CHAPTER
LONELY NEST
IV
IN A PHONEY WORLD
Having observed how t h e p r o t a g o n i s t s of Arun J o s h i
suffer from c e r t a i n e x t r a o r d i n a r y obsessions, s t r a n g e h a u n t i n g s
and inscrutable enigmas l e t us h a v e a c l o s e look a t t h e i r
lonely quest for truth in the +'phoneyRworld.
T o an interviewer, A r u n J o s h i says that h e is i n d u c e d
into writing t o explore " t h a t m y s t e r i o u s underworld which is
t h e human soul.
Joshi p u t s h i s philosophical vision into
the mouth of Som B h a s k a r as he reminisces Azizumls song in
The Last Labyrinth:
...
it reminded you of t h a t core of l o n e l i ness around w h i c h a l l of us a r e b u i l t . It
m u s t h a v e emerged f r o m t h e slums of B e n a r a s ,
b u t c e n t u r i e s into i t s p e r f e c t i o n . It rode
t h e n i g h t l i k e a searchlight l i g h t i n g up
r u i n s of a n ancient abandoned city with
w h i c h I, t o o , was f a m i l i a r . A l l m y l i f e ,
a t i n t e r v a l s , I, t o o had flown across i t s
the blacked o u t s k i e s , flapping m y weary
w i n g s , I c o u l d see.
We belonged to
t h e same b e n i g h t e d underworld. ( 54-55)
...
The r o o t s of the Loneliness of Joshi's protagonists
Lay i n their sense of a l i e n a t i o n and rootlessness.
misfits in this world.
and h o s t i l e and unreal.
They are
Thfs w o r l d appears to t h e m u n f r i e n d l y
In order t o find the meaning of t h e i r
e x i s t e n c e they undertake a lonely quest
in this phoney world,
A deeper probing will u n r a v e l how each one of Joshi's protago-
n i s t s acquires a sense of a l i e n a t i o n and how they are a f f l f e t a d
by it i n t h e i r l o n e l y q u e s t f o r t h e meaning of l i f e .
S i n d f Oberoi, t h e hero of Arun Joshins f i r s t novel,
The F o r e i q n e r acquires i d e a l "forefgnness" through h i s
parentage and h i s early l i f e .
a Kenyan-Xndian
H i s double i n h e r i t a n c e w i t h
f a t h e r and a n English m o t h e r , h i s b i r t h and
early e d u c a t i o n i n Kenya, h i s h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n In England
and A m e r i c a
shroud h i m in a c l o u d of f o r e i g n n e s s ,
engulfed in a sense of rootlessness.
He i s
He c a n n o t c l a i m k i n -
ship with A f r i c a , a s n e i t h e r of h l s parents b e l o n g s to
Africa,
His conscience f a i l s t o a d m i t t h a t he is an
Englishman because h i s f a t h e r w a s a n I n d i a n .
a t t a c h e d to America i n anyway:
f o r me.
He is not
"It is t o o much sterilized
Much t o o c l e a n and o p t i m i s t i c and empty," (89)
And l a s t l y to c l a i m affinlty with I n d i a , h e does n o t s e e it
t i l l h e is t w e n t y six.
Even a t that t i m e , i t is n o t a d e l i -
b e r a t e c h o i c e , but d e c i d e d o n l y by a f l i p of a coin.
So
S i n d i suffers a p a t h e t i c sense of loneliness a s he does n o t
"belongn t o any of t h e s e c o u n t r i e s .
He, t h e n , is haunted
by the q u e s t i o n w h e t h e r he, in anyway, belongs to this
world,
L y i n g in h i s a p a r t m e n t , i n New York he muses:
I wondered in w h a t
way, if any, d i d I belong
to t h e w o r l d that roared beneath my a p a r t m e n t window.
Perhaps I felt l i k e t h a t
because I was a foreigner in America.
But
t h e n , what d i f f e r e n c e would it have made If
I had l i v e d in Kenya or India or any o t h e r
place for t h a t m a t t e r ! 1 t seemed to me t h a t
I would s t i l l be a foreigner. ( 6 )
,,.
S i n d i further bewails:
"My foreignness l a y w i t h m e and I
could n o t leave myself behind wherever f went."
reflection of S f n d i reminds us of Satants grief:
(61)
This
Which way I fly i s Hell; myself am Hell;
(~ilton's Paradise Lost Bk,IV,
Sindi's words a n d actions
too
1.75)
c r e a t e the same impression
i n a l l t h o s e persons w i t h whom he comes into c o n t a c t ,
Once
June remarks: "1 have a feeling you'd be foreigner anywhere."
After corning t o I n d i a , S h e i l a too makes a similar
(33)
comment:
(I
41)
'is
As
"You a r e s t i l l a f o r e i g n e r , you don't b e l o n g here."
M,K. Naik remarks, t h e protagonist
i n The F o r e i g n e r
a l i e n a t e d from a l l hurnanftyan2
Meenakshi Mukherjee r i g h t l y remarks t h a t S i n d i
i s an a l i e n everywhere p h y s i c a l l y as well a s
L l k e Hernmingway' s American
metaphorically
h e r o f i g h t i n g a n I t a l i a n b a t t l e in A Farewell
t o A r m s , S i n d i Oberoi i n The F o r e i g n e r a n
I n d i a n Kenyan who r e t u r n s t o I n d i a after
years in the West, l a c k s involvement in t h e
life h e leads.3
.
Haunted by a sense of foreignness, Sindi soon turns
cynical, misogynistic and d e t a c h e d .
Babu writes t o h i s sister,
S h e i l a , t h a t S i n d i is " t e r r i b l y c y n i c a l . " (52)
t e l l s Sfndi: "you a r e j u s t a c y n i c , my boy.'
June's mother
(1102)
His room
mate Karl wonders whether Sindi c o u l d ever l a u g h f o r which
S f n d i s a y s t h a t h e c a n , when he is drunk.
