What Will People Say by Mitra Phukan

 

Tinigaon is the quintessential small town in Assam. Caught between transition, it brings to mind places which have a cosmopolitan outlook but which have not completely dismissed its traditional values. This is where Dr Mihika Borthakur lives and works. A college teacher, she lost her husband sometime back. When everything looked bleak and hopeless, she found new hope in the companionship of Zuhayr Rahman, a friend, a partner who feels the void in her life to an extent.

Mitra Phukan’s book What Will People Say revolve around the choices that Mihika makes and how the society around her reacts. The reaction is as expected— a Brahmin widow dilly dallying with a Muslim man in her middle age is a strict no no. Irrespective of their educational and economic background, Mihika almost faces social boycott because of her choices.

Interestingly her children who study and work in different states are ok with her choices and stand by her. Mitra Phukan with this introspective work of fiction took on age old taboos which are still prevalent in our modern societies. Different parameters are used for same choices made by men and women. A widower remarrying is seen as a necessity but in case of a widow, it is debauchery.

Similarly, inter caste and inter faith relationships continue to be a difficult subject and often led to conflicting views. Through the relationship of Mihika and Zuhayr, Phukan points to this. Another transcending aspect of the novel is talking about love between a couple who are in their mid fifties. In an era where mainstream and popular literary and works are obsessed with adolescent love, Phukan transgresses another boundary by talking about love found in the later part of life.

Another crucial aspect of the book is the space it gives to female friendships and comraderie. In difficult times, Mihika’s friends who have had their own struggles stood by her. The cross-class allegiance is shown when her house help Binani and her masseuse Sita reaches out to her. Mihika found allies in these lesser educated women.

Written in a very ruminative and lucid way, the book is a brave effort in talking about issues that are crucial but overlooked. It also speaks to generations across and emphasises on the need to rethink about our earlier generations — their emotional needs should also be given adequate importance.

(Published on 07-09-2023 at Nezine.com)

Poonachi by Perumal Murugan

Perumal Murugan is perhaps one of the best story tellers of present day India. His work is known for bringing forth the rural India to readers and invoking human emotions. This novel does something similar. Written from the point of view of a young she-goat Poonachi, it reflects upon the hierarchies in the human world.

Very few books are written from the perspective of animals which are meant for adults. Here one can think of the Animal Farm by George Orwell. Murugan’s book does something similar. Poonachi is a day old she goat and she is given to an elderly couple by an unknown man named Bakasura. The very essence of the event points to some divine incident as Bakasura claims Poonachi belongs to a line of goats that yield seven kids.

As the elderly couple take to looking after Poonachi, the old woman makes a lot of effort to bring up the orphan goat which can barely eat. Poonachi’s life from the very beginning is a struggle. Left with no mother to nurse her, she is treated harshly by the other nanny goats. She grows up on the barley soaked water that the old woman feeds her.

But as she grows up, she is visited by the familiar emotions of yearning for a mate. She even chose Poovan who was a buck in the old man’s daughter’s house. But instead she was forced to mate with an old goat. Her yearning for intimacy was left incomplete. As she gave birth to seven kids which was no less than miracle, her kids were also given up for adoption as she could not take care of them. Even her maternal instincts were not satiated.

When Poonachi was ready for mating the second time, she could mate with Poovan. But their emotional bonding was cut short when Poovan was sacrificed that very night. Poonachi’s emotional upheaval is heart touching. Her take on human greed, self centredness will make us introspect.

Murugan’s writing is known for its unapologetic take on rural lives. Nowhere do we find a romanticisation of village life or uncritical look on pristine rural customs. Rather we find a strong humane take on the alleged simple village customs which are at times rooted in prejudices.

Poonachi’s story is not just the story of a goat but also resonates with the lives and struggles of women. From a childhood to motherhood, this struggle is reflected in Poonachi’s life. As we reach the end of Poonachi’s life, we see this dichotomy. Poonachi’s body turns to a stone idol pointing to a culture which on one hand discriminates the female kind and at the same time deifies them.

Poonachi’s reflections on her relationship with the old woman also show how the decisions of the woman were often imposed on her. The simple rustic story takes a deep dig in emotions like love, death, loss and resilience. In passing, the story also reflects on the nature of an authoritarian government which tries to regulate every aspect of a person’s life.

Written originally in Tamil and translated by N. Kalyan Raman, this is a thought provoking book.