Social evil laid bare
Kamaldeep Kaur

Sunflowers of the Dark by Krishna Sobti.
Trans. by Pamela Manasi. Katha, New Delhi. Pages 107. Rs 200.

In Sailing to Byzantium, a novella anthology distinct from Yeats’ famed poem, Robert Silverberg writes that a novella "provides an intense, detailed exploration of its subject providing to some degree both the concentrated focus of the short story and the broad scope of the novel." Intensity and piercing analysis of desire are the signifiers of this novella by Krishna Sobti. Once again she has proved herself to be an iconic figure in delineating fierce women protagonists who question the normative and mock the social prejudices that seek to suppress them.

Sobti is one of the most spirited writers of Hindi literature whose appeal cuts across cultures. She captures in minute detail the intricacies of man-woman relationships, patriarchy and degeneration of the moral fabric in society. All her novels have extremely headstrong protagonists who are jealously protective about their freedom, much like the author herself. She is the first woman writer in Hindi literature to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for her novel Zindaginama.`A0

Ratnika, living in urban Shimla, battles the stigma of sexual abuse throughout her childhood. Even though she faces persecution and constant bullying at school, yet she fights tooth and nail to keep her self intact. Unfazed by and dismissive of social ostracism, she fights to conquer demons that torment her psyche without taking refuge in sentimental self-pity. She emerges as a plucky woman who subverts the deep-rooted stigmas against a rape victim. She suffers, but fights back with a vengeance. The unsavoury experience propels her on a journey—from loss of desire to a rediscovery of her body. She goes through a string of relationships trying to find true desire and exploring her sexuality. Her search is not for ideal love but ideal desire. In fact, surprisingly, ideal love here is completely debunked for ideal desire.

Katha books are well known for providing good with the best of Indian translation and this book is no different. The translation appears to do justice to the original piece in terms innovative use of language. The tone of the book is minimalist and there is deft use of language to portray upheaval and turmoil in the protagonist’s development. However, at certain junctures, the author leaps over time and space which lead to ambiguity and confusion to some degree. But, eventually, the author manages to control the rhythm and pace with dexterity.

Overall, it makes for thought-provoking reading in a single sitting. The author is not so ambitious as to make a social statement, or a scathing attack on the violence of sexual abuse. It merely explores a fresh perspective on the evil of rape and the prejudices (largely social) associated with it.

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