My Feudal Lord: Tehmina Durrani

My life at Saudi Arabia became an apt platform to develop interests in Muslim society and their culture. I bought Tehmina Durrani’s novel My Feudal Lord because of three reasons- the novel dealt with woman’s issues, my newfound interest in Muslim culture and as a souvenir for my visit at Bahrain.

The novel dealt with Tehmina Durrani’s second marriage with Mustafa Khar with a few lights on her own parents' family, contemporary political issues and culture of Pakistan. This autobiography is written as a fiction to hold the interest of the readers and to convey the message easily.

Tehmina Durrani was the fourth wife of Mustafa Khar, one of the leading politicians of the time. The handsome and alluring Mustafa took Tehmina out of her secure and comparatively happy family life with Anees and their daughter. Though the romance broke many hearts in the initial stage, Tehmina was blind with love to take care of them. Subsequently the inevitable followed- she became a helpless victim to a possessive, jealous and playboy husband who mastered her away from the outside world. 

Tehmina went through the worst of domestic violence for fourteen years with three attempts to escape from the prison of marriage. However each time, she had to return in misery. At first she loose the custody of her four children, second time no support comes to her even from the parents and third time she had to fear the wrath of the society. 

Tehmina finally gets divorce after Mustafa Khar regains his political power. Though this time, Mustafa does not prevent her from getting out since he was taking his fifth wife.  The author says that Mustafa’s words after their divorce, prompted her to write the novel. 

“Once you were Begum Tehmina Mustafa Khar. Now, you are just Tehmina Durrani.  When you ring up people you have to introduce yourself as my ex-wife. You’ve no identity of your own.” (P. 374)

The novel seemed to shake the Pakistan Society to its foundations. When Mustafa had called Tehmina to argue about the book, she concluded, “Well, Mustafa, now the world will soon know you as Tehmina Durrani’s ex-husband.” 

I was not at all aware of the Pakistani culture until I met some ladies from Pakistan. Still I have only a glimpse of their culture. But it strikes me that though there is a difference in religion, they are so much like Indians only. I asked one of them about “My Feudal Lord.” She said, “All written in the book is not true. She has exaggerated a lot.”

The exaggeration must have been for fictitious purposes. However, the reader will feel that something is left untold after reading the book.

The novel became a bestseller in European countries. However, I later judged this success as a wild reception of westerners for anything that throw a stone at the Islamic society. Also, this book is only one side of a coin and we don’t know the other side until the voice comes from there.

This book is a good suggestion for those who are interested in woman’s rights.

Publisher: Corgi Books

Price: 4.70 BD

The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter

When I had asked to review Angela Carter’s The Passion of New Eve for my thesis, I never knew that I’d have to enter a world of words in scientific imagination, Gothic realism, magical realism and feminism through one single novel. 

Published during the early waves of feminism, Angela Carter's The Passion of New Eve portrays a world dominated by women. A satire on America, in terms of gender, the novel begins as the protagonist Evelyn, arrives at New York to take up his new job. He spends his evenings devoted to the shows of Tristessa de St Ange, the American silent movie star. The English professor with male chauvinistic views develops an intimate relationship with Leilah, an exotic young African-American nightclub dancer. Soon, Leilah becomes pregnant and Evelyn leaves her.


Evelyn's flight takes him to the subterranean female city of Beulah. There the Mother Goddess of the city forcefully transforms Evelyn into Eve, the woman he always lusted for. The wicked mother tries to impregnate Eve with Evelyn’s sperm and the new eve with lost machismo somehow escapes from the city.

The new Eve falls into the hands of poet Zero, a male cult leader with slavish wives.  She experiences the pain of rape and oppression of a female by men in the society. Eve tries to be an obedient wife. During the pass of time, Zero leads Eve on a search for the silent film star Tristessa, an embodiment of beauty, sorrow, and loneliness. Zero obsessively hates Tristessa, because he believes Tristessa’s beauty had made him infertile.  

Zero and his dungaree-clad harem finally find Tristessa in her glass palace. To the group's utter shock; they discover that Tristessa is not a female but a transsexual male. Zero forces the new Eve to have a relationship with Tristessa. From that moment the new Eve experiences the true feminine feelings. Tristessa and the new Eve escapes from Zero and after a number of obstacles the new Eve finds the new land for women.

