#60 Book Club - Mohanaswamy by Vasudhendra
It’s the pride month. There were several recommendations on this theme in our book club including a couple of titles from Indian writers. I picked up Vasudhendra’s anthology fiction Mohanaswamy.
The book is an intimate account of queer lives. It was originally published in Kannada and the English translation retains its strong sense of regionality.
The stories, set in both rural and urban parts of Karnataka, reflect the stark differences in the ways queer lives are perceived. The cities appear as a refuge from the apathetic brutality of the rural way of life. The characters travel from villages to city in search of respite and liberty. The cities are far from perfect but not being ostracized or killed doesn’t hurt.
Through Mohanaswamy’s journey, you are witness to a gay life in a world that is indifferent, at its best.
From a childhood marred by abuse to a middle-aged man comfortable in his skin and his choices through an adolescence consumed by guilt, it is a story of resilience, acceptance, and realization in the face of violence, rejection, heartbreak, and debilitating self-doubt.
The book is not hesitant to present the intensity and passion to its readers. It is unabashed in its effort to create full-rounded characters that are not infallible. It doesn’t demand any sympathy. Characters are presented with all their inadequacies without discrimination. The meanness and sensitivity are not reserved for anyone.
I found myself guilty of discomfort about certain details to begin with but the honesty of the narrative kept me invested and it was a rewarding read at the end.
I considered myself fairly aware about a LGBTQIA+ life before this book but it made me introspect and uncover my emotional ignorance.
One might espouse empathy for anything that is different but to be able to practise it is a completely different thing. One needs to know more, learn more, and live more of that which is different. This book is one such opportunity and the stories in it are a must read - especially in a world ridden by entitlement and unkindness.