Both Girija Prasad and Chanda Devi are quick to realize that the phrase ‘falling in love’ is a euphemism. Romance isn’t as straightforward as diving into cool waters on a hot afternoon, nor is it instinctive like learning to walk. It’s not a treasure trove of superlatives like Sanskrit poetry or the ‘sweet sorrow’ the Romantics spoke of. The struggle of an equal couple isn’t just the subject of ethnography. It is multi-disciplinary. Intimacy and distance operate like the tide—high during the day, peaking at mealtimes. The moon is a cup of tea, it pulls them to the zenith of their interaction.
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