Sultry Days by Shobha de

SULTRY DAYS A Tale of Struggle and Freedom sultry Days is the one-fifth tonic written by Shobha De published in the year 1994. With Sultry Days Shobha De has explored a different approach in her roles which had not been seen in her preliminary novels. Shobha writes in the front scallywag of this novel For my children finally a book by me that they flowerpot read. L. Sonia Ningthoujam writes Sultry Days, takes us into the world of force- break through, sex and guns, the shady grimace of Mumbai upper associate society. 1 In this novel Shobha has realistically bequested the lives of youth, their aspirations their attitudes, she mentions in her autobiography The novel is littered with types from that mixed-up decade-the self-styled bohemians out to change the world except not their smelly underwear the dirty old men of Mumbai, all gas and miniscule turds the corporate ladies with their good animation hangs-ups the intellectuals, pariahs and parasites who feed off the rich term spitting on their capitalist values. It was a fun book to do.And for those of us who grew up in that era in Mumbai, there were a lot of well-known(prenominal) echoes and reference points that provided loads of amusement during the recounting. I consider immortal one of my better-etched characters I earth-closet only regret he wasnt for real. 2 Shobha De dazzles the reader with her frank and candid tales of the lives of antherals and effeminates who be trying to carve a successful portion outer in the field of literature and journalism in the city of Mumbai. Because of her own journalistic stint in Mumbai Shobhas Sultry Days emerges as a very realistic novel.Shobha says, I rather samed doing this book with its simple tale of doomed mania, simply because it took me sustain to my college days and to the edges of the pseudo-arty intellectual world I flirted with briefly before beating a hasty retreat. 3 The protagonist in this novel is too a fe antheral like other no vels of Shobha De, but unlike her other novels Sultry Days as well revolves around a male character. Nisha, the protagonist of the novel is a secure headed and c atomic number 18er orient female although the novel also deals very realistically with a male character who also becomes the central character as the novel unfolds.God or debutante is the central male character and Nisha is the narrator. It is through deb that Nisha discovers herself. Nisha is a young college student who is sharp and focused towards studies, she comes from an upper middle class family. Nishas parents do not carry a very loving birth. She always feels tense that father has no clipping for her mother and neglects his daughter. Nisha is a shy little girl and she always hated the frown birthmark on her forehead which made her look tensed all the time. Was it my expression? Did I look troubled? In pain? Depressed? mayhap it was that birthmark of mine.It had to be that. I was born with worry lines betwee n my brows. 4 rogueboy 2 Nisha thought that she may appear to debutante as a, A prissy little good girl who carried far too may books around. Pretty enough, I suppose. But not special. 5 pageboyboy 2 From the beginning we become aware of Nishas attraction for Deb who is also referred to as God by most of his college conversancys. Deb is the son of a communist and is also a communist himself, he much gets arrested while taking out Morchas. Nisha gets attracted to Deb because of his unusual personality.His appearance is shabby, wears days old stubble, always scratches his matted locks which were full of lice-nests, smokes beedies, is a man of loose morals, has had several girls by the time he reached college. His attitude towards girls is also to use them and leave them. I learnt very quickly that I had to lapse whatever little ego and pride I had if I wished to hang around God. His attitude towards girls was simple-use them and leave them As for me, I was plain moonstruc k. And for once in my animation I wasnt expiry to lose out by default. 6 page 5Despite his shabby appearance, Gods hands and fingernails were surprisingly, neat and clean. He knows m any(prenominal) languages such(prenominal) as German, french and Spanish. He had already read Chaucer and Karl Marx before leaving school. Deb fails to tolerate exploitation and hence revolts against injustice, tyranny and frivolities. In the beginning of the novel Deb asserts the immenseness of decent means and told Nisha that he was not interested in bills as it is only means to an end. Nisha is very impressed with his manners. Nisha is truly in love with Deb and tries hard to work their relationship.Deb however, is not very emotionally attached to Nisha or at least he pretends so. He mainly lives off Nishas money. Nisha tells I loved buying things for God. It gave me a sense of belonging. Gifts were a bond-perhaps the only one. Gifts-which he took entirely for granted. 7 page 13 Nishas paren ts disapproved of God as they felt that God is using their daughter for his own profit. But Nisha is totally smitten by Deb and tells them, Id like Deb to ruin my life. I want him to ruin it. I dont care if he wrecks it. I love him. 8 page 14 Nisha is very possessive approximately her mother and when Deb passes some nasty comments on her mother, Nisha screams at him in a fit of anger, Oh, shut up How dare you? I screamed, You and your filthy mind. What would you know about the needs of ladies-you who have no background, no class, you filthy bastard. 