The Scent of God

by Saikat Majumdar

The novel is set in an elite all-boys boarding school in late 20th century India, run by a Hindu monastic order—where things are not how they seem. While Anirvan dreams of becoming a monk, he also finds himself drawn to a fellow student. “What is the meaning of monastic celibacy?” And what will give the boys “a life together in a world that does not recognize their kind of love?”

Genres: LGBT, Queer, Fiction, Indian Literature, India

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

Saikat Majumdar is the author of four novels, two books of nonfiction, and the co-editor of a volume of essays. His most recent book is The Middle Finger, a campus novel that examines the intricacy of the teacher-student relation through the lens of ancient myths. Previous novels include The Scent of God (2019), a story of romantic love between two boys in a Hindu monastic boarding school, and The Firebird (2015), which narrates a young boy’s destructive relation with the art form of theatre through his mother’s life as an actress. The Scent of God was one of Times of India’s Most Talked About Books of 2019 and a finalist for the inaugural Mathrubhumi Book of the Year Award, and The Firebird was finalist at the Bangalore Literature Festival Fiction Prize and the Mumbai Film Festival Word-to-Screen Market. The Middle Finger was longlisted at the Atta Galata-Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize 2022. Saikat's other works include a work of general nonfiction, College: Pathways of Possibility (2018), of literary criticism, Prose of the World (2013), and a co-edited collection of essays, The Critic as Amateur (2019).

Saikat is Professor of English & Creative Writing at Ashoka University. He has taught previously at Stanford University, was a Newhouse Fellow at Wellesley College, and a Fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study. He writes regularly on higher education and literature in different venues, including the Hindu, Hindustan Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, and the Times Higher Education.

Reviews

[Nilanjana Haldar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh! What an incredible experience this novel was!

“There was beauty and power in saffron that no colour in this world could match”
(Saffron referring to the colour worn by monks)

This is the kind of book that opens cobwebs of our hearts to the truth that there is a governing force that rules the world which clearly outsmarts all the world’s insanity put together. This force includes gender-impartial love, and society’s rare bursts-of-intelligence against its outstretching limbs of decadence.



Saikat Majumdar, maestro in Indian literature, through his masterpiece of a novel, “The Scent of God” plays around the stringent affairs of a monastic institution, inside a small, Indian village called Mosulgaon, against a backdrop of humble, and narrow-minded sprawl of insular Indian countrymen. The author’s bold-but-gentle architecture of the quiet workings of gay-love, within so blinkered an establishment, is not a plea but a scream for an unshocked reception of such a primal call of nature shooting out of persons who all but share the same biological system.

But why I am deeply in awe of the author’s writing is not merely in the ruling themes of the tale but in the descriptive expertise, and neat, lyrical language he has used in order to sketch, amongst many others things, the subtle exchanges of two monk-lovers that refuse to remain boxed-in no matter how marooned in a stone-hard island of austerity, which in turn stands isolated in a sea of prejudices. That apart, the author very rewardingly describes the unwholesome populace of slum-India, how they bare their teeth at the slightest worldly stirring, bark before grasping any relevance it brings, and how they habitually fall prey to objects a dime a dozen, cheap roadside liquor being the most notable.


I am really proud to have come across such an author hailing from my homeland! This is my second novel written by the author, the first being "Firebird," which I loved as much!

PS: There is no substitute to an open mind for a novel like this!!

[Aakanksha Jain · Rating 2 out of 5]

The words are well balanced and describe a part which often ignored mostly. Some of the conversations are witty and thought-provoking, it is a slow-paced story. I like the starting and how the students were trying to find their place and identity, dealing with the norms of the education system, and customs, but the political part pulls me out of the story. The characters also felt dull and unable to establish a connection with the readers. The ends gave me chills, but overall, the book doesn't leave an impact on me.

Read the detailed review here - https://www.bookscharming.com/2020/06...

[Chittajit Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scent of God is a gay Fiction written by Saikat Majumdar & published by Simon & Schuster India. The author has also written two more novels, The Firebird & a non-fiction, College: Pathways of Possibility & a book of literary criticism, Prose of the World. He lives in Delhi & teaches literature and creative writing at Ashoka University.

