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I have always been a little skeptical about translated works as it takes a lot to keep the essence of the original text intact. Often, a lot is indeed lost in translation. But as I want to read as vastly as possible I also frequently find myself searching for translated books. Had I given in to my cynicism and stayed away from translated works, I wouldn’t have discovered many writers that I have come to adore. Orhan Pamuk, Isabel Allende, and Haruki Murakami are on the top of my list of authors whose English translations have charmed me. At times, though, I wish I could read the original works.

Likewise, I love reading Urdu poetry in translation. I first read the English version and then struggle with Urdu. There is something extremely romantic and calming about the way Urdu rolls off your tongue. Try it! Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Mirza Ghalib are my constant favorites.

I picked up Saadat Hasan Manto’s ‘Bombay Stories’ because I wanted to read more Urdu writers and not just stick to the occasional poetry and I couldn’t have had a better start. Translated from Urdu by Matt Reeck and Aftab Ahmad, you can see, hear, and feel the stories—through characters Manto feels most drawn to: immigrants, prostitutes, gangsters, those struggling to survive, the hopeful ones, and the hardened souls.

Born in 1912, Manto moved to Bombay from Amritsar in 1936 and made it his home. He had actually written a wistful declaration, ‘Main chalta-phirta Bambai hoon’ (I am a walking, talking Bombay) that expresses how the city was a big part of his identity. However, Bombay isn’t romanticized in Manto’s stories. As a reader you get a sense of the place and feel like you know its inhabitants, even if you have never set foot in the city.

Manto is best known for stories about the partition of the subcontinent after India’s independence in 1947. Most of the 14 stories in Bombay Stories were written after he moved to Pakistan in 1948. Thus, a longing for the city he had just left is clearly evident.

The most interesting character in the book is Manto himself who appears in several stories. He sets up meetings for his actor friends, tries to care for the women they hurt, and reflects on what men and women are capable of doing to each other. Manto, who died in 1955 at 42 after a long battle with alcoholism, has in a way been immortalized by and in his stories.

Bombay Stories feels as relevant today as it was when it was written over 70 years ago, though Manto did occasionally get tried for obscenity. He is believed to have said that if people find his stories dirty, it’s because the society they live in is so. Manto’s stories capture society from its least flattering angles and in that way forces us to look at what we would have otherwise never paid much attention to. And, best of all, Bombay—or Mumbai, as you would call it today—comes alive right before your eyes.

Queerness has always existed in this world and yet, despite all the progress humanity has made over the centuries, we still haven’t been able to accept people for who they are. ‘Shikhandi and Other Queer Tales They Don’t Tell You’ is a collection of 30 stories about gender and sexual identity that will change the way you think about sex.

Growing up on a healthy dose of Mahabharata on television, most of us are aware of Shikhandi. But Pattanaik also ferrets out instances from other epics and folk tales where various gods and goddesses have chosen to switch genders to restore order in the world. There is, of course, Shikhandi, who was born a woman but raised as a man; Krishna, who became a woman for one day to marry a man fated to die the very next day of his marriage; Chudala, who became a man so that her husband wouldn’t disregard her views; and Mandhata whose mother was a man. There are many other queer characters.

Where reinterpreting Hindu epics and mythology is concerned, there is perhaps no one who can do it better than Pattanaik. His writing is simple and to the point while being extremely detailed. In Shikandi and Other Queer Tales They Don’t Tell You, he is out to show that homosexuality is perfectly natural, and it has always been so. Nor is it a modern or a western concept. With gods and goddesses changing forms as readily as changing their clothes, homosexuality has always been a part of our life and culture.  

Also, our ancient texts and oral traditions are filled with references to queerness. Rigveda says ‘Vikruti Evam Prakriti’, which means ‘what seems unnatural is also natural’. According to many scholars, this refers to queerness. In the Puranas, Vishnu, time and again, morphs into a woman to trick demons and tempt sages.

The first part of the book, before Pattanaik delves into the stories, is an important discussion on queer behavior across the world. Just as patriarchy asserts men to be superior to women and feminism clarifies men and women are equal, queerness questions what constitutes male and female, says Pattanaik. And it is this idea that he explores in the book.

Retellings of epics and myths, Pattanaik says, have, over the years, adopted a patriarchal bias, which is how stories of queerness have been overshadowed, if not altogether lost. In Shikhandi and Other Queer Tales They Don’t Tell You, he shines light on instances where the line between male and female has blurred. Reading the book will force you to confront your thoughts and views on gender. It will make you pause and reflect on the battles of the LGBTQI+ community and wonder how the world came to be so intolerant.

Pattanaik’s works, I believe, make for brilliant alternate readings of our myths and epics. These are the stories we should be telling our children, for a better, more inclusive future.