The role reversal is central to this scientific novel with an undertone of feminism. Carter equally criticizes the machoism of male race and the uncivilized notions of women's movement through this satire. The end of the novel is quite symbolic since the new civilized land for women dawns upon the female race just like Eve starts her search for a new land at dawn. The Passion of New Eve is a sensual novel full of foods and smells and colors, which acts upon the readers' senses like a psychedelic drug. This is not always an appealing novel, but it is always interesting.

The Three Mistakes of My Life by Chetan Bhagat

When I started reading Chetan Bhagat’s The Three Mistakes of My Life, someone told me, “Please don’t read that book. You’ll hate him for this book.” Yet, I read the book and don’t regret it now.

Chetan Bhagat’s The Three Mistakes of My Life, is in many ways better than his One Night at the Call Center. Though filled with scenes apt for a Bollywood masala, the novel stands apart for some insightful scenes and spiritual undertones.

The novel opens with a note to author’s personal experience that gives a suggestion that the story is real. The story is told to the author by the protagonist Govind and revolves around his life in the small town of Ahmedabad. 

Govind, Ishaan and Omi represents the young generation of India in small towns. The scenic description of Ahmedabad and its core culture make the reader feel like in the town. Aspirants to achieve something in their own life, the three friends begin a business of their own by investing their own talents, experiences from Indian middle class families and the small finance.

The business flourishes as it could be in a small town. Yet, so many unexpected events come in their way like the 2001 Gujarat Earth Quake, distractions among the group and finally the riots after the Godhra attack. Things never become normal after Omi’s death and the dispute between Ishaan and Govind.

The writer comes into the scene when Govind is in deathbed after a suicide attempt. As expected, he lends a role in mending the troubles in the protagonist’s life and extracts the story for the public.

If we keep aside the dramatic and romantic scenes, the story attracted me for its theme. The story directly addresses the spirit of Indian youngsters in small towns, who dream to achieve high in lives. The novel also revolves around three intrigue factors that control the country-religion, business and cricket!  The rage for these three intrigue factors in India is depicted through three characters-Mama, Govind and Ishaan respectively.

In the race to achieve their goals in the interested fields, mistakes happen. Though the novel numbers the only the mistakes of Govind others are not free from mistakes too.  The question is, “Do these mistakes are really mistakes?” The answer changes in each one’s eyes. In any case, forgiveness takes much time. The words of Govind’s mother addressed to her son and Ishaan not only make them think but also make us contemplate on the mistakes and non- forgiveness in our life too.

“Life will have many setbacks. People close to you will hurt you. But you don’t break it off. You don’t hurt them more. You try to heal it. It is a lesson not only you, but our country needs to learn.” (p.255-256)

Overall, the book does justice to the time we invest in!

One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s works have a special effect on me, invoking positive perspective about life. Stories told to make you feel like part of those stories, often make the reader ponder and look upon own life in a positive manner. One Amazing Thing is such a story! The stories of a group of people in a vital situation make you think of the one amazing thing in your life.

The storyline is in the aftermath of a massive earthquake. As in her many other novels, Chitra Divakaruni sets her plot in U.S. A. A group of nine people, seven of them of Indian origin and two of them of Chinese are captured in a crashed visa office at an Indian Consulate. 

For a claustrophobic person like me the situation of these people is beyond imagination. The ex- soldier Cameron in the group tries to tackle the situation at his best. Still, the situation is worsened by his asthmatic development and injuries of Uma and Jiang. Dust accumulates, water rising, food goes less and they hear the footsteps of death near them.  

Above all these, they hope to rescue into life. Yet, hopelessness develops into panic, panic into frenzy and frenzy into physical violence. At this moment, Uma, an American born Indian girl comes up with suggestion-telling stories! Each one has to tell a story about a crucial incident in their life that she/he had kept secret from everyone so far.

Uma had got this idea from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.  But curiously everyone in the gang agrees to the idea. They must have thought this as a last confession that might not arrive again in their life. The stories come out easily from each and every person. As each story gets finished, they realize that they all had once been in a situation that they once thought life to be a tragedy. But, they had been pulled out from those situations by one positive inspiration. Also, they had despised life at one point or another in their lives. Yet, at this moment of almost certain death, they crave for life. 

