I was reading this book called "The Shadow of Kamakhya" by Indira Goswami.It is basically a collection of short stories translated in English by the author.The only reason I picked up the book was because it was by an assameese on assam.Nobody recommended the book to me ,but somehow I just couldn't resist laying my hands on it.Probably the love for my homeland and anything associated with it.
The book starts of it with how Kamakhya got its name.In case you guys don't know it is the biggest temple in Assam.It is devoted to Shiva's wife Parvati.Legend has it that when Sati(another form of Parvati) committed suicide following the insult inflicted on Shiva by her father Daksha,the grieving Shiva carried her body around the three worlds.To rouse him from grief,Vishnu severed the body into many pieces.One piece-the yoni-fell on Kamagiri near Guwahati.Thereafter the spot became Kamakhya,the goddess of sexual desire,and a place famous for tantric puja and animal sacrifices.
The book supposedly explores the soul of Assam in the midst of terrorism, casteism,etc starting of with a story called "The Journey".I don't deny the fact that over the years Assam has been a bloody ground of terrorism and extremism.However,I never came across or heard anything so ridiculous like the story"the Offspring" where in an upper-class prostitute kills her unborn baby as it's father is her low-caste lover.The stories have been written beautifully,no doubt about it.You feel as if you are in Assam when you go through the book.However the way Assam has been portrayed is absolutely ridiculous.Caste-system is minimal in Assam.There is no concept of dowry in Assam.Even words used in the stories for describing abuses are non-existent as there are hardly any abuses(excepting a few) which are used by people in villages.Terrorism does exist but I haven't heard of any terrorist striking anyone for money(the story"journey") that too in front of his folks.Ridiculous.
It is not something I am writing to offend anyone nor is it to glorify anything.Just that I will never except the way Assam has been portrayed in the book.I am sure there had been (and there will be )some exceptions which inspired the writers to pen down their feelings.But collectively ,I feel the book does give an ugly picture to the whole world about my "Sunali Axom" !!!
1 comment:
Hi Darshan
I empathise with you. But at the same time, you cannot deny that the "dark shadow" is a part of your existance ... without which you are incomplete.
I would not like to go in depth of my relation with your beautiful state.. but somehow, disjointing the locales and the geography, Goswami's stories somewhere strikes an universial chord of harmony when speaking of oppression, terror, social injustice and stigma - on a personal level. in fact while portraying the story of the Brahmin prostiture, she breaks many taboos in our country caste and religionwise where brahmins are holy cows .
I would like to give Goswami a thumbs up for the exquisite portral of human psychology and resistance of the indomabble spirit even in the face of advertsity.
thanks
Amitava
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