MISTRESS

“Mistress”, is a novel written by one of the most exciting female writers of India – Anita Nair. The pace of the novel was good, but sometimes I found she was describing things very elaborately which hindered the flow. Nair’s writing style is exquisite and the way she weaves the story is excellent.

The whole story revolves around KathaKali and the 9 emotions or expressions (navarasas) that describe a person’s life. The emotions are:

Sringaaram: means Love. We have words for this flooding that can sweep away all other thoughts. Pleasure, longing, lust... we call it by so many names.

Haasyam: means Contempt.

Karunam: means Sorrow. All of us have known sorry some time or the other

Raudram: means Fury. The common fallacy is to think raudram is a synonym of anger. Nothing wrong with that, for raudram wears the countenance of anger. Wrath, even.

Veeram: means Valour.

Bhayaanakam: means Fear. The state of being frightened can stem from many things. A wild beast, an evil man, a natural calamity, a dark night.

Beebhalsam: means Disgust. The expression that contorts your face when you stumble across a grotesque.

Adbhutam: means Wonder. And wonder is immediate. It cannot be premeditated or calculated. If you do that, it isn't wonder.

Shaantam: means Detachment. Shaantam is not turning yourself into a catatonic being. An absence of desire. A coming to term with life. When all is done, that is what we all aspire to. Shaantam.

Nair describes these emotions and plots the story around it. The story revolves around Radha, Shyam, Chris, Uncle Koman and uncle’s ancestors. After describing and elaborating each emotion, she continues with the main story and shows how the main characters of the story feel the same emotion. Through this was difficult but the way she joined the parts was awesome.

The story was gripping and didn’t feel like dropping the novel before it was complete.

Key terms: Adultery, Bigamy, Unsafe Sex, Rape, Honor, Religion, KathaKali.