TOMB OF SAND

by Geetanjali Shree,translated by Daisy Rockwell

Geetanjali shree’s novel Ret samadhi, has been translated into English by Daisy
Rockwell. Well, its no surprise that it has won the International Booker Prize,
2022. From Amma’s powerful monologue on ‘border’ to animating a distinct Toba
Tek Singh narrative, amidst the 1947 Partition, we have experienced it all. The
separation has been more than the word ‘bloodshed’, the event turned out to be the
most contested digressive area of South Asian historiography. Geetanjali Shree, an
accomplished contemporary artist, has consistently utilized the "Tomb of Sand"
motif in her artwork, offering a captivating platform for philosophical introspection.

The narrative follows the odyssey of an 80-year-old woman named Ma, whose
world is clouded by grief following her husband’s demise. Motivated by an inner
resolve, she finally restarts her interactions with the world, especially with a
transgender woman named Rosie.

Bade and Beti are bewildered by their mother’s new-found enthusiasm for
life. Ma’s descent into profound depression after her husband’s passing is contrasted
with her eventual resurgence and fervent embrace of a newfound vitality.

After having lived most of her life on the terms dictated by others, a motivated Ma
embarks on a poignant journey to Pakistan, aiming to confront and reconcile the
lingering scars of her teenage survival during the Partition riots.

It is an immersive novel that delves into the complexities of human relationships and
the lingering influence of the past on the present. It also talks about the limits society
places on us and we ourselves get so used to living within our bounds that we don’t
question it. We get used to these limits and divisions based on irrelevant factors.

Ma goes into depression after her husband dies and refuses to even turn her face
from the wall she faces everyday. It’s what most Indian women would feel, who are
raised to be just wives and mothers. When those duties are done, they are lost and
don’t know how to live for themselves.

We also see the family dynamics, where the elder son feels he is the Man of the
House and should be responsible for taking care of his mother, and takes pride in it.
When Ma shifts with her independent daughter, it is she who feels that she is the
better child for it is in her house that Ma has started taking interest in life once again.
However, she also feels stifled with that responsibility.

Geetanjali’s writing is almost poetic at times. The way she describes the sun
following Ma in the day makes you feel warm and cosy. She also casually throws in
deep truths like:
Why are the only correct answers the you know or You go where
poverty takes you.”
The author doesn’t shy away from raising issues of government inadequacies and
mentions various actual incidents that happen in the story’s timeline as if they’re
mere distractions.

Geetanjali shree has sewed together many different themes into a beautiful blanket.
A border is a character in this story. The place is depicted to be a region where ‘’they
gaze out at the sky that canopies both sides’’ and cannot detect the border itself. We
witness a section where Toba Tek Singh shouts ‘’har har mahadev’’ from the Pakistan
zindabad contigent and then slips to the other side of the border. Later, he yells ‘’aab-
e-zamzam rutba shah’’ from the bharatmata ki jai contigent. Hilarious! This shows
that the concept of border is so arbitrary. Also, Amma has elucidated ‘border’ so well.

Amma went on. She did not cease. She carried on with her speech and we could not
stop reading. She demonstrated that a border does not enclose, it opens out, it
creates a shape. A borderis a bridge between two connected parts. A border is a
horizon, where two worlds meet. A border is love, a line of meeting. Indeed a lovely
one. A border is a game. A border is a place tosing songs, recite poetry and dance.
One should flow like air through the thorny border. One should become electricity, if
there are electrical wires. She cited the example of Joginder Pal’s Maulvi saab. When
he arrived in Karachi, border was void for him, so he continued to believe he was
residing in his cherished Lucknow. We have created a border in our mind, we
changed the names, but the places and the people remained the same.
Amma did not fear. She remarked ‘’Do not accept the border. Do not break yourself
into bits with the border’’.
Migration and resettlement have been vividly exhibited in the novel. We are very
well aware of the fact that how trauma and violence go hand- in-hand with the Great
Divide. Amma narrates the scene and we visualize a horror show, throughout her
journey. There were houses burning, people running, people dying to eat half a piece
of roti, people searching people everywhere. Bullets flying. An old man, amidst all
the murder and mayhem, praying in the middle of the road, with the road. Mothers
asking their daughters to wear two salwars. A crushed skull tossed against a wall
like a watermelon. Glasses and earrings found, demolished. Screams all around. An
open graveyard.

Throughout the novel, Geetanjali Shree explores themes of alienation, the search for
identity and purpose, the transient nature of life, and the inevitability of death.
Charu's introspective journey reflects her quest for self-realization and a sense of
belonging in an increasingly fragmented and chaotic world. The novel's language
and imagery are highly evocative, offering vivid descriptions of Varanasi's spiritual
atmosphere and the characters' emotional landscapes. Geetanjali Shree's poetic style
infuses the narrative with a sense of introspection and melancholy, enhancing the
existentialist themes that permeate the story. "Tomb of Sand" has been widely
acclaimed for its lyrical prose, nuanced characterization, and its profound
exploration of existential questions. It stands as a significant contribution to
contemporary Indian literature, engaging readers in a contemplation of the human
condition and the search for meaning in an uncertain world

Tomb of Sand also lies at the crossroads of memory and history. Shree delves into
highlighting how recollection and history can produce a fictional memoir walking us
through human movement across time and space. Geetanjali Shree's "Tomb of
Sand" offers a rich tapestry of existential reflections through its characters and their
journeys. It encourages readers to ponder upon the meaning of life, the transient
nature of existence, the quest for personal freedom, and the subjective nature of
reality. The ending of the novel reverbs with, Echoes and reverberations of melodies
cross every border. Melodies change, music remains. Death comes, life goes on. A
story is created, changes, flows. Free, from this side to that.