Sindi becomes
disgusted w i t h his loneliness: "I was c y n i c a l and exhausted,
grown old before m y time, weary w i t h my own Loneliness.''
Sindi is vexed with his f u t i l e quest:
(152)
"Twenty-five years
largely wasted in search of wrong t h i n g s in wrong places." (92)
He voices h i s d i s c o n t e n t for wasting twenty five years on
" a l i e n shores" ( 9 2 ) I n q u e s t of peace:
T w e n t y f i v e years gone in search o f peace,
and what d i d I have t o show f o r achiement;
a ten stone body t h a t had t o be f e d four
times a d a y , t w e n t y e l g h t times a week.
T h i s was t h e sum of a l i f e t i m e striving, (92)
T a l k i n g t o Mr. Khemka, S i n d i sums up t h e uprooted and alie-
nated man of t h e world
--
a man w i t h no a m b i t i o n s , no a i m
in l i f e , n o a t t a c h m e n t s :
Look a t me, I h a v e no r o o t s . I have no system
of morality. What does it mean t o me i f you
c a l l me a n immoral man? X have no reason t o
be one t h i n g o t h e r t h a n a n o t h e r . You ask me
why I a m not a m b i t i o u s ; well, I have no reason
t o be. Come t o t h i n k of i t I d o n ' t even have
a reason t o live, (136)
M u r a l i Das Melwani says t h a t Boston, where S i n d i spends many
years f o r Ph,D, in E n g i n e e r i n g is a city conducive t o a sense
of alienation, e s p e c i a l l y f o r the Indian s t u d e n t s .
He
says:
The atmosphere o f Boston i s evoked w i t h s k i l l .
Boston is not a c i t y b u t a s t a t e of mind.
J o s h i reveals h i s c r a f t s m a n s h i p b y the use of
motifs which stxenqthen t h e c e n t r a l design.
A good example is the loneliness I n d i a n
students f e e l i n America; t h i s is contrasted
w i t h Oberoi' s a l i e n a t i o n . Atmosphere is
presented with a s i m i l a r purpose; the bleak
c h i l l y evenings serve a s an appropriate background to the p r e v a i l i n g mode of the characters.
I t is this sense of t o t a l alienation t h a t makes him
i n d i f f e r e n t to academic t a l e n t s , and the profession h e f o l l o w s .
He has a very bright academic career in London and Boston
where he earns a d o c t o r a t e in m e c h a n i c a l engineering
-- not
t h a t he values mechanical engineering a l i t t l e more t h a n t h e
o t h e r subjects: "1 cared t w o pins f o r all mechanical engineers
in the world.n (14)
Rating h i s s k i l l s very h i g h , his professors
offer him
a place
a j o b i n New
in the college f a c u l t y ,
B u t he t a k e s up
York from where h e comes t o New D e l h i ,
He
a c c e p t s a job i n Khernka's f a c t o r y o n l y because it would keep
Here he considers himself a m i s f i t
him away from himself,
because h i s foreign background s t a n d s a g a i n s t him.
In his
q u e s t f o t~r u t h ,
his first encounter is with
Anna and K a t h y i n London who t e a c h h i m h i s non-attachment
t h e o r y w h i c h i s f u r t h e r strengthened by t h e C a t h o l i c priest
i n S c h t l a n d w i t h whom h e develops f r i e n d s h i p , with whom he
d i s c u s s e s matters r e l a t i n g t o god and mysticism.
one g r e a t truth flashes on h i s mind:
R A l l love
One morning
-- whether
of t h i n q s o r persons, o r o n e s e l f
-- was
p a i n sprang from t h i s i l l u s i o n .
Love begot greed and a t t a c h -
ment, and i t led t o posession."
(170)
illusion and a l l
Then he d e v e l o p s t h e
v i e w t h a t "one should be a b l e t o d e t a c h oneself from
object of one's l o v e . "
(66)
the
He is averse t o getting f nvolved:
"Everywhere I turned I saw involvement." (70) He wishes to
remain free and detached and hence h e i s l o n e l y fn his q u e s t
for t r u t h in t h i s world.
He implements h i s non-attachment
theory i n h i s l o v e with June.
He develops
a passionate
love
f o r her b u t he refuses t o marry her a s it will lead t o a t t a c h -
ment and p o s e s s i o n which he doesnft want.
"a
H i s soul becomes
b a t t l e f i ~ l d where t h e c h i l d and a d u l t warred u n c e a s i n g l y . "
(130) A s R.S.
Pathak remarks, nSindiis s u f f e r i n g s a r e mani-
f e s t a t i o n s of a s p i r i t u a l c r i s i s w h i ~ ha l l sensitive people
face t o d a y . n 5
So he drives her
i n t o t h e hands of Babu and
eventually he is r e s p o n s i b l e for t h e d e a t h of Babu a s well
a s Junets.
After t h e d e a t h of June, S i n d i r e a l i z e s t h a t
true detachment " c o n s i s t e d of right action and not e s c a p e
from i t T '(193) w h i c h is also preached in the Gita.
i n g the
Witness-
terrible consequences of practising detachment i n
America, S i n d l d e c i d e s to leave the c o u n t r y and go t o I n d i a .
After a c c e p t i n g a j o b in t h e firm of Mr. Khemka h e is forced
to g e t i n v o l v e d in s p i t e of his non-attachment theory to
save t h e employees from being thrown o u t of job.
Then he
r e a l f zes: " L i k e many of my breed, 1 believed e r r o n e o u s l y
that
I c o u l d escape from
a
part of myself by hopping from
one l a n d m a s s t o a n o t h e r m R ( 1 76)
"The Stranqe C a s e of B i l l y Siswas o f f e r s a s t u d y of
t h e doomed existential q u e s t f o r values in a mad, bad, phoney
and a b s u r d world.
