JOIN USNavtej Sarna’s Winter Evenings, a collection of deeply moving stories, is a true tribute to the human spirit. Set amidst the landscapes of Moscow, Geneva, Shimla, Paris, Delhi and Bombay, the stories are all about human relationships — the necessity of companionship for survival, as well as shallow relationships for selfish interests.
Sarna’s in-depth understanding of human nature and his power of keen observation of life are portrayed in all the stories — the friendship between two men completely unlike each other, brought together only because of their circumstances; two strangers who form a meaningful bond on the basis of a shared interest in painting; a man still caught up in the memories of his past relationship receives solace in the companionship of a high-class prostitute, who declares herself to be on vacation and reads out poems by T S Eliot to him; a doctor’s well-disciplined retired life comes to a standstill when his only companion, his sister, gets married; a man’s inner turmoil and purposelessness in life is set right by none other than his ex-wife.
Sarna’s characters come alive through his vivid characterisation and detailed portrayal — the readers can never erase characters like Madam Kitty from their minds. The narrator’s subtle humour in describing Madam Kitty — close to 50, with her “high-heeled shoes” and “thickly laid red lipstick” — remains immortal in our memory.
Sarna’s description of the tough Sikh matriarch — “happy, healthy and commanding” all throughout her life till memories of the past brings about her death — in the story, A Death in Winter, is yet another example of his mastery in creating immortal characters.
The collection remains unique because of the author’s fascination with uncommon stories.
A young writer leaves all his work to go to Pinjore to unravel the past and put an old lady’s mind at rest before she dies; “Mrs Lal”, the mother of the district collector, travels with him everywhere he goes, but ultimately finds “home” in a small town where she discovers her passion for writing; Anjali’s German shepherd, Brute, gifted to her by a man who loved her intensely, feels dejected and dies after she gets married.
Sarna’s treatment of these stories become poignant due to the gripping storyline — the ardent reader cannot but read the stories at one go. Stories like Madam Kitty, The Masterpiece, and Barrier Beach would lose their essence if left half-read. Sarna’s capability to keep the reader glued to the story can primarily be attributed to the effective endings of his stories.
The reader cannot miss the punch line or the unravelling of a mystery or a sudden twist at the end of almost all his stories. A Certain Thing is perhaps the only story in the entire collection where the author leaves the tale open-ended to the imagination of readers — the careful reader will be tempted to go for a second reading to fathom the mystery.
Even though Sarna gives us a slice of varied emotions of life, his preoccupation with love and marriage in different contexts cannot be ignored in these stories. The unspoken deep love of an Indian writer for a Russian girl is made immortal through his writings even after his death; a man caught up in the memories of his earlier marriage learns to give way to the new in order to start a fresh beginning; the shallow marital relationship of a couple whose marriage is dominated by money and social position; extramarital affairs disrupting family life also dominate Sarna’s stories.
The authorial voice, many a times, comes out in the narrator’s comment at the end of the stories presenting his point of view — “…and I hastily walked out of the club — hating all weak men and all weak women.”
A complete picture of Sarna’s stories cannot be given without a true understanding of his subtle humour. His presentation of serious matters — the corrupt social system, money and social position, hunger and poverty, the war and its after-effects — in a light-hearted manner, is what sets his stories apart.
He is not here to give a sermon on any of these issues, but nevertheless drives home his point in his own understated manner and that is what makes his stories worth reading.