A refreshing take on Karma, the consummate outsider

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/bookbeat/a-refreshing-take-on-karma-the-consummate-outsider

A gynecologist by profession, Sayantan Gupta has written 11 books; eight in English and three in Bangla. The Karna Pages is Gupta's latest, a mythological thriller. Karna, of course, is the unsung hero in the Mahabharata. Here, his story is a subtext to that of an Indologist who learns of a rare ancient manuscript and starts working on translating the same. The book traces this journey of translation and therein retells Karna's story. The choice of genre is not new to Gupta. In his previous novel, The Flames Burnt Dark, too, he chose a mythological theme. Moreover, such classics like Ramdhari Singh's Rashmirathihave, in the past, retold Karna's side of the story. However, what The Karna Pages does well is use the mythological aspects of his plot in the manner of a well-oiled thriller.

The character of Karna, which is primarily what the book is about, is very well fleshed out. The preface to the book gives a much-needed introduction to The Karna Pages. It offers a structured analysis of why the book needed to be written and how the book "got itself written". Karna is represented as a counter, not just to Arjuna (as done in many other novels), but to the entire Pandava clan. This is very much an outsider smack in the middle of two royal clans competing in terms of virtues, valour and riches. And all the while, Karna is depicted as a very human and humane character. Just as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata invoke gods and goddesses in an endeavor to exercise humility, the novel ends with one such invocation. The Krishna-Yudhishthira and Krishna-Karna samvaad play out like a sequence from the age-old tradition ofshastraartha (debate based on the scriptures).

The Karna Pages has the quality of binding the readers, much like a tightly-knit stage performance. The thriller plotline is a hunt involving Max (the aforementioned Indologist) and a mafia that operates to smuggle and sell manuscripts. The parts involving Max and Madhuri (our hero's love interest) read a little bit too much like a movie screenplay, but manage to hold one's interest nevertheless.

All this while, the parallel plot never loses track. Karna's battle, a life-long one for him, shapes up like a massive operatic finale and the reader is gradually drawn into his struggle. One begins to feel Karna's pain, his successes, his decisions and his failures as one's own. Karna's decisions to not participate in the ill deeds of the Kauravas like dragging Draupadi and undressing her in the middle of the Kaurava sabha, his immense self-control in letting Draupadi, the love of his life go even after being called on a meeting with her, define and expand on Karna's virtue in the book; almost tethering the eponymous character to a state of idealism. But the very next moment, the book makes him prone to human weaknesses, so that one maintains the ambiguity that Karna typically provokes. Karna's burning desire, then, to avenge the accident of his destiny, his desire to prove his worth as an archer, his ambition to fight against Arjuna and meet the much hailed "greatest archer of the world" eye-to-eye; all of these are profoundly human impulses.

The book details Karna's interactions with Kunti, his relationship with his wife, the reasons for his discomfort with the Pandava brothers and his nascent, "half-requited" romance with intense and well fleshed-out episodes. The intensity of the Karna-Draupadi meeting, the futility of Bhishma's life, the dialogue between Arjuna and Karna and the poignant war scene where Karna succumbs to death, are brilliant snapshots that work well as standalone bits. It is in these moments that The Karna Pages gains a cinematic quality, something that makes this novel a delightful read.

The Karna Pages is a book recommended for anyone who wants to unravel a hidden layer embedded in the Mahabharata. By choosing a character and his story from the beej kavya(source poem), it is able to patiently go back and forth among the various versions of the epic available, to tell a story. This telling is, in more than one way, similar to the Greek tragic tradition. With a beginning, middle and an end, the bildungsroman in Karna's story is parallel to Max's vocation and his mission to translate the manuscript. This balance is what makes The Karna Pages a unique exercise.

