I recently read a book written by the noted Kannada writer Dr S L Bhyrappa. He needs no introduction having been a best selling novelist for over 25 years, apart from being a profound scholar. The book is titled, ”Aavarana: The Veil” . I read the book translated into English by Sandeep Balakrishna.
To start with, the story is extremely well written for a complex subject. It covers so much ground without becoming dry and boring in any way or at any time. It’s about the life of Lakshmi -from a small town in Karnataka -who meets, falls in love and gets married to Amir her classmate at the FTII much against the wishes of her conservative parents. As is to be expected, the couple have to face the hardships one would most commonly come across in an inter faith marriage. Her father virtually cuts off relations with her because she married a Muslim much against his advice.
When she lives in Amir’s house with his parents and other relatives, Lakshmi now known as Razia, realises that the differences in their faiths was much more than she imagined. The atmosphere becomes claustrophobic for her. She feels her every move is watched with intense scrutiny waiting for her to make- one more mistake. The story then captures her travails and disappointments till eventually the fateful day comes when Amir utters those three dreaded words: Talaq Talaq Talaq to divorce her. (Please remember this book was first written in 2014, before Triple Talaq became outlawed in India in 2017) .
Razia, now Lakshmi once again, has no choice but to return to her village. Her parents have died. Older and wiser now, she reflects on how they must have felt when she remained adamant that she would marry Amir. Her biggest regret is that she could not meet her parents before their deaths. To her surprise, she finds her father has left behind a treasure trove of material assiduously collected over the years. This leads her to write a book.
Interestingly, the difficult technique of writing a story within another is brilliantly and deftly handled by Dr Bhyrappa. Within Razia/Lakshmi’s story, in parallel is a story she is writing about the Mughal period. She writes of rulers like Aurangzeb who wantonly destroyed thousands of Hindu temples.
Through this book, Dr Bhyrappa raises the issue of how many post Independence writers in India have downplayed many vile aspects of Mughal rule.
I think this book deserves to be widely read. I would recommend this strongly to all, especially the youth of India who for too long have heard only one side of the story.
Prem Rao : Stories from a Story Teller 