Mohanaswamy
Mohanaswamy, written by Vasudhendra and published in 2013, is a novel about a gay man from rural India. It was written in the author’s native language, Kannada, and translated into other languages. It is a collection of 10 loosely related short stories that jump between the title character’s past and present.
Plot Summaries:
The Gordian Knot- Mohanaswamy is a middle-aged Indian man who is cohabitating with his male partner, Karthik. He finds out that Karthik has been cheating on him and is engaged to a woman. Once the secret is out, Karthik becomes a different person, not letting Mohanaswamy touch him and eventually settling for not coming home. Mohanaswamy goes to the wedding for some sort of closure, but he can’t stand the customs of the wedding and gets sick. Over time he meets a man online and goes on a date. The man informs Mohanaswamy that he has too many feminine qualities and is not what he is looking for. Finally, after 4 days of agonizing pain after Karthik’s wedding, Mohanaswamy gets some sleep.
Bicycle Riding- Mohanaswamy was first called Gansu in his youth. A shortened version of Gandu Sule, which referred to a male prostitute, it was given to him by his sister. As a child, he preferred to play with the girls over the boys. In college, Mohanaswamy finally learns the term “gay.” He had a crush on one of his friends, until things went south before they finished school. Later, the college kids took a trip, where they needed to bicycle. Mohanaswamy had never learned in his youth how to do this, and he attributed this to his gayness. His sister finds him a teacher, Dadapeer. Mohanaswamy runs into a couple on their way to the temple. When left alone, Mohanaswamy goes into the temple to talk to the two men. He sees them having sex and realizes that no matter what he will always prefer men to women.
Kashiveera- One of Mohanaswamy’s friends, Kashiveera was named after the god to whom his mother prayed. His name was supposed to be Kashimpeera, but that was a Muslim name, and he was a Brahmin. Mohanaswamy developed a crush on his friend and one day acted on it. Mohana was ashamed of himself and wondered if his friend would ever forgive him. Kashiveera, a terrible scholar and unable to hold down a job, started to extort Mohanaswamy. He would ask for money in exchange for his silence about what happened. One day, after giving all his money to Kashiveera, Mohanaswamy finds out his mom is sick and needs money for surgery. He confronts Kashiveera in a cafe where he openly outs himself as gay. The owner of the cafe tells Mohanaswamy to not come back, as it is a place for “decent people.”
Anagha- The Sinless- Kalleshi watches another man, Somanna, bathe. One morning, he can’t control himself and starts touching Somanna. Once he touches Somanna’s genitals, he gets hit. His father finds out and he hangs his son above the well his mother drowned in. Sangamma, a well-known prostitute in the village, is approached by Kalleshi and his father, who asks her to check that his son is a man. Veerabhadrappa beats his son after being informed that the god of lust hasn’t favored him. He all but disowns his child and leaves after being told he is no man either for keeping five women for sex and allegedly pushing his wife into the well. Sangamma gives Kalleshi the money his father gave her and wishes him well, and he leaves.
At the Peak, for the First Time- Mohanaswamy is leaving to go on a business trip. He is with his partner, Karthik, who makes him late to leave for his flight. While waiting for the bus later, Mohanaswamy is caught staring at a straight man. The man threatens him, which leaves Mohana incredibly shaken up. When trying to talk to Karthik about it, he is dismissed. On the plane, Mohanaswamy sits by another man, Ramesh. The two chat about their love lives, and Mohana uses this opportunity to talk about Karthik openly, but he genders his lover as a woman– Karthika. When the plane gets into a crash and Mohanaswamy and Ramesh are one of the only survivors, Mohana can only focus on apologizing for lying. He comes out as gay to Ramesh, who accepts him.
When Unspoken Words Come Back Haunting- Mohanaswamy’s most recent hookup, a man named Derrick, steals his cash, credit card, and small electronics after a night together, and right after this Mohanaswamy receives news that his father, who has been ill for years, is not doing well. Mohanaswamy’s father had been indifferent towards his son for years. He was reminded of his own childhood when a boy had been outed, beat, and later killed himself. When his father dies, Mohana is faced with the scrutiny of his village- his father’s spirit refuses the food offered to him because his son never got married. The spiritual leader saves Mohanaswamy and offers him a deal- marry his daughter, who will live with him as only a friend. Mohana refuses, and then he is introduced to the man’s son- Derrick. His real name is Ramesh and Mohana agrees to help him find a job.
