“Gently Falls the Bakula” By Sudha Murty

As I entered the Library on my turn to borrow a book as I was freaking bored with the mid term exams done in my 6th grade, before Lockdown got all started. That’s where I found, not so attractive from the cover as it was kind of old, but just had another lady reading a book in it. “Gently Falls the Bakula” on its top and “Sudha Murty” in its bottom right corner.  As the book fell on my eyes, I just picked it up and walked to the Librarian to make it mine for the 2 weeks from that day. I am not gonna create a scene saying it totally vibed me, it had some gravity or something which pulled me towards it bla bla blacksheep and stuff, but I would just say, it was a casual incident for me to find a masterpiece as one among those infinite loyal friends called books. Not even seconds since I borrowed it but I started reading the book the same day at the same place. Srimati and Srikanth- a courageous, cute, comical, contributing, caring and compassionate couple. Maybe, the word compassionate was not too right in the ‘c’ list of mine. As they say, most of the school loves don’t cross the school gate, this one went till the 3rd knot in Srimati’s neck which soon tangled into several knots  to stop her smile and her passion to travel along her ambition for miles. All began from their topper goals, though, Srikanth anyways and always felt dominated by Srimati in studies, but like the reality states- CEO of the most found companies today are men and not women. Everything in this world has an expiry date, the value has a period to stay, be it a 5 INR kid’s candy melts or a person’s life and so did the love of Srikanth towards Srimathi have one. Once he experienced the magical mystery and fascinating fantasy called love, he left it over and started rapidly climbing his corporate ladder, which was his dream, realizing the expiry is too near for the true love within himself and his wife. Mrs. Srimati Srikanth, left as a lone lady, sat leisurely at home thinking about her past dreams and preserved love which she had for her husband expected to be received by him which he refused with ignorance. Dining table talks weren’t of family and future but were of office and were professional enough as maintained. Stiff life wasn’t soothing for the so-called super lady, Srimati, who was aspiring to be out of the box and not inside a box again so called as a homemaker and Mrs.Srikanth. Meeting her old friends, professors and bringing up her career talks was making Srikanth feel if he- the superior at point would become an inferior as Srimathi was way talented and stronger in mind than him as we read in the previous chapters of the book. The commendable author, Ms. Sudha Murty, holding Padma Shri at her 71, the chairperson of Infosys foundation, engineering teacher, social worker from the wet soil of Shiggaon, Haveri at Karnataka since 19 August 1950, with her identity reaching all over the world, ends this masterpiece by saying- a talented woman’s love is not for granted. Mrs. Srimati Srikanth wishes to be Srimati herself and not a corporate crown’s wife, as she denotes this in their conversation, Srimati leaves her husband as her love for him had an expiry date infront of her million dollars worth dreams as a queue. Once, then never, true love and golden opportunities are not a buy one get one free, but just one in one’s life. So said, Gently Falls the Bakula, from my lap and eyesight it went back to the library shelf as it was, but still stays in me as a memorable masterpiece I have read in my life as I smile at it everytime I visit the library.

By Keerthana Manasswini S