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/bookbeat/a-refreshing-take-on-karma-the-consummate-outsider

‘I feel an energy of war around Charlie Hebdo protests’

http://www.newsroompost.com/150748/felt-energy-war-around-protests/

More than 3.7 million people participated in the demonstration against the recent attack on Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical weekly newspaper. This mega demonstration was led by many world leaders including French President, Francois Hollande, top representatives of Russia and Ukraine, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. London, Madrid, New York, Cairo, Sydney, Stockholm, Tokyo and other cities in other parts of the world too swelled the streets in protest.

During a conversation with a few artists spread across France and those who participated in the demonstration, interesting perspectives emerged. French actress, Laetitia Eido and Director and Producer, Maxime Potherat discuss the meaning and ramifications of these attacks withnewsroompost.com.

Newsroompost.com – As artists, how do you see these attacks?

Laetitia – The demonstration makes it feel that it is a new problem, that something bizarre has happened. But it is not a problem that has happened now. The fear of being attacked was always there. This need to suppress always existed. But what has happened is that one realizes now that ‘Oh wow! It is real, it is happening right here, right now.’

Maxime – My English is not very good. So, I will pitch in only when I have to say something important. It is difficult to have fun now. What has also happened is that somewhere the freedom to speak and say and express suddenly feels hit. But it is also important that now everyone realizes that it is a world problem. For me, it is not about France alone, it is a world problem.

Newsroompost.com – How do you see the protests?

Laetitia – There is a huge support which should be the case. People are speaking out, that also is good. But what is also scary is the slant these protests are taking. Suddenly, it is somehow about Islam which is not the case. There is massive confusion of issues. What are we protesting for and against what? No one is clear. And those who are clear are manipulating it.

Newsroompost.com – And when you say, someone is manipulating it, who do you mean they are?

Laetitia – There are all sorts of people with hidden agendas. They are confusing issues. I went to the manifestation just to show solidarity. Suddenly I hear multiple voices. For some, there is the question of Jewish infiltration and how jobs are being snatched. For some, there are issues of all kinds of foreigners from different countries taking away our resources. So, you see, Charlie Hebdo protests are no more about freedom of expression. There is a muddle. The government is manipulating it to launch offensive against nations. The various groups and factions are manipulating the movement for their own interests.

Newsroompost.com – So, it is not about freedom of expression you feel?

Laetitia – It might have begun like that- even the offensive. To clamp on those who wanted to say something other than what you wanted to hear. But today, ironically, you can not even ask what the movement is about? You have lost the discretion to express what you believe in.

Newsroompost.com – Could you please elaborate?

Laetitia – Sure. Let me begin by asking, why are so many world leaders here? If it is about solidarity, then there is the Indian Prime Minister as well who expressed solidarity in front of global leaders during the recent meet. It is not innocent, these people being here. But because I have said it, by stretching my statement further, suddenly I will be branded an anti-Semitic or anti-Islam or whatever. Gradually, I will be against so many things for people that I would no longer be able to explain that I am just against extremism, in general. Lot of people over there are not there for the right reasons.

Newsroompost.com – What is the scariest part between all that you said and all that you feel?

Laetitia – I feel an energy of war around Charlie Hebdo protests. People are just ready to do anything to seek justice – without understanding what it is that they are fighting for – collectively.
As long as you have this feeling for terrorists and extremists, it is fine. But can you sustain a long fight with violence and negative energies? There is a saying in English, right, that an eye for eye makes the whole world blind.

Newsroompost.com – What are you planning to do now?

Maxime – We just want to continue. We just want to speak against these attacks and many more of them, time and again. Respect is the most important thing in this world and at no cost we should lose it. It is important that we do not get scared and keep talking about what is going on. To not lose one’s voice.

Laetitia – I am an actress. I am in my profession because I want to understand human soul. I know that for me, it is about finding my center. I want to make peace with myself first. I know that this realization is deeper than demonstrations. And it is also the most frightening thing to do because not many, at the moment, are willing to take charge and move out. This first step is very hard. To work on oneself, is the most difficult thing to do. So I will do that.

Newsroompost.com – When you say that Laetitia, are you not just evading the issue to go back in a shell?

