the scent of GOD - Saikat Majumdar
In 2019, I visited a bookstore with a friend with the least intention of buying any book. As I prefer buying books online. But this beautiful cover caught my attention! I picked it up, read the blurb and there was no second thought.
Two young boys, dwells in a hindu monastery in a village. They feel a strong connection between themselves. A connection beyond friendship, a connection they are unaware of, a connection they're afraid of, a connection that's goes against their teaching. Their dwellance in a monastery questions the essence of their soul! Will they be able to accept themselves?
Majumdar very beautifully sketched the life of a young homosexual boy living in an hindu ashram. The monastery is situated in a village in Bengal in post- independence era. Besides, the story reveals two sides of the Indian society: the rich and the hunger driven poverty. Anirvan is a teenage boy. After the demise of his grandmother, whom he loved dearly, and his troubled relationship with his father, all he is left with is, the Ashram to call 'home'. Anirvan tries to find fatherly figure among his teachers. Anirvan is portrait as a smart and insightful kid and, accordingly he forms good relationship with some teachers. Anirvan admires the ashram, he is drown towards the monastic life. His fondness for the hymns, the flowers, the prayer, the fragrance of incense is firmly determined. In the course of time, his perspective on life changes. The prophetic lullaby by his grandmother tends to make little sense to him. Gradually, he realises the bitter truth of the real world.
His relationship with Kajol is quite alluring. Both of them desires different things from life, but also long for each others company.
I personally liked Sushant Kane, a english teacher who acts as a great mentor in Anirvan's life. Anirvan is drown towards the prolific personality of Sushant, and further develops a strong bond with him.
I always had some sort of interest in knowing the ashram life, may be that's why I didn't feel any part unengaging. I liked how the book maintained it normal flow of the story, without making any hype about the queer theme. The author sketched the story very beautifully showing that queer people are just normal people, living the basic life as everybody else's. I am quite surprised to not have heard much about this book in Instagram or other platforms.
1984 - George Orwell
1984 is celebrating its 70th anniversary and yet it has not lost its relevance even after 70 years of its publication.
In the novel, Orwell describes the twists and turns that take place in a communist state after they overthrow the capitalists (Revolution). The Revolution promises to give a better life to each and every individual, but the scenario that we witness in the novel is quite contradictory. The story in the novel revolves around the protagonist, Winston Smith who lives in a dystopian state known as Oceania.
As pictured by Orwell, the State becomes the sole power and tries to regulate each and every move of its citizen. There are telescreens and microphones all over the places in order to monitor as well as track their activities.
The Party (Big Brother) makes the people believe that they are living best of their lives, freely and equally. The Party created a place where even to think outside the realm of the State is a crime (thoughtcrime), a place where the children are taught to be violent right from the very beginning of their upbringing, a place where you can't have a love affair, a place where sex is done only for producing more Party members, not for the sake of pleasure. And once a person is found violating all these, are killed, vaporized.
In such a condition, Winston finds himself to be a lunatic, questioning the working of the Party (even though he works in a Party Office, Ministry of Truth). He even keeps a diary which is illegal and he would be vaporized if the Thought Police came to know about it.
As I was reading the book, it gave me chill through my veins, the book is so terrifying, I felt as if reading the book is a kind of a crime, as if the Thought Police would arrest me any minute!