two girls at home she tries to find time to pen down  her thoughts and experiences into poems or stories. She enjoys reading, gardening , wondering , growing and bonding with nature. '