Tulsi Vivah

For Hindu Arjuna his homosexuality and therefore his lover Kris has always been a shameful secret, which he has to hide away from everyone. Even though he is not happy to be treated as an accomplice rather than an equal, Kris accepts the secrecy in order to be with his true love. Instead he hates Arjuna’s Tulsi, a sacred and deeply beloved plant, who represents everything their relationship can never be.
When Arjuna receives the news that his mother is dying, he decides to honor her wishes and agrees to an arranged marriage. Breaking two hearts seems to blight Arjuna’s Tulsi, who is withering as fast as their happiness. Whilst Arjuna is left to deal with two meddling families, an unhappy wife-to-be and the grief of pushing his true love out of his life, gardener Kris tries begrudgingly everything he can, to revive Tulsi. Can a seemingly hopeless situation lead to a happy ever after?

„Tulsi Vivah“ is the most intense short story, I ever read. You quickly fall in love with Arjuna and Kris just to experience their heartbreak, when the relationship ends. The story is insightful and multilayered. On the one hand there is Arjuna, who decided to obey his parents’ wishes and his religion. He struggles with longing, grief and a loveless engagement, desperately trying not to fall apart. The worst thing is that he has to deal with his dying mother and heartbreak without the support of the man, who loves him unconditionally for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, and whom he loves in return. The more time passes the more his live changes from conflicted to purely miserable. Kris on the other hand is defeatist from the break-up. His suffering doesn’t stop him from giving his all to revive Arjuna’s Tulsi simply because he cannot bear to see him lose her too. Seeking the advice of a Tulsi expert, he is getting an inside into the religion tearing him and Arjuna apart. Even though he initially despises the tradition of an arranged marriage, he gradually comes to know the religious bliss some experience from choosing selfless devotion to duty over their own happiness, although he'd never consider doing so himself. Ironically as Kris gains more understanding in the matter of Hindu traditions, Arjuna learns that traditions might not be crucial after all.

This story made me cry and it made me think. In the first reading I took the book for a well-written tragedy of lovers being forced apart by religion. On a second look it is not predominately about religion, but about the decision how far you will go to follow its rules. In order to make their happy ever after possible Kris has to let go of his blind hatred for Tulsi’s way whilst Arjuna has to give up his blind devotion.

I love the way this beautiful story unfolds. You feel the dream in trying to please your family and your culture even as it tears you and others apart. I love how Kristopher decides to be persistent and yet lets things play out the way they are meant to play out.

4.5 Stars ~ I am not very knowledgeable about India or Hinduism so I thought the blurb for ‘Tulsi Vivah’ sounded very interesting. I was looking forward to learning something and the drama between Kristoffer (Kris) and Arjuna sounded more than a little realistic. Pair all of that with Christmas in Australia and I was hooked.

“It’s Tulsi Vivah next month, you know.”
“Of course. Highlight of my calendar.” Kris paused. “What is it?”
“A festival for Tulsi.”
“Oh, lucky her. Does she get a fancy new pot or something?”
“She gets married to Vishnu. It’s like a wedding ceremony. After Tulsi Vivah, the wedding season begins.”
“Must be a pain getting a wedding dress to fit her.”
Arjuna gave him a look.”

I empathized with Kris when Arjuna broke it off to marry a woman and give his mother peace as she is dying. I sympathized with Arjuna at feeling bound to his traditions and his family. Arjuna loves his family and his culture but his mother has cancer and the one thing that will make her happy is for him to be married and settled down. Kris’s family threw him away when he came out so he has no family except the one he has chosen for himself. He’s also an atheist although he has always respected Arjuna’s beliefs and his customs. Kris doesn’t really understand the importance of Tulsi plants but he tries to help Arjuna’s Tulsi plant heal even after his and Arjuna’s relationship has ended.

I enjoyed this story a lot more than I anticipated I would. That’s not to mean I began reading with the expectation of it being mediocre. Not at all. I simply had a preconceived notion of how I thought the author was going to tell this story and I couldn’t have been more wrong. I thought the telling (while educating) of Tulsi, Brahma, Vishnu, and Sharanya’s tale was fascinating and had me thinking of delving into more research about Hinduism. Both Kris and Arjuna are marvelous characters which the author imbued with a lot of depth and personality. All in all I truly loved ‘Tulsi Vivah’.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews