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Two mirrors at the
ashram
His Two Mirrors at the Ashram, is a veiled commentary on Indian society torn between the forces of modernity—materialism, consumerism, sexual freedom—and at the same traditionalism. In the present-day context, when the impact of westernisation is being felt so strongly, the novel is a kind of response that serves as an authentic mirror to socio-cultural reality. It convincingly portrays the contemporary modern ‘wasteland’ where values of honesty, piety, care and commitment are overlooked in favour of selfish motives. Rajesh Sahni, the protagonist, is a writer who narrates his experiences. For him winning over a women is a ‘game’, "body union is yoga" and love "an emotional liability"; ergo, his numerous affairs are casual. Flattering women to ensnare them is his way, and male chauvinist that he is, he thinks that "All women are invariably susceptible to compliments" for they are Eve’s daughters, who are on a hunt to trap men into wedlock. Amongst his friends are Romesh Rai, the marketing man, Ghulam Ahmed, deputy commissioner of police, Mohan Garg, the publisher, Sumeet Srivastava, the film-maker who all live the Bohemian life and spend time at their friend —a drunkard and a philanderer—Bharat’s den, drinking, flirting with women, reading and watching pornography. When all this fails to pull Rajesh out of malaise, he heeds to his friend’s advice (that was actually given in jest, resulting from the surfeit of country rum) to go to an ashram in south, at Mullagarhi, near Vellore. Endlessly searching for characters in real-life situations for his story, Rajesh undertakes a journey down south. An atheist by nature, he flouts all rules of the ashram. His friendship with Gurbachan Singh, a dhaba owner, keeps him satiated with booze and non-vegetarian food. The readers get a jolt to find that the Swami himself is a pervert, unable to leash his carnal desires. His discourses, loaded with platitudes from shastras are mere verbal orations, for he has a roving eye. An unexpected turn comes in the course of the novel as well as the lives of Rajesh and the Swami when candid confessions by the latter changes their views towards life. The very opening line, the grandiloquent one-liner Satyameva Jayate, ultimately bears significance. They steer each other to a life based on truth, far from worldly vices. It is here that they see the two mirrors which reflect their images. One image shows their superficial selves lost in the world of unending desires, while the other reveals the stark truth of their inner being. The Swami is transformed and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. A detailed account of the 1984 Hindu-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of Indira Gandhi lends a very realistic touch to the story. The writer draws our attention to the crumbling institution of marriage. Dedicated to his grandchildren, this fictional attempt is a modern parable, where the justifiably didactic grandfather cautions posterity against the repercussions of giving expression to unbridled sexual laxity. The bold treatment of sexuality in the novel should not be considered sleaze packaged to succeed at the literary box office or dictated by market trends, coming as it does from the writer of such a high stature. Literary texts and life’s existential realities are inter-connected. Literature is not written in a vacuum but in association with contemprary reality. A discerning reader will find that the enlightened writer, Shiv K. Kumar, holds a mirror to society. His aim appears to be sensitising and warning the readers to take the responsibility of shaking society out of its complacency. The writer’s eye for the detail, lucid prose with a poetic touch are the strengths of the work. It is an interesting and insightful read.
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