Mythology

Shikhandi and Other Queer Tales They Don’t Tell You

Devdutt Pattanaik

Published: 2014

Publisher: Zubaan Books and Penguin India

Language: English

Pages: 179, Paperback

Released in October 2019, the Malayalam-language film “Vikruthi” (transl. ‘Mischief’) is a timely warning against the dangers of the normalization of the internet voyeur culture.

Every day, we look at thousands of photos and videos of people we don’t know on social media. And we judge them based on our own life experiences. In doing so we sometimes commit the grave mistake of not looking at the ‘other side’ of the story and passing easy judgments on people we don’t know. Trial by social media is a dangerous worldwide phenomenon these days and Vikruthi warns us of its disastrous implications.

Directed by Emcy Joseph, the comedy-drama based on true events that took place in a Kochi metro train in Kerala, India, is an eye opener. Eldho (Suraj Venjaramoodu)—a hearing and speech impaired middle aged man—falls asleep on a Kochi metro train on his way home after spending a couple of sleepless nights taking care of his daughter at the hospital.

Just then, Sameer (Soubin Shahir)—a migrant worker who is in his hometown for a vacation—sees Eldho, assumes he is drunk, and posts his photo with an implicating caption on social media. The photograph becomes viral within hours and by the time Eldho and his family realize what’s happening, he has become infamous as the “Kochi Metro Drunkard.”

The film then goes on to show the effects of the viral photograph that portrays Eldho—a teetotaler school peon—as a drunkard. The photo not only affects his professional life but also puts enormous strains on his family, including his hearing and speech impaired wife, a son, and a daughter.

Despite being a debutant, director Joseph’s storytelling in this film written by Ajeesh P. Thomas is brilliant. The writer/director duo takes a small incident that also tells a representational tale of our present-day society, and weave it into a 2h 3mins film that is thoroughly entertaining and educating.

In recreating what was based on true events for the big screen, the filmmakers take minimal ‘creative liberties’ and refrain from cheap filmy gimmicks. They stay honest to their story, which also applies to the actors.

Sameer’s social media post putting Eldho into an extremely difficult situation comes back to haunt him. The photograph not only hurts Eldho’s reputation but also has a chain effect that boomerangs on the photo-taker. The two characters, who don’t know each other, are engulfed in a cyclone of fear, anxiety, and confusion—just because of one photograph.

Award-winning actors Suraj and Soubin, playing Eldho and Sameer respectively, are like ‘men-next-door’ cast randomly for a film. This characteristic of Malayalam cinema sets it apart from other film industries in India. Actors in Malayalam movies do not exaggerate or unnaturally amplify their characters. The emphasis is more on fitting their characters.

In this movie, the lead actors continue the same tradition of becoming a part of the movie without sticking out.

Who should watch it?

Vikruthi could be an enjoyable watch for anyone who likes serious dramas with a touch of dark humor. The movie is simple yet compelling, and definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Run time: 2hrs 3 mins

Actors: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Soubin Shahir

Director: Emcy Joseph

You have probably heard of ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’. The movie poster with Audrey Hepburn in a sleek black dress is one of the most iconic images of 20^th century Hollywood.

But surprisingly not many people know of Truman Capote’s novella by the same name on which the movie is based. 

The movie is popular than the book, and considering Capote’s original story is a little removed from the sweet romance that’s shown in the 1961 film adaptation, it’s easy to understand why. The book is a little dark and doesn’t have the movie’s happy ending.

But I love reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s for the images it sparks in my mind. Capote’s descriptions of people and places make me nostalgic about things I didn’t even know could make me wistful in the first place.

My well-thumbed copy of Capote’s ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ is a Penguin Essentials edition published in 2011. The pretty blue and pink cover of this particular book instantly cheers me up and, over the years, I have turned to it whenever I needed a quick pick-me-up.

In Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a contemporary writer recalls his early days in New York City, when he makes the acquaintance of a remarkable 19-year-old girl, Holly Golightly, who lives in the same block as him. Holly is an actress turned socialite who hosts parties in her small apartment while receiving a string of wealthy albeit unappealing men.

Holly is an interesting character. She loves easily and leaves just as easily. She gets angry quickly and forgives fast. She can buy expensive things for herself, yet wants to be spoiled with lavish gifts. Eventually she gets into some trouble and flees and our narrator, Fred, pines over the postcards she sends him.

This is a cute, fun story that was scandalous when it was first published but today makes you feel like all your actions are justified as long as you are happy. Holly’s behavior wouldn’t be a cause of much shock in the current times but a female protagonist like her was unheard of when the book was written. Much of the story is also about the masks we put on to fit in and the worlds we create in our heads for a sense of belonging.

There is a lot going on in this tiny novella. I’m sure what you take away from it will be different than what, say, your friend does. On a lighter note, for me, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is also a comforting place that reminds me of a time, pre Covid-19, when parties happened on a whim and people came and went as they pleased.

Fiction

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Truman Capote

Published: 1958

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton

Language: English