Week 11 Story: Hidimba's Blindsided Lover
Hidimba's Blindsided Lover
Bhima would do anything for the beautiful Hidimba who resided in the forest and was a powerful Kachari King. Bhima was besotted with her and expressed his love for her greatly and saw her as his future wife, but she would have no interest in him unless he became a man of the forest and betrayed his Pandava brothers. Without any hesitation, he transformed into the King of the forest and immediately asked her to marry him. But this was not enough for Hidimba. She wanted him to show her the love and respect that she carried within herself.
Now that the Pandavas were abandoned by their foolish brother, they moved on in their journey. It was difficult for Bhima to not grow into a great sadness without his brothers and the reciprocated feelings he felt for the love of his life, but he continued to press on. Days, weeks, and many months later, Hidimba finally accepted Bhima for all that he was and decided that she would allow him to be her husband. She eventually delivered a powerful son with Bhima and named Ghatotkacha. With Hidimba being such a powerful woman of the forest, her responsibilities got the best of her and she had forgotten about Bhima and her son but was reminded by Krishna about her husband and son.
Bhima lived a sad and lonely life in the forest, left to fend for himself because of his wife who never returned or recalled him. Though he used to be a well respected, valuable man, now he was just a man living in the forest, unequipped to defend himself and his son. It was agonizing for him that the love of his life could have so easily left her family behind to fight for her land. Later, Bhima loses his son in a battle between members of a family of which he could never be a part.
Author's Note: I chose to rewrite the original story of 'Hidimba and Baka' because I think the overall message conveys a typical romance story where the woman drops everything to become a man's wife. I stuck very close to the original story but tried my best to flip the roles of Bhima and Hidimba so that Bhima is the partner falling head over heels in love with Hidimba. I did this to signify the importance of women staying true to themselves and not changing their character to fit the "ideal" role that is expected from ancient history. By doing this, Bhima's weaknesses flourish, and he begins to realize that not all women and creatures praise him like they used to. I created the plotline to portray Hidimba as a woman that plays hard to get because I believe that the original story makes her come off as desperate and too reliant on a man for her happiness. Instead of Hidimba's love for Bhima being one-sided, I created a story where Bhimi would do anything for her but get nothing in return.
Bibliography: Hidimba and Baka by C.A. Kincaid (1921). Source.
Image Information: Manali: Hidimba Devi Temple Flickr
Hi Caroline!
ReplyDeleteWow, I really enjoyed how you flipped the script on this one and had the woman maintain all of the power in the relationship. Before I read your Author's Note, I was shocked at how stone cold Hidimba was, but after having read it, I actually really side with her character's actions which was strange for me.
Great job!
Hey Caroline! I have not read the original story that inspired yours but I really enjoyed your rendition of it! I also liked that you explained the story in your authors note and how you changed some elements to make it all your own. The switching of the roles was a great idea and different from typical stories where the gender roles are switched. Great job and keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteCaroline, I like the role reversal you employed in this story and really appreciated your author's note where you spoke on women not needing to rely on men for happiness. Much of the romance stories we hear from history are ones where the women is pursuing the man and is the one that gets heartbroken but I like how you made Bhima the heartbroken one. Bhima was known for his strength and aggression so it is interesting seeing a different side of him here.
ReplyDeleteHey Caroline,
ReplyDeleteThis was a really great read and a really great rendition of the original story of Hidimba and Baka. I really like the role reversal you did, I think it's a great change of pace from the social norm. I'm not the biggest fan of romance stories but I can say that yours definitely did a good job of keeping me interested. Good job on this keep up the great work!
Hi Caroline,
ReplyDeleteI love your version of this story! Hidimba "plays hard to get," like you said in your author's note, but it turns out not to be an act! I love that she is the one who gets to take part in big, heroic things in this story, like battles to protect her forest.
I also find the part about Bhima being alone and kind of sad interesting because it draws attention to the struggles faced by women who devote themselves to looking after their children and their homes. Nobody should have to resign themselves to that role just because it's the only option they think is available, and if it's one that they choose for themselves, their hard work should be recognized.