If one asks Indian writers who their biggest literary inspiration is, a
good number of them will probably say R K Narayan. It is no different
for Bangalore-based journalist-turned-writer Vinay Jalla whose debut
novel
Warp and Weft recounts the story of the silk weavers and
inhabitants of the fictional village Zarivaram. Like his guru Narayan,
Jalla goes for simplicity in his novel’s characters and storyline. It is
set in Zarivaram, a landscape concocted by the author and falling in
the Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border area, between the mid-1940s and
1960s. It narrates the story of Narayana, an orphan whose wretched
poverty hardens his mind to the greatest reality of life that money
dictates all. This is highlighted by a sermon given to the young
Narayana by the mysterious village boogeyman Gagoopa: “God made man, man
made money, money made man mad”. The poor protagonist, drunkard
Venkataiah, the wretched housewives Nagalamma and Gowramma, the toddy
tapper Konda Kothi and the zamindar Ram Das have an earthy charm
initially, but it soon gets old as the novel seems to meander in an
almost direction-less manner after a hundred-odd pages. In one of his
interviews, Jalla mentions how Vikram Seth’s
A Suitable Boy inspired
him to write a “long novel”. This turns out to be a big undoing though.
Writing a lengthy novel for the sake of it is never a good idea. One
can choose a leisurely tone of narration only if the content is strong
enough to hold the readers. In many ways,
Warp and Weft reminds
one of a Bollywood movie of the 1970s. It talks about drunkard husbands
who beat their wives, the oppressed wives who silently accept the ill
treatment meted out to them, the rich men and women who treat the lower
castes as “untouchables”, the gulf between the silk merchants and
weavers and the trials and travails of a poor and abused protagonist.
Throw in some romance, sacrifice, conflict, fate and tragedy and there
you have it - a story which is very reminiscent of an “Angry Young Man”
Amitabh Bachchan movie! It is no surprise then that the novel slowly
builds up to a chaotic climax and eventually a happy ending, hurriedly
and predictably resolving the conflicts between some of its characters
on its way. In other words, it is a story that comes a few decades too
late. One may enjoy it if one wants to get a rustic sense of rural life
which is so different from the urban one. However, there are many novels
which do so much better - like R K Narayan himself, who remains
unparalleled to this day when it comes to combining village life,
richlyetched characters, humour and tragedy in an engaging fashion. In
fact, the clear references and tributes to some of Narayan’s most
popular novels don’t do the author any good here. The appearance of
Mahathma Gandhi at the beginning of the story reminds one of Gandhi’s
cameo in
Waiting for the Mahathma and the pranks of young Narayana and his friends are a throwback to the unforgettable
Swami and Friends.
But frankly, no one can pull off a Narayan quite like Narayan himself.
What is more, the name of the novel’s central character itself is a
clear shout out to the late novelist. Despite its flaws, the novel does
have some memorable moments which hit the mark. For example, when a
woman who is beaten up by her drunkard husband asks her friend why all
men are alike, the latter responds: “because all women are alike.” The
sense of irony is not lost in this simple but cruel truth stated in so
blunt a fashion. Sadly, such moments are few and far between. On many
occasions, the author loses the reader when he seems to start lecturing
on morality rather than use his story and characters to convey his
point. To his credit, Jalla succeeds in intertwining the life of his
protagonist with many other characters, making sure he presents a
wholesome picture of the life of the silk weavers of Zarivaram. But
ultimately, the novel fails to fully utilise the opportunity to
highlight the intricacies of the art of weaving, leaving it with very
little that is original to offer. The author’s dedication to write and
self-publish his novel is definitely worthy of appreciation and
encouragement, but his story-telling can improve. There is clearly a
writer in him as his language seems strong enough. He just needs to tell
better stories.
Check out Vinay Jalla's novel 'Warp and Weft' on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WarpAndWeftVinayJalla