It is 2024. It’s rather common these days to have a conversation about sexuality and its various expressions in art and literature. But, let me take you on a literary journey to the 20th-century Bengal, where there is an unapologetic expression of queer themes.
There are quite a few Bengali works that explore these ideas as mentioned below:
- Maya Mridanga (1972) by Syed Musafa Siraj
- Pourush (1984) by Kabita Sinha
- Brahmabhargab Puran (1993) by Kamal Chakraborty
However, there is one name that stands out: Byuhaprabesh (Translated into English as Entering the Maze) by Krishnagopal Mallick. I learnt about Mallick when I recently picked a translation by Niladri R. Chatterjee.
The World of Krishnagopal Mallick
Before we discuss the book, let me take you through Krishnagopal Mallick’s literary world.
Picture this. It’s the 20th century, and amidst the bustling streets of North Calcutta (it hadn’t become Kolkata yet), there is a man who is defying all conventions by writing about homosexuality, human desires and erotic sensibilities.
You have to keep in mind that he lives in a conservative society and he is homosexual. He is married to a woman–but he is homosexual. And there is no conflict in his mind about his identity. So, that’s the setting in which he is writing.
Now, let’s focus on what he is writing.
Mallick’s stories are essentially stories of Kolkata: stories of confusing, meandering lanes and by-lanes, of muddy roads, of crowded buses. And then… there is Mallick’s homoerotic gaze and sensibility.
Mallick claims buses, parks, streets as his homoerotic spaces. He does this queering of public spaces without any consciousness of it being a counter-cultural, political act. That is what you, as a reader, would enjoy it the most. In a world where every word is scrutinised through the lens of political correctness, Mallick’s writing remains refreshingly fresh, thanks to his refusal to be confined by the expectations of others.
Entering the Maze
This particular translation, published by Niyogi Books, contains two short stories alongside the novella titled Entering the Maze. I won’t talk much about the short stories (that is for you to discover), but let me come to the novella.
(Note: If you want to listen to one of the short stories, please click here.)
It starts with an amusing request: This novella has to be read at one sitting, from beginning till end. And that’s what I did. Now, let’s enter the maze.
Like most of Mallick’s works, you’d immediately notice the use of author surrogate in it. That is, the character bears his name, Krishnagopal Mallick. This simple trick blurs the lines between fact and fiction, leaving us to wonder just how much of the story is drawn from his own lived experiences.
The story starts with the personal account of a teenage boy in Kolkata. He describes his studies, his play, his desire to write and all that he is doing at home. A couple of pages later, we find him being sexually harrassed by a neighbour. The interesting thing, though, is that he does not seem to mind it. He goes on about his life as if nothing has happened.
Slowly, we notice that the protagonist is beginning to understand his sexuality. There is an awkward scene where his mother catches him when he is trying to masturbate. This is how it goes:
“Gopal! What’s going on there?”
Mother is on the staircase. Having bathed, she is coming to the shrine room in her wet clothes, on her shoulder are her wet petticoat and blouse. Her tigress, blue eyes are ablaze.
Entering the Maze (2023)
Life goes on, but, in the background, this constant struggle with sexuality continues.
Sometimes he notices a bunch of dogs engaged in a sexual act. He wonders what is going on there. At one point, he meets a little girl and gets curious about her sexual organs. It’s not portrayed in a sexual manner, though; it’s an innocent curiosity of a little boy.
“Did that hurt?”
“Why would it hurt, silly? It felt ticklish.”
Even then I pressed it harder and found that it isn’t as hard and it didn’t hurt her at all. I was even more confused.
Entering the Maze (2023)
When the boy turns fifteen, he begins to actively pursue his homoerotic desires. He falls in love with a boy. It’s a strange feeling. Neither quite understands what is going on. But that’s what the book is all about. It’s a coming-of-age story. It’s really what Boyhood would have been, if the protagonist in that movie was not straight but homosexual. And that makes things complicated, isn’t it?
Kalampedia 