A translator’s got to do what he’s got to do
#Bsl bhyrappa gujarati books full
I am not qualified to comment on the how close to reality Amrita’s depression has been portrayed in Brink, but it is the most nuanced look into mental illness in Indian cultural life at large – be it films or books.īhyrappa’s words and Prasad’s translation of Brink lays out the full breadth of her expriences the many suicide notes she has kept ready, the stash of knives she keeps in her bedroom, the loaded revolver that is always at hand, how she debates between shooting herself in the temple, versus the mouth, versus the heart, how she finds herself in a void between life and death and needs an escape, how she projects these anxieties and insecurities on her relaltionship with Somashekhar.īut at no point, do they become and excuse for her anti-social behaviours or mood-swings – they are the reasons, and she is fighting them in her own way, and she is figuring the web of problems out and untangling them the best she can. We see very little of her life as a professor, which feels at once like sexist representation of Amrita, but also natural, since she had given it a backseat to raise her two children. I give a damn for orders,” she retorted.īut she must also face the loneliness of being a mother and having to love unconditionally – her sons, 8 and 4, miss their father, have been provoked to think ill of their mother by the grandmother-figure in their life – and yet she must put up a brave face, participate in their stories and life with the vigour of happiness.Īnd if this was not enough, a crucial sub-plot has her fighting to get out of the financial and moral deception that her aunt, who had only pretended to love her like a mother since childhood, had carried out for many years mooching off her coffee estate. “Get up and come here,” he scoffed at her. It is Amrita who pursues Somashekhar, she who waits for him when he does not show up for their afternoon rendevous in her house, she who calls him first after a fight, she who waits for him before having lunch (as a symbol of thoughtfulness, not subjugation), who obsesses over him with all the rationality, silliness, and a touch of toxicity that comes with it. Written in a stream of consciousness ( a style I have not often read in Indian literary works), and with a powerful abandon, Bhyrappa invites us to meet some of the most intimate depths of her heart and mind, and follow her on her journey to make the life she wants – sometimes behaving rationally, sometimes not, but always being true to herself. While a love story between a man and a woman, Brink is fundamentally a powerful read on Amrita’s relationship with herself, and a note on how important it is to be at peace with your own context before you can join with another (To the point of feeling like Somashekhar’s world has been excluded). It’s love and connection at first site.īrink follows her struggles with depression, the committment to life and love that she shows towards Somashekhar, his struggle to find the right way to be with this person he is in love with and recognize the difference between her arrogance and her anxiety, and her journey to tie the loose ends of her life that keep her from moving on, and forward, in a meaningful way. (Below: A map of the locations where the novel takes place) So, what’s happening?Īmrita (mother of two) and Somashekhar (widowed) meet perchance on a sunny day in Mysore Amrita’s home needs fixing, and Somashekhar is a reputed architect. Bhyrappa, Brink is a love saga set in Mysore, a love between an older couple, a journey of learning to love someone with anxiety, a journey of loving life that has not been kind to you, and finding a way to move beyond deceit and learning to trust again. Originally published as Anchu in Kannada by the legendary S.L.