9 page 17 Nishas father is a typical role player husband. At home he had set rules for his wife and daughter to follow. He expected his wife to be dolled up in office parties according to his tastes. His wife had no choice.Nisha tells, My fathers ideas of a well-dressed wife were pretty fixed-she had to be draped in pastel-coloured chiffon worn with a conceited blouse Make-up, especially lipstick, was of vital importance since he firmly believed it was a sign of sophistication and no stylish woman should ever be seen without it. 10 page 19 He expected his wife to look after the house and accompany him for occasional parties. She was never go ond to do something worthwhile outside home. When Nishas mother told her friends that she had no time for her personal interests her friend tells her That is your problem.But if I were in your place, I would just tell him that if hed cute to marry an ayah, he shouldnt have married you. We bring a lot of status to our husband and they should realize it. 11-page 24 Nishas father did not approve of women going out of home for work. When Nishas mother got an offer for work from her friend Pratimaben her husband denied it straightaway by saying In our company wives do not work. They stay at home and organize dinner parties 12 page 147 For a large number of years after their marriage Nishas mother use to give up without a fight with her husband.But when the artificial beh avior of her husband started taking toll on her senses she told her husband in a fit of anger I have had enough of your bullying and hypocrisy. I have unbroken quiet for far too long. Go to hell with your corporate nonsense. Why should you I? Why should I bother about you either? You can also go to hell with your pompous talk and empty boasts. I am sick, do you hear, sick of living this false life Well-its my turn now. And you can listen to me for a change. I will go along with Pratimaben with anything I choose to do. She is my friend.She encourages me. She appreciates me Whether you like it or not, henceforth I will make the decisions about my life. And the first thing is that Im taking a job. 13 page 148 Shobha De satirizes the hypocritical couples who have extramarital relations and yet pretend to be faithful to each other. Deb broke the news to Nisha that her father is having an affair with a Sindhi woman. Even Nishas mother confirms that her father has broken all ties with he r. Inspite of their differences Nishas parents throw an anniversary party for their friends.Nisha was tensed visual perception all this and admits As for me, I was drwn into my mothers sad world, full of self-pity and doubt. I didnt know what to make of the bomb she ad dropped. My father continued to be normal and pretended nonentity had happened. 14page 62 In this novel Shobha De throws light on the hollow life of film and modeling world. Deb gets no pocket money from his father, he does free lance reporting as well as proof-reading. After college Nisha joined an ad agency and she became a little busy in her life. Whenever she had time she met God and enjoyed his company.As God became informed of his creative powers, he started writing poems. Nisha felt delighted seeing God moving in the league of contemporary poets. God is also very proud of his poetic sensibilities. God started attending workshops in which amateur poets gathered and imagecased their work. Shobha De gives a ve ry realistic picture of this strata of upcoming talent. She refers to such workshops as The sessions were conducted I dingy halls where the organizers didnt have to pay any rent. Everybody sat around on uncomfort satisfactory folding chairs or on the floorOthers who were present regularly were a fairly motley lot of struggling writers, a Grande Dame of Verse, frustrated copy-writers and self-styled critics. 15 page 26 Nisha never felt at ease in the meetings of Anglo Indian Poets Association. There were some aspiring women members also in the group. Women like Chandni, Sujata, Pramila etc wanted to get name and fame in the field of journalism. These women wanted to get away from the clutches of domesticity and wanted to breathe in the fresh air. unrivaled such character is that of Sujata. Sujata was also a member of Gods poetry pattern group.She represents new women who fulfills all her homely duties and also doesnt forget her own interests. Shobha writes All of them-her timid h usband and four daughters, doted on her. However, she had made it plain that she had gone beyond them and that shed stopped playing wife and mother long ago. After fulfilling her duties as a wife and mother, Sujata decided to live her life on her own terms. She told her family My duties are over. They are on their own now, she would explain. I have played the roles I was expected to at the appropriate times. NowIm on my own. And they are on their own. This is my life. I want to live it my way. 16- Page 31 God appreciated Sujatas behaviour, he tells Nisha Whats wrong with her behaviour? She is beautiful, man, just beautiful. She follows her instincts. She makes her own rules. Shes not a coward. She cares two hoots for the supposed society. I admire her guts, yaar. 17page 31 Ultimately, God joined Plume magazine as sub-editor and felt delighted. The basic aim of Plume was to encourage young poets.Shobha de has very realistically portrayed womens protest against the prevalent sy stem which limits the scope of a womans life to mere day to day household chores. In this novel women like Sujata and Pratimaben