Billy ( ~ i r n a l isw was), aware of deeper
l a y e r s o f h i s p e r s o n a l i t y , f e e l s t o t a l l y a l i e n a t e d from the
superficial r e a l i t y of l i f e ,
It is s i g n i f i c a n t t o note t h a t
Van Gogh' s t u r b u l e n t career R h e l d considerable f a s c i n a t i o n
f o r B i l l y a t one time," (73)
In A m e r i c a ,
a s a student, BflFy
e v i n c e s l e s s i n t e r e s t i n books t h a n i n t h e p l a c e s d e s c r i b e d
in them
and
is interested t o study t h e "aboriginalness of t h e
worldn (14) and it is "around his interest in t h e p r i m i t i v e
man t h a t h i s entire l i f e had been o ~ g a n i s e d . (14)
~~
" f i r s t n glimpse of t h e "other
at a
The
s i d e n in B i l l y (18) is revealed
music s e s s i o n in New Yark which exerts "a mesmeric pulln
on him (27 )
.
Retuxning t o I n d i a , R i l l y takes up a teaching j o b i n
the A n t h r o p o l o g y department of D e l h i U n i v e r s i t y .
Meena, t h e s m a r t ,
servant.
He marrf es
s o p h i s t i c a t e d daughter of a x e t i r e d c i v i l
Rut i n D e l h i , R i l l y f e e l s L i k e a f i s h out of water
and s e e s no o t h e r way t h a n t o f l y from t h e c i v i l i z e d , sophis-
t i c a t e d modern society.
H i s f r i e n d sees B i l l y a f t e x a gap
o f three y e a r s i n D e l h i d u r i n g which Billy had a son, a very
handsome boy,
Three y e a r s of life1 s j o u r n e y h a s wrought a
v a s t change i n 5 i l l y .
Romi says:
Gone was t h e s t a g g e r i n g i n t e l l i g e n c e , t h e
spectroscopic i n t e r e s t s , the sense of humour.
He had e i t h e r turned b a n a l , something I had
seen happen enough, o r , unknown t o us, he
was turned upon some obscure segment of.
h i m s e l f , ferreting o u t a bitter secret,
s e t t l i n g a n old score. Whatever it m i g h t
h a v e been, the Billy Biswas I had known was
f i n i s h e d , s n u f f e d out l i k e a c a n d l e l e f t in
r a i n . (70)
Billy
ceases t o belong t o t h i s world gradually.
being impelled by na great force, u r k r a f t
..,
He f e e l s
a primitive
f o r c e n (22) t h a t has been found in him by h i s Swedish f r i e n d
Tuula L i n d g r e n long before hFs r e t u r n t o I n d i a ,
When h e
v i s i t e d h i s u n c l e a t Bhubaneswar a t the age of f o u r t e e n he
receives t h e Intimations of h i s p r i m i t i v e self a f t e r seeing
t h e t r i b a l d a n c e during one n i g h t : "This is where I belong.
This is what I have a l w a y s d r e a m t of."
(125) He a l s o has
had some v i s i t a t i o n of strange h a l l u c i n a t i o n s "of being in
a p l a c e other
a t times
than where I was, in a place very, very o l d ,
in a wilderness, a t o t h e r t h e s full of strange
primitive people.
"
( 180)
In
a
letter to Tuula, B i l l y
writes a b o u t the f e e l i n g s generated in him after h i s return
from an e x p e d i t i o n :
When f r e t u r n from a n e x p e d i t i o n ,
it is days
before I can shake off the sounds and smells
of t h e f o r e s t . T h e c u r i o u s f e e l i n g t r a i l s
me everywhere t h a t I am a v i s i t o r from t h e
wilderness to t h e marts o f t h e Big city and
not t h e other way round. (96)
Billy's d e c i s i o n t o forsake t h e world of c i v i l i z a t i o n
on the second d a y of h i s last anthropological e x p e d i t i o n int o t h e s a a l forests of Central I n d i a as a Professor of
Anthropology of D e l h i U n i v e x s i t y will f i n d its echo in the
famous r e n u n c i a t i o n of Siddhartha when he leaves his wife
and s o n t o undertake t h e quest for t h e meaning of l i f e ,
B i l l y helps h i s students t o p i t c h the tents in the forests
and t h e y r e t i r e i n t o t h e i r t e n t s .
Dhunia, the headman, has
i n v i t e d him with his students t o w a t c h a t r i b a l dance a n d
h i s students may go there w i t h t h e i r papers and pens to n o t e
the happenings.
Sitting on a rock, alone, B i l l y undergoes
excruciating moments in t h e process of his t r a n s f o r m a t i o n .
He is terribly a f r a i d t h a t something is happening in him.
He feels that t h e "inheritors of t h e cosmic n i g h t " are
calling him and he f e e l s a s 'though he was t h e first man
on earth facina the earth's first n i g h t . "
(120)
They seem
t o i n v i t e him: nCome t o o u r primitive world t h a t wouLd sooner
or l a t e r overcome the works o f man,
for you." (1201121)
Billy says:
Come,
W
e have waited
"And, I, too, was waiting.
I was w a i t i n g to explore a l l t h i s , t o enjoy t h i s e a r t h , this
moonlight, these imperishable rocks, t h e touch and smell of
this primeval n i g h t , u n t i l my senses were g l u t t e d ,
(121)
The second c a l l of t h e elements of nature to B i l l y is
irresistible:
Come, come, come, come. Why do you w a n t t o go
back? This is a l l there on e a r t h .
This and
the woman w a i t i n g f o r you in the l i t t l e hut a t
the bottom of a h i l l . You t h o u g h t New York
was real, You thought t h a t New D e l h i was your
d e s t i n a t i o n . How mistaken you have been!
