There is a saying, ‘beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’. For one who looks at the world with an eye looking for beauty can find beauty everywhere and in anything. The same is true for a person who looks for problems. Problems are everywhere and in everything.
‘Neelanjana’ (Nila), the protagonist of this book is one such person. She has a reason in the form of experience from society and family. Betrayed by the lover Sushant, the Calcutta girl had no option but to accept a proposal of a Punjabi boy settled in France. Even though the proposal was accidental the flight to France gave wings to her thoughts and expectations. An avid reader and a modern girl, she wanted to explore France’s great history and culture. A true representative of a moderately rich NRI, Kishanlal (Kishan) want to keep his wife at home where Nila is not ready to accept male superiority or ready to end her life in closed flats. She took up a meager job so that she doesn’t become a slave by permitting her husband to a paying master and eventually broke up with Kishan. Her co-worker, Daniella gave shelter to her for some time but sooner Nila was used by her as an object of her lesbian pleasures. Her only ‘real’ relative – her mother – is in serious condition now and she has to return to Calcutta. After her mother’s death, Nila returned to France with the money her mother give to her with a dream of a French lover. She gets closer to the fellow passenger, Benoir. Read ‘French lover’ to know more of the story.
The novel is a message by the author to woman to liberate them self. “I feel men, of whichever country, whatever society, are all the same.” Taslima Nasrin permits the protagonist to live with men in different relations and tries to show that we cannot believe any man. Nila had her own experience. Her father – Anirban cheated on her mother to a mistress. He doesn’t fulfill her mother’s dreams and wishes. His brother Nikhil looks for a fair partner where he himself is brown. Her husband Kishan wanted to treat her as a servant. A friend, Sunil broke the faith she put in him. She finds the values of foreign land are no better. Still she explored the foreign lover, playing herself as a mistress. The author helped the protagonist to escape from all these clutches.
The fate of the protagonist is very sympathetic. Whoever, she loved let her free by leaving from her life - Boyfriend – Sushant & Mother - Molina. Even she approached her ‘girlfriend’ who too opted for somebody else and stayed away from her life. In return, she runs away from all others. While the author tried to present all the men in the world as bad, she not knowingly created a character failed in all her roles.
She failed to her mother, who loved her all along (without permitting her to enter the kitchen) and even stored her entire wealth to handover to her. And in her real need of the hour, she was feeding her ‘girlfriend’ and did not show much regret later. As a daughter she failed not only to mother, but also to her father where she didn’t care the advices or suggestions by him. She failed as a wife where despite being a modern girl she only knows to lay like a wood and complain for each and everything. She failed as a friend to her cousin ‘Mithu’ who committed suicide where she was in a call distance. She failed as an individual who promised a lot, but fulfilled nothing. She started painting which didn’t reach anywhere. She wanted to read poetry but didn’t make any use of it. She throws away all her money in false pride. When she played the role of a mistress, there too she failed as she was carried away by the quest for family life and children. She doesn’t accept the assigned role of mother as well.
Taslima Nasrin succeeds in show casing few attributes of the ‘oppressor’ in men. She also manages to point out the clutches which hold back the progress of woman. ‘Love’, ‘false pride’, ‘addiction to sex’, ‘slave like attitude’, ‘lack of faith and integrity’ etc. are few of the hurdles woman have to overcome to liberate herself. Once we get freedom from one, we should not forget our mission – otherwise we will become prey to other traps.
Having said this, I have to stress that the author failed to justify many of the deeds by the protagonist. I only give a plus to the book since I know there is an element of ‘personal touch’ in the novel. Otherwise the author failed to give a clear vision. The protagonist was all rebellious, confused, non-practical and pessimist all along. At the end of the episode the author doesn’t placed the protagonist in any better position. A final chapter is missing.
As a story teller, she is better if we compare it to ‘Lajja’. However, she failed to give integrity to the protagonist. We could identify all sub characters, except the protagonist. This leaves the central theme still not conveyed.
The book contains some porn in the second half though I thought it could have been better handled. In many places, I felt she handled it very ‘raw’ style. The eleventh minute episode with the 10x8 inch Tasveer in a 4 inch frame was rushed and mostly unwanted. Paulo Coelho did manage to give some sex lessons with his ‘eleven minutes’. Here, the protagonist tried to insult it after praising and becoming addict to it all along.
The book will help people to strand in the roads from their comforts of homes – but some times it is such ‘illogical characters’ help us to think than the ‘perfect characters’. The author permits her protagonist to fail miserably. That is the plus and the minus of the book.
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Btw, this is the third book in a row I am reading where France has something to do with. I am wondering why France is sending me signals….I am now curious.