Tera Mujhse Hai Pehle Ka Nata Koi

... Yunhi nahin dil lubhata koi.. Jaane Tu.. Yaa jaane na, Maane tu ya maane naa.. No.. I am not promoting the movie that claims to the the 'chweetest' college love story (of 2008) nor am I planning to promote a probable sequel 'Maane tu ya maane na' depicting the perils that Jai (Imran Khan) falls into after his made-in-heaven love marriage to Aditi (Genelia) , with her bossing him around singing the title -maane tu... Hmm silly jokes apart, why I brought the song up is because of its first sentence. Tera mujhse hai pehle ka nata koi .. How does one know whether there is a bonding between them, more so in their very first meeting , not that the song suggests it but I have seen several cases of 'love at first sight' and have always thought that at least one of the parties is surely kidding when they say they were in love at the first sight.. It can't be that two mature individuals look at each other and feel instant bonding of love. Love has its own strings attached that you discover that much later than the fabled first sight.

And yet there are people around the universe who claim their first meeting was the very moment they knew they were meant for each other.. My question is how?! Its not melons for crying out loud.. that you go look, knock, and take home! Its a completely different issue that even after several trials and tribulations I still can't select a good melon, let alone identify one by color or sound. But a life partner, which I'm sure most will agree with, is more complex a theory than melons.

Taking time has its own charm, the denial, fighting it out withing yourself whether this is it or not, finally owning up, building trust and once you find a reason behind your choice of a life partner.. you know you are in love! It's not fair giving credit to the first meeting alone, its what takes place after that, the realization that without him/her your life has this unexplicable emptyness that just refuses to go away, that is when you can declare to the world, that you are in love.. not really when you meet for the first time in a coffee shop.. or any other mushy romantic setup!

There was a strange observation I made about the correlation between love-at-first-sight and arranged marriages. They both happen in the first meet! think about it , practically speaking, how much time is given to a girl and guy who are supposed to get married by their parents wish.. one meeting in a busy living room and then a series of phone calls continue, but the would -be-couple are already in a mind frame that tells them they are already a couple and declaration is the only thing left - Thats as close as it gets to love at first sight.. except perhaps in this case, the mind frame is -lets try this out, rather than lets get this settled. (May be this should make the against-love parents relax a bit eh?)

And the same question arises again, how do you know this person is right for you.. some of my friends tell me its a feeling, you will know.. or as Madhuri Dixit in her all time hit says 'God will ishara-fy and your heart will understand' yeah yeah.. only if dear God was free enough to make us realize love in the first meet! I stand by my policy it take years.. at the minimum months to know if a person is really meant for you , whether its a 'pehle ka nata' or 'sau saal pehle ka pyar' or plain old pyar. Love grows on you.. and no not instantly!