Book: A Temple of No Gods
(Original Hindi: Shirt Ka Teesra Button)
Author: Manav Kaul
Translator: Sayari Debnath
Page: 277
Publisher: Penguin Books
Price: ₹ 319 (on Amazon)
I was travelling on a train when I started reading the book and it instantly brought a smile to my face because, interestingly, the book opens with an intriguing scene where a boy named Ateet (which means 'the past') is traveling on a train where he meets a girl (whom he refers to as tragedy) who is reading Chitralekha.
The book tells the story of Rajil, a 12 year boy (studying in the 6th grade), and his two best friends Choti and Radhe, and several other characters in his life. Rajil lives with his single mother and Nani. His life takes a turn when his grandmother dies and his estranged grandfather suddenly appears and starts to live with them. Rajil's mother, Asha, avoids him but Rajil slowly forms a bond with him.
Frankly, there’s no conventional plot, it reads more like a slow-paced, memoir-style prose, which seems to be the author's style. Multiple stories and secrets enclosed in a beautifully-written account of a bundle of emotions, dilemma and curiosity. I could feel a quiet poignancy and sorrowfulness running through this meandering yet evocative storytelling.
Manav Kaul's writing is very metaphoric. And the translator, Sayari, has captured the essence so well that it doesn't feel like a translated work, so full marks to the translator.
'I could see the shadow of sadness getting closer ―I kept running yet I could not reach the front door. Just then, the shadow extended its long arms and shook me thoroughly. The inexplicable happiness fell out of my shirt pocket and shattered into pieces.’
I loved Rajil's bonding with his friends Choti (Arman) and Radhe. That's the most engaging and significant part of the book. The terrace of Choti's house, shrouded by a thick foliage, where three friends sit and chat, and secretly observe the passersby, including a girl called Jharna who always looks up and smiles at them.
Rajil's moments with Radhe's father are so intriguing when he makes two cups of tea to engage Radhe's father so that he could sit with him for a while and answer all his questions. Radhe's father leaves the moment he takes the final sip of the tea.
His restrained fondness for his estranged grandfather is also very interesting. Their conversations about Nani and various places on the world map, and their silences, uncomfortable for Rajil, as they sit under the majestic banyan tree on the broken steps of the ghat, whose roots reach the river.
The author's reference to Chitralekha by Bhagwati Charan Verma and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky —especially the imagined letters exchanged between Chitralekha and Raskolnikov to express the emotions is quite unique. However, it feels overdone at times, and could be confusing if you haven't read these books.
One thing that felt like a rude and uncomfortable break in this smooth and soulful journey was Rajil’s interaction with Ghazal. The content felt far too mature for sixth graders, which seemed unnecessary and out of place in the otherwise tender narrative. It disrupted the emotional tone for me.
Overall, it was a very good read. Not really a light, fast-paced, entertaining book that you devour in one sitting but one you prefer to savour slowly.
This is part of the Blogchatter Review Program.
This sounds like a readable pick. I haven't read Manav Kaul, though I tried once. I forget the name of the book, but it had disjointed observations, somewhat like reflective blog posts and I didn't really enjoy myself because I had gone in expecting fiction. I do like his style though so maybe I'll try this one.
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