With his latest book, Aritra Sarkar asks a question: Are You Lonesome? It might seem a simple one, but it is far from it; it’s probing to the point that it makes you think, introspect and muster the courage to answer it. And to find out the answer to his question, a packed house of literary enthusiasts, thinkers, academicians and even a few not-so-serious ones joined the launch and book discussion at Casa Broadway in Hindustan Park, organised by Ahava Readers’ and Writers’ Club. Some sat understanding and contemplating the weight of the question, while others made deep connections with Sarkar’s protagonists, stories and situations in the anthology.
Dr Kunal Sarkar, who is an expert in matters of the heart, steered the discussion in his signature style, which has a punch of humour and knowledge. The moderator started with Dr Souraja Tagore, urging her to share her impressions. She explained how the words ‘Parables for Growth’ in the title intrigued her to read the stories, and how the topic of loneliness is something very relevant today. Sharing her impressions, she said: “What is brilliant, and I particularly thoroughly enjoyed, is the pattern in which Aritrada has told us these stories. It comes to us in flashes, in moments, through memories, through retrospection, through hallucination…. All his characters have this singular urge to share, to talk, to tell their stories.” The stories she read also made her look beyond the characters and examine the society around them. Before concluding, she remarked how the book can “act as a brilliant mirror to many of us who can find fragments of ourselves in this book”.
Among the six stories that are like extending a compassionate hand, the one that has stayed with us is Overcoming the Friendship Void. What seemed to be Sarita’s struggle in finding a real connection with a man outside her marriage turned into a beautiful story of friendship, connection with nature, surprising coincidences and finding a bigger goal in life. The layered composition, the twists and turns in the plot, and the approach to the main theme with sensibility and sincerity make the story warm and enduring.
Those who have journeyed with Aritra’s characters would agree with Souraja’s observation. It’s impossible not to find a connection with the protagonists who find themselves in the pit of loneliness, trying to figure things out, blaming themselves for all the wrongs, and suffering in silence. Loneliness, just like other emotions such as love, hate, awe, anger and envy, fills our hearts, but we all know loneliness can pull one down when it becomes too heavy. Are You Lonesome? is not merely about addressing loneliness; its beauty lies in its positive curves. Aritra’s intention, as the subtitle of the book reads, ‘Stories and Lessons for Personal Transformation’, and as Dr Sarkar pointed out, was to traverse the path of empathy.
Aritra Sarkar and his new book
Dr Sarkar made the author speak about the structure of the book, which bends and even blends the two popular genres, fiction and non-fiction, and, in doing so, bridges the gap between readers of the two genres. “It is just that I wanted to sort of bridge the two worlds because, unfortunately, there are a lot of people who read this subject matter and who are not into fiction. And at the same time, there are a lot of people who read fiction, and they aren’t into self-help so much. The industry has sort of segregated these two spaces artificially,” shared Aritra.
Julie Banerjee Mehta, t2 columnist and professor at Loreto College, who launched her translated work, The Post Office, recently, was asked to share her opinion on whether there was scope for a work like Are You Lonesome? in an age of social validation and overwhelming virtual connections, and whether it stood in contradiction to them. Reflecting on a past conversation with a young student in Canada, she said we live in a paradox: “What Aritra is telling us is how we desire to have that bond, to have that human connection. And on the other side, we are afraid not only of rejection, but also if we can really get onto the path of intimacy again.” She praised Aritra’s style and called it God-given. “He is never pontificating, never making a judgement, but he is very succinct. His style is stringent and not a wandering one.”
Joining in and bringing the perspective of a psychiatrist, Dr Jai Rajan Ram, a t2 columnist, first presented some of his observations. With a sense of alarm in his voice, he said the coming generation might not have discussions like this because their lives are machine- and AI-driven, and they are growing up in an ‘emotionally barren’ environment.
The second half of the event took an interesting turn as Dr Sarkar brought Rabindranath Tagore into the discussion. He strongly believed that the literary giant, who dominates our lives, must have truly resonated with the theme in the last 15 years of his life. The author, too, mentions his famous line ‘Ekla chalo re’ in his reflections on the first story, The Scatman.
Dr Sarkar asked Dr Souraja, who shares the bard’s title, to imagine how the Nobel laureate would have reacted to Are You Lonesome? if he were alive. Taking up the unexpected question, Souraja underscored how the intention of art is always to share and to thrive in solitude. “Tagore was an artist and an artist wants solitude to create. I might want to be alone to come up with my songs and poems, to allow my body to create movement and gesture… At the end of it all is the idea to share. I think Tagore’s loneliness was more a kind of solitude, a travel within. He wrote Bhanusingher Padabali at a tender age, but it was only after 60 that he understood what true love is,” said the young panellist as the audience listened to her. Bringing the conversation to the context of the present day, she elaborated, “I think loneliness comes from this simple idea — lack of connection. When society makes someone feel that his/her words don’t matter or are not being heard enough, that’s when a person feels lost. It’s a terrible thing to be someone like Jack Wilson (Aritra’s character from his first story), to stand under the spotlight and feel invisible.”
Julie weighed in and brought up literary luminaries from the Western world, reminding the audience of the works of Thomas Hardy and others. From more recent times, she mentioned actor Robin Williams, who is known to have battled depression. She also cited Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf, both of whom died by suicide, as examples of loneliness. It reminded us of Urdu novelist Khalid Jawed’s Maut ki Kitab (Book of Death) and the protagonist who ends up in an asylum.
As the floor was opened to the audience, different perspectives flowed in. Sitting in the front row, filmmaker Ashoke Viswanathan appreciated the intention behind Are You Lonesome? “A book of this nature really tries to delve into reality; I wouldn’t call it a problem but a state of mind, and it could lead to complications. It’s best to take that journey,” said Viswanathan. Others too joined in and exchanged their thoughts on the subject and on the book.
The evening, which had started with a reserved audience still thinking about whether they should answer Aritra’s question, opened up and became a cohesive force that, by the end of the event, was ready to uplift a spirit, lend a hand, lend an ear and be there for another human being. Loneliness was not alone in the room. In an age when society is developing deep fissures, we need a book, a film, a story or an idea that makes us feel more valued.