THE DANCE OF DURGA by KANIKA DHILLON: A Review
The Dance of Durga
is a novel with its plot set in India. Its appeal, though, is universal. The
present body of Indian English Literature is mostly set in urban centers. This
trend has set in motion a new feel to the Indian English literature, a new set
of vocabulary too. The Dance of Durga is
different in that this novel overcomes the obsession of the writers in India
writing in English to downplay Indian-ness for a sweeping monolithic urban
aesthetics.
Kanika
Dhillon has a voice that takes readers to the villages of Northern India, a
voice that is captivating. Although the chapters in this book move
chronologically, the story moves with seasons. The Commentator felt imbued with
the spirit of the summer and the chill of monsoon through the pages of this
book. The Commentator has recently been under a literary fervor to read and
explore whatever that is ‘Indian’ that has appeared in stories over the years.
And two writers have bonded with the Commentator: R K Narayan and Ruskin Bond. The
bangor of life in a small town is RK Narayan’s canvas. Bond on the other hand
dealt with nature. Kanika Dhillon, in The
Dance of Durga paints the landscape of an individual’s journey.
 |
| Kanika Dhillon with SRK // Image Courtesy: Google |
The
protagonist, Durga aka Rajjo, is not a usual heroine who is all good at heart. The
Commentator observed streaks of grey in her persona. She is adamant in
fulfilling her personal ambition. Her desire to replace Rani Maa, the godwoman
is the driving force that transforms her life. However, the business of the
godwoman is not all too spiritual. Observing Rajjo without her desire to achieve
higher realms of power and possibilities would take us back to the village girl
that she used to be. She suffered bitterly in love as a teenager. Although she
is born with the gift of seeing future, she does not see the course her own
life was about to take when she fell for Kashi.
After
aborting the baby she was pregnant with in Kashi, her family marries her off to
a wealthy old man. It’s imperative to question such a ridiculous system. This,
though, is the Indian reality. Kanika K. Dhillon uses the machinations of
realism in order to create the fantastic journey of Rajjo. The Commentator also
noticed that the author used significant sensory details in this novel. As a
reader, one could see, hear, and smell the background of the story. The innocence
of childhood and village-life is followed by the thunderous catastrophe of
Rajjo’s life with the abusive Sethji. The
Dance of Durga is a monsoon of a novel.
The
Commentator observes that the subjective space of Rajjo is saved by her own
desire to be loved and fulfilled. Even in a predicament that could have pushed
her life over the edge at Sethji’s house, she escaped due to her sheer will
power. “Look for a desire and you will find your passion, your reason to be,”
(100) she advises Raahat, the teenage boy she befriends at the Ashram, where
she reaches after leaving Sethji’s house.
 |
| Image Courtesy: www.thehindu.com |
The
Commentator believes that the novel projects the thought that if you have the
desire, the passion for something in your life, you could survive irrespective
of the number of odds you face. In the Ashram, Rajjo finds two of her passions:
to become a powerful person, like the godwoman Rani Maa, herself and to find
Harsh Vardhan who is married to another woman.
The
novel has two parts named Rajjo and Durga respectively. The first part is Rajjo’s
struggle for recognition, the fulfillment of her desire, and survival. The second
part is her life as the powerful Durga. Kanika Dhillon has worked previously
for movies such as Ra.One by Red Chillies Entertainment Company, and the South
Indian movie Size Zero. “She has written the hugely successful TV show for
Disney called Ishaan” [Wikipedia]. Kanika’s career started out as “an assistant
director to Farah Khan, on Om Shanti Om, and then moved on to Red Chillies's
Billu Barber, which was directed by Priyadarshan”[IMDb]. Her skill as a screen
writer has been evident in the genuine dialogues that appear in The Dance of Durga. Kanika
Dhillon is also the author of the bestseller Bombay Duck is a Fish (2011).
Comments