THE PAGODA TREE By Claire Scobie, Unbound, Rs 699
It is quite rare for an English account of the colonial regime in India to go beyond the traditional 'us' versus 'them' dichotomy. Tending towards ethnocentrism, most of these accounts fail to capture the voices of the 'native' men and women - they are nothing but bodies, faceless, voiceless numbers contributing to the population and to be controlled at will.
Claire Scobie, in her first novel, The Pagoda Tree, attempts to take the road less travelled. Thoroughly researched and carefully imagined, Scobie interlaces fact with fiction in a way that calls for a layered understanding of the lives of people in the southern district of Tanjore, now known as Thanjavore. Set in mid-18th century, the book uses as its backdrop a juncture in history when the British were just beginning to make inroads into the country.
While narrating the story of Maya, a temple dancer or devadasi, Scobie takes care to weave the tales of other women into the narrative as well. The reader gets a glimpse of the travails that mark the lives of these women who are linked through a common fate. Male characters are introduced over the course of the story, but are to be analysed only through their exchange with the women of the novel.
Playing on the courtyard of her house on West Main Road, Maya does not know what the future holds for her. True to the custom of being a devadasi, she is married off to Shiva at the tender age of eight. A trident mark is seared on her upper arm to remind her of this 'marriage' for the rest of her life. Maya's fate is thus sealed within the walls of the Big Temple. However, Maya soon reveals a competence in her dance that makes her fit to become a royal courtesan. But with war being declared, her dreams are slashed as she takes refuge in Madras. Slowly becoming the woman she was prophesied to become, Maya discovers warmth in the arms of the most unexpected person - a ferenghi.
A trait that is common to most of the female characters is that of the sheer lack of agency. Sita, Maya's maternal aunt, is powerless when the entire community decides to shun her on mere suspicion of 'unacceptable' behaviour. She is helpless when her drunk English soldier consort kills her children in front of her before finishing her off. Maya's teacher, Palani, understands that her time in the palace is nearing its end but is unable to do anything about it. Serving the king is all she has ever known. But, Maya triumphs above all those who have gone before her. She is unwilling to concede to whatever adversity life throws at her. The novelty of the story lies in Maya becoming this woman - a woman who challenges fate.
The novel proceeds like Maya's dance - effortless and full of expressions. Scobie's style of writing is not the kind that would explain everything to the reader. Leaving some things unsaid, she provides scope for interpretation. But what Scobie takes intense care to build, she takes away in one stroke of the pen. The climax of the book looks hurried compared to an otherwise detailed narration. The hasty conclusion does not do justice to the readers who will have by this time, closely engaged with the characters. What could have been a complete story-telling experience does not quite become so.
