Textured Twenty-First Century Love Story*

Alka Saraogi’s latest novel is a poignant, layered and textured twenty-first century love story which examines the nature of illusion and reality—especially in the virtual world—appearances, violence, vulnerability and torment. It is the record of an interaction between a man and a woman who meet in cyberspace and the unexpected journey of discovery that Gatha, the female protagonist embarks upon.  Without preaching in any way and in prose which is crisp, direct and admirably suited to the context of the tale, Saraogi raises profound questions about ethics, morality, identity and its components as well as the complex world of human interaction and relationships and how they are being forged anew through new and varied modes of communication as well as the ramifications of such interactions.

The conversations between the protagonists raise questions about who we are, what we do and how we hope to achieve those ends. The basic dichotomy between a physical or corporeal existence and a virtual or digital one are brought into sharp focus. What are the effects of our actions in the real and digital worlds? Do they spread far beyond space and time? It is also a profoundly political novel without, perhaps, intending to be so and achieves this by forcing the reader to take an interest in, empathizing   even questioning all that Pramit Sanyal (the male protagonist) has to say.  Saraogi, who is a consummate storyteller with a keen ear for dialogue, avoids the clichés which are all too familiar when dealing with subjects of this nature, and instead finds a way to move beyond existing forms and conventions of the novel and in doing so, takes a position which is entirely non-judgemental.

This is also the story of an intelligent woman wrestling with her emotions and interpreting situations, figures and conflicts through the prism of contemporary life. Identity and power, the ways and means of taking action, the struggle with ideas and ideals, the need to fight, are all fundamental to this tale. This is not a novel which offers solutions. Instead, in a deeply introspective and often dead-pan manner it raises questions about loneliness and isolation, myths and mythmaking, and, for better or worse, the nature of attraction. It is a psychologically rich and articulate expression of a journey which is profoundly romantic but also intellectual. The terrifying abyss of revolutionary upheaval towards which Pramit seemingly leads Gatha exists at the intersection of public issues and private lives and it is this point which is of crucial significance as is beautifully and touchingly demonstrated in the joint-dream.