I'm back, as
promised, with a new book of the month. (Technically the book of last month).
Mr. Verma was
already an established poet in 1934 when he wrote this book – his debut novel.
It was an instant hit and he went on to write many more novels. Critics still
consider this one his magnum opus, though. The story has been adapted to film
twice, I gather.
This is historical
fiction – set in 3rd century BCE, when the Mauryans ruled modern-day Bihar. The
book purports to investigate the nature of sin. In Hinduism, sin is an
absolute. It's not classified like in Christanity. But it wouldn't be wrong to
say that in the Christian sense, we're talking about lust here.
The story begins in
a guru's ashram, the educational institution of the time. Two of the guru's
disciples, or students, are curious about what sin actually is. The guru says
that the nature of sin can't be learned theoretically. It can only be known
from experience. He devises a plan to acquaint his naïve students with the ways
of the world. Two of his ex-students owe him favors. He asks each of them to
take one of his young disciples in their service. The disciples are to observe
social and political affairs of the real world and decide for themselves what
sin looks like.
The first of these
disciples, Shwetank, goes to serve Beejgupt, a wealthy merchant. The second
one, Vishaldev, goes in the sevice of Kumargiri, an ascetic yogi. The teacher
hopes that these diverse environments will offer diverse perspectives on the
matter at hand.
It is at this point
that we're introduced to our titular character: Chitralekha. Her story before the events we've seen is
narrated in flashbacks.She's a widower-turned-courtesan. She's more beautiful
than God. And she's in love with Beejgupt. They're practically married. But not
really, 'cause it's unthinkable for a high-caste man to marry a dancer.
However, Chitralekha
is more than just a pretty face. From her earliest scenes, we're introduced to
her rapier wit. She's not one to shy away from discussions. She is fearless in
attacking bullshit disguised as brilliance, no matter who's spouting it, and
her replies are usually unassailable.
Speaking of
discussions, I should mention that there's a lot of it. Characters talk about
logic and metaphysics and philosophy for pages on end. I enjoyed those parts a
lot. But people who don't like intellectual discourse would perhaps want to
stay away from this book.
Anyway… so that's
how the stage is set for our story. The disciples move to the background. These
three characters: Chitralekha, Beejgupt, and Kumargiri, become the principal
players. Beejgupt is a man with hedonistic tendencies. But he's wise and he's
caring. Kumargiri has renounced worldly pleasures and is a learned man. But
he's vain and cruel. Nothing is what is seems like. Perhaps you see the theme now.
There's a pivotal
scene featuring cameos by Emperor Chandragupt and his legendary minister
Chanakya. This scene is how the paths of Kumargiri and Chitralekha cross. From
that point onwards, all bets are off.
What happens to the
Beejgupt-Chitralekha romance? How does Kumargiri fit in? Do the disciples
eventually learn the nature of sin? I hate to put it all like that, but if you
want these answered, you should read the book.
I'll admit that I
wasn't aware of the story beforehand, and found myself being taken aback quite
a few times. Parts of it might be predictable, but the narrative has plenty of
surprises up its sleeve. That and the short length make this book a pretty easy
read.
I might add that
despite the heroine being a courtesan, the book never feels sleazy. That's more
than I can say for my previous read, Yayati, which felt cheaper than pulp
fiction in many places.
The language is
flawless, barring a few editorial mistakes, which I plan to send an angry
letter about to the publishers.
Like all period
pieces, like all romance pieces, the inner turmoil of characters hamper the
pacing at times, but the character development in this story is so exemplary
that it more than makes up for it.
To sum up, this is
definitely one of the better pieces of Hindi literature and I recommend it to
anyone that can get their hands on it. Better yet, buy the book and support a
dying industry.
Till next month.
