In these chaotic times when the issues surrounding sexual harassment seem to have become increasingly obfuscating, it is heartening to come across a young male author who has been championing feminist causes through his novels. Tuhin A. Sinha, screenwriter and the best-selling author of "The Edge Of Desire" is all set to launch the book's sequel, "The Edge of Power".
The Edge of Desire was loosely based upon the idea of Mahabharat where a rape of the woman in the Bihar of late nineties alters the destiny of the nation. The Edge of Power is set in 2013 and links crimes against women to the declining quality of our political representation.
Here's an excerpt from the book:
Ravi Nehra drove Rhea straight to a desolate spot on the banks of Lake Damdama, 40 km away from Delhi. Rhea was mesmerized by the beauty of the spot. Surrounded by the Aravali Hills on all sides, she didn't know a place as serene as this existed such a short distance from home. A few steps away stood a small, ancient Shiva Temple. Ravi held her hand and lead her towards it. What Rhea saw here left her nonplussed. There were two old priests waiting for them, with all the arrangements ready to perform a wedding ceremony, including a small mandap for the pheras which seemed to have been built overnight. At that point, two errand boys came in, one carrying two massive flower garlands for the bride and groom, while the other carried an elegantly simple kurta and pyjama. Rhea looked at Ravi in shock. Before she could ask him anything, Ravi had the answer ready. 'I want to marry you, Rhea. I want you to be my wife.'
Rhea tried to make sense of the hasty marriage. Ravi explained that his saadhe-sati or the seven-and-a-half year spell of Saturn was starting next week, making it an inauspicious phase for marriage. Besides, he was madly in love with her and found it difficult to be away from her. What better day then than her birthday to make her his wife?
'Raviji, the auspicious mahurat for the day is getting over,' warned one of the pandits.
Ravi turned to Rhea. 'Rhea, don't worry. We will make our marriage public only when you are ready for it, okay? But trust me, I've got both our horoscopes studied and we won't find a better day than this for many years.'
Saying this, he hugged Rhea. 'You stay here for a bit. I'll quickly change into the kurta and come.'
Rhea, left to her self, looked out into the horizon, into the seamless firmament where the sky met the earth. She quietly stepped aside and imagined having a chat with Sharad Malviya.
'Dad, I'm getting married. I don't know whether I'm taking the right decision or not. But as you always told me, it's better to do something I believe in and fail, rather than not do it and regret it all my life. I believe in marriage; I believe in the man who wants to make me his wife. Dad, I so wish you were alive to witness this moment. I need your blessings, Dad...'
Rhea and Ravi exchanged the seven vows of Hindu marriage on the banks of the lake. Then Ravi put some sindoor in the parting in her hair. 'You are husband and wife now,' declared the pandit.
Rhea just looked into the horizon, nervous and unsure but also happy deep within.
'Why hasn't Guruji reached yet?' she heard Ravi ask someone on the phone.
'He is on his way,' came the reply.
After the marriage was solemnized, they waited for a good half hour for the 'guruji' to arrive. Rhea wondered who this guruji was, but Ravi wanted it to be a surprise.
And then they saw a car approach. As the car drew closer, Rhea saw it was a Mercedes. The tinted windows though gave no idea of who sat inside. The silver coloured car finally drew up in front of them, and out stepped a saffron-clad, heavily-bearded entity with two gun-toting bodyguards in tow: it was the controversial Godman, Yogi Maharaj, who was only recently out of prison for alleged FERA(Foreign Exchange Regulations Act) violations. Ravi instantly touched his feet and asked Rhea to follow suit.
'Guruji is my spiritual mentor,' he informed her. 'No important deed of mine is formalized without his blessings.'
As Rhea touched guruji's feet, he blessed her by putting his right palm over her head. And when he did so, she got a closer view of his eyes: one bloodshot red and the other probably of stone; both nonetheless capable of scaring away the faint-hearted.
'May you both have a very successful marriage with lots of children,' blessed the Guruji.
As Ravi got down to chatting with his guruji, Rhea felt her first tinge of apprehension. She wondered if like the sudden marriage and the equally sudden entry of guruji, there were more surprises in store for her and whether some of them could possibly be unpleasant or even plain obnoxious. Her thoughts though were interrupted by Ravi's words.
'Rhea, have you informed Shrutiji about our marriage?'
Shruti Ranjan was holding a rally in a small village in the Medak district of Andhra Pradesh rooting aggressively for the creation of the Telangana state. 'We have always favoured the creation of smaller states, especially when such a move helps meet the legitimate aspirations of the people of the given region. Besides, such a move strengthens the federal structure of the country. As such, I promise you all today that if you vote the Nationalist League (Sharad) to power in the next elections, we will create a separate state for Telangana within 90 days...'
Even as Shruti made this speech, she saw her secretary, Chhavi gesture to her, indicating it was an urgent phone call. Finding Chhavi's behaviour unusual, Shruti finally excused herself to take the call.
'Shruti, I just got married,' Rhea said without ceremony.
Shruti's heart sank when she heard the news; she prayed it was a prank...
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