Hot Chemistry

Would we be together?

As I opened the homepage of a popular website, a photo and its headline stared at me – Hot Chemistry between Nitin and Vrinda. Ever evolving, popular websites now routinely include news as a major content to hold on to the fickle attention of surfing populace. Lazily I looked at the faces of the new stars. I am not a movie buff at all, but still I felt I had seen the names of these up and coming stars somewhere, such is the power of media! Whenever we open our eyes nowadays, we are liable to be bombarded with tidbits on celebrities. The first thing I observed in this case was the long faces – both Nitin and Vrinda had longish looking faces with intent eyes. Nothing wrong with that. All ambitious stars and starlets have such intent eyes. Not the eyes, something with the faces. I looked at the photo more closely. Then suddenly my memories came rushing in from distant past and gave a new meaning to the faces of these two young people. They looked so much alike!

During college days, I had long forgotten what brought the idea into my humble head—I decided that a couple look like each other in a significant number of cases. The couple may be married or may be lovers. But it is highly probable that they would look very much like each other. And I started observing my couples critically.

Months passed, years went by. I went on observing all couples of men and women automatically by habit and classified them. I got more convinced and one day gathered enough courage to tell my friends about it. Except two of them, all laughed at me and mock me even today. But those two friends started their own personal studies and occasionally confirmed my hypothesis.

I discussed this matter of grave importance with a renowned doctor close to our family. He was not very surprised. He gave a plausible explanation – staying together for a long time, the man and the woman involuntarily mimic the muscle movements of each other’s faces so that their gestures and facial expressions gradually start looking alike. I didn't pursue the matter with him further. I had observed that the similar looking couples in many cases were not only young; coming together very recently, but also had similar facial bone structures. I had by then developed my own explanation – we like ourselves best, and that’s why we choose a person of opposite sex who look like us.

Further years went by. Photos of couples appeared in newspapers, magazines, popped up on the TV screen. As I looked at them, my son poked fun at me – you can still make a thesis out of it and get a PhD. I only smiled. Let him have his fun. I was sure of my hypothesis though I was not sure of the basis and the consequences.

The last few years I forgot my hypothesis. It lay dormant in my mind. I was busy with many other things.

Now these two young people, Nitin and Vrinda with hot chemistry between them, looked intently at me, as if asking – “If we look alike would we be happy, would we be together for life? What do you think?”

What is your opinion by the way?