The Legend of Chandidas and Rami: The Unsung Laila Majnu

The lore of Rami and Chandidas reached me through Jagjit Singh's mellifluous voice. Aahista Aahista plays in the backdrop of a 2BHK, lighting up not just the room but also the fuses of my brain.

Rami Chandidas. Source: Artiana.com

On digging deep into the lyrics, I find myself sitting in a chaos of love stories that remained hidden from ordinary sight. In an episode of Shreekrishna Kirtana, Rami and Chandidas were lovers destined to meet and write a love story like no other. Amongst the many dynamic love stories that emerge from India in the form of folklore, Rami and Chandidas remain undiscovered. The grit of their transcending love makes them do things even Radha-Krishna couldn't do.

Chandidas, a dexterous gentleman, made one of the greatest poets of Bengal. As a man of high caste, he was ordained to read sacred scriptures and texts and devote his time as a Brahmin does. This, however, did not interest him. Agitated by his lackadaisical approach to formal education, his father commands his wife to starve him by serving ash instead of food. Out of sheer motherly love, she helps his plate with some ash beside the food. This realisation of his father's anger made him miserable. He left for Basholi Shrine and sat on the banks of the Ajay River, absorbed in the same tormenting thoughts.

In the chain of thoughts, just as the idea of ending his life leapt over Chandidas' mind, Basholi devi's voice echoes in his heart. She consoles her like a mother and graces him with a blessing that he shall make the best of all poets, scholars and saints.

At that moment, Chandidas saw a woman washing clothes in the river as if Devi Basholi had descended from heaven. He is dazzled by her transcending splendour and grace; Chandidas thinks of her as an incarnation of Radha and writes his first love poems for her. This woman is none other than the daughter of the washerman, Ramitara, commonly known as Tara or Rami dhoban. Chandidas was smitten, and Rami was infatuated with his beauty, too. Classic case of love at first sight.

Rami became the muse Chandidas needed to channel his calibre into writing poems of Radha and Krishna's divine love. Chandidas would write poetry, and they would together sing and praise Lord Krishna. This sacred relationship, however, was a sting in society's eyes. Chandidas' brother Nakul was ashamed of his brewing love for Rami. His father dies agonised by his Brahmin son's love for a washerwoman, and to add to the misery, all Brahmins outcaste them and refuse to perform the last rites.

Chandidas was now stuck in a moral dilemma. For once, he decides to perform a purification ceremony through a yajna, but hearing Rami's lament, he goes against the norms. He questions the ground of caste discrimination in the Hindu religion. Much to everybody's discomfort, he leaves the yajna and leads a happy life with Rami. Just as they decide to go, Rami's hut is set on fire. The love between the two makes them defy societal pressure. The story ends transmogrifying into a beautiful cosmic legend, that reverberates into my 2BHK today. I hope Jagjit lives in your hearts, as Chandidas and Rami do in mine.