Sinful secrets
Aditi Garg

At Heaven’s Gates
by Sunil Gangopadhyay. Translated by Sanchayita Chatterjee. Rupa. Pages 155. Rs 195.

The book is the English translation of the Bengali novel Shorger Niche Manush by Sunil Gangopadhyay. It has been translated by Sanchayita Chatterjee. Gangopadhyay has written intriguing stories like The Death Trap and Yubok Yubotira, both of which have been translated into English. The present novel has been well handled by Chatterjee whose impeccable translation ensures that the essence of the original is not lost in any way in the translation.

The story takes place in the remote countryside of Madhya Pradesh. It begins on a sunny afternoon and twists and turns through various bends till the next afternoon. The sparseness of characters does not impede the flow of the narrative, rather strengthens it. The story revolves around Bhashmati, her husband Ranjan and the snake-catcher Prosenjit. Each of them is dependent on the other for something. Bhashmati and Ranjan owe their lives to Prosenjit who saved them from the wrath of nature. In return he has a demand that only Bhashmati can fulfil and Ranjan is oblivious to all the scheming that is going on around him.

Bhashmati is a very independent woman who has a modern outlook. Though she appears to be calm, she has a variety of insecurities that surface in the most oppressing conditions. She personifies the human trait of being awestruck by anything mystical. Although she vehemently denies being superstitious, she has an innate curiosity to discover what lies beyond and is willing to do whatever it takes to find out. In the process she invites trouble. The author, very gently, deals with different shades of a woman’s sexuality. Her thought process and her actions are so real that the novel does not seem mere fiction.

Gangopadhaya illustrates that the demarcating sin from what is acceptable is easily blurred in trying situations. He stresses that everyone has skeletons in their cupboard but as long as these don’t tumble out in the open, there should be little cause for concern. Even in the relationship between spouses who seem to share everything, dark secrets remain. And sometimes it is best that they are kept under wraps. The characters of Ranjan and Prosenjit too are complicated. Their actions are ruled by their experiences and situations. Ranjan does not usually stand up to Bhashmati because he knows that she will not give in, even if she is wrong. Prosenjit is shrewd and is a go-getter. He has to live in inhospitable conditions that requires him to be so for the sake of survival.

The narrative is in the present tense and it helps recreate the scenes more vividly. Gangopadhyay captures all shades of human emotions so skilfully that everyone can identify with the characters at one point or the other.

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