Laetitia – Ok. Let me try and explain. This was a recent case. There was this 15 year old girl in France. She was not very religious in the way we loosely use the term religion. She posted something on her facebook wall which went along the lines of “one day my mistake will be forgiven.” Now some terror outfit brainwashed her into believing that she can do so many things to seek forgiveness. The route they suggested was to join the group in Syria and become a nurse. She goes to Syria, becomes a nurse, marries a man from turkey and somehow, one step after the other, becomes a ‘jehadist’. Later, she realizes her mistake and confesses that she committed a grave fault. I believe this self realization is essential. It is along this line that I said that I want to find my own center. Because you know, just like anywhere else in the world, there are people sleeping in France, right across your very own street and are ready to become a martyr.

http://www.newsroompost.com/150748/felt-energy-war-around-protests/

The queer case of memory ‘in the middle of things’

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/bookbeat/the-queer-case-of-memory-in-the-middle-of-things

Janice Pariat's Seahorse is the second book by the author, following her Sahitya Akademi-winning debut collection Boats on Land. Unfolding the story of a young boy, Nehemiah, in a non-linear narrative, Seahorse interrogates the complex forces of sexuality, art and love; their symbiotic relationship with the lives of its characters. The beauty of this novel lies in its delicate storytelling and the successful experiment it carries out in trying to intersperse various literary forms in this bildungsroman.

Seahorse begins in media res, a decision that reflects how "in the middle of things" is exactly the way a slice of life presents itself. This philosophy is part of a larger avenue of expositions on art, storytelling, life and experiences that Pariat employs frequently in the novel. Right at the outset, the author gives the book a density and depth quite inimical to the popular works — and increasingly, even literary fiction — of the day.

The novel takes the readers on a romantic and deliciously surreal journey built on the act of memorialisation. Through the protagonist Nehemiah, intrigued and torn as he is in the beginning, the novel launches a long journey. With Nehemiah's self-exploratory chase for his lost friend, the novel traverses geographies and nationalities, scuttling from page to page, agreeing to give the readers a detailed insight into Nehemiah's consciousness.

The book heralds a completely new, revolutionary age of writing around LGBT themes. It is concerned with the eternal search for belongingness and love amidst tender moments of self discovery. (The titular story in Boats on Land was also remarkable in striking this balance.) The novel refuses to titillate the readers with graphic details, yet creates a sensual experience made richer by the maturity with which the author goes about her job.

Somewhere in the middle of the novel, Seahorse introduces the eponymous creature in a very symbolic format. In his love — perhaps unrequited — for various people, Nehemiah moves with a slow pace, trying hard to keep up with life. Just like the poor swimmer a seahorse is, Nehemiah struggles to swim with his emotional baggage of loss, longing and desires to own and be owned. In a way, Pariat's book is an ode to the tragic hero, the description of a life where all of us are afflicted and diseased by loss; each one us look for hope — slowly, wearily trudging along each day of our lives. This excerpt from the novel captures this sombre mood aptly:

"The day passed as all others do, with relentless silence. In my room, I worked through my unpacking slowly — a pair of socks in the drawer, a book on the shelf, slippers under the bed — charged not with anger or despair, but faint, lingering anticipation. Something else had to happen, this couldn't be all. This wasn't the end. I'd receive a letter. Nicholas would return. Someone would come knocking on my door, saying there's a phone call. A message. Some sort of sign. An explanation. That night I went to bed in hope."

In long-winded paragraphs of incidents collated from memory, Seahorse attempts to create a pastiche of the modern-day novel's memory mischief. It has the art of absorbing new layers into the main story (like Myra's) as if they were always a part of the larger plan (which, of course, they were). This organic assimilation and unity of seemingly separate lives, is no mean feat for a novelist. All the while, Pariat's felicity with form shines through. Each literary style that she utilises, she excels in; stream-of-consciousness, detective fiction, poetry, free verse. My personal favourites, however, are the passages where Pariat slips into pure stream-of-consciousness mode.

