Charu Nivedita - Interview : by Sujith Balakrishnan
Interview with the acclaimed writer
Charu Nivedita
by Sujith Balakrishnan
Transgressive
writing must be taboo in contemporary India. Is it due to its obscenity, its
nakedness or its wildness? It should be nothing of the reasons but the utter
hypocritical mindset developed from the frustration of a failed spring
revolution in India. When openness, plurality, have been replaced by the
superficial happiness achieved by materialistic wealth and fame,
transgressiveness can’t prosper in such a society, they suppress and attack the
person who tried to open up the nakedness of the body, the nakedness of sexual
pleasures, the nakedness of utter truth, the nakedness of society. A society that
wants to hide all the guilty pleasures but to enjoy in its full extend
clandestinely and consider it as morally correct but morally sick as in the true
sense.
What India has come to
know as ‘Transgressive’ writing is regarded by the rest of the world as ‘soft
porn’ ‘Hedonism’ and even, in polite society as ‘Adult themed writing.’
Essentially, it covers the more basic instincts of humans to indulge in, and
openly enjoy, all forms of pleasure, including sexual pleasure.
Charu
Nivedita is the modernist inventor of transgressiveness in Literature in a
conservative India, especially in the southern state of Tamilnadu. He was a
post-modernist in its true sense. He displayed all the characteristics of postmodernism
- minimalism, maximalism, obscenity, the fragmentation of culture, etc... which
stood as the foundation of all his world-class novels - Zero Degree, Rasaleela, Marginal Man, Existentialism and Fancy Banyan.
The controversial man, Charu Nivedita, is now
in his sixties with a persistent feather touch smile and white silky beard and
hair, ceaselessly working at this age towards his next masterpiece.
I
found Charu Nivedita at the Sharjah International Book Fair, standing,
unnoticed by the illiterate crowd who is ignorant of the gem lying proximate to
them. I asked him many questions, which he tried to answer like a violent tide,
out of anger and frustration and sometimes like a vanquished Ravan, hitherto
return to his full vigor of buoyancy. Then he walked silently amid in the
crowd, unobserved, like the character “Muniyandi” in his Famous Novel “Zero
Degree” with no regrets.
Here
is the excerpt from the unexpected one-hour conversation with Charu Nivedita.
SB: Why did you change
your real name “Arivazhagan” which signifies a man possessing both knowledge
and beauty?
Charu: (smiles) It’s a
beautiful name, unfortunately it tells you the background of that person i.e.
Those who follow Dravidian kind of ideology, puts this kind of name. I may be
misjudged by people that I belong to a Dravidian political party. (laughs)
SB: Transgressive
writing in India is a Taboo, but you have written intensely in this genre for
several decades. Did you feel any regrets being relegated by the forefront
literary establishments and personalities because of your association with this
category? I heard you were put aside by not considering for any major literary
awards in India.
Charu: In France, the
transgressive writers are the first celebrated writers of the country. In our
hypocritical society, you see this behavior in every nook and corners. I
will tell you one of the recent incidents that happened in the “Big Boss”
reality show. One of the contestants said, he used to grope girls on the buses
during his college days. Hearing this, he was immediately removed from the
show. I was astonished with this movement from the authorities. Even after he
apologized he was not only removed, he was not invited to the closing ceremony
where they invited all other contestants. I want to ask everyone, who doesn’t
misbehave with women? Literally everyone; they misbehave with their sister,
mother, wife and with other ladies, still they come to public and behave like
they are pure and perfect. This is utter hypocrisy which I like to expose in
society. In my lifetime, I have not met any woman who says, I have not
encountered forceful incest from the male society. Every woman had
crossed this path, vehemently.
Our
society consider transgressive writers as criminals or offenders. Hiding the
bustle of pleasure has become an art. In fact, I haven’t chosen this path, I
didn’t know the genre, I was simply telling the stories openly. Over a period
of time I came to know I was writing transgressive literature.
I
don’t feel any regrets, I was telling the truths as I perceive and conceive. My
fellow comrades or partners may think that what I write is illusory and sexual
fantasy, and they may get prominent awards following their routes. But I don’t
believe in such hypocrisy and the funniest part is there are so many who write
somewhat transgressive, but they complicate so intellectually no common reader
or even an intellectual cannot understand his essence. But my writings are so
communicative, that is what I understood from my interfaces with the readers.
Even a rickshaw puller can understand my works, that’s why I can be easily
branded. One can easily like me, one can easily hate me. Both the categories
want to express their emotions passionately, either they want to kill me with
their animosity or love me so profoundly I can’t express with words.
SB: Tamilnadu is a
state in India where Hindu religious sects are so dominant, indulged in their
own narrow dogmas. Are you an atheist or a mild believer?
Charu: I am a secular guy,
but that doesn’t mean that I am a non-believer. Caste system is worst in Hindu
religion but every other religion also has the same difference in the name of
belief. In Africa, every village has a language and belief and they fight and
kill each other. But the advantage in India is every sect is backed by its
unique culture. Nonetheless, the superior and inferior mentally kills all these
positive feature. This could be solved only by inter-caste marriage which the
Governments should promote by adding in their policies and reservations. I am
afraid to say anything positive of this caste system as it is so solidified
today than yesterday and it is so cruel and evil, a contagious social
disease.
