WEIGHT LOSS.

Weight Loss By Upamanyu Chatterjee. Novel. 10.4.2006

It is weird narrative without any message. May be a sample of literature with no aim of objective. Really it could not be reflecting any social reality. Is it nihilism? Not in my opinion. Chatterjee's prose is flowing and readable enough incidents and episodes undergone by the protogonist are beleavable but not that probable in real life. The hero Bhola views everything as sexual manifestation to which he has explanation from the millenieum old spiritual traditions bequitted from the time of Vedas. Bhola is not a flesh and blood person but amalgam of servession, unusual in one person. Though it seems that he acts a rebel the idea is far from his mind. He just rolls on from moment to moment. His pranks in the school is an assertion of his own individuality, that never gets acknowledged by others. His ties with parents are nebuleus.

No episode or encounter get connected to the development of the story. It is just fantasy that rules his mind in relation to his teachers and girl students. I find it unconvincing his dreamy encounter with the vegetable vendor and wife. He drools over their body contours both homo and hetero sexual terms. These two follow him throughout his life some times unexpected forms. Though he looks them down as low and despicable and dirty he also accepts and reveals in the dirt. I think psychologically Bhola is punishing himself for being from an upper caste but not rich. The details of what they do in bed are inviting only to himself. This is self delution. It is mostly oral sex and not some healthy one. With full knowledge that he might get infected Bhola upends all limits Dr. Borkar is a pervert and justifies his perversions with spiritual explanations. His married life did not elevate him. Still he gets mind with the same duo. Their criminality gets registered but instead of seperating oneself Bhola turns out to be an apologists. He continues to pick up relations with the duo after every break. Only with the relation with his elderly land lady is beleavable but not fully. For years he lived in her quarters but there was no clue as to their sexual attraction. Not that the hero had anything alternative, when the relation is mentioned for the first time the same is an old hat. No prelims or introduction. He freely parts her upper garments and handles her fleshy breasts without preparing the reader for it. Most of the sexual encounters are bizarre. One could not get convinced that the hero is a sex pot. He is not even though he unusual exploits might give a wrong idea. The end is self inflict without any reason for that end. On the contrary there is reason enough for him to try and retire are a life for Karuna.