Up close8230; and then some

Her short story is called The Swimming Lesson. Five pages long, she read it out to a bunch of people actually listening. The story evolve...

Her short story is called The Swimming Lesson. Five pages long, she read it out to a bunch of people actually listening. The story evolves around Lajjo who works as a maid in a Bombay household, deformed, abandoned, ever silent. Enter Mushtaq, a swimming instructor whose agenda extends beyond his kindly offer to teach Lajjo swimming. I am over-simplifying the tale of course. Ultimately the story reaches a conclusion of Lajjo8217;s making, or rather a choice Lajjo makes, a decision of fatal consequence for her.

The reactions to Revathy Gopal8217;s story were far-ranging, most to do with Lajjo8217;s final decision. Alternatives were put forth to the writer. I am not sure how Revathy felt about the questions / observations / suggestions, after all the story is her baby. And here were people presuming to know her baby better than she did. But one thing that the writer should take to heart is the fact that Lajjo had obviously acquired an entity of her own. Beyond the scope of the writer8217;s words, and that is anachievement in itself. The whole point of fiction is to create a picture in the imagination of the reader, isn8217;t it? Need the reader necessarily accept the written word as the whole truth? The only truth? Maybe the strength is in challenging the mind of the reader.

And the interaction from a reading should, I guess, help clarify the thought and writing process for the writer as well. How often we try to convey verbally or in writing, a personal opinion or thought. But we don8217;t always communicate our state of mind accurately. Do we? And how do we know? Because the other person ensures we do by saying hey, don8217;t understand what on earth you are talking about!8217;

For Revathy I suspect, writing is a lot easier than a reading. Her need to write is self-explanatory in this line 8212; I quote from a note she wrote me: quot;8230; fiction is a country where there is a lot of freedom to explore different ways of being, but it can be a lonely scary place too. Remember what I said about hearing voices in my head8230; ?quot;

Thatsounds like a person wrapped up in her own world, fretting away. Yet she has the serenest smile and demeanour. So, there is a rich inner life which isn8217;t obvious to the beholder? Hmmm, interesting.

Born in 1947, which she considers quot;significant somehowquot;, Revathy has worked for Society and Dignity Dialogue. Writes. Is currently working on her MPhil in English. Married to an IAS man from the Maharashtra cadre, she is widely travelled in this state.

Varakur Gopalakrishnan, her husband, seems quite a guy. I8217;ve only met him once, but he sent me a couple of books that he has had published. Yes, he is an ex-government servant. A successful one. Amongst the various posts he has held he has been MD, SICOM, director Ministry of Iamp;B etc. But looking at his books and hearing about his various creative exploits, it8217;s almost as if he is constantly compensating himself for having led a strongly bureaucratic life!

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One of the books is a book of poetry. In which there are poems by both husband and wife.

It wasonly a few months ago that I was remarking on the number of people that write poetry in this city. It8217;s amazing, almost every second person is a closet poet. The quality of the poetry goes from the sublime to the ridiculous. But how seriously these poets take themselves is in rising proportion to the absence of quality.

And then, I open this book and read the first poem titled The Poet8217;, by Gopalakrishnan. I couldn8217;t help but smile, loopily, at the truth in it. Well, Gopalakrishnan8217;s poetry is not brilliant, by any stretch, but I like the absence of pretension. And that often they manage to bring a smile to my face! As does his other book. Forty years ago, whilst a student in USA, he took a course in cartooning. That diploma has resulted in a few books. I have a copy of his Bureaucrat Goes Bonkers. Covering a range of true life situations, Gopalakrishnan cocks an irreverent snook at his own profession.

You know what8217;s fun about life and meeting new people? Meeting folks like theGopalakrishnans. Next time you are frustratedly standing in line to meet the man who can renew your passport or have your export license extended, just imagine he could be going home to write a lurid little tale in which you may figure as a character! Suddenly the face of the bureaucrat becomes more bearable and that little woman, all quiet and boring by the side? Well her inner life may be more colourful than your wildest imagination.

Anuradha Tandon is a script writer and a film-maker.