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They were sitting in a secluded place in a thick verdurous spot on the bank of a natural lake. Oblivious about their surroundings, both were engrossed in themselves. He sometimes covered her face with her transparent shroud and slowly but steadily removed it to expose her face. He was looking at her while doing so with dreamy eyes as if trying to sink into them. Sitting quietly, limited in his lap, she was enjoying every moment silently with her eyes half closed.

The girl and the boy described above were teenagers, on the verge of entering their twenties. There were notebooks in her bag, but the boy had nothing but a Keychain, which he occasionally whirled around his finger. It was a pleasant time of the day, and both were conversing softly. The boy occasionally touched her face, caressing her body as the girl remained silent. They were in a romantic setting and enjoying each other’s company in a romantic mood.

It is a phase. As children grow, biological change starts taking place. It is natural and caused by hormonal activities in the body. Some aliens, changes unknown to them until recently, start developing. It is the stage of puberty. The soft feelings, attraction towards the opposite sex, and change in physical features are normal. It flourishes in a congenial environment. It is the most vulnerable stage when the budding youngsters must be closely observed.

Attraction towards each other is because of biological and morphological changes, and the secretion of mood-enhancing chemicals in the body. It is the stage when the body is at its best in every possible aspect – physical, mental, emotional and social. Brimming with enthusiasm and zeal, they try to achieve everything that attracts them. Romance is one of the most intense and steadfast emotions.

He slipped in his old days when he was like them. He had noticed that girls often tried to talk to him. He did not understand it, but he also felt good when they talked to him. The neighbourhood girls would engage with him in discussions about their course topics, exchanging diagrams and sometimes sharing notes for their preparation. It was all. There was no further going. Later, he was shifted to a new place with his parents.

The new place was big and comparatively big, orderly and clean. He was happy that they were living in a city he longed to be in. He went to the old city for some official work but did not visit the place where he used to live. The images of people, girls and the ambience were clear, but because of the dearth of time, he did not visit the place.

Over time, the images faded away, until there was a day when they no longer troubled him. It became a relic of the past, occasionally resurfacing when he sat alone. They vanished with the swiftness they arrived.

Soon, he adapted to the new way of life and the city. He started going to school, passed the examinations. A phase was to come when interaction with girls of his age was going to become frequent, and it came. Gradually, the phase entered his life on tip toes. He was in the bracket of those described above. The interaction used to be dreamy, romantic and to some extent sensational. Since the beginning, he used to be a timid boy who preferred to stay aloof. His classmates, especially the girls, would tease him. His mind never went to the other side. They were his friends and helped him to a great extent.

Pushed by financial constraints, he started home tuition. This exposed him to a comparatively broader horizon. He noticed that the girls in the households were eager to talk to him. While he taught, they would come and sit in the room and occasionally talk to him. It started from a brief and crisp dialogue exchange and became more informal and sometimes intimate. It soon ended.

Later in his life, when he gained some more practical experience, he realised that this was all an infatuation. Life is not like this. The reality is harsh, and these things play a petty role in shaping life. Soon, a point came when a girl showed interest in talking to him and wanted to spend time. Still, he did not realise it. He used to talk to her like a friend.

Soon, a time came when a girl came into his life. After the first exchange of small sentences, both started talking to each other. It gained momentum, and frequent meetings followed by daily meetings became a routine. They would meet each other and talk casually on almost every topic. The girl was sensitive, intelligent and probably accommodating. They would meet, visit parks, sit beneath a shaded tree and talk endlessly. He was never capable of deciphering the type of equation they shared, but both felt joyful when they met. They spent a very good time together. He didn’t realise that it was romance.

The time passed. He was in a job and was posted to another place. The correspondence continued. They wrote to each other regularly, sharing their feelings and discussing future plans. Both were ready to grow old together. How and when this came to their mind was not known. It was not spontaneous, though. It developed over time through the interactions they shared.

Life is not a preplanned affair. Things unfold strangely. Prediction is near impossible. The regular correspondence started staggering. Small gaps were followed by large intervals. The telephone was expensive and not common. The letter was the only convenient way to converse, and this too was becoming obscure. He sensed something unexpected, and the unexpected arrived soon.

After a long gap, he received a letter from her. She expressed her inability to continue. The episode ended abruptly. Neither has met since then. He doesn’t know about her.

Romance is a utopian feeling. It does not allow us to think about reality. A romantic person always tries to live in a utopian world full of rosy things. Romantic novels, sad songs, and films try to capitalise on this feeling. They exploit human sentiments. Stories of Heer-Ranjha and Laila-Majnu glorify the plight of romanticism. It is, nevertheless, incomplete.

The modern world is open, and talking about love, sex, and deceit is common. They make it a point of public joke and ludicrously talk about how they were born. It is rather shameful that society is accepting it. One can easily see teenage couples uncaring of decency, sitting in a compromising position, exhibiting their “love” in a public place. It is not romance or love. The preposterous sybaritism should be stopped.

A romantic person loves orderly things, nature and its activities. He does not go for sensual pleasure but loves everything beautiful from the inside. So, romance, as is seen in ludicrous exhibition, is a lurid show of sensualism. When materialised into a nuptial bond, it leads to quarrels, abusive relationships and frustration. Romance is a profound emotion that embraces a person or thing in its entirety. Openness and deep understanding in a relationship lead to a blissful life, while sensual pleasure is momentary and unstable, which leads to doom. Romance, when mixed with prudence, is good, but it is unpalatable when used for a selfish end to meet.

Application of prudence is desirable while in romance. It needs to be tackled with a high degree of patience, self-restraint and a lot of understanding with accommodating things. Romance blooms when nourished with love and care.

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