Berlin Gangela Milale By B. D. Kher

जर्मनीतील हैडेलबर्ग या हिंदू धर्माचा प्रभाव असलेल्या शहरातील म्यूलर कुटुंबाची ही कथा. मानफ्रेड म्यूलर आणि त्यांचा मुलगा फ्रान्झ म्यूलर हैडेलबर्ग विद्यापीठात भारतीय संस्कृतीचे प्राध्यापक असतात आणि हिंदू धर्माचे चाहतेही. एर्ना ही फ्रान्झची पत्नी. तिला मात्र हिंदू धर्माविषयी चीड असते. मानफ्रेड यांच्या मृत्यूनंतर फ्रान्झ भारतात जाऊन संन्यास घेतो. तिथेच राहतो. एर्ना-फ्रान्झचा मुलगा अल्बर्ट. त्याला मात्र हिंदू धर्मापासून दूर ठेवण्याचा आटोकाट प्रयत्न एर्ना करत असते. त्यात ती बऱ्यापैकी यशस्वीही होते; पण फ्रान्झच्या भारतातील मित्राची मुलगी भारती जर्मनीला शिक्षणासाठी येते आणि म्यूलर कुटुंबात राहायला लागते. तिच्यात आणि अल्बर्टमध्ये प्रेमांकुर फुटतो , त्यांच्या जवळिकीतून भारतीला दिवस जातात. दरम्यान, फ्रान्झचा मृत्यू होतो. भारतीमुळे अल्बर्टही हिंदू धर्माकडे आकर्षित होतो; पण एर्नाच्या भीतीने भारतातील नोकरी नाकारतो. भारती आणि अल्बर्टला प्रश्न पडतो की, एर्नाला आपल्या प्रेमाविषयी, भारतीच्या गरोदरपणाविषयी कसं सांगावं. कसा सुटतो हा तिढा? . THIS STORY TAKES PLACE IN THE CITY OF HEIDELBERG, GERMANY. THE MAJORITY OF GERMANS, WHO ARE PROUD ABOUT INDIAN CULTURE, ARE LIVING IN THE VILLAGE ‘INDISH STRAUS.’ BY RELIGION THEY ARE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN, BUT ALL OF THEM ARE EXTREMELY PROUD OF INDIAN CULTURE! MANY PEOPLE IN THIS CITY USED TO JOKINGLY REFER TO THIS STREET AS `INDIAN GATEWAY`. IF ANYONE ASKED FOR MUELLER’S HOUSE, THEY WOULD SAY, "MUELLER`S HOUSE IS THE PLACE WHERE PARROTS CHANT HYMNS OF THE VEDAS AND THE UPANISHADS." THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THIS WAS ERNA MUELLER IN THE MUELLER FAMILY. HER FATHER-IN-LAW, MANFRED MUELLER, WAS A PROFESSOR OF INDIAN CULTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG. HER HUSBAND, FRANZ MUELLER, WAS ALSO TEACHING INDIAN CULTURE AT THE SAME UNIVERSITY. ERNA AND FRANZ MET WHILE STUDYING AT THE SAME UNIVERSITY, FELL IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER, AND GOT MARRIED. AT THE TIME, MANFRED MUELLER HAD JUST RETIRED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG AND WAS REPLACED BY FRANZ MUELLER. THE UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG WAS FAMOUS IN THE WORLD AT THAT TIME. HEIDELBERG HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR CITIES IN THE WORLD SINCE THE UNIVERSITY WAS FOUNDED IN 1386 BY THE FIRST ELECTOR, RUPERT. BEFORE THE OUTBREAK OF THE TRIENNIAL WAR, IT WAS CONSIDERED THE HOME OF REFORMIST STUDENTS AROUND THE WORLD. AT THE END OF THE NEWLYWED DAYS AFTER THE MARRIAGE, ERNA BECAME VERY ANNOYED WITH HER FATHER-IN-LAW AND HER HUSBAND`S LOVE FOR HINDUISM AND THE CONSTANT DISCUSSION ABOUT IT. CONFLICT BETWEEN HINDUISM AND CHRISTIANITY STARTED AT HOME. ERNA`S SON ALBERT AND BHARTI ALSO FALL IN LOVE. THEY HAVE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP DURING ERNA`S STAY IN INDIA. THEY WANTED TO GET MARRIED; BUT THEY HAD A NOTION THAT ERNA WILL NOT PERMIT IT. NOW ALBERT ALSO HAD A STRONG FASCINATION WITH INDIA AND INDIANS; BUT HE BOWS TO HIS MOTHER`S OPPOSITION. HE REFUSES TO GO TO INDIA ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY WHERE HE WORKS. BUT THEY BOTH KNOW THAT ALBERT`S SHOOT IS GROWING IN BHARATI`S WOMB. ALBERT DOESN’T WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM HIS RESPONSIBILITIES; BUT THE DILEMMA NOW IS HOW TO CONVINCE THE MOTHER. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? DOES ERNA ALLOW MARRIAGE? WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE MUELLER FAMILY?