Uma was the last storyteller. Just before her story finishes, they hear the sounds from above. It can be either of rescuers' machines or of the collapsing ceiling. Divakaruni leaves the reader there.

Each reader may feel differently to each story. Personally, I could feel with Lily’s aggravation to understand and gain what she wants out of life, Malati’s aspiration for growth and intolerance for injustice, Tariq’s helplessness and anger at racism, Jiang’s survival and Mrs. Pritchett’s realization of her loveless life. This is my reading. Many other readers must have felt with Mr. Pritchett’s troubled childhood,  Uma’s fear for a broken family, Mangalam’s failure in marriage and love and Cameron’s guilt feelings.

Overall, there cannot be any central point or dialogue as shown as the message of the novel. Each reader would get different messages from different stories.  I took the message of the night nurse to Mrs. Pritchett as the message for me.

‘Remain where you are and work on your heart. Once you’re dead, it’s much more difficult.’ (p.175)

The novel undoubtedly shows Chitra Divakaruni’s Indian spiritual inclination and reading on life. The stories have been crafted well for the readers to submerge in. Taken as a whole, this is definitely a novel to rejuvenate your spirit.

Afterword: After reading this novel, I’ve imagined at many times about an earthquake. By God’s greatness nothing had happened. I am convinced that life is worth living and that I should spent my days reminiscing on beautiful moments in life and not regretting sour incidents.

Publishers: Penguin Books India

Price: Rs. 250/-

Orikkal by N Mohanan

 

Who hasn’t loved and lost even once in life? The love might not have been explicit, double sided or even recognized. But, that love must have played at least a small role in our lives. Malayalam writer, N. Mohanan’s semi autobiographical novel Orikkal is about such a love that had shaped a persona in him.

Who was the owner of the author’s lost love? There is no name given in the novel respecting the identity of the beholder. She has been constantly addressed as ‘the girl.’

Before getting into the details of the novel, let me remember an article written by Tanuja S Bhattathiri about her late uncle. In that she had written about her uncle’s lost love. The lost love always remained in his mind with the tokens of love letters, hand kerchiefs and other reminiscent of the romantic period. I was surprised to learn that N. Mohanan’s wife had safely kept these love tokens for him and his romance was not a secret in the household. 

Tanuja had written, “When my brother had undergone a troublesome period after his love failure, ammaman consoled him citing his own experience.” I really admired N.Mohanan’s wife for that loving courage, without whose loving understanding, he wouldn’t have sustained his love traumas long enough to give advice to the next generation. However, after reading his autobiography I have admitted one more thing. He was the owner of a loving mind, who could also radiate the fragrance of love to those around him.

Mohanan wrote about ‘the girl’ in his life with much fondness. Their platonic love in the 1960s' Kerala society was coloured by literary discussions, first lessons of the unconditional love, innocent dreams and above all, trust to each other.  The world that they had dreamt together subsequently shattered. After drinking the pain of separation, each of them walked in their own paths holding the hands of their loving partners.

Still the love sustained! It is that love that N.Mohanan talks about in the novel. The love is not romance but a mixture of concern, care and gratitude for the woman in his life who first taught him the meaning of love. In his poetic and meditating language N Mohanan transcends the reader to this world of love, which many of might not have experienced. 

I’ve to give one more last reference before completing this review. In the Malayalam movie Chandrolsavam the already married heroine Indulekha asks her returned lover Sree, “Didn’t you ever hate me for marrying another man?” Sreehari’s reply was crisp and from heart, “Never! I was upset with myself and life, but never with you! My life afterwards taught me to smile at the face of miseries and befriend with those who had gone from my life." I never believed that such a love existed! Well, N. Mohanan’s Orikkal is a testimony for it.

Suvarnalatha by Ashapoorna Devi

It was more than a year since my amma had started to insist me on reading Ashapoorna Devi’s novel Suvarnalatha. Though curious, many things kept me away from reading that novel.  However when I started reading that novel, I finished reading it within three days and immediately understood my mother’s interest in it. The novel was a representation of a generation that my amma and her contemporaries lived with!

Got married into a strict family at the childhood age of nine, marriage was never a sweet fruit for Suvarnalatha. Her marriage took away so many dear dreams from her life-the love and protection of her parents, rightful education, care from the dear ones and most of all the right to dream a normal life.