"At first, I was gripped by nothing less than wild exhilaration. The clutch of excitement at inexplicably arbitrary times. While paying for oranges at Tesco's, or waiting to cross the street. Questions hastening like small sharp arrows — Why? How? What did he mean? What would happen now? And then it faded. The note transformed into a paperweight. While I wasn't looking, it changed shape. We are perpetually chained. Compelled to want and not want. To conclude and leave incomplete. Eventually, the note conjured annoyance. Somehow, even a trace of fear. By meeting Nicholas at the concert, I'd finally acquire what was called a verifiable outcome. It could be changed from the poetic to the quotidian. The lushly imagined to disappointingly real. There would be a continuation. Possibly even an ending. Quod erat demonstrandum."

The follow-up is always a writer's most perilous moment. If your debut effort sank without a trace, the pressure is on: another failure and your confidence will hit rock bottom. If your debut was super-successful (like Pariat), the expectations are that much more unrealistic.

Seahorse is as worthy a follow-up as Pariat could have hoped for, and a cracking read.

Mirza Waheed’s ‘The Book of Gold Leaves'

Mirza Waheed’s The Book of Gold Leaves is the second novel by the author. Both of his works – The Collaborator and The Book of Gold Leaves – retell the story of Kashmir. However, the architecture of the re-memorizing of Kashmir is different in both.

The Book of Gold Leaves is a novel with the skeleton of a love story . While a passionate romance blossoms between Roohi, the sunni heroine and Faiz, the Shia paper machie artist – and perhaps the protagonist, on this skeleton, Mirza creates his art. He retells the story of Kashmir in the 1990s and recounts, through the personal narratives of Roohi, Faiz, Farhat, Khan Sahab, Mr. Koul, a tale of sorrow and pain that Kashmir was forced to become. Sometimes, in the middle of the novel, one would actually be forced to ask – is Kashmir the protagonist in this book?

Mirza questions the Manichean dualities of propaganda and ‘truth’ by incorporating voices and stories that are shouted, muted, heard and discarded. The sheer intensity with which each episode and event in the lives of the  two main characters unfold, makes the novel a clenched fist for any reader. One just does not want to let go till the tension eases and some nerves are frayed. It is this overwhelming feeling that makes this book so deeply political and passionately poetic at the same time.

While Mir Zafar’s household, Khan Sahab’s household recount the horrors of those who stayed in the valley, Professor Koul’s story resurrects, albeit in minority, of those who left. Perhaps, the author should have fleshed out a lot more on the Kashmiri pundits fleeing the valley. Perhaps, because the beautiful craft increases the expectation of a reader, the novel could have taken a step further and talked about the struggles of a pundit in a little more detail. However,  in conversations between Professor Koul and the army officer, Mirza narrates the futility of the word ‘choice’. Later, as the novel progresses and Faiz gets irrevocably sucked in by the ‘other’ side of Kashmir, ‘choice’ seems more as a mockery than anything else. It is then that perhaps one would want to forgive Mirza and redeem him of a slightly unfinished, left-out retelling.

What is absolutely striking about the novel is that while Mirza navigates through the tough historical realities of the 1990s Kashmir, he never loses perspective of a Kashmiri tale. The culture, art, way of life, geography, society, human interactions and beauty of the valley is explained and recreated as beautifully as a painting.

By showing a rebellious love affair solemnized, albeit silently – in the bonds of matrimony – between two radical Muslim groups, by portraying women smoking with men, by etching that fraught landscape when Roohi walks right in the middle of the sanctum, prohibited for women, in the full glare of male eyes, Mirza does something that is difficult to articulate in words and too poignant to just let it seep in sans expression.

It is this ethereal and dream like – yet real – quality of Mirza’s book, that makes it so political and so literary at the same time.

The dreamy ideal of ‘falaknuma’ that Faiz always wanted to paint is the ideal that brings in hope each time it begins to escape the reader. While with themujahids and familiarizing himself with guns and bombs, Faiz thinks offalaknuma, while his half painting punctuates Farhat’s, Faiz’s sister’s life, in his absence – the painting, this art, this half, unfinished project – makes the journey for the reader a little hopeful, as if in a dark tunnel guided by that one sliver of faint light. Falaknuma becomes symptomatic of the hope that allows one to wade through the violent history and the traps of ‘zaal’ that the novel talks about.

