I read this over a period of 2
weeks. First few chapters on my way to work. Disconcerted especially the entire
section on introduction to Anjum I moved my reading to late night ensconced in
my world so that I could sleep to exorcise the feelings which arose as I read
the book. Last few days I was away from the duniya
at Rishi Valley School to meet my daughters so I could snatch away time at
night as they slept peacefully to finish the book.
The dedication tells it all – To, The unconsoled.
It’s a difficult book to read; it
churned my inside as I read the pages. I have not followed her since God of Small Things in terms of her
involvement with the social movement or what the press terms as an activist.
Reading the book creates a vision in your mind which is no different from the
reality what you see in any city of India and in the high rises – the modern
affluent people.
The first six chapters on
introduction to Anjum, Khwabgah is gut wrenching – any of us looking for
escapism will put the book down and never move to the second section where the build-up
happens around 3 characters entangled in a way possible only in books.
What I liked is the detailing of
Old Delhi, characters, situations especially of eunuchs and their whereabouts –
this maybe a first for most of the readers – who would want to understand them.
There in probably lies the message of a kind of apathy which has set in most of
us – we are ok with a Santhal women hired from an agency to take your baby out
to the park as we are busy posting our pics on international travel in
Facebook.
It’s a political book and I felt
at times she tried to address too many issues plaguing our society. I believe
all writing is personal – you write what you feel the best and as I read I
could feel at some point she was exorcising the ghost within.
But I loved the entire Kashmir episode
– the strange relationship between the four characters – Musa, Tilo, Naga and
Garson Hobbart. The description of Kashmir and the brutality was vivid and I
could visualize the seething anger; lost beauty; sadistic brutality - it swung my emotions between rage, love,
disgust and pity.
Overall, I came out of the book
feeling like an incapable bystander who is busy running uncaring and uninvolved
cocooned in his own world – not a comfortable feeling to end a book with.
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