Shattered dreams fighting back

Synopsis


Summary: It’s a story about a young Indian girl who is invited to her friends wedding in England where she meets a young Indian man and falls in love. They marry only to find he did it for his own goals and the girl is abandoned. It is about how she fights back and fulfils her dreams.

Indian women carry a heavy burden on their shoulders. It is said that culture, tradition, religion and family units as institutions are upheld and maintained by women who pass down understanding and knowledge of these things through generations.

Is this true today?

This story is about two friends who grow up together in India and face life together. Seema is a daughter of a rich Gujarati businessman and best friend of Twinkle who comes from a middle class family. Seema moves to UK after secondary school and Twinkle remains in India.

Both girls are intelligent with families who provide freedom of thought and decision-making. Both girls get good degrees in their respective fields of interest. When it is time for Seema to marry, Twinkle is still thinking about studies, doing an MBA if she can get a scholarship from the Government of Gujarat to pursue an MBA in UK or USA.

Seema visits Twinkle in India before her marriage and brings Twinkle to UK for her wedding with the hope that Twinkle could fulfil her dreams of studying for an MBA. If necessary Seema’s family would help pay Twinkle’s fees, which she could return at a later date. Seema and Twinkle where thinking of looking at universities after Seema’s wedding with London being at the top of the list. Before Twinkle could apply for a course she meets Nikesh, Seema’s Cousin brother and falls in love. Destiny as they say changes Twinkle’s life in that everyone in Seema’s family thinks Nikesh has fallen for Twinkle also and so a marriage is arranged.

Nikesh and Twinkle get married on the same day, in the same hall at the same time as Seema, since the families involved arrange for two weddings simultaneously. However, Nikesh turns out to be a turd. He married Twinkle for his own selfish reasons and he abandons Twinkle. Twinkle’s dreams come shattering down.

Meanwhile, Seema starts her married life happily. Seema lives with her in-laws as per Indian customs and seems very contended. She has a wonderful, understanding and professional husband earning good money. She herself is settled in running her boutique ‘Saffron’.

However, Twinkle struggles to get herself on to an MBA course. Without money life is difficult. Seema’s family had offered to pay but she had declined since they had paid for her wedding and it would not be fair to ask them to pay again. She was indebted to them already. During this phase Seema is the strong one that helps Twinkle and supports her to get her MBA. Seema helps to bring Twinkle’s shattered dreams alive again.

Soon after Twinkle’s triumph, Seema is in a crisis and this time Twinkle is the strong one. Through Twinkle’s hardship and struggles she had become street and life wise. Seema's crisis it that - she gets pregnant and their family doctor does a scan which shows she is expecting a health baby girl. Her in-laws do not want their first grandchild to be a girl, an old age prejudice and tells Seema to get an abortion. Seema is against this, which creates a conflict of opinions with her husband and in-laws forcing her to leave her in-laws house, and she goes to live with her parents. At her parents she faces the 'quiet, nudge-nudge, ignore treatment from her brothers and his wives behind their parents back' which upsets Seema ultimately she leaves her parents home too to go to Twinkle who helps her sort her life out. Twinkle stands by and supports Seema to get through her crisis. Seema gives birth to her daughter. The birth is seen by Twinkle as an opportunity to start a dialogue between Seema’s husband and in-laws who ultimately see their mistake and take Seema back home. In the meantime Twinkle meets a young widower whose wife had died of cancer. At first Twinkle’s parents are not happy that she should marry a widow. People would talk that she could not find anyone decent because she was abandoned, but Twinkle changes the way Indian society looks at little prejudices and she eventually marries the widower and starts her own life.

This story tells of modern Asian women who while respecting the Indian way of life are also in subtle ways beginning to break down barriers, obstacles and prejudices to bring forth the new Indian woman who is more determined, ready to fight for her rights and be economically independent. This story is about culture, values, traditions, love and the role of Indian man and woman within it.

Seema and Twinkle represent the Indian woman of today. Through their ability to face life they have shown a way to a better tomorrow. Through their story I want to pass a message that even though Indian women have suffered injustice and inequality in the past the future is hopeful.