Book Review #25: Tantu By Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa

Yet again, I am here to give you all a review of Dr. S. L. Bhyrappa Sir's another magnificent novel Tantu. Tantu can be meant as "Links" or a much sophisticated close meaning as "Relations". This book reveals the various facets of a life and how the bad decisions can affect one's own life and their surroundings. I can say, this book is more or less similar to Anchu in terms of the characters, feelings and relationships are concerned. But still, it makes altogether a different impact on its readers. Much have been talked about the capabilities of Dr. SLB sir and his magic while creating a psychological view of every character.

Tantu is a journey of individual souls that judge things from their own perspective. The protagonists are mere mirror image of a modern society. The reality is, Tantu captures the minute details of a person that you and me see in everyday of our life. This book is a fight between, honesty, bravery, cunningness, illicit relations, upbringing kids in the right way, money, meditation, music, school, government, politics, politicians, journalism, etc, etc..

Spread across 900 pages. This book captures many stories that are interlinked with each other. Author had brilliantly connected each story to the next and previous one in order to achieve the full effect. A complete package of a typical Indian life in a typical India during the time of Indira (the then prime minister of India)!!!.

There is no single protagnonist in this novel. Each character has the same depth of a protagonist range. A Resident Editor of a popular english daily Mr. Ravindra, who sticks to his principles and known for his honesty and integrity. A shrewed woman, wife of the resident editor, Mrs. Kanti, who is least cared about living the life in a right way, she rather believed in living life in all possible way. And, a teenage son of this couple Anoop, who falls in the wrong companionship of wealthy kids, and starts to steal things from his school, steals money from his dad's pocket. Later stage of the novel witnesses Anoop being convicted by police, when raiding a brothel cum nude dance bar.

The story revolves around these main characters. But, the other events and stages of the novel feels as important as these 3 peoples. As the novel further goes, Mr. Ravindra came to know that, his son is going in a wrong direction. He decides to get him admitted to a different school, that runs on the principles laid down by Mahatma Gandhi. The speciality of this school is, it doesn't take any support from the governmental agencies, even, the teachers are mostly celibate and they stays in school forever. The vivid description of this school must be read from the novel itself. Here author introduces us to the scene, where Mrs. Kanti was not at all happy about getting her son admitted to a school in a faraway village. This event had led her to have a spat with Ravindra.

As the novel further goes, Mrs. Kanti decides to go to her hometown for her father's birthday. But, she decides to stay there forever. Reason being, she meets one of her childhood friend, Mrs. Sheetal, who works in external ministry department. She gives Kanti an idea of starting her own cloth export business, for which, Kanti agreed instantaneously. Later events, proved that Kanti grown as one of the successfull business tycoon.

The real twist in the novel appears now. In Anoop's school there is a music teacher by the name of Mr. Hemanth Honnatti, that left his high paying job and decides to pursue his career in sitar music and runs away from his house and was practising in Anoop's school. Fortunately, Kanti knew the parents of Hemanth, she decides to meet him and persuade him to go and meet his parents. As the events unfolds, Kanti realizes that, she is attracted to Hemanth, she slowly shows her intersts in him, for which, Hemanth reciprocates equally. Within no time, their relationship had grown beyond imagine and they started seeing each other almost daily.

As the novel approaches towards the end. Anoop had joined an engineering college to pursue his engineering. Here author tries to explain the grave realities of the problems of a young adult, who is curious enough to try his hands at relationships, but not adult enough to sustain those realtions. Anoop tries his luck with many female students from his college. He also visits brothels, that leads to him in a bigger mess in the later stage of the novel. Finally, he decides to pursue his career in USA for an administration degree in Business. Here, due to Indira Gandhi's emergency declarations in the country, Ravindra decides to quit his resident editor job as he feels that there is not enough room left for fair, honest practice for journalism. His newspaper investors asked him to not to cover any governmental decisions and to stay out of reporting those things. This was the phase, that whole of India was in ultimate shock by witnessing the dictator style of governance from Indira Gandhi.

In climax, Ravindra will come to know about the illicit relationship that his wife Kanti had with Hemanth. He tries to question her, but he gets admonished from Kanti. Even Anoop knows about her mother's illicit relatioship, for which, his mother tactful response makes him silent. Here Kanti had grown out to be a good successfull business icon, but, failed as a wife and a mother. She had suffered a massive heart attack and passes away in isolation. Ravindra was put behind the bar for writing against the Indira Gandhi's government, Anoop marries his girlfriend and decides to stay in USA. The final scene marks, where Ravindra and few other were shouting slogans against the government for its decision to arrest common people. This marks the end of the book.

