Not soaring too high

Evolving from a short story, as the author Sharad Paul notes in his introduction, The Kite Flyers is a novel set in the turbulent times of the 1970s Madras. Three friends form the crux of the novel, and as Kumar, Raman and Lakshmi discover, life has mysterious and often brutal ways of separating the three. Or, re-uniting them years later.

When the novel begins, Kumar is already a successful barber, and a certain customer’s first choice for a haircut. These are times when MGR is touted as god, a man whose skin remains flawless because of the gold bhasmam he eats. It is also a time for language politics to rear its head, the threat of Hindi looming large over the Tamil people. Much to their anger and indignation.

Then, the focus shifts to Kumar’s childhood — and of the times he spent with his best friends Lakshmi and Raman. Both Kumar and Raman are excellent kite flyers, enterprising boys with innovative ideas that help them win kite contests. Lakshmi, the pretty girl of the trio, is adept at making barfis, especially chocolate barfis, which she brings with her during the boys’ nightly kite practising sessions.

Eventually, an incident leaves Raman separated from the other two, an episode of his life that causes him pain and anguish, and makes the life he has known fall apart. Kidnapped during a journey to Madras, the boy finds himself in the company of alis, or eunuchs. What follows is a grisly depiction of Raman’s transformation that is definitely not for the squeamish. Nor, for that matter, the general reader.

On the other hand, Lakshmi and Kumar are drawn to each other, but Lakshmi’s parents have other ideas for her, including a betrothal and marriage to her maternal uncle. The idea revolts her, and the girl disappears. Kumar eventually moves out of his village to Madras, and begins a barber shop called Cool Cut.

The Kite Flyers tries to take on and present many issues at once: MGR’s superstardom; Raman’s transformation to Ramani; a glimpse into the life of a eunuch sisterhood; Lakshmi’s despair; Rajinder’s shop and her concerns; the caste system that leads to a teacher’s difficulties; Kumar’s kite flying; the fight against the imposition of Hindi. Not to mention the graphic and utterly gruesome descriptions of Raman’s plight, and the assault on Ramani’s ‘sister’ when she offers her services to a man.

Eventually, the many trains of thoughts and multiple ideas overwhelm the slim novel. The narrative jumps from one perspective to the other as issue after issue is highlighted, and in the process, the story is lost.

There’s no dearth of strong language and various allusions either. Nor is the violence censored — such descriptions come across as grotesque and almost unreadable. And unnecessary. Stark descriptions might have their place, but not incessant and excessive revelations in a general fiction novel. Realism has its place as well, and descriptions of this nature do not necessarily add to the readability of the book. One almost wishes the publisher had included a wee warning in the blurb.

Too many incidents, episodes, characters and their obsessions confuse the premise of The Kite Flyers. The characters are less distinctive than required and definitely not as unique as they should have been. The symbolic meanings and representation of kites, kite flying and dreams are repeated many times. While the prose attempts to be pithy and insightful, there are awkward moments when the narrative is plain, abrupt and strange.

For a novel short of 200 pages, The Kite Flyers could have used fewer revelations and far more story and characterisation; less violence and more pathos. The time jumps of the nine chapters could have been better handled, as it stands, they seem jumbled. Overall, The Kite Flyers is a very difficult book to read.