Mistaken and misled. Come now, come. Take us,
Take us u n t i l you have had your f i l l . ft i s
we who are t h e i n h e r i t o r s of the cosmic n i g h t . (121)
B f l l y gives a g r a p h i c description of t h e deep metamorphosis
undergone by him:
Layer a f t e r layer was p e e l e d off from me
u n t i l nothing b u t my p r i m i t i v e self was
l e f t trembling in t h e moonlight. (121)
A t last Billy Biswas d i s a p p e a r s from nthe face of t h e earth,
-
simply v a n i s h e s into the saal forests of the Maikala Hills."
(83)
Billy's departure does n o t amount to a n escape from
l i f e and i t s realities b u t a journey into the r e a l life he
h a s been w a i t i n g f o r long.
Thus, B i l l y is "a man of con-
v i c t i o n , capable of t u r n i n g h i s v i s i o n into realityen6
In s p i t e of h i s h a i l i n g from
a
family of t h e ' u p p e r
upper crust' he has a s t r a n g e fascination f o r the aborigines
rather t h a n the a r t i f i c i a l upper classes, He has been
evincing aversion for the s o p h i s t i c a t i o n which is n o t "any-
thing more than making and spending moneyn ( 9 6 ) and it i s
ahwig o n this peg of money."
(97) He f e e l s a s if he is
"pinned down" in t h e upper c l a s s sophistication, "like a
dead b u t t e r f l y n . (47)
knot by
He is f e d up to be "tied up in a
a stif l i n g system of
expectationst1 (1 27) of this
civilized realm of D e l h i l i f e and feels sorry for wasting
"priceless treasure of h i s l i f e on t h a t heap of t i n s e l
that passed for c i v i l i z a t i o n .
( 1 4f
The c i r c l e of the
sophisticated s o c i e t y of "finely dressed men and women
seated on downy sofasw appear t o Billy in no way b e t t e r
t h a n k e n n e l f u l of dogs "yawning ( t h e i r large teeth s h o w i n g )
or snuggling against e a c h o t h e r or h o l d i n g whisky glasses
f n their f u r r e d p a w s , " ( 9 6 )
Meena, t h e w i f e of B i l l y , is a p e r f e c t representa-
t i v e of t h e snobbery and superficiality of the u l t r a modern
phoney world w h l Le B i l l y a r d e n t l y yearns for t h e unsophf stic a t e d p r i m i t i v e life of the aborgines,
O n Meena-Billy
tion a s w i f e and husband, S u s h e e l Kumar Sharma makes
relevant observation:
H i s ( ~ i l l ~ * smarriage
)
w i t h Meena C h a t t e r jee,
a pretty young daughtex of a retired c i v i l
servant, is a n impulsive a c t i o n , no doubt,
but this is prompted by B i l l y ' s search f o r
v i a b l e a l t e x n a t i v e s . In t h a t condition of
m i n d , he f e e l s no better g i r l than Meena.
Perhaps B i l l y thinks Meena's bonds w i l l be
strong enough t o c h a i n up hLs s p l l t personality. It is just like Sudhodants getting
h i s s o n married w i t h Yosadhara to chain up
S i d d h a r t h a , The result is d r a s t i c a s B i l l y
does not find in her a good partner for she
is t o o much down-to-earth f o r B i l l y . Meena
i s worldly-wise and is a product of moneymachine culture. She w a n t s money and glamour
a
rela-
which B i l l y hates. If he has a soft, t e n d e r
and d e l i c a t e h e a x t and the mind of a mystic
and naturalist, Meena is just t h e o p p o s i t e
of 5illyfs temperament. She does n o t even
attempt t o understand Billy and e s t a b l i s h
a c o m u n i c a tion w i t h h i m . 7
She gets a n apprehension t h a t " t h i n g s are falling apart."
(74)
She t e l l s Romi t h a t BFlly h a s gone through a sea
change and 'is
passing day,
g e t t i n g stranger and stranger w i t h every
(75) Meena ' s lack of understanding p u s h e s
B i l l y to the edge of d e s p a i r , u l t i m a t e l y l e a d i n g t o t h e
seduction of Rima Kaul,
Billy confesses l a t e r before
Romi :
It gxadually dawned on me t h a t a tremendous
corrupting force was working on me. It was
a s t h o u g h my soul were t a k i n g revenge on me
for having d e n i e d f a r so l o n g t h a t Other
t h i n g t h a t it had been clamouring for. ( 189)
B i l l y then undergoes a t e r r i b l e shock after h i s d e g r a d a t i o n
in the Rima i n c i d e n t t h a t makes hfs flight from t h e c i v i l i z e d
world i n e v i t a b l e ,
alternatives.
Poor Rima has c r y s t a l l i z e d f o r him t h e
B i l l y tells Romi about h i s choices just be-
fore he j o i n s the primitive world:
I had t w o c l e a r c h o i c e s s X could either
follow t h i s c a l l , this v i s i o n , whatever
the c o s t , or be condemned t o t o t a l decay. (190)
He chooses the d r a s t i c first o p t i o n of crossing t o t h e
primitives,
Thus B i l l y becomes "a refugee from c i ~ i l i z a t i o n .(140)
~
One is awed a t the t e n a c i t y w i t h which he pursues h i s lonely
quest
in the phoney w o r l d ,
The novel reminds us of
D.H,
Lawrence's The Woman who Rode
Greenets
Away and Graham
A Burnt Out Case,
In Billy's
sound pompous,
q u e s t f o r meaning,
he does not want t o
For R o m i is q u e s t i o n , he answers:
w a n t t o sound t o o pompous, o l d chap.