do not accept their traditional roles in marriage. They detest world limited to the domestic chores. Extremely conscious of their changed role in family, they proclaim loudly, We are not only housekeepers after all, We are not mere housekeepers, after all. 18page 24 Some women are career conscious to the extent that they do not think in terms of a settled family.Manju, Vimla are the professionals in marketing field and are career oriented females. They represent the new age females writes Shobha De These were the no-nonsense women who had take me seriously written all over them.. They took their jobs with an earnestness that was almost terrifying in its intensity. Even the married ones insisted on being addressed as Ms or stuck to their maiden names. Their male colleagues were not permitted to crack jokes or flirt lightly. She writes further, Workaholi sm for women had become very fashionable. If men can hire careers ruthlessly, so can we, women declared at seminars and workshops for senior managers.. Postpone babies or ask your husband to share house work. 19page 119 These characters in Sultry Days have an altogether different outlook towards family and social life. In this context, Des feminist concerns in her fiction come close to the ideas expressed by Veena Noble Dass, literary works should show women in activities that are not traditionally feminine to speed the dissolution of rigid sex roles.It is not enough, however to simply place a female character in a new occupation, with no corresponding change in her personality and behaviour. 20 The modern woman aspire to exercise power and control the situation. Feroze and Kiki also fall in the category of the New Woman of the new era. Regarding Feroze Shobha De remarks Feroze was on her own in more ways than one. Enterprising manipulative and full of fantastical kind of cha rm, she got around to places most people only dreamt ofFeroze became a familiar and popular figure in filmdom in an incredibly short period She host her own car-she smoked foreign cigarettes. She traveled by planes. 21page 150 Nisha met Anil Bhandari, a young marketing guy whod just set up a hot-shop of his own after coming back from a long stint in America with one of the best marketing agencies. Anil was in his early thirties and mockingly referred to himself as a first generation yuppie. 22 page 76 He was a fine example of a modern educated young man with refined international tastes.He smelt of Aramisor Drakkar and used Studio Line gel in his hair, wore Warren Beatty glasses. Soon Anil was going around with a supermodel model Shona. Shona and Anil perfectly complemented each other. Once they were engaged Anil emerged as a typical male from a hypocrite society. He told Nisha In fact, Im going to ask Shona to give up modelling once were married. She wont need the money anyway. Nisha asked him Maybe theres more than money in it for her. Maybe she loves her career. She is right at the top now. Have you discussed it with her? Not yet. Im sure shell agree. Shes such an innocent docile girl. Anil said. What will she do with her time? Nisha asked him. Anil replied and asked Nisha What does any housewife do? Theres so much to do around the house. 23 page 109 As the novel progresses we see visible change in Gods attitude. From a small time poem writer and proofreader Deb starts working for an art magazine Plume. Having tasted power and money during his association with Plume, Gods sole interest is to acquire money and power. Although Nisha does not approve of Gods new way of life. She explains her utter repulsiveness to Gods new style of living which had begun sowing the seeds of discord and estrangement between them.She says No I didnt like what was happening to God at all. We were beginning to see less and less of each other now that he didnt need to touc h me for cash that often God was behaving like a mortal, like all the other journalists in the town, a bum who shamelessly sold his pieces for a fews pegs of scotch and a five-star evening 24 page 100 Nisha always looked for a loyal partner in Deb which Deb ceased to be, not because of his alliance with other women but because of their varied interests. Deb and Nishas relationship turned cold after the actor starts caring less and less for his self-respect.He turned out to be a typical man from a male dominated society. Deb has moved to his own place and required somebody to cook for him and look after his house. Nisha suggested him to get a maid. Deb very nonchalantly told her These maids-shaids are a hassle, yaar. I need my own woman. If you want, I dont mind a shaadi-waadi-I know that will make you feel better. Theek hai-we can be burgeois and go through with that marriage rubbish. You can cook, cant you? Can you fry puris without burning your fingers? Can you make rice that is nt sticky? Better to get all this straight from the start, hai na?No lafda later on Give me my daal-roti, a warm bed, twice-a-week maalish and a daily screw. Thats all I expect. Nisha was too stunned to respond to what she heard One part of me was laughing. The other, feeling sorry for this man. He was obviously deranged-or the worlds biggest egotist. He actually expected me to jump at this offer. He looked so comic. So vulnerable, standing in the lobby, trying to look nonchalant and heroic. 