Bed Bug- This story is about one of Mohanaswamy’s childhood friends, Shankar Gowda. Shankar, despite being the picture of masculinity outwardly, was effeminate in his mannerisms and likes. They became the butt of jokes not just from their peers but also his teachers. Mohanaswamy later finds out that Shankar committed suicide and is desperate to find answers. He visits the family but gets no answers, so he goes to a former friend’s house. It is here that he learns that Shankar was killed by his father and brothers and then hung so they could escape the murder charges. Shankar had gone to Mumbai where they underwent gender reassignment and transitioned. Shankar slept with many men in the town, including this mutual friend, Kommi. When they demanded a share in the property, their family disagreed. They were killed, and their brothers forced their mom to take out all the money they left her.
The Unpalatable Offering- Mohanaswamy has a friend, Gururaja, who encourages him to buy an apartment. He has started to come to terms with his loneliness. He has to go into the doctors for an endoscopy, where the nurses told him he should’ve brought someone to help him relax. Mohanaswamy realizes that he doesn’t have anyone to help if he gets sick and that he will probably die alone, so he takes better care of himself. When he finally goes to see the apartment, the seller assumes that Mohana has a family, and goes on and on about how the apartment is perfect for a wife and kids. Mohanaswamy buys the apartment, but does not make any decisions about tiling, paint, etc. He just signs the paper, writes a check and leaves. The experience was more distressing to Mohanaswamy than the endoscopy was, and he left his friend in charge of the house.
Four Faces- Mohanaswamy, now 45, is living life the way he wants- finding multiple men to satisfy his sexual needs and avoiding long term relationships. Veluswamy is a handsome young man Mohanaswamy met online and just couldn’t stay away from. Veluswamy is HIV positive and discloses it to Mohana. They continue on and have sex but afterwards Mohanaswamy is overcome with anxiety. He goes to get tested, where he was brushed off. He never met Veluswamy again. The second character Mohanaswmy interacts with is Ramadhar, a yoga instructor. He is the first man since Karthik that Mohanaswamy had considered settling down with. The two move in together, but over time Mohanaswamy gets bored. He meets Shantanu, a married father. The two sleep together, even though Ramadhar and Mohanaswamy made a rule that they would not sleep with others. Their story ends when Ramadhar catches Mohanaswamy and Shantanu together. The final character we meet is Darshan. He asks Mohanaswamy if he is a Brahmin and says that his family is cursed, and he does not sleep with Brahmins.
Mt. Kilimanjaro- Mohanaswamy goes alone to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. He elicits the sympathy of their guide, David. Fighting off cold, nausea, headaches, and his own inevitable loneliness, Mohanaswamy contemplates dying on the mountain. David leaves Mohanaswamy with several lessons- Mt. Kilimanjaro is my mother, having a strong body means nothing if you don’t have a strong mind, don’t show arrogance because humans cannot survive the fury of nature, etc. When they reach the summit, Mohanaswamy finally comes to terms with his loneliness. At the end, he admits that he doesn’t believe in god, but he thanks the mountain for the experience.
Themes and Ideas:
Note: All quotes from the book come from the 2016 publication of Mohanaswamy.[1]
Sexuality
The most prominent and obvious theme in this text revolves around ideas connected to sexuality and identity. Originally written in Kannada, Mohanaswamy is one of the first texts of its kind and of its topic. There exists a representation that “In this light, Mohanaswamy in Kannada as a living and breathing text will surely affect, perhaps change, the lives of queer people by affirming the reality of LGBTQI experience." [2] Mohanaswamy is not a character that Vasuhendra is overtly sympathetic towards and that is not inherently comfortable with his sexuality at all times. Some of Mohanaswamy’s experiences make him feel ashamed about his sexuality. In “Bicycle Riding” and the scene with Mohana’s friend, he thinks of himself as disgusting. But through time he does come to terms with his sexuality. At the end of that very same story, he acknowledges that “even if I learnt to fly an aeroplane, I will still want to make love to a man and not to a woman.” (74). This coming to terms with sexuality is constantly fluctuating through the text, which is representative of the queer experience. Nothing is secure. Mohanaswamy plays into the more feminine aspects of his sexuality. As a child he prefers “girl’s games” and in his relationships he takes on feminine chores and seeks out dominant men. Even in his relationship with Ramadhar, he says that Ramadhar “had feminine traits. Until a few years ago, Mohanaswamy had never felt attracted to effeminate men…when Ramadhar took Mohanaswamy to bed, he was out-and-out masculine.” (221). By affirming this experience of sexuality, by being honest about Mohanaswamy’s experiences in the urban, in the rural, in public and in private, in childhood and in adulthood, the reality of the LGBTQIA+ experience is not quite so lonely, and if this character can come to terms with his loneliness and with his sexuality then they can too.
