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| Ret Samadhi (Hindi) |
Tomb of Sand by Gitanjali Shree was written in Hindi originally and titled Ret Samadhi. The polyvalence of the word samadhi in Hindi to mean meditation, trance, resting place, and entombment seems to be carried forward in the many themes the novel explores.
Margao Book Club members teased out the eddies of the stream of this mammoth novel (731 pages) online today, undeterred by its girth.
The discussion opened with a painting in progress shared by Savia on the group, inspired by the lead character Ma in the novel. This was an apt start to the evening for a work which appreciates Raza and Khakar with equal felicity.
All of 80+, Ma leads the charge in tossing aside stereotypes with a disdain only known to the elderly.
The slow pace of the novel is like a documentary where you can experience Ma and her deliberate movements in real time.
Sushila, moderator, reached into her own family recalling how women were forced to jump into the well to avoid being violated during the Partition - a theme presented in Sabiha Sumar's film Khamosh Paani. The past is never forgotten, except when individuals - and love - change the script as seen in the movie Pinjar.
The novel is framed by the novels of Intizar Hussain, the Pakistani novelist. Bishen Singh in Manto's short story 'Toba Tek Singh' is resurrected on the pages of the novel.
Yet, as Shiva points out, Tomb of Sand elides categorization. It is palimpsest of the Indian family. But it is much more.
It is polyphonic - comprised of multiple voices - and indeed what Bhaktin may term as Rabelesian.
Ma, despite her age, is the fulcrum of the novel. She shows, as Savia points out, that there are no boundaries.
Speaking about the fish in the river Tagus, Portuguese novelist Saramago is unclear whether the fish belong to Spain or Portugal.
Ma is like the grandmother in Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh who is determined to visit Dhaka despite the mayhem around. Boundaries are like shadows. They only serve to disrupt - as seen in the movie Begum Jaan.
Deepa felt the words in the novel leap out of the page. The prose style draws you into its vortex. Daisy Rockwell's translation was appreciated.
However, in the latter part of the novel, the extensive quotations from Faiz and Mir in Urdu with their transliterations and translations, seem to throw the English language into crisis and make a bid to reclaim its provenance.
The novel is steeped in references to the ancient and modern texts of India. Its many layers and its circular, rambling Foucauldian style defies yet entices the reader, as Marion discovered.
As the various saris of India are catalogued in all their glorious ethnicity, Savia was moved to see it symbolic of Ma shedding various layers and acquiring agency for herself. Ma's quest to be reunited across the border speaks volumes for her need to live life on her own terms.
The pronouncements of the crows make them part of the world of humans. Loved by poet laureate Ted Hughes, crows also discuss Tamil prosody in a story by Subramania Bharti.
Ma's passing with the release of the butterflies touched Savia. Death after a singular life is beautiful.
One is drawn to read the novel like the surge of a wave. That is exactly what Olinda plans to do after this lively discussion by MBC.
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Margao Book Club, Goa, is curated by Savia Veigas. Updated 18/12/22.
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