Well, it is not something that I have seen myself, but heard from my extended family members. There are so many variants of the story that it is not possible now to verify what actually happened. For the sake of the readers, I am going to write a spiced up version.

A second cousin of my father happened to be a very good student, let’s call him Himu. His family was not very well off but somehow managed to send their son to Dhaka to attend university. He used to provide private tuition to cover his living costs. Among his students one was the daughter of a high-ranking government official; we would call her Rupa. And like thousands of other private tutor and student duos in Bangladesh, they fell in love.

It was during the early eighties and people used to marry their daughters off at a much younger age. Likewise, after the HSC exams, Rupa’s family started to look for an eligible man for their daughter. Himu did not know what to do. He was still a student and his poor father had high hopes from him. He did the only thing he could think of, he eloped with Rupa. They fled to Mymensingh and took shelter at a friend’s home. They got married the next day. But as I wrote earlier, Rupa’s family was very influential. They traced them within a few days and forcibly brought Rupa to home. Himu was at police custody and a charge of abduction was made against him. His family did not have the money or power to fight the case. Himu’s father and brother in law (his elder sister’s husband) were brought to the local police station and allegedly were beaten up badly by the cops. Rupa’s father was too concerned about the honor of his family and offered a mutual divorce to the boy’s father. But Himu remained unmoved, he did not want to leave the girl he loved. It is said that after knowing about the London dwelling groom of her father’s choice, Rupa herself regretted her elopement and agreed to divorce Himu. Himu could not believe his own eyes when he received the divorce letter from Rupa. However, to avoid further scandals, charges against Himu were dropped shortly afterward.

Himu was devastated, he came back to his village but was not talking to anybody. His family had a streak of insanity and everyone feared he might suffer the same fate. One comparatively affluent relative came forward and took Himu to Dhaka once again. He let him stay in his home and helped him to continue his studies. Himu started working hard, he pushed himself beyond his limits. He graduated at the top of his class, managed a scholarship and went to the USA for higher studies.

Meanwhile, things did not work out in Rupa’s life. It is rumored that her family concealed her first marriage and got her married to a man from another influential family. Her in-laws came to know about the whole incident shortly after the ceremony. She got divorced a second time. You can’t imagine how miserable the life of a divorced woman can be in a country like Bangladesh. She was ostracized by her extended family members, her friends started to perceive her as a greedy woman and abandoned her. The prestige of a highly reputed family was tarnished overnight.

Rupa was beautiful but did not have any tangible skills. She was lonely and empty inside, all her dreams were shattered. Things became even worse when her father died. She lost the only person who was by her side in her dark times.

In a desperate attempt to revive her life, she somehow collected the address of her teenage love, Himu. She started writing letters to him, allegedly hundreds of them. She kept writing until Himu broke his silence and replied. He made her an offer to meet in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Why did he choose the Eiffel Tower? Well, Rupa had a favorite movie in which a man bends on one knee and proposes to his love with Eiffel Tower in the backdrop. While in love, Himu had promised her to take there. She certainly had not believed him then, but the time really came.

Rupa arranged everything and flew to Paris to reunite with her long lost love. It was before the internet era, people used to write letters to fix dates and places. So, on the scheduled day, Rupa went in front of the Eiffel tower wearing red saree and with flowers in hand. She must have been shaking with excitement, embarrassment and what not, she went through a lot in the last few years. She waited there for hours, some say from morning to the afternoon. Himu did not show up. She, with teary eyes, was about to leave when the very known voice called out her name. She turned around, ran to Himu to hug him. Wait! Himu was there with a stunning blonde, holding her around her waist. Rupa was shocked, she did not know how to react. Himu introduced the blonde as his girlfriend and proposed to her for marriage, keeping Rupa as a spectator. So finally, Rupa saw something in real life that she loved as a teenager, and it killed her inside.

Some believe Himu never really married anyone, he hired the blonde to play his lover, others say he actually married a European but later got separated. He lives somewhere in Europe these days and is in the teaching profession. Nobody knows what exactly happened to Rupa. I once heard she teaches at a renowned girls’ school in Dhaka. She is single till now but very much loved and adored by her students.

So, was it savage? I don’t know, but I really feel sad for Rupa, in fact, I feel sad for both of them. I wish there were another version of the story where they ended up hugging each other in the most romantic city in the world.

Thanks, Sean Kernan, for the answer request, I am honored.