4000
years back, in Buddhist scripture and even in Asoka history written by monks,
Asokha used to say, it resembles my sons voice when he hears a wayfarer
singing. But his servant says, no sir… from him the untouchable smell is
emanating, he is repulsive and an inferior creature.
SB: It was the British
Critic Dr. Alan Kirby, who first authoritatively told Post-Modernism is dead.
Being one of the greatest admirer of Post-Modernism, do you believe in such a
generic statement? What is your take on the significance of post-modernism in
the current scenario?
Charu: If someone says,
post-modernism is no more, I would say that they have not clearly understood
what the concept it is about.
Unlike
any other isms, post-modernism is not
a blunt ism, it teaches you to acquire a position to perceive the whole lot in
a different manner. Before Post-Modernism, people thought there is absolute
truth and there is art, there is pulp art, but Post-Modernism gives you a new
opening, a belief that there is no absolute truth.
Earlier,
all the ideologies, philosophies, principles place the author or the patriot or
the teacher in the throne and he preaches you. He tells everything and I as the
student needs to just listen. He may be the supervisor, my daddy, my religious
guru, he sits on the top and preaching. But Post-Modernism broke this theory,
it broke the triangular thing and ascertained there is only spiral thing –
there is no beginning or end. So my book neither teaches you anything nor it
has an end or beginning. You will have to enter in it like a hunter and hunt to
extract your pleasure prey. I just gave you the raw material for emerging your
asceticism. So if someone says Post-Modernism is dead, I would say we are going
in reverse to the monk period.
SB: Religious
institutions and establishments are the major enemies of post-modernists. I
heard a video, in which a pastor tells Derrida should be killed.
Charu: See, it’s the power
which makes them to tell all this authoritatively. Jaggi Vasudev, the spiritual
Guru, he asks his disciples to call him “Sad guru” (laughs)
In
such circumstances when power starts to intimidate, Post-Modernism emerges out
as a political tool. It liberates us from the power. One should not exploit
others. This is a truth. Man cannot be a slave to another man. How can this
principle go void, go worthless? Post-modernism will never be dead or obsolete,
it is evolving.
SB: Zero Degree – written two decades ago is
still a hot cake in terms of its brilliance, innovativeness and uniqueness. How
long did you take to write that novel?
Charu: It took 3 years to
complete the novel. I have planned it properly with all the raw materials ready
to support me in the course of writing.
SB: Sexuality and
Physical writings are very common in your Novels like Zero Degree. Is it
essential to write sexuality in every Novels?
Charu: We live in a society
that suppresses sex. Unlike today’s world there is a long history of sculptures
and writings where sexuality is so prominent which we cannot imagine how this
could be portrayed so openly even in the walls of temples. For me, Sexuality
and physical writings comes naturally in my works.
SB: You are a great
admirer of French philosophy and literature. How this affinity on the road to
French literature evolved inside you?
Charu: From 18th
century they were the pioneers of concepts like equality, fraternity etc. We
can find a person like Marquis De Sade only in French literature. You can
travel a lot to a psyche of a human being through his writings, how he gets
pleasure by giving pain to himself and others. Marquis De Sade was a masochist.
He was transferred from Jail to Jail for his abusiveness and if he would have
stopped writing he would have become the good friend of Napoleon. Napolean
requested him to stop writing. But he indulged himself in torturing himself and
prostitutes. All our ancestors are Sado-masochists (laughs). To understand
human psyche, he sacrificed himself. Just look at the world outside, the pain
one human gives to others, even father and mother giving life-threatening pain
to their child. How can you understand all this human psyche without reading
de-Sade?
To
understand this multiple cultural society, Derrida, Baudrillard, Reisman,
Foucault, Lyotard - all these stalwart’s works taught me in my way of writing.
Reading these giants works, I developed myself to understand the essence of
multi-cultural society, to appreciate others, to appreciate every culture,
religion, principles, philosophies.
SB: Every writer has a
master piece. Which is your closest one?
Charu: So many
readers tell me that Rasaleela is my Master piece. But I believe I can still
produce a work which can surpass the hype created by Zero Degree and
Rasaleela. I am a person like Charles
Burkoswky, and we add so many life things into fiction. That’s why I am still
writing.
SB: Like a magician you
always take readers with you. You get lots of esteem from your young reader
fans which no other readers can even dream of. What is the secret behind it?
Charu: I don’t compromise
for anything. It’s a modest thing for me but complex for others. Naturally one
gets attracted to it. One of my film maker friend called me for a film
screening, but I didn’t go because he will be expecting me to praise his film
regardless of its excellence, which I don’t want to do. Years after, he came
all the way for my son’s marriage.
I
loose many things because of my uncompromising attitude but I gain countless things
especially the esteem of youngsters.
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