Most of Suvarnalatha’s life was spent in her in-law’s family, where she had no right to raise her voice. As a child bride and teenage mother, Suvarnalatha dared to dream a beautiful home with neat ambience. However as years pass by, her dreams started to get scattered and she sowed new dreams of hope for her children.

Education for her children! That was the prime aim in Suvarnalatha’s life. Despite the retaliation from own kids, Suvarnalatha forcefully implants the roots of education in her children’s lives. While the youngest girls feel for their mother’s needs, the eldest children grow sympathetic with their incompetent father.

Here, as many might see, I don’t consider Suvarna’s husband Prabodh as a loveless one. He was just ignorant-ignorant of women’s lives, their dreams, aspirations and secret desire for the ray of freedom. Though he had wished to help Suvarnalatha in fulfilling her dreams, her outbursts, maintaining the macho husband image, tantrums from his mother and finally Suvarnalatha’s silence kept him away from her world.

Just as many others of her age, Suvarnalatha didn’t know what would fulfil her life. In the younger age she tried to put her ideas through outbursts and silent suffering. As time passed her struggle grew more conscious to be away from her mother’s path, who had abandoned her father in protest against Suvarna’s child marriage.  By the time Suvarna reached middle age, she sheltered herself under the cocoon of silent protest, from where she helplessly watched her children growing apart and those who sympathized with her being helpless in their own struggles.

Suvarnalatha passes away at the age of fifty five without giving any struggles but welcoming death as her companion. Death was the only dream that had come true in her life. However, from her pyre some sparks fall out to ignite some changes in her hitherto unfulfilled life. Her friend insists on fulfilling Suvarna’s last wish of draping the dead body in saree bordered with rich dark colour. Also, her youngest daughter Bakul feels for her mother in the final moments and set out to retrace the path walked by her deceased mother.

When I finished reading the novel I sat by Amma and discussed the content. She told, “Women in our generation were certainly hungry for knowledge and felt with every social turns.  But many of us couldn’t come out. We cherished small, small dreams and most of them went unfulfilled. Now, don’t forget to read the novel Bakulinte Katha. It’s the story of your generation!”

Afterword: The Bengali writer Asapoorna Devi originally published the novel in Bengali as Subarnalatha. It got translated into Malayalam by P Madhavan Pillai and published by ‘Current Books.’

That Long Silence by Shahsi Deshpande

When I read Shashi  Deshpande’s novel That Long Silence  in the first year of my graduation, how little had I known about its depth other than pure academical intentions. I thought of that novel on and off over the years for some purpose or other.

That Long Silence is not an imaginary story. It is a story that happens in every middle class and educated Indian woman's life. The Indian women in this era are born at a time when there is much awareness about her rights, liberty to express her ideas, freedom to enjoy finance and the chance to stand for a cause. Still… they have a tradition of silence to continue!

This silence is not visibly forced upon them but something to be knowingly followed. The conditions may be different from family to family, but as Jaya in That Long Silence, at some point women are forced to be silent in all families. 

The protagonist Jaya is an educated middle class woman who lives with her husband Mohan and their kids Rahul and Rati. She is the typical Indian middle class woman in the present century, caught in between her realizations and the restrictions. Her father brought up Jaya as an "individual", who has the rights in the society irrespective of gender. When she thus assumes her role in the society, this upbringing still looks strange in front of the family she married into. 

Immediately after her graduation Jaya gets married and steps into her role as a dutiful wife, affectionate mother, "carefully being" dutiful to her in-laws…. to Aa, Ajji, kaka and her relatives. Her husband Mohan also plays his role as a dutiful Indian husband and never looks up to consider any imperfections in the life. As time goes Jaya's dutiful behaviour to Mohan and his family becomes a routine.

Jaya ponders throughout the novel for her role clarity, her life or is she living for someone else! She searches her identity as an individual and where her emotions are getting subdued! She, a failed writer and who had been forced to change her name as "Suhasini" in marriage, get haunted by memories of the past. 

In the meantime, Mohan leaves home due to his failure in career and to avoid the situation of "two bullocks yoked together." By the end of the novel Jaya gets back to her destined role, being present to the happiness of the family and ready to subdue her emotions.

 That’s what finally happens, right? Conciliation with your destined role!! Many of the readers can identify with one or other situation of Jaya’s story in your own life. You may find happiness or peace there but the silence will continue to echo!