Nilmini -Madhu: reflections of love

Old sentiments have surfaced again

   Everyone remembers the occasion of sentimental moments at an award ceremony of the separated Athula -- Samitha.  Athula is now a married man. Samitha is leading a lonely life with the children.

   A similar incident has now surfaced between Madhu -- Nilmini. They had separated quite sometime back. Madhu also is married. Nilmini is alone with the daughter.

   Nilmini had mentioned last week by giving an interview to the Sarasaviya newspaper that to whoever one gets married to ... that her past love sentiments cannot be hidden. This week Madhu Madhava talking about Nilmini had said that though the spring has come to an end ... memories of the attachment cannot be forgotten.

  Ideas expressed by Nilmini at the interview are as follows:
* You also had a love affair in the past?
   Madhu ... my darling lover whom I loved as a 'mahamera'.... later my husband ... Shvetha's father. I tried my best to maintain this attachment within this small family unit ... but some storm blew and we found our nest being broken apart. Even today I love that past ... how much Madhu and I loved each other ... how we got married ... that only the two of us know. (I feel her becoming sentimental). Nilmini's face is full of tears.

*Don't you repent about the decision you took that day?
  We separated because of the conflicts in our married life. How can two people live together by fighting with each other? But now Shvetha is a big girl. I am actually sad that it is not possible to bestow the love of her father by being close to my girl.

*Nilmini akke ... doesn't the thought come to your mind ... if only Madhu was in your life with all the problems?
  Such a thought now comes to my mind a thousand times. I truly feel ... if only Madhu was in my life! Now I have understood this life properly. All this is an illusion. We get attached so much to those whom we met on this journey of ours in this life ... suffer ... I try to detach myself from all these things and live my life according to what the Buddha preached.

 *Akka ... are you disappointed?
   No malli .... this is the truth. As a woman I have now become lonely. After finishing the work at home and when going to bed I feel an unbearable sense of sadness ... a loneliness. I am a woman who looked forward to a lot of love in life ... but today I only have the warmth of my daughter.

*Don't you meet Madhu at all now?
  We meet ... we are not angry with each other. Every special event in my daughter's life ... I tell Madhu ... he attends those occasions. Whomever Madhu is married to now ... that thing called my past love cannot be hidden.

*Akke ... couldn't you have come to a decision after your accident?
  At that moment he stayed by my side without leaving me. He tried a lot to save Shvetha's mother. Even today I wish merit for him. Life is like that ... a love which even the nerves of the heart feels ... cannot be forgotten so easily. With that accident I was not in a mentality to take a decision. 

*Now your daughter too is getting bigger and bigger ... isn't she?
  Yes malli ... my life ... Shvetha. When she gets bigger ... I get scared. I do every duty to my child ... but I must strengthen myself to face many things in the future.

Ideas expressed by Madhu Madhava at the interview is as follows:

*Aiyye ... isn't Shvetha a big girl now?
  My wealth ... my 'raththaran petiya' is a big girl now. With the passing of time ... what had to happen, happened. But as a father ... the affection I had in my heart for her ... I didn't lose even a drop of it. I am there for her as big as the sky. I know that her mother is there for her like the universe.

*Madhu aiyye ... at the conversation I had with Nilmini akka last week, what I felt was that now she's carrying the whole burden alone on her shoulders.
  This is not a common problem malli. At one time in my life I loved her ... married her ... we got a baby ... and because of problems we separated. Like Nilmini said, we aren't vipers ... she actually is a strong woman. Whatever said with aggression ... the quick temper vanishes immediately. Even today I respect Nilmini ... she is the best mother in this whole world. As Buddhists, when a strong attachment is broken into pieces ... it's very difficult to bear it.

 *Madhu aiyye ... as we know you ... you are a sensitive artiste ... even she is a very sensitive person. So why couldn't you'll maintain this relationship?
   Everything in this world happens according to the sin and merit. Those who are destined to unite ... unite. Those who are destined to separate ... separate ... that is the nature of life. But it's not justified to categorise everybody in the field Art  ..., who separate like this. Problems affect each person in different ways. She knows who Madhu Madhava Aravinda is We loved and carried on our family life with respect. Though we separated because of problems that surfaced, we didn't live in a manner which made society despise us or in a manner that society would laugh at us. In short ... I can't be put into a list of such husbands.

*Do you attend special occasions in the life of Nilmini and Shvetha?
  She reminds me of very special occasions in daughter's life. I attend such occasions. Even for my birthday Nilmini calls me and wishes me. Life is like that malli. When a person ages ... he or she becomes matured with experiences. These are persons whom I met during my springtime. Just because spring comes to an end ... that doesn't mean that memories of the past is forgotten. All these people are those who grew within the heart no ... malli.

Discussion -- Manjula Prasad