Forbidden love

Forbidden love —   what does it really mean? Does it forbid adultery and unfaithfulness or even mere falling in love with a person, irrespective of a person’s marital status? Why is there so much hypocrisy around a married person sharing feelings for a person other than his or her spouse? Ever wondered about these questions? This Love That Feels Right by acclaimed author of romance, Ravinder Singh, explores different perspectives to these questions. For the first time in his series of books, Ravinder will present this tale as a first person account of a female protagonist, who finds herself falling in love with another person after marriage.

“Many times we hear our colleagues gossiping at the coffee machines or at kitty parties about some married person who loves someone else. This book is to understand why there is so much hypocrisy around a man or a woman loving someone outside their marriage. Why is it believed that only love marriages are sacrosanct and anything else is forbidden?” asks Ravinder, whose previous titles on romance including Can Love Happen Twice? and I Too Had a Love Story have been top-sellers.

This love that feels right by Ravinder Singh Penguin Books Limited Rs 199, pp.236

The author says the issues he discusses in this book are not from any personal experience, but adds that he does not want to rule out the option that he might fall in love again, at some point in his life. “I would not have understood the idea of forbidden love a few years ago. But having been married, I understand the situations better and I think I am at a better position to write about love after marriage now. The reason there’s a female protagonist is because I want to understand why when one talks of extramarital affairs, it always boils down to the man, why not talk about women’s affairs too? And the subject of this book can be controversial considering how it is still a taboo in our country to talk about sex. I wanted to pose these questions in the book  in a sensible manner,” explains Ravinder, a tech-professional-turned-author.

He clarifies that the book does not intend to promote  adultery, but instead wants to examine it. “It looks at perspectives to the institution of marriage. At a time when divorces are rampant, perhaps two decades later, there might not be an institution called marriage,” he says. The author, who loves playing snooker and enjoys Punjabi music, says he became a writer ‘by chance’. “In 2007, I lost my girlfriend in a car accident . That was when I wrote my first book which people seemed to connect well to. I share a bond with my readers, and have thousands of them writing to me asking for my advice on relationships. I let them know what I would have done if I were in their place — it’s heartening to see them confess things to me,” Ravinder admits.