Truth/Untruth review: Mahasweta Devi’s exploration of love and lust in Calcutta of 1980s

Truth/Untruth by Mahasweta Devi, translated from Bangla by Anjum Katyal, is a story set in Kolkata in the 1980s, a time when money was bait to buy off almost everything, even the moralities, and the urban landscape was developing rapidly.

The novella opens with a character-like portrayal of a posh residential complex in Khidirpur-Barnamala. Devi sets the tone and ambience of the book through her opening lines: ‘For those who gasp at the mere mention of Khidirpur, it is to make them gasp in yet another way that high-rise building after building keeps shooting up.’

At its very start, she draws a contrasting picture of the existence of concrete jungles and slums: both a facet of urban living. This contrasting narrative style runs through the story in many ways. At the cusp of a change in post-independent India, Devi gives us a story, a page-turner, that not only has a murder mystery at its core, but also highlights the many human behaviours and their presence in a hierarchical society and class.

A web of deceit, seduction

‘Many-storeyed buildings, many inhabitants, many loves, all kinds of games, they have it all,’ writes Devi early on in the novella. This acts as a prologue for what is to come. Truth/Untruth revolves around a pregnant maid Jamuna and a successful contractor Arjun. Arjun, one of the inhabitants of Barnamala, gets involved with Jamuna, seducing her while his pregnant wife is away at her parent’s house.

Also read: Courting Hindustan review: A glimpse into the lives of courtesans across ages

Arjun impregnates Jamuna and pressures her to have an abortion, but a drugged and inept doctor administers the wrong medicine, leading to her tragic demise. When her lifeless body is discovered in Arjun-babu’s apartment, a game of cat and mouse to catch the culprit begins. Will her death be written off, like that of others? Through Jamuna’s death, a diverse cast of characters emerges, skillfully crafted to evoke both amusement and empathy. Within the comedic facade, themes of guilt, deceit, love, lust, greed, corruption, and hypocrisy intertwine, revealing the complex nature of truth through dualities.

While at the core of Truth/Untruth lies a murder mystery, the story is composed of various vignettes interwoven with numerous themes. Some are overt and readily apparent, while others lie beneath the surface, concealed within characters and underlying the prose. These themes include societal expectations regarding parenthood, mental health, the dynamics of a husband caring for his mentally ill wife, the challenges faced by Hindu-Muslim marriages, life in slums, and the stratified structure of society manifested through social classes.

A scathing satire, contrasting motifs

Devi skillfully incorporates the middle-class ‘culture-vultures,’ domestic helpers, and promoters as leitmotifs in her writing, using her clever and satirical language to expose the hypocritical, dark, and authentic aspects of society.

Also read: ‘The Future in the Past’ review: Romila Thapar’s quests to connect history with tomorrow

In her poignant words, she points out, ‘The mistresses of such homes don’t do any household chores. This society, in its attempt to be like the West, has aped its outward appearance to perfection. But not its inner attitudes.  In the West, most people don’t have domestic help. Husbands and wives share the chores- but the upper echelons of this country don’t accept this’ — a scathing satire aimed at the oblivious urban middle-class.

Even in the post-independent India and Calcutta of the 1980s, the gender bias was deeply ingrained. The preference for the birth of a boy over a girl, and the emphasis on dowry to ensure a daughter’s happiness in marriage were prevalent social norms during that era, too. Traces of these beliefs have trickled down through generations, persisting without cessation.

Devi’s perceptive observations of this period are commendable. Through her insightful commentary, engaging dialogues, and well-developed characters, Devi depicts the social dynamics of the time vividly.  This era marked the emergence of a society striving for superficial brilliance while remaining entrenched in old-fashioned and orthodox ideals. These contrasting motifs, such as greed and guilt, sympathy and selfishness, love and lust, are deftly juxtaposed throughout the novel.

The grey, the black and the white

Mahasweta Devi, known for her feminist narratives and active advocacy of feminism, creates something fresh and innovative in Truth/Untruth. However, her storytelling retains the same essence that has captivated readers for years. It evokes nostalgic memories of this reviewer’s childhood, where she eagerly absorbed stories from her grandmother, looking with rapt attention at the latter’s face, as if the best was yet to come.

Also read: ‘Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right’ review: Moderate in wrong party or radical?

Devi crafts a similar effect through her writing, which is crisp and tightly wrought, yet rich in substance and attention to detail. As joyous as it is to listen to a good story, reading Devi’s mordant dry wit with a hint of the poetic is a delight.

Two of Devi’s previous books, Bedanbala or After Kurukshetra (translated in 2005), are very different in their structure and prose, but leave the reader with the immense satisfaction of reading a classic. With Truth/Untruth, Devi stretches her writing arc to the territories of mystery and thrill and yet her telling never slouches. As she weaves a tale of suspense, the city of Kolkata emerges as a character itself, a city evolving and transforming while retaining its enigmatic nature. As a character in the book says: ‘Kolkata is a mystery’.

The credit for the accuracy of the discourse between characters and prolific language also goes to Anjum Katyal. As the translator, she modulates the talk and turns their speech per the genteel and class division. She has dexterously manoeuvred the translation keeping Mahasweta Devi’s trenchant, funny, and poetic essence intact.

Mahasweta Devi’s work in Indian literature is admired and well-known. Her gumption to always show the real shines through. She weaves a community in her stories and gives her readers the grey, the black and the white. What demarcates them sometimes is a blurry boundary. These boundaries are Devi’s realm, where her stories begin. Truth/Untruth is yet another excavation from the same: Moralities crushed under dichotomies.