The story is set in an all-boys’ boarding school which is run by Hindu monastic order, where the children don’t just study & play but also meditate & pray. Anirvan, a young boy with innumerous troubles at home but wants to be a saffron clad monk like his teachers. While he is seeking peace within himself & is on his journey to do so he is also attracted towards his friend Kajol. But things change as he gets involved in a wild range of things as he starts to give speeches for The Party. Does that mean that its the end of his quest for peace & his love for Kajol, get the book to know

Read the full review on Just Another Bookaholic

[Tanvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tenderness and discomfort when experiencing, and reading about, sexuality is a contradictory feeling that this books evokes strongly. I only wish the pace of the book was more consistent. The last 100 pages were so interesting and I wish we had more of that, even though I very much enjoyed the first half of Anirvan's life in the monastery.

Also the cover is stunning.

[Areeb Ahmad (Bankrupt_Bookworm) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blegh. I don't know which one is worse. This one or The Middle Finger.

[Prithu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beautiful and somewhat erotic cover is just a clickbait. Remove it and you'll reach the sheen leathery skin underneath, brandishing its saffron hue. This titillating façade with an undercurrent of monastic inspiration is all you need to absorb before proceed reading it.

As a student of that very institution where the story is braided, I could easily relate to the incidents that took place before the turn of the last century. But to be honest, it can posit a serious threat to many readers as well. People who are not acquainted with the specific milieu that is being talked about might find themselves at loss, while others just might complain about its weak plot structure. To make an attempt of discretion, Majumdar has sprinkled circumlocution in many unconventional places. In many cases, that may take toll on the reading experience as well (As one of my friends has pointed out while reading it).

Despite these apparent drawbacks, I would still root for the author. On personal level, it conveyed me many feel-good moments. It evoked many memories which I long to cherish. It gave me an opportunity to take a stroll to my past. What else should I ask for? To compare the author with other stalwarts of Indian English Literature will be cruel. He is sweet in his own way. Let's celebrate that.

[Donna Tijo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saikat Majumdar's new book The Scent of God raises some uncomfortable questions about life in celibate, monastic orders. Though, many of us can imagine the forbidden, its about the "Why?" that this book shines out.

The Scent of God by Saikat Majumdar is the story of Anirvan, who discovers the beauty of meditation and monastic life at an all-boys school. Anirvan, often called Yogi in his meditative state, is mesmerized by the sensual aspects of monastic life, the hymns, the smell of incense, the flowers, the colour saffron, and also the soothing touch of his classmate Kajol.

The book is about the attractions and tensions that life in a celibate order enforces. The book is unsettling in the questions it raises and made me uncomfortable with the reality of some scenes because as a nation we are only beginning to open up to different types of relationships. But the maturity and subtlety of Saikat’s writing is like the white bedcover I sought out. The writing is well-paced and enjoyable. It sucks you in as you enjoy the words and swallow the forbidden.

And the end, as smooth as its revelatory is an eye opener.

Read the book for all that it reveals about life in celibate, monastic orders.

[Rosun Rajkumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The scent of God by Saikat Majumdar
My rating: 4/5
I'm a little conflicted on the genre. I really don't want to fit this one under YA or LGBT. I've heard the author describe it as a 'coming of age' story and I'll go with that. Somewhere in Bengal in a place named Mosulgaon, sometime in the 90's, there is an all-boys Ashram run by monks in Saffron robes. Anirvan aka Yogi, a young boy in 6th standard, aspires to become a monk. Also in his class is the talented Kajol. Amongst the insense smokes and smell of sandalwood, in the prayer hall, they start to form a strong bond.
The writing is beyond impressive. It's heavy on symbolism and it's beautifully done. This is no boy-meets-boy case. There's depth, prose and poetry. The exploration of sexuality is shown brilliantly. It's edgy, sharp and organic. This is a slow-burn but I couldn't stop myself from turning to the next page and that's an achievement. Saikat Mazumdar reminds me of Amitav Ghosh and Arundhati Roy. The milieu comes alive in his writing. There's something dystopian about the world he has created here but he doesn't go for the obvious. If you enjoy reading Indian writers, this is a must read.

[Sarban Bandyopadhyay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inscribing a Rich Experience
The Scent of God is a fictionalized exploration of real lives lived in an acclaimed missionary school run by an order of Hindu monks. A sizable chunk of society holds the order, and the institutions run by it, in high regard. On anyone who has been a part of it, the Mission continues to exert a powerful influence. A mixture of awe, revulsion, and general intrigue can be said to characterize the attitude toward the Mission, even though the synthesis of these conflicting emotions is hard to define. This is the task this book sets itself, and succeeds to an astonishing extent.

