"The walls of Delhi" by Uday Prakash, translated into English by Kason Grunebaum - Noir !
This book is published by UWA Publishing in 2012 and has 235 pages.
This book is a collection of three stories.
Story 1 - The walls of Delhi
Ramnivas, the sanitation worker, starts an affair with Sushma, the domestic worker. One day he finds cash hidden by someone in a hollow wall in Saket (a rich locality), where he cleans. What happens next?
Author paints the life on road. Small time vendors, beggars, leaper, smackheads, chaiwalla, bicycle repairman, panwalla, cobbler, astrologer, sanitation worker, domestic worker and their relations and relationships. The story is allegorical in nature on one hand and starkly realistic on the other. What happens when one finds easy money and what happens when someone else finds that?
Story 2 - Mohandas
Mohandas, a bright young man from weaver community, who stood second in university is selected for a job that never materializes. He does not find another job and manages to survive on a small piece of land, somehow. One day he gets a shock of his life about the job he was selected for. What's it?
This story numbs your mind. The story happens after year 2000. Basically it tells that although India has progressed, it has not come out of the clutches of cast system and the lower casts are still deprived. Author narratesboois story in contrast. On one side India is developing rapidly taking big strides and close to be counted as a superpower and on the other hand some do not have food to eat, place for a toilet and roof over head. The established have usurped what rightfully begins to poor.
Author clarifies that this is not some symbolic story or allegory or coded fable although the name of protagonist, his family members and his village are same or eerily similar to that of Mahatma Gandhi.
Story 3 - Mangosil
Shobha, wife of Ramakant, is abused and sexually assaulted regularly by an inspector and a contractor. She can't take it and runs away with Chandrakant. Chandrakant Thorat's son with Shobha has a decease that he calls Mangosil, where the head becomes big and is continuously getting bigger. There is no cure. He has red eyes and almost never sleeps. But was he a kid or was his brain more developed and all knowing?
Chandrakant's son, who was not expected to live, but survives and has strange tangled thoughts. He lives until he doesn't. But how does he die? Author takes us through the life of Shobha, her escape, sufferings. General discomfort of parents and neighbours towards the strange child. Unusual life and death of the child.
All the three stories are noir. There is a continuous ache and suffering. Poverty is the main issue, sometimes exacerbated by cast. All the three stories have a protagonist couple and there is scene of passion between them.
All three stories are on a serious subjects and exploitation of the poor by established is the common theme running through these stories. Author's style of narration is somewhat abstract.
Translation looks decent. In some instances if translator had given the hindi words and translation in brackets, it would have been more appropriate because some things simply can't be translated. As an example Mai hoon na (title of a movie) can't be translated as You can count on me. You don't get the same effect.
Cover of the book is fantastic. It shows an electric socket with a number of adaptors and a bulb plugged in. Additionally there is a switch Jerry rigged to it. Classic Jugad!
Why did I read this book? Goodreads rating.
What I didn't like? Abstract narration is hard to follow for common readers.
What did I like? Contrast, realistic.
Read if you like the genre.
