Centring the invisibilised

If there is a god Imayam (Translated from the original Tamil by Prabha Sridevan) Ratan Books Rs.499 Pages 224 This book is a collection of ten short stories that capture the lives of ordinary people governed by the larger structures of class, caste and gender I would have been a loser in not knowing Mr. Imayam,’ stated Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the renowned and critically acclaimed Indian filmmaker, at the book release of Imayam’s If there is a God. Anyone who has read Imayam either in Tamil or in translation would agree with the sentiment expressed by Gopalakrishnan. Such is the power of the compelling stories Imayam weaves. He has seven novels, one novella and six short story collections to his credit. Imayam is one of the few contemporary Tamil writers whose works are being translated into English. The book under review is a collection of ten short stories that capture the lives of ordinary people governed by the larger structures of class, caste and gender. The stories in the collection effectively delineate the pervasiveness of caste and gender politics in Indian society, particularly in rural areas. Imayam focuses on everyday casteist and sexist tendencies that the common man is susceptible to, instead of its institutionalised forms. The stories are a study on the influence and workings of caste and gender at varying degrees in various aspects of people’s lives. The first story ‘Over in a Moment’ offers a peek into the life of a middle-aged couple. The wife, Kamatchi, feels her life has “everything but salt” as she has an unsatisfactory sex life. All acts of intimacy between them have always been initiated by the husband while she is at a loss as to how to articulate her own desire. This story corresponds to the larger context of patriarchal conditioning where women are by convention denied the space and vocabulary to express their sexual needs and lead unfulfilled lives within the institution of marriage. Caste affinity in its most detestable forms is highlighted in two stories: ‘I Swear on My Thali’ and ‘If There is a God’. The former displays how electoral votes are invariably determined by caste, as voters tend to favour candidates belonging to their own caste. It also shows how representation becomes a farce as even in constituencies reserved for lower caste people and women, it is the dominant caste men who wield real authority. The book title story is a moving account of a bereaved mother, Vasantha, who seeks to imprison the man responsible for her son’s death. She is asked to drop the charges as the perpetrator is from the same caste as her and because she lacks the monetary resources needed for the legal proceedings. At first, she indignantly responds, “Every criminal dog tries to escape using his caste. Did he not know my child was from his caste when he was abusing him? Let him try to talk about caste and I will slam him with my winnow.” However, in the end, she is…