Malayalam writer Sethu began his literary journey in the 1960s and over time, became a leading author in his language. The Cuckoo’s Nest is not a translation of one of his Malayalam works; it’s the first novel Sethu has written in English. It was an excellent idea for him to tell the story in a language that is followed by a significant section of the educated Indian middleclass. The Cuckoo’s Nest makes us reflect on some of the dreadful realities of our time in the context of the country as a whole.
In a short, 260-page novel, can anyone cover a range of truths from the bottomless misogyny that cuts across geography and cultures of India, to the deep hatred of the upper-caste Hindu towards the the children of lesser gods, to the “othering” of a part of our own people for pitiless political gains and the eager collaboration of a part of the Hindu religious establishment in the project, to the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, and more importantly, to an undercurrent of love and tolerance of a people which are much older than the Western concept of liberal humanism, and which has held together a civilisation for five thousand years? Can you think of a novel that connects a Khap Panchayets of Haryana to an exploitative convent in Tamilnadu and yet manages to convey a message not of despair but of resounding hope? I wouldn’t have, unless I had read this novel.
The central character of The Cuckoo’s Nest is a former holy sister who has renounced her role in a convent, but not her faith in Jesus. Sister Agatha has left her convent and set up – with the help of some other noble souls in a small town in Tamilnadu – a home for young women who the society throws out for one reason or another. Her shelter becomes a microcosm of those margins of the Indian society where lots of unfortunate Indian women struggle before falling off the cliff. Agatha’s aim is to offer them a nest until they are ready to fly away. In the context of her nest, she is religion-neutral and doesn’t preach. Rather, she forbids religion there, except within the personal space of each occupant.
Agatha doesn’t tread the hackneyed path of tailoring classes or formal “education”. She doesn’t even hand-hold the hopeless girls. She just encourages them to find their own path to an honourable life. Some of them succeed, some don’t.
But the story of every one of the unfortunate girls makes compelling reading. While offering a glimpse into a largely unknown world, Sethu weaves their yarns with the refined skill of a master craftsman, which makes the book easy reading, despite its somewhat heavy contents. However, I wish he had the support of a more ruthless editor and the book was free from the rather numerous linguistic glitches and typos.
[The Cuckoo's Nest, Sethu, Niyogi Books, New Delhi, 2019]
22 April 2020
In a short, 260-page novel, can anyone cover a range of truths from the bottomless misogyny that cuts across geography and cultures of India, to the deep hatred of the upper-caste Hindu towards the the children of lesser gods, to the “othering” of a part of our own people for pitiless political gains and the eager collaboration of a part of the Hindu religious establishment in the project, to the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, and more importantly, to an undercurrent of love and tolerance of a people which are much older than the Western concept of liberal humanism, and which has held together a civilisation for five thousand years? Can you think of a novel that connects a Khap Panchayets of Haryana to an exploitative convent in Tamilnadu and yet manages to convey a message not of despair but of resounding hope? I wouldn’t have, unless I had read this novel.
The central character of The Cuckoo’s Nest is a former holy sister who has renounced her role in a convent, but not her faith in Jesus. Sister Agatha has left her convent and set up – with the help of some other noble souls in a small town in Tamilnadu – a home for young women who the society throws out for one reason or another. Her shelter becomes a microcosm of those margins of the Indian society where lots of unfortunate Indian women struggle before falling off the cliff. Agatha’s aim is to offer them a nest until they are ready to fly away. In the context of her nest, she is religion-neutral and doesn’t preach. Rather, she forbids religion there, except within the personal space of each occupant.
Agatha doesn’t tread the hackneyed path of tailoring classes or formal “education”. She doesn’t even hand-hold the hopeless girls. She just encourages them to find their own path to an honourable life. Some of them succeed, some don’t.
But the story of every one of the unfortunate girls makes compelling reading. While offering a glimpse into a largely unknown world, Sethu weaves their yarns with the refined skill of a master craftsman, which makes the book easy reading, despite its somewhat heavy contents. However, I wish he had the support of a more ruthless editor and the book was free from the rather numerous linguistic glitches and typos.
[The Cuckoo's Nest, Sethu, Niyogi Books, New Delhi, 2019]
22 April 2020
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