<p>Navtej 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.<br /><br /></p>.<p> 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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br />The collection remains unique because of the author’s fascination with uncommon stories.<br /><br /> 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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br /> 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.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Navtej 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.<br /><br /></p>.<p> 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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br />The collection remains unique because of the author’s fascination with uncommon stories.<br /><br /> 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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.”<br /><br />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.<br /><br /> 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.<br /><br /></p>