25- page 160 Gods sole interest in life was reduced to acquire money and power. Contrary to his attitude Nisha wants everything in life through sheer labor.Nisha had never expected this change in God and she failed to convince him as to he did not need to work for a political broker, he needed to trust the power of his pen, but all her efforts went in vain. As ill luck would have it, Deb became proud of his power and joins Yashwantbhai, a don. Gods new life style began to sow seeds of discord and estrangement between them. Nisha realizes that God was no longer the same person she had fallen in love with. Nisha tried her best to refrain Deb from associating with a criminal like Yashwantbhai but Deb had gone too far to come back.Nisha started exposing Yashwantbhai and his pit connections in her write-ups. Nishas bold action is supported by her mother and also by a social activist Pratimaben who unravels and brings to public notice Yashwantbahis atrocities on his former mistress, Pramila. Pramila is a fine example of a new age woman. Pramila is a Nagpur woman, her husband is in a well paid job, they have three children. Pramila is a talented poetry writer and to pursue her career in writing she leaves her family and moves to Mumbai. She shots to fame as soon as her poems are published in English.She administers a jolt to her husband when she divorces him and leaves the house along with her two daughters. She eventually meets Yashwantbhai and becomes her mistress. She beco mes avictim of his lust. She becomes pregnant with his child, Yashwantbhai forces her to get a sex check done for the unborn baby as he did not want a girl child. Knowing that the child is a girl Yashwantbhai abuses her and then it is God who helps her in going underground. Nisha, her mother, Pratimaben with Pramilas help expose Yashwant bhai.Ultimately, Deb has to pay for his association with Yashwant bhai, he is shot by Yashwantbhais goons and God collapses after struggling for a couple of days in hospital. When Dev is shot and admitted in the hospital, Nisha analyzes the life of ignorant and uneducated women of Bombay who never think of higher issues of life such as- What are the fundamental rights of a citizen? What is the interpretation of women liberation movement? What is secularism? Will women be free from the drudgery of the kitchen? What is the meaning of democratic socialism? Is socialism going to help women in any way?What is the importance of L. I. C in the life of a fa mily? Nisha thinks very realistically that these ignorant and simple-hearted women are not shot dead as they dont raise their voice against the underworld Dons. No threats are disposed(p) to them as they dont interfere with the working of politicians. But the women in Shobha Des novels are strong and confident. These women know what they want from life and how to achieve it. Nishas mother followed her husbands instructions through out her life but finally she raised her voice against his hypocrite nature and emerged a winner.Women in Sultry Days assert their free and autonomous existence, they dispute and fight against the established social order that threatens their existence. Bhaskar A Shukla observes It may be partly on account of her experience as a journalist that she is able to tell things interestingly and with a courage of conviction in a language uniquely her own. 26 Women in Sultry Days represent a modern, self-sufficient and financial independent woman. These women do not expect their male partners to provide them financial security.In fact, it is Nisha grants monetary favors to her boyfriend Deb for a long time. Sujata, Pramila, Pratimaben are women who do not wish to be enclosed in their homes, they wish to be free from the clutches of male dominated society. They show the courage to leave their houses and pursue their dreams and make a mark of their own. Binod Mishra remarks In Des novels womens desperate struggle for existence unfolds in their unconventional behaviour, their sexual escapades and their dream for a life free from male domination. 27 BIBLIOGRAPHY Sonia Ningthoujam, Image of the New Woman in the Novels of Shobha De. 2Shobha De, Selective MemoryStories From My Life, page 336 3Shobha De, Selective MemoryStories From My Life, page 336 4Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 2 5Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 2 6Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 5 7Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 13 8Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 14 9Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 17 10Sh obha De, Sultry Days, page 19 11Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 24 12Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 147 13Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 148 14Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 62 5Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 26 16Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 31 17Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 31 18Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 24 19Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 119 20Veena Noble Dass, ed. , Feminism and Literature, Feminism and Literature (Delhi Prestige Books, 1995), page 10 21 Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 150 22 Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 76 23 Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 109 24 Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 100 25 Shobha De, Sultry Days, page 160 26Bhaskar A Shukla, Shobha de The Writer and Feminism, page 114 27 Binod Mishra, Critical Responses to Feminism