SHAKUNTALA: THE PLAY OF MEMORY
By Namita Gokhale,
Viking, Rs 300

Namita Gokhale?s novel, Shakuntala, is, quite fittingly, subtitled ?the play of memory?. In Kashi, along the river Ganga, a young woman is suddenly invaded by memories. These memories vaguely connect her to an earlier life when she was a rustic belle in a hill-forest in ancient India. The ?play? of memory soon becomes an intriguing interplay of history and myth, suffused with profound metaphysical queries about the self which concur with the young girl?s very personal and near-existential quest for a part of her ?self?.

Memory here is strong enough to outplay the tricks of time. By making the tale of Shakuntala (the name, obviously, is borrowed from Kalidasa?s play) override the limitation of a specific historical time in order to fully capture the vastness of the tragedy, Gokhale also finds a way to refute amnesia, represented by King Dusyanta, Kalidasa?s hero.

Gokhale?s gripping and nuanced narrative offers a colourful template of ancient Indian life, rich in details of customs and rituals, faiths and fears, omens and superstitions. But the lyrical surface of her prose convulses, at times, with the tensions and angst hidden underneath. Gokhale adroitly makes Shakuntala?s yearning for the part of her self which takes her away from ?home? (owned by her husband Srijan and shared by a housemaid, Kamalini, of whom she was jealous) contingent upon the gradual unfurling of an inward-turned Indian society.

Buddhism, already in conflict with traditional Brahminical Hinduism and bringing forth an army of mendicant monks (Guresvara, Shakuntala?s brother was one such), has a definite role to play in this change in social perspectives which kindled Shakuntala?s interest in the external world. But as the case turns out, her ?self? eluded her even in that world, as it did in her home.

Gokhale?s style is richly sensuous and has a distinct flow and poise. The images used are also telling, though in places, especially in the climactic episode, it may seem too descriptive. But Gokhale is good at weaving the notion of ?birth-cycle? in Hindu mythology, with the ?historical? tragedy of an Indian woman. The ?play? of memory is not merely about ?interplaying? and ?outplaying?, but also about ?replaying?. Endlessly.