Becoming a primitive
was only a first s t e p , a means t o a n end,
realized it only a f t e r I
r a n away.
seeking something else," (189)
'I1 d o n ' t
Ofcourse I
f realized t h a t I was
When Romi asks him persis-
tently w h e t h e r h e i s seeking G o d , he answers "Yes, somet h i n g like t h a t . q l 8 9 )
S i l l y ' s quest for meaning in t h i s
phoney world has been carried on i n a h o s t i l e atmosphere
The
a n d a t Last h e has t o pay a very heavy price for it.
s o p h i s t i c a t e d s o c i e t y in " i t s m i d d l e c l a s s mediocrityn,
o n l y knows t o b r a c k e t men l i k e Billy " w i t h irresponsible
f o o l s and common crimfnals" and consider it their d u t y to
prevent them from "seeking such meagre fulfilment of t h e i r
d e s t i n y a s t h e i r t o r t u r e d lives allowed. " (231 -32)
Attempts
of B i l l y t s f a t h e r and h i s w i f e employing t h e mighty rnachtnery
of the government t o capture h i m In order to b r i n g h i m back
to c i v i l i z a t i o n end in h i s being s h o t dead,
He s a c r i f i c e s
his l i f e for v i o l a t i n g t h e norms and ethos of t h e phoney c i v i -
lization, for daring to step o u t of its s t i f l i n g c o n f i n e s ,
Romi feels: "It was a s though we had k i l l e d one of t h e
numerous man-gods of t h e p r i m i t i v e pantheon.
"
(236)
Dhunia
is true when he says t h a t B i l l y f s "ltke rain on parched land,
l i k e a balm on a wound.
The hills have not seen t h e l i k e of
security." (20) She further exhorts him:
friends.
q o n e y made
Money succeeded where a l l e l s e failed.
were many laws
...
There
b u t money was a law unto itself." (20)
Her e x h o r t a t i o n appears t o him "as though a n o r a c l e had
spoken and xevealed t o me the mystery of t h e universen
and
was a v i s i o n "
which he h a s n o t forgotten. ( 2 1 )
R a t a n begins his l l f e i s journey t h r o u g h t h e chasm
created by t h e t w o c o n f l i c t i n g i d e o l o g i e s left by h i s
parents in a h o s t i l e world a f f l i c t e d with t h e p e s t i l e n c e
of m a t e r i a l i s m
and greed for money.
and resentment when h e is forced
He undergoes tensions
to p u t up t o t a l l y diver-
gent s o c i a l norms and e x p e c t a t i o n s .
He soon g e t s
a reali-
z a t i o n , t h a t life is clouded by chaos, absurdity, b x u t a l i t y
and i n s e n s i t i v i t y .
C o n f r o n t e d by such dehurnanising materia-
l l s m , a person l i k e Ratan guided by his father's s p i r i t of
s i m p l i c i t y , sacrffice and service to mankind f e e l s a l i e n a t e d
and crushed i n a p e t r i f i e d and frozen world of c i v i l i z a t i o n .
The humiliating expexiences undergone during h i s
search f o r a job e x p o s e Ratan t o the appalling c r u e l t y of
the human lot,
He is h o r r i f i e d to know how he "becomes a t
t h e age of twenty-one,
sham," ( 2 8 )
a h y p o c r i t e and a liar,
in short,
After joining a s a temporary clerk in t h e
department of war purchases, a morbid fear sounds hfrn a
warning
- the prospect of l o s l n g h i s temporary job,
as
there are a b o u t f i f t y persons waiting for confirmation,
a
Killing h i s conscience, he tries to make a career.
He be-
comes obedient and even d o c i l e to h i s boss, t h e Superin-
tendent,
He overworks, works up to e i g h t , while a l l o t h e r s
l e a v e the o f f i c e a t five,
One d a y t h e Superintendent sees
him searching f o r a f i l e i n t h e o f f i c e , alone a t eight*
He is very much impressed.
After s i x months, t h e Superin-
t e n d e n t g e t s him confirmed into a permanent p o s i t i o n .
It,
c l e a r l y , i s a favour bestowed on him by h i s boss a s there
are o n l y three o r four permanent v a c a n c i e s d e s p a r a t e l y
awaited by fifty of R a t a n ' s c l a s s .
After becoming permanent,
Ratan's next endeavour is t o work o u t h i s way fox promotion.
With this aim Ratan kills a l l scxuples lingering i n him.
His colleagues c a l l him a whore.
Turning a d e a f ear t o
t h e i r remarks, he e n t e r s into a ' d e a l t w i t h h i s Superinten-
dent to marry h i s niece, whom h e has never s e e n a s he i s
assured of t h e continuation of h i s j o b and even of a prom*
tion.
Ratan tells the silent listener:
Deals, d e a l s , d e a l s , my f r i e n d , t h a t i s w h a t
the world runs on, what is a l l about. If
men forget how to make d e a l s the world would
come to a s t o p . It would lose i t s p r o p e l l i n g
power. (51)
He grows greedy and wants t o s e i z e t h e great o p p o r t u n i t y
thrown open t o h i m .
niece.
So he d i d not
Soon he g e t s married to h i s boss's
lose h i s j o b and after sometime,
*two days after t h i s Republic was created; in fact, in
the honour of i t s c r e a t i o n , I was made an officer." ( 5 3 )
After getting h i s promotion as a n officer, R a t a n
Son of
undergoes a t h o r o u g h metamorphosis in his outlook,
a freedom f i g h t e r , who a l w a y s grew v i o l e n t , rebellious even
a t t h e thought of 'careers,
of time becomes
fla
bourgeois f i l t h , " ( 4 ) in course
thick-skin and washout." ( 4 1 )
His change
is so complete t h a t "the turbulence a l w a y s d i e d until it
ceased to e r u p t a l t o g e t h e r . "
he l e a s t n e e d s money,
(41)
He a c c e p t s bribes
when
The new c o r r u p t life still r a i s e s
scruples in him a n d confounds h i m a l l t h e more and he f a i l s
to sort o u t the r i g h t fxom the wrong:
The f e e l i n g s generated in me a g r e a t confusion.
