A lot of talk is out there on the ideas of soul mates. It is ancient too, this talk. It is believed that in ancient Greece the first humans were created with a body structure comprising four arms and four legs in addition to a head that had two faces. It was like having two bodies glued to each other. These human forms were so content and centered that it angered Zeus -- the supreme god in Greek mythology. As a curse to teach these humans a lesson, Zeus split them into two halves. Ever since then the two split bodies are looking for their other half to attain that centred self that they had once upon a time. So to say, they longed to be ‘whole’ again.

Beautiful story, isn’t it? It sadly makes sense too if you do not have a cynical mind.

In Brida, Paulo Coelho explores the ideas of soul mates on similar lines. Brida, the protagonist of the novel, is in search of being "whole". But how to find her soul mate is a good question that Coelho raises.

The answers, though, that he gives make zilch sense. One of the answers being that you can see a light on the shoulder of your soul mate, etcetera.

But keeping skepticism aside, the most interesting thing about this book is that possession and love are two totally separate things. This whole idea is an exploration that the real beauty in relationships can be found, sometimes, in the letting-go. It is painful. But sometimes that is the only way. It is like seeing the beauty of a flower and yet not plucking it. It is like not owing the sun yet enjoying the warmth it spreads.

In the movie How to Make an American Quilt, Marianna speaks of once meeting a man she instantly connected with. Though they only met for a few moments, Marianna ends up remembering this man as the only person who she could call her soul mate. They never meet after this but she remembers him forever. Though we never get to know the other side of the story, whether the man remembered Marianna too or was it a one-sided affection, the idea conveyed here is also of loving someone, connecting with someone, yet letting that person go.

At a personal level, I do not understand the idea of soul mates. But I believe there is something out there that connects us with some individuals. There is an instant bond that we feel towards the few we meet which draws us towards them. This connection cannot be explained and it is futile to even try.

The whole point is that love cannot be appreciated in the caging or possessing of the one you love. It can only be appreciated in the freedom of yourself and the one you love.