The one & only

Suraiya Jamal Sheik was a stunning beauty, great actress & singer, from the Bombay orthodox elite, a prodigy. Dharamdev Pishorimal

Ananda Star actor and a man so staggeringly handsome that a Court had to advise him not to wear black coloured clothes as they further sharpened his looks!! They feared that girls might jump off buildings to catch a glimpse of him.

These two phenomena met at a time when their communities were standing on opposing cliffs and looking down at a deep abyss of hatred, something India hadn't experienced before! But when these two souls looked up and saw each other, they eternalised Love!! Their instant Love was blind enough to crash thru those social barricades and communal polarization. It stripped their names down to mononyms of Suraiya & Devanand. Their family names carried the unclaimed baggage of heritage, society, religion and tribal egos. Similar Love legends of the past like Romeo/Juliet, Heer/Ranjha, Sohni/Mahiwal etc stood testimony to this Being from a highly Orthodox Muslim family, Suraiya was discouraged and often prevented from meeting the Hindu Devanand.

However, smitten by Suraiya, he was at her feet romantically and spiritually. Just as he felt that her feet were a reflection of her strength of character & burning sensuality, he idolised her as a goddess of love and craved a place at her feet.

Suraiya, truly possessing the strength that Devanand sensed, never compromised on her love for him and stayed unmarried till her death in 2004 at age 75. On the bleeding quest of Suraiya, her mother had agreed to one last secret meeting with Devanand on a dark rooftop. Suraiya literally poured her soul into him and, as the story goes, got so drained of spirit & jest at this painful parting that she was never the Suraiya of yore. She did continue to dominate the film world with her sheer looks & prodigious talent, but the fire had got snuffed out. Very soon the other rising stars like Madhubala & Nargis started to eclipse this Moon.

Even though Devanand often chided her for not having the courage to marry him, she would not tell him about the danger to his life if she did. She knew that her maternal grandmother & uncle would not have hesitated to have him killed if they tied the knot. This ripping dilemma crushed her for most of her life after Devanand had touched every iota of her being. He, on his part, held her in such divine esteem that he did not even attend her burial, knowing that the press & public would craft innuendos to sully her purity.

I recited above the "Poem of Love" that Suraiya was, as her birthday on June 15, Thursday cajoled me to say something!!

TAURUS APR 21 - MAY 20

On the social front, the day finds you in your element. Something special awaits you on the romantic front today. A family youngster is likely to do you proud. Your strategy to promote yourself on the professional front will bear fruits.

VIRGO

AUG 24 - SEP 23

Good luck promises to brighten your day. Some positive changes can be expected. This seems a good day for job seekers. New avenues for earning open up as you get more determined. Fitness through extra efforts is assured for the deskbound.

CAPRICORN

DEC 23 - JAN 20

Your reputation is likely to boost your image on the social front. This is an excellent day to spend time with family.Good planning will see you complete a task at work in record time. Monetary front grows strong for some. You enjoy excellent health.

SCORPIO

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

Buying new furniture or a major appliance is possible. With good networking, a prized posting can be yours . Those trying to get back

FEB20 if you want to prove yourself. A party may be thrown in your honour at work. Your good performance is likely to be noticed by higher ups.

Praise