“Who knew what unsaid things deep inside found expression in a vote?”
With the 2024 Indian general election in sight, reading
Sakina’s Kiss by Vivek Shanbhag, translated from Kannada by Srinath Perur felt
well-timed.
Venkat and Viji’s comfortable, rather ‘ordinary’ life as their college-going daughter Rekha calls it with disinterest, is ruffled up when Rekha goes missing when returning home from a visit to Venkat’s village. Her college mates (males) and local goons visiting her house, insisting they talk to her urgently prior to the news of her disappearance spikes worries. Rekha comes back home safe but Venkat, like us readers, has a lot to decode and mull about.
A crisp picture of today’s society, centered about an urban nuclear family, Sakina’s Kiss in the guise of a thriller touches upon many issues - moral righteousness, misogyny, patriarchy, insurmountable challenges of parenting, ‘women empowerment’ that is easier to preach but hard to practice, its interpretation that many women feel begins by taming the men at home.
For its myriad topics, it isn’t ‘ghachar ghochar’ (meaning messy) for it is well written (translated) and taut with the exception of the last two chapters where it felt languorous. Pegged between Venkat’s father who is annoyed when his wife’s younger brother writes all his letters addressed to her, ‘How will anyone know who Sundari is?’ he smirks and Venkat’s wife who openly threatens to leave him if he casts his vote for a misogynistic politician, the narrative flows revealing how times have changed, at least in some ways.
Sakina’s Kiss upset me with its characters. Venkat irked me, either with his complacence or cowardice. The only time he felt he reined in was during his honeymoon and this gave me creeps. Rekha is a wild child who believes anarchy is synonymous with freedom. Most daughters and mothers share a special bond but Viji, ganging up with Rekha & ousting Venkat every single time, felt toxic. Venkat elicits a little pity, then I remember it’s all his POV and doubt if my reaction is unwarranted.
Important messages but tepid characters - that is my one line summary for the book.
