The Last Labyrinth

by Arun Joshi

Som Bhaskar is a millionaire-industrialist, married to a woman of his choice who has borne him two children, yet relentlessly driven by undefined hunger which he unsuccessfully seeks to satisfy by possession — of an object, a business enterprise, a woman. Much like Saul Bellow's Henderson he is always crying, 'I want, I want, I want.' His search taken him from Bombay to Benares, at once holy and repellent — with its narrow, dirty lanes, dancing girls and a mystical aura.

Amidst this contrasting juxtaposition of locales, the novel explores the meaning of life and death, illusion and reality, desire and resignation.

Here is an eternally contemporary theme with all its complexities; the story's spiritual and sensuous dimensions are interwoven with great finesse making this novel a rare, unforgettable treat.

Genres: Fiction, Indian Literature, Literature, India

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Shrinidhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I knew of Krishna, of the lines he had spoken: of Buddha at Sarnath, under the full moon of July, setting in motion the wheel of Righteousness; of Pascal, on whom I did a paper at Harvard: ‘Let us weigh the gain and loss in wagering that God is, let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all, if you lose, you lose nothing.’ All this I knew and much else. And yet, at the age of thirty five, I could do no better than produce the same rusty cry: I want. I want"

Arun Joshi does a prolific work of profiling man's restlessness with Som Bhaskar as the protagonist, Aftab as the mysterious entity, Anuradha as the muse, Gargi as the Oracle and Lal Haveli of Benaras as the labyrinth. Brilliant work.

[Raja Subramanian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book won the Sahitya Academy Award for the author Arun Joshi. In spite of his being an award winning writer, he is relatively little known. Normally I am very wary of picking up award winning books. Expectations are high, and there is a fair chance that the book disappoints.

This one did disappoint me. Not from the literary perspective. There is much to appreciate in the writing style, the powerful first person narrative, and the complexity of the topic. Clearly, the book has so many positive things for attaining critical acclaim and an award. It disappointed me, still.

The story is narrated by the protagonist Som Bhaskar, a young businessman and a millionaire. Som Bhaskar was born in a very rich family (father was a successful businessman), received high quality education, and is successful in business. As the story unfolds, you note that Som Bhaskar is extremely unhappy and unfulfilled. He analyzes far too much, is never satisfied with what he has, must always possess everything he desires, and even when he does end up possessing something, remains dissatisfied.

He is married to Gita, a modern woman, whom he says he loves and has two children and yet remains unfulfilled. The names of the children are not even mentioned, as though they do not play any significant role in the life of Som Bhaskar. Aftab runs a plastics business and Som Bhaskar wants to completely acquire the business. Anuradha is the live-in-companion of Aftab and Som Bhaskar is deeply attracted to her. While Gita is a modern woman, Anuradha is portrayed as an aristocratic lady with an old world charm. The characters are all well developed and sound real and reasonable, except Som Bhaskar (in my opinion).

For one, Som Bhaskar alienates himself from folks in the business, and has almost no social life except for the occasional flings or casual gatherings. Most people who go through to depths of despair find a point where they try to bounce back. But not Som Bhaskar. He simply analyzes, seeks a purpose in life, does not find any, and remains negative throughout. Beyond a point, the character simply got on my nerves, as there was not an element to empathize.

If this book were a movie, it would have probably been classified as an "art movie" that only the most learned and sophisticated critics can appreciate. Sadly I am just an ordinary reader!

[Aakash Chakrabarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a book! To begin with. It leaves you empty, bereft of hope or happiness. Som Bhaskar is a living contradiction. Som's inability to be at peace with the contradictions of the world eats away at him. He hears only one chant: 'I want, I want'. He huffs and puffs about settling scores with the worlds in general and the gods in particular. He wants to believe in God, but cannot find reason to believe. He wants to grab Aftab's business and yet he is fascinated by him and his Lal Haveli, the labyrinth. He thinks of Anuradha (Aftab's so called wife) as 'antique' and yet becomes fatally obsessed with her. It is only Gargi, a deaf-mute, who sees him for who he is.

Like Keats' knight 'alone and palely loitering', Som tries to find a way to fulfill his desires, and the meaning of life. And the answer to this seems to lie in the enigmatic Anuradha, who is in love with him, yet never really with him. The recurrent references to Krishna, do not soothe but only makes one more restless. As if this unending 'leela' has no end; like the lines of Nasadiya Sukta 'he, who surveys it all from highest heaven,/he knows - or maybe even he does not know'.

There is no closure, there is no respite. Like Didi and Gogo, Som and Aftab endlessly wait for a release and engage in a game of shadows, without purpose or direction.

A literary feat, this book brings to life in evocative prose the unwilling outsider enchanted by the world he lives in.

[Divyaprakash · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be fair I do not posses the sophistication needed to appreciate the book. I did enjoy it in bits and pieces but it was a chore to finish this one.

[Pranay T · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book though has a last page but not the thought process it provokes. The protagonist in the book has agenda in his life but he is not sure where it will end. The story portrays today's modern man and what one derives from the conquest and loss from the life. One can take as many lessons from the book based on one's perspectives.

Read wise it’s a good easy read. One can find the book as a 90's art movie directed probably by Satyajit Ray

[Senthil Ganesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because of Sahitya Akademi.
Right from get go, I felt like watching a sepia-selenium toned sad story slowly unraveling infront of me.

This is a tale of a businessman, Bhaskar's obsession with a beautiful girl, Anuradha. Part of the story vaguely reminded me of Somerset Maugham's 'Of Human Bondage'.
The way Bhaskar describes Anuradha was so enticing , that I felt like taking a flight to Banaras to meet her :).
Finally, when the full plot unfolds, i was not able to decide if Anuradha was the Femme Fatale for Bhaskar or if Bhaskar was the Homme Fatale for Anuradha.

Overall , a nice little poignant tale!

[Mansi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most under read Indian English Writer, but a brilliant one at that. This book was fascinating at a lot of levels. It's a very fast read. An unusual style of writing for an Indian writer. Through this book, Joshi is trying to grapple with some of the questions that confront us everyday- the ideological tussle of the eastern and western ways, of reason and belief. Loved it to the last bit.

[Ranendu Das · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book that I have read in my life.

[Neer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A melancholic novel about the search for meaning.

More here:

http://inkquilletc.blogspot.in/2013/0...

[Rakshith Raghavendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an awesome read. Highly recommended.

[Ipshit Bhattacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you heard of Arun Joshi? Maybe you haven't. I am surprised why his name doesn't feature amongst the most celebrated Indian English authors till date. In the past decade, Every time I have read one of his novels, I have wondered WHY and the only reason I have been able to think of is that maybe it is not possible for a non-socially reclusive individual to write something like him; maybe he did not indulge with the world enough for the world to appreciate him at large. His gloomy and grim stories, often dealing with existential angst, searching the larger meaning of life, cut through you. Short poetic lines, deeper than your most innate thoughts would surprise you with his conviction and compassion towards his characters. English of the sorts that literature students should pickup for their dissertations for one reading is never enough to decipher the various psychological interpretations he leaves the reader to dwell upon. If you like true-blue literature, Arun Joshi's works, The Last Labyrinth, The Strange case of Billy Biswas, The Foreigner, The Apprentice... to name a few, would most likely interest you. By the way, for the ones looking for accreditations and certifications, late Arun Joshi did win the coveted Sahitya Academy Award for this novel in 1982