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Citizen Junction / जनता कक्ष

Through the Shadows of Grief: A Journey Back to Love

Sukanya first decided to flee from love. She ignored people who tried to help her because she thought their compassion would make her think about her death.

Prithul Lochan

A little village with a glistening lake and undulating hills was home to a woman by the name of Sukanya. Love had always been all around her: a devoted partner named Dutta, a close-knit family, and friends who would never leave her alone. However, everything changes when Dutta becomes ill. As she saw the brilliant colours of their life together fade into shades of grey, the world around her grew darker.

Following Dutta's death, Sukanya experienced a deep hole in her heart. She was engulfed in a crushing, soothing maelstrom of recollections. On certain days, she would snuggle up on the couch and let her grief drag her farther into isolation. On other days, she just strolled around the city, avoiding the spots she knew so well and that made her think of him.

Sukanya first decided to flee from love. She ignored people who tried to help her because she thought their compassion would make her think about her death. She quit going to parties, telling herself it was simpler to withdraw than to face the outside world without Dutta. She felt his absence reverberating through the voids in her heart the more she pulled away.

But sadness has a way of dismantling walls, and eventually, Sukanya discovers that she is missing people. She went to a neighbourhood café that she and Dutta used to go to one rainy afternoon. She noticed her long-time friend Maya seated at a nearby table as she took a sip of her coffee. Something flickered inside her at the sight, a spark of warmth against the cold.

Maya smiled warmly and sincerely as she waved to Sukanya. Sukanya took a nervous breath and moved closer, and they started conversing. It was odd at first, there was a lingering sense of Dutta's absence. But laughter seeped into Sukanya's heart as they told stories to each other. She was reminded by Maya of the happiness that love might provide, even in the most depressing circumstances.

Weeks later, Sukanya started to reopen her doors to the outside world. She went to a support group where she got to know other people going through similar experiences. Every tale exchanged became a thread in the tapestry of compassion and understanding. Sukanya gradually discovered that she didn't have to endure grief alone. It might serve as a springboard for closer ties.

Sukanya came to understand that mourning imparts important lessons throughout her experience. She had two options: run away from the love she had known or accept it in different guises. She made the latter decision with every step toward recovery. She found comfort in talking about similar situations, laughing with friends, and finally even finding quiet moments when she thought back to Dutta's smile.

Sukanya discovered that love might change instead of disappear once it was lost. It persisted in recollections, tales she told, and relationships she fostered. Even though she would always carry the pain of her loss, she realized that the real way to recover was to go in the direction of love—that is, toward friendship, compassion, and fresh starts.

Sukanya came out in the end as a monument to the enduring power of love as well as a survivor of tragedy. She had learned from grief that although loss can be an overwhelming force, it can also highlight the strength of the human spirit and the beauty of connection. Knowing this, she welcomed life with wide arms, prepared to pay tribute to Dutta in every act of love she decided to do.

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