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Surabhi Khosla

Rupa Bajwa's debut novel, The Sari Shop, follows the journey of a sari salesman through Amritsar's maze of streets, colourful bazaars and the idle gossip of its bored rich women.

Her dark satire revolving around a sari salesman and the turmoil of an Indian city has been receiving rave reviews the world over. Publishing circles are not surprised that The Sari Shop (Penguin) made it to the prestigious Orange Awards 2004 that has previously honoured the likes of Monica Ali, Toni Morrison and Jhumpa Lahiri.

With this book, 27-year-old Rupa Bajwa has joined the growing list of women writers who express themselves freely and boldly through a variety of themes. These new writers are not holding back. They are expressing their point of view through a feminine eye without adopting feminist postures. Women authors like Rupa are finally obliterating the gender bias in writing, as is clear in The Sari Shop.

Writing the book was no easy task, as she found herself caught in many contradictions, says Rupa. "I was a Punjabi girl trying to write in English and came from Amritsar where there was only one bookshop apart from those that sold textbooks and stationery.''

To gain an insight into life, she travelled to various cities, lived in rented rooms, worked on rented computers and generally did what no average Punjabi girl does. She took up odd jobs, had no stable income and, despite pressure from her family, refused to be pinned down to marriage and a domestic existence.

The Sari Shop revolves around Ramchand, an assistant at Sevak Sari Shop in Amritsar, who spends his days displaying yards and yards of sari fabric to elegant women. Silk, cotton, chiffon and georgette are his friends and companions.

"My book is about the twists, turns, confusions and disappointments in the life of a poor man who dares to dream," says Rupa.

Ramchand's plans of acquiring an education and a career are thwarted when his parents are killed in an accident. He is handed over to an uncle who finds him the job in the sari shop. From then on it's a life of drudgery and tedium — a far cry from his dreams and aspirations. His only diversion is going to Lakhan's dhaba to eat daal tadka and tandoori rotis or to watch Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai dozens of times.

But all this ends suddenly when Ramchand is sent to show saris to a wealthy family preparing for their daughter's wedding. The narrow walls of his daily life crumble when he enters the world of these rich, English-speakingpeople. Recharged and inspired, Ramchand sets off to conquer life, armed with an English grammar book, a fresh pair of socks and a bar of Lifebuoy soap.

The book captures the bustle of Amritsar in busy bazaars, colourful dhabas, narrow alleys and the idle gossip of bored, rich women.

"I tried not to make it very autobiographical but bits of oneself always manage to sneak in," says Rupa. The character of Ramchand became a part of her as she wrote the novel. His pain was hers, his tears were hers and his joys were her achievements. Now that the experience is over, she feels very strangely bereft. "Almost as if I have lost someone very dear to me."

Getting started on the novel was the real challenge. "There were moments of frustration and despair when I just wanted to pull my hair out and tear the book and give up, but I went on and on," she recalls. The idea for Ramchand's character, she says, came from a short story she'd written several years ago.

There were days when she wrote for 15 hours at a stretch and other days when it seemed as if all creativity had deserted her. She went from city to city, writing the book, in search of a fresh perspective on life.

However, all that is in the past. After the success of her first novel, Rupa has decided to become a fulltime writer. She is already into her second novel. "It isn't too difficult because I have done it once and I know I can do it again... . and again," she says.

According to her, the book's success cannot be measured merely by the fact that it was nominated for the Orange Awards. Its success will seem real only when the people who read it feel Ramchand's angst, his euphoria, happiness, as well as bitterness.

The book is not ambitious in scale or volume. It is all about the surroundings the author grew up in — the daily chores of the people living in Amritsar, their relationships, joys and sorrows. And this is precisely what sets the book and its young author apart.

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