Of terrorism, love and relationships

Kasab: the face of 26/11 by Rommel Rodrigues

Penguin. Pages: xii+276. Price: Rs. 299/-

Ajmal Kasab is the only Pakistani terrorist of the 26/11 notoriety to claim the dubious distinction of having become the “face” of terror. He was taken alive by our security forces. Ever since his arrest he has been evoking curiosity regarding his social background, and the methods used to indoctrinate him into believing in the rightness of a palpably reprehensible action, etc.

Ajmal Kasab comes from the gun-fodder class of jihadists; uneducated and unskilled, they have very few avenues of employment open to them. Poverty precludes any possibility for dignified sustenance. When they see the wealth being flaunted by their more fortunate compatriots they, naturally, become susceptible to get rich quick offers. In the process they get ensnared by those having vested interest in perpetuating jihadist culture in Pakistan and beyond. Rodrigues investigates the dynamics of a fundamentalist society – which routinely produces brainwashed killers – in all its stark details. Not only does he identify various persons, institutions and places in Pakistan which are involved in churning out jihadist desperados but has also delineated the actual process of doing so. This seminal work might well prove to be a template for similar studies in future.

The Dreamer by Rajeev Balasubramanyam

Harper Collins. Pages: 314. Price: Rs. 299/-

Shashi is an actor who, apart from being a regular on the London theatre circuit, has performed a negative character in a big-budgeted Hollywood movie; but becomes famous for playing a character named Tony Shah on television. Inexplicably he loses interest in his work, turns alcoholic and violent. As a result, his marriage and career go to seed. Gradually, he seeks relief for his tormented soul by hallucinating. You learn of his love for Lisha when he was a kid in Stonewall – a village in Lancashire. Lisha dies in a racist attack that burns her house down. Shashi is disturbed by other memories, too. As a child he had witnessed adulterous relationships between his mother and Lisha’s father, as also his brother and Lisha’s mother; later, as adult he sleeps with his best friend’s wife. The narrative swings between past and present – nightmares and lucidity.

Balasubramanyam has a talent for inventing metaphors and similes that should add to the readability of this work of magic realism written in smart prose. However, after you finish reading it, you feel dissatisfied. The tormented Shashi’s angst leaves you cold. There are simply too many loose ends here. For example, what was the purpose of introducing the comic book character ‘Stoneman’ if it had to remain in unfinished form? Personally, I would have preferred a tighter plot.

All and Nothing by Raksha Bharadia

Rupa. Pages: ix+223. Price: Rs. 95/-

Man-woman relationship has always been a complex and contradictory phenomenon. It constricts, liberalizes, demeans and exalts the individuals even as they stagnate or progress materially, intellectually and spiritually. Tina, a talented artist, falls for the charms of Aditya whose first wife, Antara-the-gold-digger, has walked out on him. After the initial euphoria abates, mind-games begin; with Aditya ruthlessly reducing Tina to an emotional wreck. Manas is hopelessly in love with Gayatri and loses her when he becomes desperately over-possessive. Upasna’s husband employs violence as a means of subjugating her. Poorvi, disappointed with her intellectual boyfriend, goes in for conventional marriage and a life of decadence and discontent. Kriya, a mediocre but rich fashion designer, learns the art of manipulation from her father. Her ruthlessness drives a talented colleague to suicide. Antara re-enters Aditya’s life, triggering a catharsis in Tina’s psyche, forcing her into self-reevaluation that impacts the mindsets and lives of others too.

Bharadia uses fluid narrative style to successfully deal with a multilayered theme.