By
Randeep
Wadehra
The habit
of love by Namita
Gokhale
Penguin.
Pages: viii+184. Price: Rs. 250/-
Women characters in love narratives
often come out as one-dimensional or subaltern beings struggling for space in a
patriarchal world. Their story is often a subplot, wrapped around a stalwart male
presence. Of course, strong female protagonists have been portrayed in Indian fiction.
But, they are very few, and female-centric narratives are fewer still. So, this
collection of short stories is commendable inasmuch as it highlights different
aspects of variegated female situation and psyche. For example, in Life on
Mars she is a middle aged mother in platonic relationship with a man young
enough to be her son. Emotionally, their association is mutually fulfilling
until tragedy strikes. In Omens 1 Vatsala Vidyarthi is a copywriter who
lives a dreary life in New Delhi. On a visit to Banaras she has an unexpected
sexual encounter with a foreign tourist, which creates ripples in her thought
processes; but she is resilient enough to recover. Be it Vanita in the Grand
Hotel trilogy, the child who hassled by her constantly quarrelling parents,
or the woman scarred by molestation during her childhood in Love’s Mausoleum,
Gokhale uses sparse but skillful strokes to present iridescent contours of
feminine mindscapes. The stories around the characters from Mahabharat – Kunti
and Qandhari (Gandhari) – are familiar; yet, somehow, she manages to
reinterpret them in her unique style. Wherever it is depicted, sex is not used
as a designer tool for making the narrative trendy as is common with dandy
litterateurs; it has been treated just like any other natural activity, or
emotion.
Most of the stories leave a lot
to the reader’s imagination. However, Gokhale allows some of the narratives to
hang in midair, viz., the title story is more a cameo presentation of a
grieving woman’s consciousness than a complete tale in the conventional sense.
Nevertheless, she has clearly lifted her craft to a much higher plane.
Shadows of
lost time by
Kanwarpreet Grewal
Pages: 220.
Price: not mentioned
Imagination is a very useful
ingredient for creativity as it enables one to come up with unique ideas. This
anthology of ten short stories is a good example. Divided into three chapters –
The Past, The Present and The Future – the narratives try to re-imagine past
historical events and personalities even as they create scenarios for the
future. Why had Genghiz (Changez) Khan not invaded India even as his forces
were massed on the banks of River Indus for the purpose? In The Conquest
the reason provided is not Iltumish’s military deterrence but an ordinary
village woman’s genuine love for a foot-soldier who would have died fighting
Genghiz’s forces. Similarly, Dear Anju, Dear Olga tells us of the life
and times of the popular science writer Yakov Perelman. The Wall is a
futuristic tale based on the speculation that there is life under Lake Vostok
in Russia that has remained frozen for the past more than 400000 years. The
stories in this book are interesting.
An Afghan
winter by Rajesh
Talwar
Pages: 225.
Price: not mentioned
Anzan Safri – of mixed
Tibetan-Indian parentage – is a journalist who works for a Dubai based
publication. He has come to Kabul to “train some Afghans”. Here he meets the
lovely Zeenat – a naturalized American of Afghan origin – whose occupation is
“gender mainstreaming”. Another interesting character Anzan comes across is Michael
who has arrived from the United States to coach Afghan basketball players. Then
there is Greg West… Michael and Greg are not what they pose to be. Even as
Anzan begins to discover their real identities and purpose a bomb explosion
kills Michael, setting off a chain of action packed events. International spy
thrillers are a rarity in Indian writing in English. Therefore, this one is a
welcome addition.
Published in The Tribune dated April 8, 2012
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