We live in a world where there’s a new crisis everyday that sanctions forgetting and moving on. The furore on television channels slowly dies. But, deep down, as individuals who are constantly torn between knowing what’s right, yet continuing to do what isn’t, how do we seek forgiveness for overlooking the rudimentary problems around us from the place of privilege? Failing to acknowledge our mistakes would be as much a sin as a crime committed. Here’s the story of one such bystander Balarama, the protagonist of writer Anita Nair’s latest audiobook on Storytel titled A Field of Flowers, and narrated by actor Prakash Raj.
The duo has once again paired up after the success of their first audiobook The Little Duck Girl, a story about religious identity with the backdrop of CAA passed by the Indian government in 2019. The latest one’s a similar thought-provoking story that picks up a pressing social problem and lets us ponder over our moral responsibilities.
Peeling layers of conscience
A Field of Flowers is a contemporary retelling of Mahabharata set against the backdrop of the Hathras rape case. Set in Vrindavan, the plot revolves around Balarama, a wealthy farmer and wrestling teacher, and his brother Krishna. Balarama hires Shyama, an educated and ambitious Dalit girl to help his wife Revathi with a new farming venture. That’s when, Bheema, a young Dalit worker, joins the wrestling school. Shyama and he fall in love. However, when Duri, Balarama’s favourite student, a rich, upper- caste man, returns to the wrestling school, the rivalry between him and Bheema escalates and all their lives are impacted forever. Most of all, Shyama’s.
Elaborating the storyline, Nair shares, “Indian mythology has always fascinated me, especially the character of Balarama. While writing the book, from Balarama’s point of view, I kept at heart the Mahabharata story and drew references from it to the recent times we live in. In the contemporary version, Balarama is upset and angry about the things happening around him but seldom questions or stops it. The story clearly states not much has changed in society, ancient Hastinapur or present-day Hathras, when it comes to prejudice and patriarchy.”
The many things that Nair borrows from the mythology and other caste references reflect in her characterisation. “Shyama, like Draupadi, has a dark complexion and is addressed as Kali by her family soon after she's born. But Krishna, like the Lord himself, steps up and names her Shyama, another meaning for black. He protects her from constant colour-shaming and ridiculing. Duri, the antagonist, is named after Duryodhana. Even with the landscape, it’s built loosely in Hathras, 40 km from Vrindavan, where Krishna spent his childhood days. Likewise, Bheema’s name comes from Jai Bhim, a greeting used by followers of Ambedkarism.”
Nair wants the story to prick each one of our conscience and expose us to the ground realities of everyday discriminations. The hour-long audio story is punctuated with moments that make you pause and question societal hierarchies. Even after clearing her class 12 exams with good marks, why isn’t Shyama allowed to pursue higher education? Why does she have to follow the footsteps of her ancestors? If not for a woman, would she have borne the brunt of caste discrimination, raped and stripped of dignity? A similar rage simmers in Prakash Raj’s deeply expressive voice. Complementing his narration, the melancholic background score amplifies how we as a collective society and the system have failed several women like Shyama, time and again.
To more powerful stories
Nair believes that with audiobooks, narration is as gruelling and crucial as writing. Explaining the unspoken chemistry with Prakash Raj, Nair says,“It isn't often that I think of a voice when I write a character but with A Field of Flowers, even as I was writing the story I knew that only Prakash Raj could transport the listener to the heart of the story. We share a similar opinion on various aspects of life. The narrator should read the story with some amount of conviction and I needed someone who believed utmost in what I’ve written. Prakash was the ideal choice.”
Having written four audiobooks so far, the author tells us how the writing process is entirely different for the medium. “Right from selecting the background score to the narrator, I’m hands-on in every process. With writing, the descriptions need to be short and the conversations should punctuate often. The impact of words matter. Even one extra word can seem flabby and weigh down the content. It’s an art form and not really a craft. A powerful audiobook is that which holds a listener’s attention consistently.”
Nair is currently working on the Inspector Gowda book series, a few children’s books and audiobooks. “With audio stories, I was writing about the country we live in and what it’s like. The message is driven home harder and the impact is better. It will niggle at people’s conscience and poke at their complacency,” says the author.
The audiobook is available on Storytel (a subscription-based platform). For details, visit storytel.com