Transgender Experience
While there is only the one transgender character in Mohanaswamy, Shankar Gowda, they are still incredibly important. Beyond the scope of their story, when they are situated in larger academic conversations, “Shankar Gowda’s position within the feminine axial makes them lose the imaginary phallus. Thus, his identification with the women, at least on this level, suggests that womanhood is inherently linked to the phallus and, consequently, to the penis." [3] The act of castration turns their performance of gender into a reality, and thus situates them within a gender. Shankar’s not just trying to be a woman, they are trying to be the woman. They are trying to find confidence within their queer identity. Socially this isn’t accepted, and so Shankar faces the harshest punishment when they are killed by their family. (190) Of course, not just as openly queer but also as an openly transgender character, Shankar defies gender norms on both sides. Manhood in this context is situated with the appearance of the penis. If Shankar did not get castrated, then their claim to the family’s property (192) would have had more weight behind it. As a woman, Shankar defies the norms of the gender and acts as a prostitute, sleeping with every man in the village. Coupled with doubling down on the masculine claim on the family’s property, Shankar is still not yet a true woman by terms of gender standards of behavior. In terms of appearance, Shankar is truly a woman. Shankar Gowda is important to the narrative because of their strength. Despite a lifetime of abuse, they remain true to themselves and to their desires, which could serve as a point of inspiration. If, while faced with such a cruel life, this person still stayed true to themselves, then readers could find a level of acceptance within themselves.
Emotion
Each story in Mohanaswamy is riddled with emotion and with challenges that people outside the queer community don’t typically or will ever experience. All over the world, people in the queer community face emotional imbalances, depression, anxiety much earlier than heteronormative people.[4] Faced with the constant fear of violence, and with verbal abuse, the queer community is often treated as “the other.” The stories of Mohanaswamy do not shy away from these experiences of emotion. He deals with shame starting at an early age, he deals with loneliness in several stories. In “The Unpalatable Offering” Mohana faces this loneliness in different ways and on different levels. There is first his experience with the endoscopy. The nurse tells him he should have brought someone with him. Mohana realizes that “if his health ever took a bad turn, he would be done for and would die alone.” (203) and the second is when he’s shopping for an apartment and realizes that “a small autorickshaw could hold the entirety of his belongings” (209). Faced with these realities that are merely a consequence of his sexuality, Mohanaswamy has to fight through feelings that his heterosexual peers never had to. He faces the fear and abuse in “At the Peak, for the First Time” when the straight man catches him staring. He faces the anxiety of being found out even while he is in the privacy of his own home. He faces the freedom of being able to talk about his relationship but is shackled with the weight of misgendering Karthik- he felt that he couldn’t be honest. After the plane crash he says “Whatever I told you during the journey was a lie, an outright lie… I just tried to pull a fast one with you.” (143). He feels like he is being punished for lying about his relationship, for pretending that he was a straight man. And yet, Mohanaswamy as a text shows how these emotions can be worked through, how they can be accepted. In “Mt. Kilimanjaro,” he realizes that there is strength in his loneliness when he acknowledges that “even if I go forward there will be no one for me… I have already embarked on this journey. If I finish it successfully, I can be happy with the thought that I did not accept defeat.” (251).
References
- ↑ Vasudhendra. Mohanaswamy. Translated by Rashmi Terdal, Harper Perennial, 2016.
- ↑ Murthy, K. (2017). Vasudhendra, Mohanaswamy (trans. R. Terdal). Harper Perennial. Urbanisation, 2(1), 80–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/2455747117700951
- ↑ Pohshna, Lede E. Miki. "The Performative “I” as Constitutive Lack and the Failure of the Subject of Transgender Characters in Select South Asian Novels." dialog 38 (2021): 344-356.
- ↑ Gosavi, Sarvesh Sitaram. "Decentering Heteronormativity: A Study of Homosexual Desire and Gay Subculture in Vasudhendra’s ‘Mohansawamy.'." Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS): 8.
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