Beyond Silence
Kusum Ansal Roli Books
Rs: 295
Pp: 247
Colour Does matter, emphasises Kusum Ansal in her latest novel Beyond Silence. The author makes a good attempt to highlight pressing social issues in South Africa, spiced with the flavour of Indian family melodrama. If one loves Bollywood films with the entire gamut of maudlin weeping, predictable twists and, of course, the inevitable financial crunches a middle class family faces, then this is the novel for you.
The story begins with the relocation of Anvita, the protagonist, from India to Durban after her marriage. In the midst of the Indian community there, she witnesses the complexity of a fledgling democracy, learns about South Africa?s apartheid past and the ongoing turbulence the nation is grappling with.
However, Anvita?s personal agony overshadows the unfolding of the country?s historical background. Even the roles of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela are not well established, considering the fact that the book is based on the suffering of the blacks as well as the Indians and their fight for rights.
Unfortunately, the micro takes over the macro. The story is wrapped around Anvita?s search for a perfect family and a stellar career. She roots her ambition in the fabric of African society, which is riddled with high crime rates, racial discrimination and high unemployment.
Interestingly, Ansal brings out the difference between the resilience of the people living in South Africa and India through her characters.
A strong character, Anvita has a positive outlook towards life, even though fate has not been very kind to her. She goes through the trauma of witnessing her near and dear ones being gang raped; her own husband getting afflicted with HIV; and the ill-treatment meted out by the whites to the blacks and Indians.
Beyond Silence is divided into three parts. It follows a journey where Anvita transforms from a prisoner of the past into an architect of the future. Incidentally, she is an architect in the book. The three sub-divisions in the story define her three characters?an adjusting family female, a hungry career woman and a brave mother. The author has beautifully portrayed Anvita?s character and emotions, while describing her love for her boss Subramaniam.
In fact, Anvita personifies the title Beyond Silence. She becomes a successful architect, faces the imminent death of her husband and gives birth to Subramaniam?s child. She doesn?t even tell Subramaniam about the child. Eventually, she plans to go back to India to explore her inner self. Subramaniam too understands everything beyond silence and fulfills her desire to visit India?with a wish to have her back.