Book Review
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Book Cover:
Seppuku (By Artist Chintan Upadhyay)
Author: Vinod Bhardwaj Publisher: Vani Prakashan, New Delhi Year: November 2013 Price: Rs. 200/- |
Attractive glamorous outside always has a different inside reality. A foreseen instance is Cinema world called ‘Bollywood’ in India. The field of visual arts also works under the convictions of fame, money and market. So, is the art field too made of cryptic realities? Do the stories of struggle, survival and success hide betrayal, hoaxing, obscenity with decorum, ealthiness, honesty and voluptuousness? A young art practitioner may think about these questions and an insider only can reply. This is the exact point, where I can mention the short novel ‘Seppuku’ written by art critic and writer Vinod Bhardwaj.
Vinod Bhardwaj has closely observed, known and judged the art circles of Delhi since 1974. Thus, he is an insider and partaker of art field from almost four decades now. He has witnessed an aura of ‘underground’ created by obscene prodigality in art field after 2002. Then he felt that in 2008 this art world got a jolt and things were exposed. During those days, it stirred his consciousness when he saw the ‘page 3’ picture of ‘smiling’ Manjit Bawa when actually he was in ‘coma’. A long time remaining coma of Manjit Bawa wasn’t the news either. Then he saw the demise of veteran painter like Gaitonde was not the ‘big news’ for newspapers. Those days Bhardwaj tried to figure out the teemed lights and shades of the world of Indian art and poured his grief into his personal notes.
Including those notes written some years ago, Bhardwaj writes his recent novel ‘Seppuku’. Published by Vani Prakashan, New Delhi, this book has written in Hindi. The book title ‘Seppuku’ derived its impact onto Bhardwaj’s mind while noticing a headline in a newspaper. Besides it he also noticed the popular Hollywood movie ‘Wolverine’ which in opening sequence shows a ritual of ‘Seppuku’ (slitting the stomach) among Japanese soldiers. They did it before the atom bomb is dropped on Nagasaki. Seppuku is a synonym of Hindi word ‘Hara-Kiri’ (hara- stomach, kiri- slitting). In earlier times keeping self modesty was the biggest identity for Feudal warriors. Committing suicide was priority for them over disgrace or letdown, and the way of it was ‘Seppuku’. During the Second World War vanquished soldiers also used to choose ‘Seppuku’. ‘Seppuku’ is a tragic destiny of a self-respectful soldier, but it hides a ritual, philosophy and poem. But when a ‘corporate’ world commits ‘Seppuku’, it can lead larger socio-economical results. And writer feels that this ‘Seppuku’ can be identified, known and tested in art field also. But how the arrival of ‘Modern Seppuku’ has presented by writer in context of art field is the mystery of novel which reader has to catch.
This novel Seppuku is a portal for readers to peek into the world lived and experienced by Bhardwaj. The incidents intertwined in his mind and heart comes along with imaginative background. Although writer has not used the real names of the mentioned characters/artists, instead he refers the imaginative protagonists as a metaphor. But interestingly as much he keeps his protagonists look unidentified, they open their identity while reading. However writer mentions his conversations with painter Francis Newton Souza, Nobel Prize receptor Mexican poet-writer Octavio Paz, and Ravi Jain of Dhoomimal Art Gallery in several contexts. Writer has combined the various characters, incidents and situations in an experimental technique to reveal the ‘zolaism’ of art. It contains honest struggle of artist yet speaks another aspect of foul play and corruption.
Compiled of 11 short chapters the novel saves the curiosity of reader in titles of chapters itself as, ‘life is beautiful’, ‘seppuku’, ‘chumban rani aur uska thappad (kissing queen and her slap)’, ‘Suhas Hande ki ajeeb dastan (weird story of Suhas Hande)’, ‘ek gatecrasher ki aatmkatha (biography of a gatecrasher)’, ‘lady chhah footi (lady of a six feet height), ‘lady sweet and sexy’, ‘fake ka cake aur hara tota (cake of fake and green parrot)’, ‘kissa pita ke naam prempatra ka (fable of a love-letter to father)’, and ‘car, action aur mister ten percent’. First chapter starts from mongrel attitude of Page3 culture and its vultures. It goes ahead in next chapters telling the stories of success and failures, amorous lives of artists, birth of gatecrashers in parties and their ‘elevation’, unstable relationships, trade of artist’s assistants and questions of originality, coarseness and ‘commercialization’ pervaded in art field and ends the read with ‘thriller’ style ‘Antim adhyay (the last chapter)’. Writer has not shied away of using the ‘indecorous’ words but interestingly it has shaped the humor, wit and satire.
This 103 paged Hindi novel one can read in a few hours single sitting and a translated version in English by Brij Sharma will be followed soon.
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