Background of the Study:
A contemporary novelist and poet, Vikram Seth spent his early years in India and London, graduating from the prestigious Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He went on to further studies at Stanford University where he achieved a master’s degree (economics) in 1978, following this up with some post-graduate study at Nanking University in China. After Nanking he embarked on the long journey home to New Delhi, hitch hiking all the way and passing through Tibet. He made notes as he travelled and an amusing travelogue book called From Heaven Lake (1983) was the result, which turned out to be his first successful foray into published writing.
A novel that was based on Charles Johnston’s translation of Aleksandr Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin was published in 1986. Seth carefully wrote this novel entirely in verse, in metred, rhyming fourteen-line stanzas. The Golden Gate attracted much acclaim and was an interesting take on the popular culture to be found in California’s Silicon Valley. Although contemporary themes were discussed it was styled in a very challenging 19th century format. The characters in the book, all young professionals, discuss burning issues of the time such as overwork, nuclear weapons around the world and Roman Catholic philosophies on homosexuality.
Even more success followed with his novel A Suitable Boy (1993). Written in epic style this was the tale of the lives and relationships between four separate Indian families, set in the post-independence years. It was written in such a compelling style that critics compared it to works by Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens. Inspired by the success of this novel Vikram is working on a follow-up story which will be called A Suitable Girl and is due to be released in 2016.
His literary output has attracted a number of awards such as Padma Shri, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and, in 1994, A Suitable Boy was judged Best Book in a Commonwealth Writers competition. Undoubtedly a talented writer Vikram continued to combine poetic structures with prose in such publications as Beastly Tales from Here and There (1992). This was a collection of ten stories written in tetrametered couplets. This is a complex structure in poetry and one that cannot be mastered easily.Looking at his poetry collections, his very first volume was published in 1980 and entitled Mappings. All the work in this collection was completed during Vikram’s student days in England and California and contains poems constructed in rhyming couplets. The title poem ‘Mappings’ reflects on his different selves revealed in earlier writings.
There is the story of Pran and Savita, newlyweds who welcome their firstborn over the course of the novel. Theirs is an arranged marriage and we get to watch their love grow in a story quite different than what we might be used to as Western readers.
There is Pran’s irresponsible but endearing younger brother Maan who begins a relationship with a woman who might best be called a courtesan. This takes him away from Brahmpur and eventually into great tragedy. Maan’s story was perhaps the most dramatic and I felt that he had the greatest character arc over the course of the novel.
There are a dozen other characters, including Lata and Savita’s brothers, their sister-in-law and her eccentric family, the Chatterjis. There is the Nawab Sahib and his twin sons, friends of Maan’s, who offer a Muslim perspective of India in the early 1950s and following the partition of India and Pakistan. And there are a multitude of other characters who play their own parts and are written as full and complete people, each one unique.
And, of course, there is the political aspect. Much of the novel revolves around an important bill known as the “zamindari” bill, which seeks to reduce the power of wealthy landowners. In the later part of the novel, we follow India’s first general election. The characters fall on different spectrums of the political scene, some heavily involved, others less so but all effected in one way or another. The history and background here is interesting and Seth does a terrific job of making the struggles and issues real and important to the characters and the plotting of the novel. While I might have wanted less of the parliamentary scenes, it wouldn’t be the same book at all without these political aspects.
Religious divides are another important aspect of the novel and the lives of the character. Friendships are sometimes acceptable across these divisions – like Maan and his best friend Firoz – but never romantic relationships. Religious holidays and the building of temples are major sources of conflict in Brahmpur and there are some chilling scenes of what happens when these opposing sides clash. The descriptions of the elaborate Hindu festivals are fascinating and so different than anything that might be experienced in the Western world.
Literature Review
A Suitable Boy unfolds as an intricate narrative woven around the lives of four interconnected families over the course of its 1,474 pages. At the heart of the story is Mrs. Rupa Mehra, a widow fixated on finding a “suitable boy” for her daughter, Lata. The novel’s complex tapestry of characters explores the social and political dynamics of post-independence India.
The Mehra Family
Mrs. Rupa Mehra’s family is central to the story. She is the matriarch of a bustling household with two sons and two daughters. Her eldest son, Arun, is married to Meenakshi, a member of the well-regarded Chatterji family from Calcutta. Arun’s younger brother, Varun, is often the target of his sibling’s derision, partly due to his obsession with horse racing. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mehra’s daughters each follow their unique paths; Savita is married to Pran Kapoor, and Lata, bright and charming, becomes the focus of her mother’s matchmaking endeavors.
The Kapoor Clan
Living in Brahmpur, the Kapoor family is another pillar of the narrative. Mr. Mahesh Kapoor, a significant political figure as the minister of revenue for Purva Pradesh, runs a household with his wife and children. His daughter, Veena, is married to Kedernath Tandon, who works in the shoe industry, and they have a son named Bhaskar, a prodigious mathematician noted for his intellectual prowess. Mahesh Kapoor’s elder son, Pran, imparts knowledge as an English professor in Calcutta, while his younger son, Maan, leads a life filled with indulgences, from gambling to associating with courtesans. These personal exploits intertwine deeply with the wider events of the novel.
The Khans and the Chatterjis
The story also delves into the lives of the Muslim Khans and the Hindu Chatterjis. The Begum Abida Khan, left alone when her husband chose to move to Pakistan, is guided by her brother-in-law, Nawab Sahib of Baitar. Nawab Sahib is preoccupied with family affairs, especially concerning his daughter Zainab and sons Imtiaz and Firoz. Firoz’s friendship with Maan Kapoor leads to dramatic tensions that nearly end in tragedy. The Chatterjis, on the other hand, are a prominent family in Calcutta. Justice Chatterji, who serves on the High Court and luxuriates in the study of Sanskrit, forms the intellectual core of the family. Meenakshi, the wife of Arun Mehra and a Chatterji daughter, has a clandestine affair with Arun’s closest friend, creating additional layers of family intrigue.
Haresh Khanna’s Journey
A vital character outside the primary family circles is Haresh Khanna, a man from humble beginnings who rises through sheer determination. Despite a background less prestigious than the Kapoors, Chatterjis, and Khans, Haresh’s practical knowledge and skill in the shoemaking industry make him a formidable contender for Lata’s hand in marriage. His relentless ambition and practical wisdom impress Mrs. Rupa Mehra, even if his demeanor and social standing initially do not.
Romantic Entanglements
Lata Mehra’s romantic journey forms a critical arc in the narrative. Initially, she is drawn to Amit Chatterji, a poet with a languid charm, yet she also harbors feelings for Kabir Durrani, a handsome Muslim student. However, the religious divide between her and Kabir poses an insurmountable barrier. Despite Kabir’s father’s brilliance as a mathematician and his bond with the young Bhaskar, societal constraints force Lata to make a difficult choice.
A Suitable Match
Ultimately, Mrs. Rupa Mehra’s relentless matchmaking efforts prevail as Lata decides to marry Haresh Khanna, finding stability and respectability in a union that respects her mother’s wishes. This decision reflects the novel’s overarching themes of duty and societal expectation, culminating in what many might consider a traditional happy ending. Through Lata’s journey, Seth explores the intricacies of love, identity, and the search for a “suitable” partner within the constraints of cultural expectations, portraying a vivid tapestry of post-independence Indian life.