Suman K Sharma
If there is one flaw in Inderjeet Kaiser’s superbly brought out Dogri novel MUNS (Jai Mata Prakashan, Chhanni Himmat, Jammu, 2017, pages 254), it is that the book won’t let you go away till you have finished reading it to the last page.In it there are no impossible flights of fancy, nothrills, no kills and certainly no gimmicks to give you a literary kick. The deceptively simple narrative brings before you the everyday incidents of rural life in an even prose. The novel does not startle you as a torrent or a waterfall, but like a gentle stream of not a great depth, it charms you with its steady flow and crystal clear vision. There lies the achievement of the author, who has some twenty works of prose and poetry to his credit.
‘Muns’ in Dogri means a courageous and lively person. Satya is the youngest of Shahji’s daughters. Not only is she prettier than her two older married sisters; but she, a tenth class pass out, is also better educated than they both are. Her businessman father trusts her implicitly for her acumen in running the family businesses as well as the household. Facing the weight of his advancing years, Shahji brings home Shenkar, a well behaved graduate, who has lost his own family and home in a militant attack. Satya and Shenkarlike each other and cheerfully share Shahji’s burden. Then things start turning bad for the prosperous family. Shahji is grievously hurt in a road accident and his long treatment in a hospital takes a heavy toll of his finances. He dies eventually. Banarasi, his older son-in-law too dies suddenly in a drinking spree at a wedding.
Banarsi’s wife, Guddi, comes back to her parental home when she fails to put up with the ill-treatment of her in-laws. Shahji’s other son-in-law, Dwarka, forces his wife, Kanta, to ask Satya for a large sum of money and when refused, he files a lawsuit in her name to demand her share in the patrimony.
But, being someone who can hardly wait for the law to take its long course,he resorts to foul means to harass his own wife, Kanta, and her sister, Satya. He lures family’s trusted retainer, young Kichchho to spy on Satya and Shenkar for him.
He goes on to rope in Boddha, Shahji’s business rival and Chandru, Guddi’s brother-in-law to add to the family’s woes.Kanta dies in child-birth leaving behind Lovely, a daughter. Satya and Shenkar have to face it all – financial loss, deaths in the family, mischievous relatives like Dwarka and Chandru, court cases, the responsibility towards a widowed and dejected daughter of the family, Guddi, and a motherless infant, Lovely. Not the least is the calumny – and an insulting visit of the local police to boot -which the two have to face in the village because of the undefined status of Shenkar in relation to Satya. But, in the end, Satya is able to resolve all the issues satisfactorily withShenkar’s unstinted support.
The court cases are closed. Boddha and his cohorts are exposed to the community for what they are. The problemsGuddi and Lovely also find a solution. Satyais Muns, after all. Says Shankar to her, ‘I don’t overstate….you have competence, sympathy, pity, openness and patience. You have the ability to take instant decisions, the generosity to giveothers their due, the spirit of cooperation and many other qualities besides. That’s why I feel so proud to have your company. I am indeed very fortunate (p.253).’
But the novel has a much wider canvass than to portray Satya as a woman hero. Counting as many as eight woman-related issues that our rural society has to confront even in the 21stCentury; Prof Veena Guptaputs it succinctlyin her Preface: MUNS isa promoter of the changing values of the society.
Another endearing attribute of the novel is its characterisation. Satya and Shenker fall in love at the first sight and they have all the opportunity to give in to the basic urges of their young and healthy bodies. But not until they have settled everything in the household, sorted out the problems of the kinsfolk, got themselves married before the court and then again before the whole village, and paid obeisance to Shenker’skul-devta do they consummate their love. And that happens in the last paragraph of the last page.
Kesar’s is an unassuming style. His language is simple and though influenced by Hindi, he has made apt use of Dogri proverbs and idioms. The dialogue between lovers Satya and Shenker in the opening paragraph of page 99 is poetry in prose for its sheer lyricism.
There are some glitches too. We never get to know of the name of Satya’s village in which most of the action takes place. Introducing Shenker to Satya, Shahji says at page 24 that he is B.Com. In the very next page, he talks about him taking BA exam! Then, the long story about Bholi and Banarasi at Chapter 3 seems rather dispensable.
All said, MUNS is a good bargain for the time spent on it.
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