The Sialkot Saga
Author- Ashwin Sanghi
Publisher- Westland, Rs350
Bestselling author Ashwin Sanghi in his new novel, The Sialkot Saga, lives up to the expectations that he has raised for himself among the millions of fans that he has, and weaves yet another engaging tale of two men which builds up the reader’s involvement in the novel with every turn of the page, writes ASTHA JOSHI
Ashwin Sanghi weaves another engaging tale with his latest offering, The Sialkot Saga. living up to the name he has created for himself in the field of creative writing, Sanghi churns up a fictional world which comes through as too real at times. The novel spans through a comparatively large stretch of time but hardly ever the author loses thread of the narrative or digresses. The time frame extending from the middle ages till the 21st century is presented almost simultaneously, lending the narrative an engaging perspective. Further, both the time periods are detailed with such precision that they lend credence to the finesse of the writer.
Extending through various centuries, Sanghi’s novel traces the lives of its protagonists as they try to make sense of the ever-changing world around them in their own terms. In the personas of Arvind Bagadia and Arbaaz Sheikh, Sanghi brings to life the innermost aspirations, fears and wants of two confident young men who fight it out on their own terms to create and consolidate their positions in their respective worlds. Completely ignorant of the legacy that binds them, the two are persistent in washing out the other’s existence. Arbaaz Sheikh, when the narrative begins, is the son of a dockworker of Bombay, Ayub Sheikh and his wife Shabana. Arvind, on the other hand belongs to a well to do Marwari business family, his father runs a small jute trading operation in Calcutta.
The circumstances under which these two ambitious young men cross each other’s paths in life time and again could either be attributed to fate or maybe to a deeper relationship which binds them without even their knowledge. Their respective lives get entwined and the suspense keeps on building up for the readers as to where will their animosity ultimately end. They confront each other in the most unexpected of situations and leave no stone unturned in bringing the other one to dust. For the better part of the novel, Arvind and Arbaaz come face to face with each other mostly for business related issues. Financial gains and losses seem to be the pole around which revolves the lives of the brothers separated at childhood.
Arvind Bagadia is a clever and opportunistic business man who knows how to make the most of the chances which come his way by chance. He grabs hungrily at whatever comes his way and turns it into success by taking well calculative risks. Arbaaz, the son of a dockworker with a salary just enough to secure the basic needs of the family, turns to the deep dark world of the Mumbai mafia and exhibits skill in reaching to the heights of the world he had chosen to make a name in. Crushing all obstacles with an unexplained skill both reach the top of their games. Arvind’s regular scanning of the Forbes list for the richest men is indicative of the desperation that grows inside him to find a place for himself among the powerful and wealthy. To call the means used by both men illegal would be unjustified as that would have ended their tales quite early and in a completely different manner. Sanghi’s characters do not succumb to the pressures of the world they inhabit; instead find ways to mold the rules according to their terms.
Along with the well carved two central characters Sanghi creates strong supporting characters in Murali, Raju, Abhilasha, Abdul Dada and Paromita, among others. Entangled in the lives of these equally important supporting characters, Arvind and Arbaaz move through life in an ever unstable social and political backdrop. Over the entire span of the novel, Sanghi, as an innovative and interesting tool uses Bollywood, Indian politics and the Indian economy as the backdrop thereby moving the characters and the plot as close to reality as possible. The narrative is set in a time when the film world, the underworld mafia, business and politics used to exert quite an influence on each other. It also exposes the ruthlessness with which the mighty men of these worlds use manipulative tactics to spiral to the top. In interesting and almost unexpected twists and turns, Arvind Bagadai and Arbaaz Shiekh find themselves engaged in duels with each other. Both employ men and brains in equal measures to slit the other’s throats.
Sanghi builds up the suspense in the narrative keeping the readers guessing as to where would be the saturation point of the hatred Arbaaz and Arvind harbour within their hearts. The turn of events had earlier made Arvind’s childhood sweetheart Paromita the wife of his sworn enemy Arbaaz; and towards the second half of the narrative we have the children of the two falling in love and getting married being fully aware of the enmity between their respective fathers. In a most unexpected way it is Arvind’s son’s friend who hints at a possible relationship between Arvind and Arbaaz owing to the copper bangle. From the rechristened worlds of Mumbai and Kolkata, Arbaaz and Arvind’s linkage goes back to the pre-Partition India’s town of Sialkot. Without any of the two ever knowing about it completely, they fight out on their own in a world where their existence had been endangered from a very young age. Having spent some part of their childhoods together they both could have been in next in line to receive the secret of immortality to which their fathers were the heirs before them.
Sanghi also uses the element of immortality subtly in the background adding another nuance to the fictional narrative. The heartless quest to etch a name for oneself or to leave behind a legacy runs deep in the characters Arbaaz and Arvind. The displacement and loss suffered by Daljit and Manjit in the early years of life had prepared the calculative and risk-taking adults Arvind and Arbaaz who had learnt to turn life in their favour. With the introduction of Karma Tshering immortality is brought to the center stage in the novel. We also see how throughout history various kings have accorded importance to the knowledge of acquiring immortality. In the neat representation of three time periods, beginning with the third century leading through partition years and finally to the 21st century Sanghi weaves a masterpiece building up the readers’ involvement in the novel with every turn of the page.
The reviewer pursues Phd in Comparative Indian literature from the University of Delhi