[First published in YouthKiAwaaz]
Author and playwriter, Swadesh Deepak, has been described as ‘one of the most uncompromising of Hindi prose writers’ of modern times. The English reading audience was first introduced to his works when his memoir, “Maine Mandu Nahin Dekha” was translated from Hindi and published as “I Have Not Seen Mandu” a few years back. It stunned readers with its’ honest portrayal of a man battling mental illness and yet seeking no sympathy for it. Speaking Tiger has now brought out two more collections of works, “Court Martial and other Plays” and “A Bouquet of Dead Flowers Stories”, and in the words of his translator, Jerry Pinto the two collections should be read in tandem with his memoir, because “They are a trilogy, the Deepak trilogy. They may bring you no closer to understanding the enigma of Swadesh Deepak, but they provide an odd consistent world, an addictive world.”
Court Martial and Other Plays
“Court Martial and Other Plays” is a collection of translations of three of Deepak’s most critically acclaimed and popular plays. The title play, “Court Martial” is, of course, the best known, and even people who are unaware of Sudesh Deepak and his huge body of work have seen, read or at least heard of this play. It describes in the most unflinching and uncompromising manner, the classism and casteism that is inherent even in the Armed Forces. The story show you exactly how deep the rot has set in every institution in the country, and by the time you reach the chilling end, you are left wondering not why there are acts of violence, but why there are not more acts of violence.
The other two plays are equally powerful in different ways. “Kal Kothri” is an intensely personal play which examines the role that a man is expected to play in a patriarchal society and of how the family unit conspires to keep the man on the pedestal, even when perhaps he no longer deserves to be up there. The protagonist of the play is at the same time a perpetrator of patriarchal norms and a victim of it- it leaves you with many questions, none of which have answers. The play also deals with something which is a recurring theme in Deepak’s stories- the intrinsic corruption in government institutions and the difficult choices that people are forced to make between doing what is right and doing what is right for them.
The third play in the collection, “The Saddest Poem Ever Written” is at the same time an unlikely (and tender) love story, and a commentary on class differences and how power structures are used to oppress. The play examines the many power structures that exist simultaneously and of how when the oppressor classes fight among themselves, it is always the weak that have to pay the price. Deepak shows that while often violence is the only means by which the vulnerable can protest, violence doesn’t lead to the desired result. At the end of the play, you are left with nothing more than a profound sense of unhappiness because of the inequities that exist in the system.
Each of these plays is a gem, and it is worth buying the book for any of them individually and certainly for all of them collectively. I am glad these translations have made the works accessible to a population that is not conversant with Hindi.
A Bouquet Of Dead Flowers Stories
“A Bouquet Of Dead Flowers Stories” is a collection of 10 short stories chosen from the vast repetoir of Swadesh Deepak, and taken together they give you a picture not just of the man he was, but of the world he inhabits. Some of these stories talk about class and caste and other socio-economic differences, and of how everybody wants to take out their frustrations lower down then they are. The two stories that form the book ends of the collection- “Hunger” and “The Child God” both deal with how vulnerable children are and of how they are exploited by adults, including adults who should be protecting them. In both cases, the child cannot even trust their parents to do what is right for them- even as you are angry with the parents, you realise that it is not entirely their fault either- don’t the parents need to survive too?
Many of these stories have as a protagonist a man who is quite different from the norm. A man who tries to rebel against the patriarchal expectations of how men should behave. And yet, in their attitude towards women, they confirm completely to the gendered stereotype. Since this is an issue that keeps cropping up in many of his stories, it is probably something Deepak has struggled with himself. In a story, “Dread”, for instance, the protagonist Naveen has not done any productive work in his entire life, yet he refers to the women in his life as “silly woman”. It is probably his way to pandering to his own ego, yet, it also shows a remarkable self awareness on the part of Deepak to write about this with such honesty.
Some of the stories also feature adult men who have a very strained relationship with their fathers. They are clearly at the mercy of their fathers, yet do not want to be. Some of the sons know the “secrets” of their fathers, but are those “secrets” really that secret, or do people just pretend they are? One knows that Deepak’s father used him to carry messages to his mistress- one wonders if these stories also reflect the confusion he feels about his relationship with his own father?
An image that recurs often in the stories is of people holding up dead flowers either as a peace offering or as a gesture of farewell. There are romances where people give up their entire soul for the other person but get nothing in return, except dead flowers!
Most of the stories have strong women protagonists- clearly the author is fascinated by women who have a mind of their own. Yet, often, these luminous women fall in love with entirely unresponsive men- they give much more than they receive, yet seem to accept that. Obviously, this is not the kind of iniquitous relationship that society should be moving towards, but is that what Deepak sought in his life? We do know that he suffered from mental illness- was this quest for the tantalising woman a symptom? Or was that what brought it on?
Every story in the collection will leave a profound impact on you. Each story will have you questioning the very foundations on which our society is built- the norms, the hierarchy, the inequities. The writer asks a lot of questions, for which they are perhaps no answers.
Read the books together, or read them separately, but read
The translations in both the collections are impeccable, and at no stage do you feel the stories/ plays were written in any language except English. Some of the stories indulge in bilingual word play, and the translation is so masterful that you cannot even imagine how the passages might sound in the original. The stories translated by Jerry Pinto are particularly masterful- if Swadesh Deepak, the writer, grabs your attention, it is partly because of the power of Jerry Pinto, the translator. The translations by Pratik Kanjilal, Nirupama Dutt and Sukant Deepak are also adequate, though they lack the absolute mastery that Jerry Pinto’s translations have.
Though there are two books, you don’t have to read them together. But I can guarantee that if you read one, you appetite will not be vetted till you read the second. His memoir, by all accounts, is an extremely disturbing read, but I do know that I am going to pick it up soon, because I cannot have enough of Swadesh Deepak. I cannot thank Speaking Tiger enough for making a prominent voice of Hindi writing accessible to the public which is more comfortable reading English.
[I received a review copy of the books from Speaking Tiger. You can follow them here: Speaking Tiger.
The views are my own.]
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