What had I done, w h a t had I done which I
should n o t have done? What was right, what
was wrong7 What was t h e measure f o r doing
things or n o t doing them? (72-73)
H i s confusion h a s reduced him to " t h e s t a t u s of those leaves
of autumn t h a t are blown here and there,
wind.
a t the
mercy of the
(73) Haunted wf t h such confusion, Ratan u n d e r t a k e s
a q u e s t f o r p e a c e in t h i s world of s o p h i s t i c a t i o n and c o r r u p
tion.
He confesses before Hirmat that h i s t w e n t y - f i v e years
job has been a waste:
,,.
T h a t is a terrible sensation
the r e a l f z a tion t h a t one's l i f e has been a total waste,
a great mistake, w i t h o u t purpose, w i t h o u t
results. There are many sorrows in t h e world,
but t h e r e is n o t h i n g in the t h r e e worlds to
match t h e sorrow of a wasted l i f e . A l l else,
t h o u g h t s of revenge, of pleasure, of p a i n ,
p a l e before it, a r e made p o f n t l e s s . (140)
R a t a n ' s quest f o r peace, a t last takes him t o t h e temple.
He is horrified to discover that even r e l i g i o n is n o t free
from c o r r u p t i o n ; it is c o r r u p t and can haxdly be expected
t o provide the much needed solace t o a troubled soul
in
He is shaken out of h i s moral i n e r t i a on
life's journey.
seeing the faceless head of h i s f r i e n d , t h e Brigadier,
The
moral degradation and i t s evil consequences are r e a l i z e d by
Ra tan.
Madhusudan Prasad rightly remarks:
Having viewed h i s r a p i d moral downfall in
the background of h i s g l o r i o u s heritage,
Ratan g r i e v o u s l y realizes the f u t i l i t y
and t h e hallowness of h i s whole l i f e , and
plans to repent f o r his misdeeds sincerely.
He becomes a n apprentice t o h i s moral and
s p i r i t u a l reconstruction and begins to
learn * t o b e of use" a s h i s f a t h e r would
say, "whatever you do touches someone
somewhere. n f O
A t t h e end he t r i e s to derive peace and solace to h i s wearied
soul by p a y i n g a penance f o r h i s h y p o c r i s y by undertaking t h e
menial work of c l e a n i n g the shoes of the people who visit the
t e m p l e everyday,
Ratan's metamorphosis may a p p e a r unreal and unnatural.
R.S. Pathak has a s u i t a b l e answer to t h i s d o u b t :
Ratant s c o n v e r s i o n may sound somewhat unn a t u r a l and rather extreme. But it is
very much possible under t h e circumstances
of h i s life, and h a s been f o u n d to take
p l a c e more t h a n once b o t h in l i t e r a t u r e
and a c t u a l l5fe. An absolute humility and
genial acceptance of life a s i t is can
undoubtedly create an inner centre of
peace and serenity f o r t h e i n d i v i d u a l .
,,
The Last Labyrinth, Arun Joshits fourth n o v e l explores
t h e agony and turbulence in t h e troubled soul of Som Rhaskar,
the Western educated
Som Bhaskar, a
, weal t h y
millionaire
at
industrial g i a n t of Bombay.
the early age of thirty has
everything t h a t makes him happy in the world.
He married a
b e a u t i f u l woman, who was I t a l l t h a t a wife could be,n and
1s blessed with t w o handsome children.
a l l upn
hungers,
Yet h e "goofed it
(40) a n d 1 s relentlessly haunted by undeffned
He is a s s a i l e d by a t o r m e n t of roaring
holow-
ness inside h i s soul and boredom and weariness a s a result
of v a r i o u s experiences.
T h e ceaseless orchestras of h i s
discontent make him a t thirty five "a worn-out weary man
i n c a p a b l e of spontaneous feeling."
(14)
He always feels
t h a t he is l t 1 i k e a h a r e chased by unseen hounds.ll ( 1 2 )
He e s t i m a t e s himself a s a person "wondering, c u r i o u s ,
a n a l y z i n g , c o r r e l a t i n g n and of course "getting nowhere."
(80) He tells to Anusadha:
I
am d i s l o c a t e d .
"I'll tell you w h a t is wrong
M y mind 1 s out of focus,
..,
There is something
sitting r i g h t in front of m e and I cannot see iten (107)
Taking rest in bed a f t e r slipping down on the polished
f l o o r , Sam feels a s though struck by t h u n d e r , b l e d t o t a l l y
of energyn a n d t h a t i n s i d e himn there
was
n o t h i n g b u t an empty
roaring, l i k e the roar of t h e sea i n a conch." ( 1 1 5 )
He is
always " d i z z y , o f f - b a l a n c e " and is h a u n t e d by vague f e a r s
which have n o t h i n g to d o w i t h his body or n e r v e s ,
His a f f l i c -
tions push him down into 'a bottomless p i t of d e s p a i r l i k e a
shipwrecked s a i l o r s i n k i n g into the ocean." (144)
always haunted by mysterious voices
a u d i b l e only to my ears, a grey c r y threshed
the n i g h t a i r : I want, I want. Through the
l i g h t of my days and the blackness of my
nights and the d i s q u i e t of those s l e e p l e s s
...IIwant.
had sung the
I want,
hours
f want,
same
strident song:
I want.
(11)
He is
He thinks t h a t h i s vague desires r a n t i n g a n d r a v i n g in h i s
t r o u b l e d s o u l can be s a t i s f i e d by possessing Anuradha, who
is of an indeterminate age and origin, t a l l b e a u t i f u l and
tender.
He
says t h a t f o x many
years he has been haunted
by an awful feeling that he wanted something.
But unfortu-
n a t e l y it has n o t made the slightest difference when he
managed to g e t what he wanted.
bad a s ever,
,,.
H i s hunger was "just a s
Later, i t became more confused
world s p i n n i n g a l l by i t s e l f . " ( 1 8 9 )
..,
A
His pxoblem of unhappi-
ness and d i s c o n t e n t is a n a l y s e d by Anuradha and Leela S a b n i s .