While in the thick of it, it is often easy for a student to draw superficial binaries such as the lovers of monastic authority and the rebels, the good boy and the bad boy, the insulated monastery and the big bad world outside. It is often only through a retrospective glance that the blurred edges of these categories and their overlapping domains come into view. Correspondingly, the characters in the book walk in and out of these categories, sometimes emerging as bravehearts and sometimes as hypocrites.

As an unbiased account of real people in a real place, the text touches upon issues inextricable in the public mind from the Mission, such as homoeroticism, excessive austerity forced on students by the authority, and the Mission's efforts to keep its distance from the outside. The Mission's image in the eyes of various sections of society does not go unacknowledged. Darker areas such as manifestations of repressed desire, the omnipresent equations of class, race and language in modern India, and the urges to resistance as well as to submission are acknowledged and explored with due consideration.

Another very important function of this text is its contribution in the buildup of a Hindu mythological frame of reference in the English language. Simple yet smart allusions to the great epics, mythic tales, current rituals, songs and superstitions sketch different sides of the protagonist's mind and form the bedrock of his cultural consciousness. Indic words and lyrics are translated into apt terms which retain a surprising amount of their original connotations. This is of immense importance, as it takes the yet unfinished project of the Empire Writing Back. It is through efforts such as this that the assimilation of English by a non-English culture can be actualized.

The narrative is significant too, as it is nothing less than an invention of the author to suitably convey the insider's impression of the Mission life. Rich in contradictions yet weaving a strange harmony which nudges the believer and the doubter alike, the diction resembles the Mission itself in creating an experience of its own kind. The protagonist is composed of just the right amount of the introspective and the outgoing, which enables him to experience the core of the worlds on both sides of the wall.

The masterstroke, however, is the conclusion, as it stops where the protagonist's experiences come a full circle. If one considers the issue of authenticity on the author's part, it becomes evident that this is where he should have stopped. By staying authentic and concluding his work at the completion of the said circle, the author accomplishes an exhaustive study.

[Praveen Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is soo good! The style and expression of the author is poetic and beautiful. It has a lot of underlying meaning in it. The things told are not explicit and few readers may find it boring and shallow because of it.

[Diya Sengupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some stories never leave us, do they? The Scent of God is one such.

When I was a little girl, my maternal grandmother whom we used to call Arectama, or another mother, would always light the most fragrant incense sticks in her prayer room. Adorn her many deities with jasmine and champa flowers, and then proceed to sing prayer songs in her sweet mellifluous voice. A voice that became cracked slightly with age. But one thing did not change, and that was the way in which she swayed, gently and rhythmically as she sung. Her eyes closed. Come rain or sun, this used to be her daily ritual. Twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Whenever I visited her during our school holidays, I would go and sit by her side while she performed her prayer rituals. Her only condition was that I should have had a bath before sitting with folded legs on white hand-woven prayer mats. Arectama did the same. Even now, more than twenty years after her death, I often see her sitting in front of her shrine wearing a starched white saree with red border. Her silver-black hair, damp, smelling of jasmine oil and camphor. A vision of delight. A lovely apparition that brightened the space around her.

My relationship with all things pious and austere started at my grandmother’s shrine. To me, she was the epitome of piety. Always smelling like I imagined a Goddess would. Of flowers, incense, camphor, and all things pious. The Scent of God, a breathtakingly beautiful and striking title for a novel brought alive vivid memories of her. I envisioned my grandmother’s slightly bent figure sitting in a meditative posture in front of her shrine, bathed in the scent of jasmine flowers and incense and camphor.

Reading about the alluring environment of the ashram with its white prayer halls, enshrined in piety and divinity reminded me of my grandmother’s shrine. Like Anirvan (or Yogi) , I too was sometimes tasked by my grandmother to put her little god, Gopal to sleep every night, on his tiny brass bed. Tuck him in by drawing an embroidered blanket over him. Wake him up at the crack of dawn and place him on his tiny golden throne. It felt like I was sharing Anirvan’s childhood with him, and his beloved grandmother.

Later, when I placed the book on my bookshelf, I became smitten with its cover. A breathtakingly beautiful image, of that of a man- child exuding sensuousness while experiencing what seems like an orgasm. The image, a piece of art by itself is both bodily and ephemeral at the same time. The model’s face beckoned me to go on a dreamlike, sensory, and sensuous journey with the novel.
This journey has been nothing short of ethereal. I was transported to a place and time that was both real and divine at the same time.