As though my review seems to be long and very simple. It's not the case, I didn't even revealed 20% of the novel in my review. It is such a huge novel, and it is difficult to write a conclusive review after all. It exposes those persons that lives in each one of us who are after material desires than relations and responsibilities. As we witness in this novel, Kanti failed as an honest wife and a loving mother. Anoop failed as an honest son, Hmeanth failed as a trusted friend, Ravindra failed for being an honest man!!. Their relationships or TANTU with each other seems to be just on the papers, and it has broken long ago.

We all must appreciate the hidden meaning in this novel. Don't just think it is a work of fiction, it gives all of us some lessons on how to maintain our relationships. If we go behind just material desires, our relationships, for sure, goes in a different direction. We wouldn't even realize it. By the time we realize, this TANTU or RELATIONSHIP will be beyond the stage of repair. A must read for everyone.

My Rating: 
5/5

Book Review #18: Mandra By Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa

As the monsoon picks up in Southern India. Having a good enthralling book along with a cup of coffee for the evenings would be a perfect match!!. Good heavens, It was just a straight jackpot for me. I started to read this novel "Mandra (novel)" and went into a trance. Just read few pages per day to savour the writing flavor of my favourite writer Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa. 

The title of the novel "Mandra" can be literally translated to english as "Lower Octave". You guessed it right, this novel is fictional story of a famous Hindustani Classical singer Pandit Mohanlal. This book is all about his experiments with Classical Musics, Raga's and his beloved students or rather I can say disciples and close intimate encounters with all of them.

If it is just for a normal musical fiction novel, it wouldn't have been awarded with India's one of the Prestigious Award Saraswati Samman in the year 2010. This book is beyond the music that touches everyone's soul. It is a spiritual journey, as well as profound. The readers would be certainly spellbound after reading this, just like me!!. Detractors always finds one or other reasons to malign SLB sir for his works. This book was not spared after all. They went ahead and called this novel as an erotic novel!!

The plot of the book is very simple. Mohanlal, a boy from Haridwar, studying music in his Guru's Omkarashram. Having a thought to achieve more in music, he runs away from his Ashram and finds his place in Mumbai. Initial struggle, disappointment, anger, dissatisfaction, etc... that made Mohanlal as a budding classical singer of the town. He earns lots of money, name, fame that he has never seen before over the years, at the same time, he started to teach classical music to students. However, Mohanlal has one weakness, he can't control his desires for women. He often indulges in sexual activities with his many female students. He used to call his favorite students with the names of the Raga's that best matches with them.

As the story introduces us to the younger days of Mohanlal, Author introduces us to a king, a master in classical music that never taught any students in his lifetime. Surprisingly, agrees to teach Mohanlal by observing Mohanlal's interest. Here also, despite learning every minute details of music, his hunt for female has never stopped. He indulges in sex with one of the workers in the King's court called Chunni.

As the novel progresses further, Mohanlal marries a village woman Ramakumari, and soon enough he loses interests in her and starts to find a new partner. Then comes Champabai, a well learned female, who agrees to marry Mohanlal, from there on, his music journey takes a different height. He always wanted to achieve more and more in music, at the same time, he wanted to taste more and more woman. This is the dark side of the Mohanlal in this novel.

If I start giving more details of the novel, the book loses its grip. It's better I stop with this much and mention only the important sketch of the novel. The story takes us to a point, where, Mohanlal loses interest in his 2nd wife as well and runs behind a Classical Dancer, Manoharidas, to Delhi. Here also he gets cheated by Manoharidas or rather, He cheated himself for many occasions. He heads back to Mumbai. He involves with the same sexual activity with one of his brightest student Madhumita Sha, which led her to divorce her husband.

This is the journey of this entire novel. Mohanlal, despite going to unimaginable heights through his music, he was always found himself in more trouble than merry. This is mainly due to his weaknesses for women, women and more women. He often convinces himself that this is expected for an artist. As the story takes its leap towards climax, Mohanlal, now, Pandit Mohanlal Ji, loses interests in all his music once and for all. He decides to visit every place and person, to confess his mistakes and heads back to Haridwar to find solace. This calls the curtain of the novel.

The plot of the novel that author has chosen requires lot of knowledge on Hindustani Classical Music. As the author claims in the preface itself, he knows most of the Hindustani Classical Music and its intricate details. Though the story is about common city dwellers. The details of Hindustani Music, the Raga's, the detailed notes of particular swara's like Kalyani, Bhairava, Ahir Bhairava, Mohana, Kaafi, etc, etc... is a great take away from the book and its a treat to read.

Readers should not have any prejudice or any orthodox thoughts while reading this book. You may feel at times, like, you are reading an adult, erotic novel. Leave those thoughts aside, just bask in the glory of Hindustani Classical music and its specialities. I recommend this novel to everyone. I am sure, those who have already read this novel, knows the real deep meaning of this novel that the author tried to portray here.

My Rating: 5/5