Anuradha says:
"you don' t know what is wrong and you don1 t
know what is wrong and you donqt know w h a t you want
.
lt
( 1 06)
Leela Sabnis analyses t h e cause of his troubles and a t t r i b u t e s
it to h i s h a b i t of n a l w a y s p l a y i n g games w i t h t h e world" and
tells him:
"You are lonely on the one hand.
you h a v e b u i l t a shell around yourself.
bored s t i l l i n your little shell,
..,
On the o t h e r ,
You are bored,
That I s the long and short
of it. "800)
The d i f f i c u l t i e s and troubles of Som a r e m u l t i p l i e d by
t h e "terrible lonelinessn of h i s h e a r t and also by a h a u n t i n g
sense of meaninglessness in life,
While still
a student,
awed by t h e f u t i l e activities of l i f e , he approaches t h e
Headmaster's wife and requests her n t o e x p l a i n the meaning
of it all.
(24)
Later he learns t h a t life is full complica-
tions and it is "a l a b y r i n t h w i t h i n t h e labyrinthsn ( 2 9 ) like
the Lanes and bylanes of Benaras.
For him life is "vanity of
v a n i t i e s n ( 3 2 ) and compares it to "meaningless flights of
stairs" (34) and "a fisherman's n e t . "
on life is:
(37) Sornts o p i n i o n
" N o t h i n g was s t r a i g h t - f o r w a r d .
running a hurdle r a c e , " (133)
One was always
In t h e course of h i s
quest
f o r t h e meaning of l i f e , Som develops na new l o a t h i n g f o r
the s q u a l i d world."
gust:
He expresses h i s h o r r i f y i n g d i s -
(46)
"It is t h e voids of the world, more t h a n its objects,
t h a t bother me "the voices and t h e empty spaces, w i t h i n a n d
without.
"
(47)
The g r e a t e s t dilemma of human l i f e is t h e ultimate
reality, i , e + , death,
mere t h o u g h t of it.
Som,
l i k e h i s f a t h e r is vexed by t h e
He says:
more t h a n d e a t h . " ( 1 5 )
"there was nothing I l o a t h e d
His wish is to know its secret "with-
o u t nagging, e n e r v a t i n g doubts." ( 5 3 )
He considers it point-
less in r u n n i n g madly with outstretched arms in p u r s u i t of
" l i t t l e pleasures" or " l i t t l e vendettasw, in l i f e , i f death
is t o wind up a l l . (65)
Som, who cannot make any headway i n
knowing meaning in life, t h i n k s of the world:
"a mysterious
world, as p r e t e n t i o u s and meaningless a s the holy b u l l s of
B e n a r a ~ . (108)
~
He has a genjlne interest t o peep i n t o the
mystery of t h e world.
He
says:
"Nothing had Interested me
more t h a n the secrets of the universe." (129)
haunted by t h e q u e s t i o n s of l i f e and death:
He is always
"And always in
various shades of c o h e ~ e n c e ,he
~ says, " t h e spoken or unspoken
q u e s t i o n , like a vulture circled the corpse of m y l i f e :
When Som a s k s A f t a b
what l a y i n t h e L a s t l a b y r i n t h ? " ( 1 2 2 )
what lies in the last labyrinth in t h e La1 H a v e l i , h e replies:
Why, death
of cause,
"37)
Sorn wants
to know where one goes
after t h i s life:
....
i t , then? The terminus?
The last of the labyrinth?
Was it t h i s
t h a t ? had wanted a l l my life? Was this the
answer to the relentless c h a n t "I want, I
want," Why was it so u n s a t i s f y i n g ? Or maybe,
the l a b y r i n t h h a d n ' t ended. Something else
l a y ahead, s o m e t h i n g more than a miracle,
(211)
Was t h i s i t , then?
..,"
Som fails t o f i n d any s a t i s f a c t o r y answers t o these questions.
Always guided by r a t i o n a l i t y , he refuses t o a c c e p t any ready-
made answer t o h i s problem, such a s b e l i e f i n supernatural
elements or b l i n d adherence t o f a t a l i s m or determinism. His
f a t h e r , a r a t i o n a l i s t was a chemist who turned into a n indus-
trialist, believed in "he
fundamental u n i t y i n the construc-
t i o n of t h e universen and always maintained t h a t "everything
happens in cycles
- Birth,
Growth,
D e c l i n e and Death."
(27)
He used to wonder if there could not possibly be a Flxst Cause
behind t h e creation t h e universe, which he regarded to be "the
expression of a willn though h e had no evidence to b e l i e v e
t h a t there was d i v i n e w i l l . (204)
of melancholia by these "bigger
He
was
driven t o t h e edge
I n t e r r o g a t i o n s t ' and ''a know-
l e d g e of verities sparsely known among ordinary men.
Sorn's g r a n d f a t h e r ,
"
( ? 56)
on the o t h e r hand, was "reckless, happy,
unburdened by philosophical speculation. 'I
( 1 56)
Though h e
is an ardent believer in Darwin he feels bogged down when he
f i n d s t h a t "Darwin d i d n o t say how we are supposed t o e v o l v e
further."
( 132)
Som's
lonely q u e s t for life's meaning becomes d i f f i c u l t
-
far h i m since h e tries t o g e t the best of b o t h worlds
material world and the spiritual world,
He thinks:
the
"What I
needed p e r h a p s , was s o m e t h i n g , somebody, somewhere in which
t h e t w o worlds are combined." ( 8 2 )
It is o n l y one's i l l u s i o n
to try to b r i n g a synthesis of t h e two worlds.
t h a t Som is prone to " r o m a n t i c i z i n g
than life.
"
( 1 89)
Dr. K. f e e l s
,,,. blowing things larger
Som is trapped i n such an u n f o r t u n a t e situa-
tion a s e x p l a i n e d by himself:
...
