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Book Review - One Day I Locked My Flat In Soul City
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Book Details Title: One Day I Locked My Flat in Soul City - Short Stories Author: R. Raja Rao Publisher: Rupa & Co. (Paperback) No. Of Pages: 112 BOOK REVIEW Mulk Raj Anand once asked Mahatma Gandhi whether he should write only in English. Gandhi's response, writes Arvind Krishna Mehrotra in his wonderful introduction of An Illustrated History of Indian Literature in English, was characteristically forthright. "The purpose of writing is to communicate, isn't it?" he said. "If so, say your say in any language that comes to hand." The Indian writer in English has come a long way since, with Rushdie providing a magical thrust. While we can't deny that English remains an alien language for many in our country, it is also the language that comes first to someone like Agastya (English, August), hailing from a "privileged class without any anxieties attached to their uses of English". India is the third largest English book-producing country after the United States and the United Kingdom, and the largest number of books here are published in English. Creative writing in English is considered an integral part of the literary traditions in South Asia. Indeed, according to the words of an Indian critic Iyengar, three decades ago, there seems to be an acceptance of Indian English literature as one of the voices in which India speaks...it is a new voice, no doubt, but it is as much Indian as the others. Indian writing has become assimilated and is today a dynamic element of the Indian culture. It can be said to be a challenge for the Indian novelist to write about his experiences in a language, which has developed in a very different cultural setting; in a "foreign" language; how to create sense of reality and intensity of Indian life in the medium of English language. The integrity of the writers writing in English is often suspect in their own country, and in other English-speaking countries they are treated as marginal to the mainstream of English literature. Indian English writers are sometimes accused of abandoning the national or regional language and writing in a western, "foreign", language; their commitment to the nation is also suspected. Indian writing in English dates back to the 1830s, to Kashiprasad Ghosh, who is considered the first Indian poet writing in English. Sochee Chunder Dutt was the first writer of fiction. In the beginning, however, political writing was dominant.g. Rammohan Roy wrote about social reform and religion in the medium of English. Gradually, it came to encompass various forms of writing such as religious writing, academic writing and journalism. But all these writings were often woven in the common social fabric of India. However, human sexuality has never been a part of public discourse in India. And hence, never been written about, until a few decades ago. In the traditional joint-family system, prevailing patterns of behaviour, especially sexual behaviour, followed a rigid code reinforced by customs, symbols and communal rituals. Because homosexuality was never spoken of in this situation, it is difficult to find much written documentation on the issue of homosexuality in India. Even today few radical groups struggling for social justice in India concern themselves with discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference. Indian churches have generally speaking refused even to acknowledge the existence of homosexuals. Misconceptions and prejudices abound about any behavior that is out of the ordinary. Homosexuality is condemned as "deviant" and as an act of sin. But over the past half-century science and technology, new economic patterns, the growing influence of the media and the diminishing influence of religion have brought about vast changes in people's morals, beliefs and life-styles. A once rigid code of conduct is being subjected to critical scrutiny. A candid, often radical reappraisal of the traditional value system and behavior patterns is going on at least in certain circles in India. The new life-styles are bewildering in their diversity. In an era dominated by technology, media, mobility, anomie and loss of moral absolutism, many people, particularly in urban areas, feel that traditional attitudes towards homosexuality should be altered. Contemporary Indian society urgently needs to come to terms, in its thinking and legislation, with academic research, which paves the way for greater understanding of homosexuality. Such research and study are still far too scarce in India. This review of R Raja Rao's One Day I Locked My Flat in Soul City should be placed in this context of change. R Raja Rao was born in Bombay, and is a professor in the department of English, University of Pune. Rao has written fiction for several journals and magazines. The lyrical quality of his prose gives an inkling of his leanings towards poetry. His first book of poems, Slide Show, was published in 1992, and this is his first book of short stories. He is also the author of several works including Nissim Ezekiel: The Authorized Biography and Yaraana: Gay Writings from India. He has also translated Poisoned Bread: Translations from Modern Marathi Dalit Literature. He writes about a wide range of human experience in a direct and unpretentious style. R. Raja Rao is considered to be one of the main protagonists in the on going gay liberation movement in India. This compilation of short stories by him is a milestone in Indian gay literature. Many of R. Raja Rao's stories are candid accounts of men who love men, but the content of this volume is not limited to homosexuality. It is about the streets we walk everyday, and about people we