Perumal Murugan's "Maadhorubagan" (trans:One-part woman) became a subject of national controversy after its English translation was formally released in 2014. Several accusations ranging from Blasphemy to Caste-based discrimination were foisted upon Murugan by different factions, with efforts being spearheaded by Hindu extremists and members of the purportedly "defamed" caste. The author was impugned and taken to court, which later adjudicated on his favour. This judgement was later hailed as a key judgement for free speech in India. Notwithstanding its clear mark on the legacy of free speech in India, I believe the politicisation of this book has subverted several major themes discussed in the book.
The original Tamil title of the book: Maadhorubagan is an alias of the famed deity held by the Ardhanareeshwarar temple in Tirchengode, Tamil Nadu. Ardhanareeshwarar, the deity is portrayed as an androgynous amalgum of Lord Shiva and Lord Parvati, with the former and latter taking the right and left halves of the sculpture respectively. Choosing this deity's moniker as a title for a story centered around a childless couple seems rather uncanny. I believe the reason for this choice is the undeniable influence the deities of the story have on it. The story seems to meander around the three deities mentioned within. "Maachaami", the first of the three is a doppelganger of Ardhanareeshwarar. Its attributes are exposited by the priest at the hilltop. The second is "Devaatha", an older deity which is female that was purportedly worshiped by the protagonist Kaali's ancestors and the inhabitants of the village. The third deity is " Kaatu Devaatha" (henceforth K.Devaatha) who is a Goddess Kaali-esque figure (not to be confused with the protagonist) that lies shrouded in greenery of the hill's valley.
Firstly, I would like to address the historic and civilizational elements discussed in this tale. Murugan has managed to cover a lot of historic ground ranging from early tribal settlements to post-colonial society in rural Tamil Nadu. This insight might have been accrued by Murugan as a consequence of his research of the culture of the Kongu-region of Tamilnadu. He has managed to capture the essence of the regional dialect beautifully. With regard to the pre-mentioned three deities, Maachaami could be seen as the result of cultural evolution and the crashing of social currents. Chronologically, the tribal inhabitants of pre-agricultural Karatoor worshipped K.Devaatha. K.Devaatha has a fierce, feminine form smeared with red. Her ownership of the forest is apparent from her representation. She stands before us as nature, harsh but generative. She demands a sacrifice in blood and yields generously. Ritually, in the story one could see her contrasted with Maachaami. She (K.Devaatha) does not have a permanent priest, there are no slogams and offerings made to her would seem barbaric to the eyes of the uninitiated. On the other hand Maachaami has a dedicated priest who offers long-winded philosophical explanations and prayers in exchange for dakshana. Offerings made to Maachaami were not utilitarian and more ritualistic. In the tale, Maachaami is portrayed as a "bourgeoisie god" who clearly evolved from Devaatha which was worshiped by the protagonist's ancestors. The representation of Devaatha in the tale indicates her to be the intermediate step between K.Devaatha and Maachaami. The protagonist's grandmother mentions how her ancestors appropriated the gods of the tribes folk during their agricultural expansion into their territories. In summary, the gods seem to evolve with people and society starting out with a primordial feminine K.Devaatha and progressing towards Maachaami which exhibits clear Vedic attributes.
There are mentions of colonialists, with the sacred festivals conducted being supervised by the police. There is also an anecdote about a rather benevolent general who conducted contests for villagers during sacred festivities. In another instance, within the tale, the protagonist criticizes the ignorance of a "fair-skinned vegetarian" and his failure to understand their culture. This seems to be a direct jab at the Brahmanical elite that dominated administrative positions during the departure of the British. The tale places the main characters in a juxtaposition between rapid modernisation and conservative culture. It marks the advent of commercialized farming by portraying it in the eyes of a confused traditional farmer. Those same set of eyes are employed to look at the marvel of modern cinema with wonder at Kannan Talkies. The author uses the protagonist's point of view to allow the readers to ponder the changes brought in by modernisation in retrospect with a fresh set of eyes.
Casteism as an issue largely seems to be eclipsed by the tension the pair faced in society, but it seems to function well in the background. The protagonist empathizes with the excluded lower castes momentarily when he likens their (the pair's) anathematization with that of the lower castes'. However, there is no benevolence in the comparison as the hate on lower castes quickly engulfs him, rendering the comparison repulsive in his head. The discriminatory thoughts are more apparent in his (Kaali's) inner monologues. With regard to Ponna's participation in the ritual, one of Kaali's anxieties is the potential of Ponna bearing the child of an untouchable which he must inevitably father. Caste seems to hover ominously in Kaali's psyche. Superficially, the absence of caste in the tale may reflect a more sinister reality in which there is no room for pollution by such undesirable castes in the protagonist's utopian world. Here, the silence on caste affirms its presence loudly.
The contrarian existence of "Chittappa" helps the readers get an outsider's view in a otherwise immersive tale. Chittappa with his stinging wit and progressive attitude was able to withstand and thrive in spite of society's harsh chiding. For Kaali his persona was something to strive towards. This character is an explicit anomaly in the otherwise harmonious world constructed by Murugan, I believe this choice was intentional as Chittappa's outlook seems to be a panacea to today's hereditary societal maladies. one could even think of Chittappa as a stand-in for the ideology Murugan wants to espouse.
Arguably, one of the best parts of the tale would be Ponna's transformation towards the end of the tale. Ponna was coerced into participating in a clandestine ritual within the religious festivities. After being dressed up and beautified by her mother, Ponna is abandoned and becomes one with the crowd. The scarce lighting and the crowd made Ponna, a subject of society's critique feel liberated. Basking in her newfound freedom bequeathed by her anonymity, Ponna attempts to fulfil the purpose of her presence. One would imagine the pious Ponna to be repulsed by the ritual's demands and accept the first man that approaches her, but Ponna is fickle and "chooses" a man she deems worthy. The sad reality that feminine desire is taboo in society could be gleaned from this act. A woman's desire is validated only if the subject of her desire is associated with godliness. Murugan beautifully documents her mental evolution as she transitions from a Maachaami-esque mindset where she is closely bound to Kaali and the intuitive feel of him to a Kaatu Devaatha-esque mindset where she is liberated and assertive. One could understand why K.Devaatha had to be hidden away in the wilderness. This fission of the feminine from Maachaami and assertion of the feminine by embodying K.Devaatha let the masculine geist of Kaali that possessed her psyche die symbolically. This is beautifully accounted for by Murugan who kills of Kaali in the tale.
It is ironic for a society that worships the personification of the divine love between Shiva and Parvati (Ardhanareeshwarar) to be blasphemous and butcher a similar relationship between the protagonists. One might even liken society to cancer, slowly depleting the non-multiplying, ushering in their demise. This tale makes one ponder our trajectory as a culture, Is what we have left ahead just nihilistic multiplication with no destination? I beg to differ. Life has other gifts to offer like the pursuit of beauty, knowledge and love. To me this book by Perumal Murugan was a remainder, what we have against us is a cold, unresponsive universe...All we can do is huddle together and keep warm. Valuing understanding and acceptance would be putting our best foot forward as a society.