I had sorrows, t h a t d i d n o t l e t m e breathe
Then, there was the greatest sorrow of them
all
t h a t no one even guessed: There was
the sorrow of idleness
B u t there was
always this b i t of me, a large bit, somewhere
between t h e head and the chest, just f d l i n g
about like a s t a t i o n a r y engine, g e t t i n g i n volved with n o t h i n g , It made me feel a s
though I was asleep, T h i s w a s no j o k e . In
fact it was one of t h e weirdest thing t o
happen to anybody, ( 109-1 0)
--
..,
And above all, the oppressive turbulence of the v o i d s will
n o t l e t him to be
alone,
F o r hfm:
"Everything was a haze.
Time i t s e l f seemed w i p e d off l i k e t h e spools of
(110)
a
computer."
Gargils answers f a i l to s a t i s f y t h e r a t i o n a l Som who
dubs them a s wmumb-jurnbo" answers. (163)
The religious minded
people's "half-assed rigmoralen (2081, too, f a i l s to impress
him.
He has the scientific b r a i n of h i s f a t h e r .
evidence for every statement.
He wants
Even if he wants t o have f a i t h
in God he demands e v i d e n c e of t h e e x i s t e n c e of God.
Gargi:
"I
want
Probably,
to know.
one c a n qt order b e l i e f .
X w a n t to
He tells
But
believe.
I must have evidence, "
He
(213)
w a n t s t o have scientific method of experimental v e r i f i c a t i o n
This is the c r u x of h i s f a i l u r e to know
t o know God a l s o .
the meantng of l i f e .
F i n d i n g himself flogged by l i f e and
completely vanquished he e x p r e s s e s a t e r r i b l e w i s h f o r d e a t h ,
A s s a i l e d by doubts and d e s p a i r
he y e a r n s f o r a peaceful d e a t h .
His v a s t business empire is crumbling and is reduced t o "a
b i g mess." ( 2 2 3 ) Strange thoughts carom around h i s s k u l l .
He wonders:
" A r e t h e y t h e harbingers, t h e p i l o t - e s c o r t ,
melancholia?
Of i n s a n i t y ?
the p i l o t - e s c o r t
You never know w h a t is
Faith?
of what,n (223)
of
R e t u r n i n g home, Sorn tries
to commit s u i c i d e by s h o o t i n g himself w i t h h i s revolver, h i s
w i f e G e e t a p u l l s it away from his temple and shakes h i m "gently
as though r o u s i n g a man from sleep."
(224)
Geeta may perhaps
cure h i m of h i s doubts a n d d e s p a i r and restore peace t o him by
her i n t e l l i g e n c e and u n d e r s t a n d i n g .
Thus the heroes of Arun
J o s h i make a long journey in this hostile w o r l d in which they
f i n d themselves a l i e n s ,
It takes
a
the world and shed t h e i r obsessions.
lif+time to understand
On t h e attempts made by
Joshils protago nists in their quest for i d e n t i t y , 0.P.
and G, R a i observe:
They constitute varied attempts on the p a r t
of the protagonists to a r r i v e a t self reali-
sation.
The outward journeys performed by
of t h e i r relentless
m o s t of them are symbolic
quest f o r a personal salvation and a meaningf u l g o a l , Their s p i r i t u a l hunger b r i n g s out
Mathur
w i t h a p o l g n a n t c l a r i t y the utter meaninglessn e s s of w o r l d l y prosperity w h i c h a l l of t h e m
a l x e a d y h a v e or achieve i n couxse of t h e i r
lives,
They yearn to t r a n s c e n d the wasteland
of w e a l t h f nto a regfon of higher values.12
NOTES
Su j a t h a M a t h a i , " I ' m a S t r a n g e r to m y Bookstt,
of I n d i a , J u l y 7 , 1983, p.7,
M,K.
The T i m e s
N a i k , D i m e n s i o n s of I n d i a n E n q l i s h L i t e r a t u r e
Sterlinq PublFshers P r i v a t e Ltd,, 19843
( N ~ WDelhi:
Meenakshi Mukherjee, Twice Born Fiction, op. c i t . ,
p.203.
Mural1 D a s M e l w a n i , Themes in Ind+Anqlian Li tera ture:
( 0 a r e f l l y : P r a k a s h Book Depot, 19771, p.66.
"Quest f o r Meaning in Arun Joshits Novels",T h e ~ o v e l sof
- Arun J o s h i, ~d ,-R.K, haw an, ( N e w Delhi:
R.S,Pathak,
Frestige, 1 9 9 2 ) , p . 4 8 .
O.P.Bhatnagar,
"The A r t a n d V i s i o n of Arun J o s h i "
F i c t i o n a l World of Arun J a s h i , Ed. R.K.Dhawan,
op. cit.,
p . 57.
S u s h e e l Kumar Sharma, "The S t r a n q e Case of B i l l y Riswas:
A psychograph of a n ~
l
i
i
of Arun J o s h i , Ed. R.K. Dhawan, op. c i t , , p.167.
Madhusudan P r a s a d , "Arun J o s h i " , I n d i a n Enqlish Novelist
Ed. Madhusudan P r a s a d , o p . c i t . , pp, 37-58.
O.P.Bhatnagar,
*'The A r t and V i s i o n of Arun J o s h i "
.
.
The F i c t i o n a l World of Arun Joshf, Ed. R.K. Dhawan,
op. c i t . , p.58.
Madhusudan Prasad, "Arun S o s h i n Indian E n q l i s h Novelists,
op. cit., p.60.
R.S.Pathak,
"Quest f o r Meaning in Arun Joshi's Novelstf,
Novels of Arun J o s h i , Ed. R.K. Dhawan, op. cit., p.72.
G,P,Mathur and G. Rai. "Arun J o s h f and the L a b y r i n t h
of Lifen, T h e F i c t i o n a l World of Arun J o s h i , op, cit,,
p.153.