Some wounds refuse to heal. The 1984 Sikh riots continue to torment even after 25 years. Sunita Sharma has painted a moving picture of the social impact of the riots in her novel “Main Khush Hun Kamli” (I Am Happy Kamli). “I had the story with me for 14 years but publishers were not willing to touch a disturbing story which could have political repercussions,” says Sunita, who started her career as a lecturer before moving to writing and social work.
The story of Jasjot (name changed) came through her niece, who was a good friend of Jasjot.
“Jasjot was a kid when the riots broke out. She saw her uncle burnt alive and a burning tyre put around the neck of her father. The impact was such that she lost her voice for five months. Her father, who used to run a cinema hall suffered heavy losses in business as the theatre was burnt down during the riots. Poor economic condition and a big family forced him to marry her at the age of 16 to a Canada-based boy, Manvinder. The marriage was kept a secret. He turned out to be a beast. He had illicit relations with his sister-in-law and used to tease Jasjot for not being sexually mature. When my niece shared this story, it became the catalyst for me to start working on it. How can a man stoop so low?” Sunita says. Manvinder got shocked when Jasjot became pregnant. “He would say I have had physical relations with so many women. Nobody complained of it!”
The story really got going when Sunita met Jasjot's friend Akhil (name changed), who still feels bad about his inability to help her. She built on their spiritual love to construct a poignant tale. “I have contrasted their divine love with animal instincts of Manvinder. Jasjot had picked up a sales job to support her family. The two met on the job and began to like each other. But for them love meant care and not physical attraction. He used to call her Kamli, the feminine form of Brahma.”
Sunita says her intention is not to make people cry, but realise the fact that how a political issue can snowball into a tragedy which keeps haunting society for years. How pure love can blossom in muck. “Little has been written about the riots because people who faced it have no courage left to talk about the trauma.”
With two novels already in her kitty, Sunita says more people are turning to Hindi literature.
Popular literature
“There was a time when serious readers, particularly bureaucrats, preferred English writing. But when they found their kids becoming rootless, they have once again started promoting Hindi and regional literature. There a strong link between literature and culture. The media has also played a role by giving disproportionate space to English literature.” As for the purity of language, which has been held responsible for keeping the layman away from good Hindi literature, Sunita says, “I keep in mind that characters should speak the language of the setting and their academic qualification. Critics should realise that popular could also be meaningful.”