Could anything be more beautiful than being on a trip with boys living and studying in a monastic boarding school? I felt one with them, and not as an outsider. Where our daily chores included lighting incense sticks, adorning the picture frames of the greatest saffron monks that ever lived with fragrant flowers, and singing devotional songs. I wished I could have lived amid such divinity, each day every day, bathed in an aura that was full of the perfume of incense and flowers. And the haunting melody of slow devotional music.

A spiritual world, the ashram, where the boys’ studied under the tutelage of monks who were strict and friendly. Monks who believed that the world was nothing but Maya, or illusion and passed on the same belief to the boys. Monks who played carrom and cricket with equal elan. Like real sportsmen. It wasn’t therefore surprising that Anirvan desired to become like one of them. His attraction towards Lotus Swami as he watches him running towards the cricket pitch, his saffron robe billowing in the wind, with the ball directly hitting the stumps. The monks were affectionate towards the boys as well. In one such tender moment, Lotus Swami affectionately caresses Anirvan and Yogi’s boys’ shoulders and backs, but only after the sun had set. As if he was afraid of showing his fondness in broad daylight, perhaps for the fear of being judged.

Lost in the magnificence of the boys’ ashram life, I could also feel the pangs of adolescence life, a dawning of sexuality that the boys must have experienced, particularly the delicate lines of desire between Anirvan and Kajol. A line both Anirvan and Kajol cross during one beautifully erotic moment in the shower room. They shared an intimacy of a totally different dimension. One that transcended sexual intimacy, a deep emotional connect that is so rare. And when found, must be treasured for eternity.

When Lotus Swami asks the boys to leave their minds, swim out of it, and watch it wander, my mind wandered too, not out of the pages of the book, but to Anirvan and Kajol. And the beautiful sensations they felt when their knees touched for the first time, whilst deep in prayer and meditation. Or when Anirvan’s fingers envelops Kajol’s delicate wrists, their palms wet with sweat and anticipation. An affection that stood firm both in good and bad times, the stressful and the blissful. I became teary-eyed witnessing Anirvan and Kajol’s hushed love and endearing friendship. A budding romance in there. One that transcended beyond gender and worldly barriers. Kajol falling into a spell whenever he saw Yogi as he loved calling him, mediated. I wept silent tears when they were unable to express their young love for each other. Wishing that I could become their bridge. To enable a union between them.

I have lived the boys’ lives as they studied and performed prayer rituals, sitting on ribbed prayer mats, within the four walls of the ashram’s high-ceilinged prayer rooms. I have imagined myself sitting next to them taking in the scent of incense and flowers. My senses acute, and doused in the all-pervading aura of fragrance, music, and spirituality. The world inside the ashram has been woven so beautifully, so erotically and so surreally that I wanted to experience that aura as I turned the pages of the novel. And I ended up recreating the temporal and spatial world of the ashram right inside my reading nook. I lit fragrant incense and adorned the space with wreaths made of jasmine and champa. The environment and the aura thus created, increased my reading pleasure manifold.

But the atmosphere wasn’t always that of fragrance, flowers, music, and piety. At times, the monks let loose their ungodly side too. The side known only to the students of the ashram, and those that often came unannounced. I felt bad for the boys when the saffron-clad monks became susceptible to their primeval instincts and let loose their anger on the young boys. An anger that couldn’t be contained even within the pious and revered corridors of the ashram. It was the usual suspects, who bore the brunt of the bestiality. Boys who would question the rules yet wouldn’t be able to defend themselves while being beaten. For fear of angering the usually calm monks. Post receiving the beatings, they would be treated to food such as the ones never seen on the boys’ tables. I watched Yogi and Kajol’s adolescent love grow within the confines of this atmosphere.

In the chapter ‘The King who Owned Nothing’, Anirvan thinks about his grandmother and how his life at the ashram became bearable because of her presence in his life. And how she drew him to her warmth with sunlit stories, shielding him from the darkness of his parents’ tumultuous marriage. I was pushed to depths of despair when Anirvan’s little piece of heaven was suddenly snatched from him, with his grandmother’s untimely death. I sobbed alongside Yogi as he lay on his bed in the ashram, during one sad early twilight evening, missing his grandmother sorely. I wished I was there next to him to soothe him, and to tell him that everything was going to be okay, and that his grandmother was in a better place.

