Sakina's Kiss by Vivek Shanbhag

 'I  find getting killed preferable'

Vivek Shanbhag is a Kannada author and playwright became whose first book to be translated into English – 'Gachar Ghochar’, published in 2016 received a lot of critical acclaim and made him a household name in the world of Indian English fiction writing. It won numerous awards, was translated into many other languages world-wide and hence his next work was eagerly awaited. Sakina’s Kiss (Penguin Random House, 2023) is his new book (translated by Srinath Perur, who had  also translated Gachar Ghochar) and it does not disappoint though it is much lengthier (180 pages) than Gachar Ghochar (115 pages). I mentioned the length because brevity is Vivek’s strength and that made his first book so powerful.

A typical middle-class couple’s (Venkat and Viji) college going daughter, Rekha, goes to visit her ancestral village. Meanwhile, a couple of students from her college pay a visit to the couple enquiring about her. On further enquiry it is revealed that although the daughter left for home from the village, she then went incommunicado. The couple rush to the village where the ancestral home and the land is being looked after by Venkat’s uncle Antanna. A journalist in the village may or may not know about Rekha’s whereabouts. The visit brings back memories to Venkat of growing up in the village along with his extended family and he is forced to confront the unpleasant secrets buried there. The fragile inter and intra family relationships and complexities are gradually revealed though not explicitly (as I think is Vivek’s signature style). A lot is left unsaid and it is up to the reader to take the cues and interpret in his /her own way. There are multiple open possibilities and the dice can roll any which way.

Unlike Gachar Gochar, on occasions I did find the narrative meandering but not for long. Apart from the gaze on the frailties of human relations, this book also makes a telling commentary on several other issues plaguing the country including the state of journalism and students’ politics.

If you liked Gachar Gochar, you should go for this one as well. If you have not read either then my suggestion would be to embark on the journey asap.

City on Fire - A Boyhood in Aligarh by Zayed Masroor Khan

 

‘I will never have the courage to completely abandon my home , Aligarh- a beautiful curse’

 

I assume for many people, especially from urban areas, reading Zeyad Masroor Khan’s poignant coming of age memoir, City on Fire (Harper Collins, 2023) would be like entering a parallel universe where you never know when your neighborhood will turn on you or your family and a riot can break out at the drop of a hat. Having experienced this from close quarters once, I can assure you that it can be a horrible experience.  For others who have grown up in similar and small communally sensitive towns like Meerut or Moradabad will be able to identify more with his story which is based in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

Aligarh is normally in the news because of AMU (Aligarh Muslim University) or due to the recent news of request for its name change to ‘Hari’garh from ‘Ali’garh by a section of the right-wing. Only a few kilometers away from the University, are located densely populated colonies with crisscrossing narrow roads (‘How can a lane be this narrow?’) which have often been ravaged by deadly riots in the past and are sharply divided on communal lines namely Hindu areas and Muslim areas. The author grew up in one such colony (Uber Kot) in his ancestral home (Farsh Manzil) in a joint family. The author tracks his journey from growing up in this Muslim ghetto to going to school and university, first in Aligarh and then in Delhi to working in Delhi and finally being back to Aligarh to focus on his writing. It is quite interesting to realize that even though there’s always an underlying animosity between the two neighborhoods, they also cannot do without each other because of the commercial inter-dependence on each other. At another level it is frightening to imagine that the person whom you’ve know for a long time and been talking normally all this time might just take your life the next moment! The author also interweaves in this journey, the personal happening in his life as the joint family grew and the tensions it created within. I think he has nicely balanced this internal personal narrative along with the external.

While in Delhi he realizes that the hatred and animosity he thought he had left behind in Aligarh had followed him to the big city as he is forced to abandon his home in Delhi during the peak of the anti-CAA protest which lead to riots in parts of the capital city. As they say the more you try to run from something, the more you may be nearing it.

However, the author ends on a reconciliatory and hopeful note in spite of what we have witnessed in the last decade, which I guess is a testament to  his love for his ‘home’.

Dream Machine by Laurent Daudet and Appupen

                                             Dream Machine

Perhaps one of the most disruptive events in the recent times has been the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. The world has since been embroiled in analyzing the dangers and benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with several doomsday scenarios already floating around.

So, what exactly does the rise of AI mean for us and the world? How can it be harnessed for the good of mankind and the not-so good uses it can be put to? ‘Dream Machine’ (Westland Books, 2024), a new graphic novel by the graphic artist Appupen (Moonward, Legends of Halahala) and Laurent Daudet (Physics professor and CEO of an AI start-up) attempts to answer some of the questions surrounding the break-through technology.

Hugo runs a Paris based AI startup called KLAI with whom a large technology company called REAL wants to sign an exclusive deal to utilize KLAI’s technology for their upcoming AI products. Hugo and his team are obviously excited as this offer promises to carry them to the big league (and maybe a bigger flat for Hugo and his partner Anna). REAL is pressurizing Hugo not to overthink and get aboard quickly (‘because there is not enough time to think or wait for proof. It is the opportunity that we must seize’).

However, discussions with his fellow scientists, friends (including a graphic artist who could be Appupen himself) and an international watchdog group working for ethical AI raises doubts in Hogo’s mind regarding the actual intentions and aim of REAL. They could be working towards a technology which can imperil democracies and freedom around the world  amongst other things. He is now in a dilemma as to whether he should go ahead with the deal or not? What would be the best way to use AI? What are some of the ethical issues at the heart of the debate?

The novel is text heavy as it includes a brief description on how AI and its components work. This could prove to be a bit dense for some people and I feel they could have edited some of these details out. Appupen’s graphic work, with its intricate linework, is wonderful as usual. A little abstract but completely in sync with the story and helps to helps to clarify the concepts touched upon. At 156 pages, the graphic is not a quick read and you need to spend time with it to get the best out of it. Even though the story is based in Europe, it touches upon a lot of issues we in India have been facing over the last decade and I am sure a lot of you will be able to identify with the concerns raised.

Recommended if you are interested in AI and it's potential or a fan of Appupen's art.