The Book of Gold Leaves has all the makings of a literary artefact. The nuances of the tale, the making of the teller, the layers and layers of said and unsaid and the equally silent layers of half muted histories and stories are what make this book a must read for anyone who wants to understand Kashmir in totality. It is one of those unputdownable emotional tales which come with an unfinished project like that of Kashmir.

Will the pundits return? Will those who died and picked up arms fulfil their individual falaknumas? Will ‘the book of gold leaves’ preserve all that needs to be chronicled and painted and created – with the same delicacy as perhaps the book, how Mirza has done?

You might not get all the answers, but this book overwhelms with the very idea that there is are infinite possibilities in questions.

Amit Chaudhuri’s ‘Odysseus Abroad’- Review

Ananda is an aspiring poet and a young college going student in London. Ananda’s uncle, Rangamama, is an early, retired bachelor who lives-off a comfortable pension at Belsize Park. Both are bound in a relationship barely happy and far from perfect but simultaneously, necessary for both of them. In his recent book, Odysseus Abroad, Amit Chaudhuri, narrates the story of these two characters spread across a day in London.

The immigrant experience of Indians in London; the sense of un-belongingness in a by and large alien place – its alien-ness amplified by cultural and sensibility barriers, the strong desire and need to claim a certain sense of belongingness in that space and the struggle punctuating this existential exercise; form the thematic thread of Amit Chaudhuri’s recent book. The plot centers around a day in the lives of these two characters – Ananda and Rangamama – where they meet, they brood, they discuss, they talk, they eat and they part ways. Between this apparently  mundane and ordinary tale lies Chaudhuri’s craft of story telling, interspersed with the literary brilliance of mastering the Proustian moment.

The book is an exploration of various themes – literary and otherwise – narrated in a third person’s voice but beautifully capturing the mind of its protagonist, Ananda, as if the tale unfolds from his pen. The novel goes back and forth in time capturing moments from the past and jolting the rhythm with the present flow of events.

A typical Bengali middle class family’s product, Rangamama – with signature stereotypes of love for a certain kind of food, certain kind of literature, certain way of life – is pitted against the character of Ananda who wants to own and belong to all these but do much more – immortalise himself as a poet in a slightly Anglicized sense though conscious and proud of his past and ‘real’ belongingness, at the same time.

Besides this layer in the narrative, which opens to us during the various events of day this novel unfolds, is also another layer of story – that of Rangamama’s predicament – the life of an eccentric bachelor who loves and dotes on Rabindranath Tagore’s legacy and Bengali music and is reluctant to move out of his created shell of specific traits, peculiar habits and typical tastes. He reveals himself as someone who does not like change in any form, especially if it means dragging himself out of his comfort zone and limits of convenience. In a struggle to maintain a stable and loving  relationship with his sister, Ananda’s mother, his brother-in-law, Ananda’s father, his brother and others, Rangamama’s life unfolds as a lonely man’s life devoid of real and sustaining relationships and well, marred by his idiosyncratic beliefs(like not to have sex to prevent yourself from catching syphilis).

Apart from the depth Odysseus Abroad achieves in detailing the plot and interacting with existential and real themes, the literary brilliance lies in the craft of story telling. Cutting across the over-hyped incandescence and trap of using first person narration in unfolding the mysteries of mind, Chaudhuri has married Woolf’s and Proust’s brilliance by staying with a third person narrative form but crafting a detailed and focused prose using stream of consciousness style to capture a very small moment of time in its detailed dissection over leaps in memories, opinions and remembrances.

The literary richness of the novel is defined by various influences of, references to, comparisons between and expositions on classical literary texts and milestones.

Chaudhuri’s latest book is indeed his best, by far, as commented by many.