Of Chain Snatchers and Heart Breakers

What do chain snatchers and heart breakers have in common? They are both cold and well, heart breaking experiences. They won’t look a second time at you to steal a quick glance, to at least make sure that you are okay. They are real swift in their ways, adept at slashing open just the right vein where it hurts the most.

The only way you can undo the heartache is think of ways you could have ditched the entire scenario or better still act like nothing happened. You could raise your hands up and declare how none of it was your fault, even though a slight flicker of guilt does make you restless. As people keep caressing your head with warm hands and faint smiles, there is a certain retrieval of hope. You feel like it is after all, okay. Happens.

Yeah, so with this piece of gyaan let me sing some blues of my heartache. I spend like over five years exploring right from the roots of Greek mythology to the Vedas. Once you are a Literature student, you cannot survive without having read those. I was pretty sure to stumble upon some archetypal piece of classic symbol which accentuated my hunt. It had to be ancient and important at least with some cultural significance. 

Getting a tattoo meant a lot to me. So if I was about to get one, it had to be extra ordinary. I could have easily had a musical note inscribed, but then ancient objects are mysteriously seductive.

That is how I found it. My eureka moment occurred in an instant. I found a Victorian key symbolising the power to open any lock. The intricate designs formed a beautiful pattern quintessential to Victorian art. Hence I got it.

Today I get doubts and queries from my students, friends and relatives who mistake my tattoo for a bunch of other things than what it is. They guess and often emphasise that it is a mace carried by the Gods or a globe or even some kinds of life-giving flower and so on. I became a pro at folklore explaining the key and finally gave it up.

My faith in secrecy got restored when people guessed weird and new things each day. How creative everyone’s approach was! And so to whatever they imagine the tattoo to be, I affirm.

On a new note, I could have simply had a pair of paws showcasing my puppy whom I really love a lot. All the research and hours of reading go down the drain each time someone mistakes the design for a weapon or a ridiculous toy!

 Anyway, there is always room for a second tattoo! :)