Mahatma Gandhi would not have become ‘Mahatma’ without the support of his wife, Kasturba. In her latest novel, Neelima Dalmia Adhar presents a fictionalised account of Kasturba’s life with Gandhi. By Jigyasu Joshi
“My Kasturba wants to make the point to the women of today that they should stick to their convictions. Your convictions are your religion, do not lose them,” said Neelima Dalmia Adhar after she recently unveiled her latest book, The Secret Diary of Kasturba. “I was looking for a strong woman character set in the era of pre/post independence. Kasturba was just right. The book actually evolved after two years of extensive research and internal churning that led me to give the elusive shadow-wife of the Mahatma, a voice and structure,” she added.
In giving voice to a person who is simultaneously a household name and a mystery and fictionalising her life, the book takes a bold step. Written as a series of journal entries by Kasturba Gandhi, the book is also about the intimate, familial side of a man who was ‘Father of the Nation’.
Without treating anyone with undue reverence — be it the titular character, her husband or their children — the book imagines the turbulent life of the Gandhis. “There is scarcely anything written about Kastur, so I had to rely heavily on Gandhi’s autobiography ‘My Experiments With Truth’ in which there was enough material to make a blue print of her life. And since Gandhi firmly believed and propagated that anything that is not secret, is not a sin, his candid confessions helped me form the outline of this portraiture,” she explained. Also a Psychology scholar, she said that being a ‘people watcher’ has helped her too in drawing an image of how she wanted the character to be. “I found it thrilling to perforate her mind which I did quite effortlessly, to live, feel, emote, breathe, cry, laugh, and even curl up and die,” added the author.
While talking, Neelima told how initially Kastur failed to ignite her imagination before she discovered that Kastur’s life had an uncanny resemblance to her own. “While doing the research for the character, I found the story of Kasturba absolutely riveting. For me it was a story of a woman, whose destiny takes her onto the path of an inordinately iconic man whom the world reveres as God,” she said. Also finding her story very similar with many women in the post-modern world, Neelima added, “It is also about the day to day demolition of her dreams that are at stark variance with those who views him as a trail blazer on the holy path to redemption, while he wrecks the peace of those whom he loves the most; his family.”
Expressing her disappointment on the adversities that women face even in this time and period, she said, “India’s all abiding tryst with destiny endures even as we stride into the ranks of the emerging powers of the third world. And we face gargantuan challenges as we struggle to come to terms with the real demons; terrorism, factionalism and growing violence especially against women in every corner of the globe. We are compelled to question the relevance of Gandhi’s principles of nonviolence and passive-resistance for us today and evolve our own methods of dealing with the challenges we face. We really have a long way to go.”
However, she hopes that the young guns of the nation will change the disturbed landscape of peace. “Today we face gargantuan challenges as we struggle to come to terms with the real demons; terrorism, factionalism and growing violence in every corner of the globe. Our youth are the custodians of intellectual property. It is on their shoulders that our nation shall stand and to that they carry a huge responsibility,” she expressed.
Neelima, whose past works are Father Dearest and Merchants of Death, will also be a participating in the Jaipur literature Festival. She believes that endeavors such as these should be encouraged world-wide to set in to motion a changing ethos for the good of all. “The JlF is a vibrant confluence of some of the finest minds and intellectuals across the globe. The talks are highly stimulating, topical and interactive. It has established an unprecedented outreach to a staggering number of people from all spaces, who can freely benefit from the rich dispersal of thoughts and ideas,” she said.
When asked about her future projects, the author said that at this moment, she is finding herself in a fuzzy vacuum. She is so consumed by the birth of her new book that there is no space in her mind for a fresh idea to germinate. “I love poetry. I have translated some of my mother’s works into English, but I don’t know when I can or if I shall bring out a book of poems. Besides, what the future holds in its womb, only god and my higher self know,” she said.
Neelima concluded, “My message to all readers and women in particular is, believe in yourself. Stand firm in the strength of your convictions. Develop a reasonable degree of tolerance but not take abuse. Do not allow violence of any kind to silence you. And above all don’t stop living. No matter what.”