The Kaunteyas

by Madhavi S. Mahadevan

Yes, women’s tales, too, have been told by men, but with an important difference: they are cautionary. They warn men that women are clever, conniving, deceitful and, frequently, the cause of dissension. They tell women how they should be and, more importantly, not be. A common theme is retribution for breaking rules that are invariably manmade.

Men’s stories are the bones of a bygone age, sanctified as relics, preserved in stone. Women’s stories are written in water.

Fortitude. A woman’s strength is measured by her capacity to bear suffering, but is it a sign of courage? They are not one and same, are they? It would be many years before I learned the difference. It would be another woman, much younger than I, who would teach me that.

When an association is undeniable, the resentment simply becomes a feature around which the relationship must find a way to flow. Some of the bitterness fades, some of the scores are settled by time. The ill-will diminishes and the good memories gain ground. Maybe this is what forgiveness really is…