meet everyday. It is this integration of themes, and their publication by a major Indian publishing house like Rupa & Co. that makes One Day I Locked My Flat in Soul City a significant release. One Day I Locked My Flat in Soul City is an anthology of fifteen short stories. These stories are about alternative sexual relationships and about the new morality values and rules, which are far from being conventional and rigid. What is fresh about Rao's stories is that they are not the usual "coming-out-of-the-closet" stories. These stories convey what happens to homosexuals after they have come out of the closet. These stories are spoken through their words, walking hand in hand with them on the streets of myriad cities across the globe. Rao's stories are about the lives of these gay men and the men in their lives. All of Rao's stories are governed by a satirical sense of humor and a keen sense of irony. His stories reveal a fascination, bordering on love, for those who dare to defy the middle-class conventions and values. Based in countries as different as India, Greece, Trinidad, Bangladesh, UK, and the US, these stories are as different from each other as their locations. The stories, all fifteen of them are filled with a very large-hearted realism. Reading them makes an impact, as the author's forthright prose shocks the sensibilities of the reader. Quite often, when reading Rao's story, while one is marveling at the author's luminous lyricism, a sudden colloquial phrase shocks you out of your trance! 'Confessions Of Boy Lover' is just one such a story. It showcases the need and urge of a lover longing for someone who is not interested in him any more. Lust being the key word here; the story sets the right kind of mood for the book. Rao tells the story through a series of letters between the two men. His description of the rejection, ridicule, threats of violence, and the overwhelming hate against this non-conforming love is sensitive and vivid. Bordering on a thin line of loud-mouthedness in the Indian context, the story reveals the true emotions of a lover who will do anything to get to the boy he is lusting for. 'The Funeral Party' traces the hidden emotions going on in the mind of Raja Ram whose grandmother has just died. He does not feel remorse till later when she is consigned to flames. The story goes deep into the mindset of a person, "What is this urbane life all about? Devoid of any emotions or any real values, this life, isn't it just a fake fagade?". 'Wish It Were A Nightmare' is another interesting story. It tells the tale of a man who is convicted for eve teasing. He tries to speak the truth, pleading that he is could never have done something like that because he's gay! What he suffers as a consequence of telling the police officers his truth is worth reading. One Day I Locked My Flat in Soul City, the story that gives the book its name, is one reeking of philosophy and the suffocation that a man feels when he decides against what is termed 'normal'. The great tide of people walking on the road arouses a myriad thoughts in the mind of the author; full of curiosity about the lives of others and he walking along with them for a little while. But it is when he decides to go against it that he realizes the reality of it all - it's difficult to go against the flow; you need great strength to do thatbut you can do it. It is possible. The story ends on a positive note - "I wonder what the next will be like" Moonlight Tandoori is a moving story of an Indian student in England who finds himself falling in love with a heterosexual Bangladeshi boy. Rao communicates the closeted experience with telling silences and intimate moments mixed with sly smiles and unpredictable hate. The story Psychoanalysis shows the westernization of attitudes about intimacy, where even casual physical contact between men is viewed with suspicion. The inclusion of humor is welcome in an anthology that might have veered towards earnestness Autobiography of an Unknown Indian, a perceptive and witty tale written from the perspective of a runaway man, who spends almost his entire life traveling on trains. You can sense all the sights, sounds and smells of his escapade, and more, because this man is also high on smack. All the people in One Day I Locked My Flat in Soul City are fiercely independent and very real. Their problems, their frustrations are very much like ours. R. Raja Rao makes his stories very witty, engaging and quite adventurous, creating rich idiomatic prose. Stylistic influence from the local languages seems to be a particular feature of much of R Raja Rao's work. The local language structure is reflected in the literal translation of local idioms. With abundant use of colloquialism in his writings, Rao unfalteringly captures and portrays the true emotions of his characters. Rao is outspoken about the numerous traumatic phases gay men experience - rejection, hate, ridicule, abuse, indifference, and violence. With a simple, straight forward and no nonsense style of writing he has been able to successfully express all of them very well. What is missing, however, is some ray of hope, a hint of optimism, a trace of a happy ending or beginning. Nevertheless, the very candor in the narration of feelings towards the same sex gives the characters of these stories a large measure of self-esteem. One Day I Locked My Flat in Soul City is the collective statement of all those men who have dared to live their lives their way. We could definitely call One Day I Locked My Flat in Soul City gay writing coming of age in India. I hope this review will help you. Feel free to email me with any comments or suggestions that you may have. Gary, Editor, QuikContent Services. BACK TO HOME PAGE |
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