Of time, terrorism and female psyche

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