Down Mauzo road

Teresa’s man and other stories from Goa
Damodar Mauzo
Translated by Xavier Cota
Rupa, 2015, pp 200, Rs. 250

Damodar Mauzo’s Teresa’s Man and Other Stories From Goa is like a string of beads — all of slightly different size, shape and colour. A keen eye for the oddities of human destiny and the irony that lies at the heart of human conditions form the central theme of these stories, binding them. Urban scenes mingle with the rural.

In The Land of Humans, Halsid’du is simply going about his business under a bright blue sky when a disaster strikes without any warning. One wrong act at one wrong moment and his whole life comes tumbling down like a pack of cards. An impoverished cattle-farmer is instructed to bring his cattle to the butcher in Goa. On his long trek, he falls into a pleasant reverie in which he tantalises images of a good living in Goa, of the feast of Goddess Yellamma and the promised marriage to the luscious Anshi. Simply a moment of distraction is enough to start off a string of misfortunes.

The conclusion is a masterpiece of irony, where Halsid’du is beaten “black and blue” for misdeeds he has no understanding of. Misconceptions braids a young couple’s urge for a baby with superstitions and simple goodness with an ironical twist at the end.

In She’s Dead, two politicians on a business trip to Delhi display a glee akin to that of schoolboys let out from school. The night is young; forbidden pleasures beckon when one is outside one’s boundaries of family ties, culture and language. Like a bolt from the blue, news arrives of the sudden death of Madkaikar’s wife. It’s left to D’Souza to gently break the news to him, cut the trip short and fly back immediately. But, how does one break the news of the death of a close one? Someone who had been full of life only few hours ago? Irony is piled on irony as the unaware Madkaikar revels in his newly found freedom. Our nerves are strung tightly when every word jangles harshly as the story builds to a crescendo. A final goading and the cymbals clash.

Existence is a struggle in Coinsanv’s Cattle. It’s a story of the poorest of poor whose lives are intertwined with those of their beasts’. It is an intuitive living where the animals are an extension of one’s own self. The story begins with a gnawing hunger of both the humans and their dumb beasts. A friend casually dangles the possibility of immediate cash if one were to sell the animals. To sell the animals is to sell oneself. But what worth is attachment when weighed against hunger? There is a superb portrayal of Coinsanv’s thoughts as they ricochet between regret and a sense of rightness. The conclusion is a psychological triumph. For what lies in the depths of human heart is a mystery.

In Bandh, a sane world comes to a standstill and vicious forces take over. Aggression that lies waiting below the surface is ignited. Whatever the reason for the bandh, violence takes over. Mauzo portrays the absurdity of the situation.

Vignaharta and From the Mouth of Babes are written in a lighter vein. In Vignaharta, a time to celebrate is the time to panic as a man is struggling under debts. It’s a teeth-clenching time for the provider. The heartlessness of such occasions, along with their varied demands in the name of custom, is juxtaposed with a stubborn pride, for that is all there is left for one. In such a situation, even bad news can be good news, and allow the crushed heart to flutter again.

Teresa’s Man, the title story of this collection, is about the shrivelling of love in the harsh glare of reality. It’s an uneven proposition. An earning wife, a jobless husband and a discontented mother-in-law. What happens to young love when their dream does come true? Real life begins. Violence lies very close to the surface, simply waiting for a chance to erupt. A violence that has no rhyme or reason. A simmering pot is brought to boil by the idle remarks of onlookers. A seemingly friendly remark only adds to the heat. A seething mother’s baiting of her son, and finally, the gossipy atmosphere at the pub bring it to a full boil. It’s a masterpiece of how chance events simply come together to wreak havoc on an innocent act.

Happy Birthday is a foray into the world of parenting and its intense competition and comparison of children. When a disabled child is born into such an atmosphere, it is the parents who act abnormally in their refusal to accept reality.

Mauzo’s perceptive understanding and portrayal of life makes this collection eminently readable. Both the content and the tone are serious, for the business of life is no laughing matter. Xavier Cota’s translation rings true.