The sheer brilliance with which the author has brought about the raw emotions of a young boy whose only tether in life is gone with the passing of his grandmother, left me awestruck. So many words get lost while writing about poignant moments, but not in The Scent of God. I realized that my eyes were moist, and that I had been weeping silently. It was only when I felt a cool breeze that was blowing in from the garden in front of my balcony, touch my face, did I realize that the wetness in my eyes were in fact tears. Rarely, has a fictional character moved me to tears, but Anirvan’s did. It is true that there are some walks that one must take alone. Anirvan would have to take this walk alone. But I wanted to walk with him for as long as I could.

When Lotus Swami tells Anirvan ‘let your mind out.’, ‘let it get drunk with sorrow’, ‘let it bathe in the mud of pain,’ I found myself getting drunk in sorrow. Sorrow at Anirvan’s loss, his trauma at losing his grandmother, and dealing with his parents’ unhappy marriage. It reminded me of my own grandmother’s death and how it continued to haunt me for the longest time. Yogi grieving his grandmother pushed me towards a deep state of sadness as well. While crying silent tears, I hoped for my mood to lift. For I wanted to be with Yogi. Pull him out of his emotional turmoil.

Even when Yogi gets embroiled in politics despite his tender age, and ends up becoming physically intimate with an older women, I wanted to support him. Help him evolve out of these confusing moments. But I also realized that, such encounters were important in Yogi's life. It helped him understand who he really was.

I am so glad that I went on a journey with The Scent, not once, but twice, and perhaps few more that I am sure I will be taking in the future. The author possesses a magical pen as well as a magical mind. He pulls readers to his words, like gravity. One cannot but be drawn. Like two long-distance lovers locked in a passionate embrace after months of being apart. The sheer brilliance of the ashram’s atmosphere and Anirvan’s and Kajol’s unattainable love, and the uncertainties of the future that engulf their love haunted me throughout the novel. My relationship with The Scent of God is nothing short of cosmic, a love that is so deeply embedded in my heart that it is hard to put into words. Saikat Majumdar has brought much needed colours to the lives of the likes of Anirvan and Kajol, in a world that insists on either black or white.

[Pori Sayema · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2019, I visited a bookstore with a friend with the least intention of buying any book. As I prefer buying books online. But this beautiful cover caught my attention! I picked it up, read the blurb and there was no second thought.

Two young boys, dwells in a hindu monastery in a village. They feel a strong connection between themselves. A connection beyond friendship, a connection they are unaware of, a connection they're afraid of, a connection that's goes against their teaching. Their dwellance in a monastery questions the essence of their soul! Will they be able to accept themselves?

Majumdar very beautifully sketched the life of a young homosexual boy living in an hindu ashram. The monastery is situated in a village in Bengal in post- independence era. Besides, the story reveals two sides of the Indian society: the rich and the hunger driven poverty. Anirvan is a teenage boy. After the demise of his grandmother, whom he loved dearly, and his troubled relationship with his father, all he is left with is, the Ashram to call 'home'. Anirvan tries to find fatherly figure among his teachers. Anirvan is portrait as a smart and insightful kid and, accordingly he forms good relationship with some teachers. Anirvan admires the ashram, he is drown towards the monastic life. His fondness for the hymns, the flowers, the prayer, the fragrance of incense is firmly determined. In the course of time, his perspective on life changes. The prophetic lullaby by his grandmother tends to make little sense to him. Gradually, he realises the bitter truth of the real world.

His relationship with Kajol is quite alluring. Both of them desires different things from life, but also long for each others company.

I personally liked Sushant Kane, a english teacher who acts as a great mentor in Anirvan's life. Anirvan is drown towards the prolific personality of Sushant, and further develops a strong bond with him.

I always had some sort of interest in knowing the ashram life, may be that's why I didn't feel any part unengaging. I liked how the book maintained it normal flow of the story, without making any hype about the queer theme. The author sketched the story very beautifully showing that queer people are just normal people, living the basic life as everybody else's. I am quite surprised to not have heard much about this book in Instagram or other platforms.
#thescentofgod #saikatmajumdar #queerbook

[Srividhya V (the_bridgeofwords) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book is as much of an experience as choosing the right perfume. You walk into the store and choose a bottle and colour that catches your eye. In the case of the book, the cover catches your eye and you sample a few pages first just like sampling the perfume. You spray some on your wrist and wait for the fragrance to hit you.

When you start reading this book, like the wispy smoke from incense, it's all very hazy. All you see is the mundane existence of routines disguised as life for the boys, Religion dictated as orders, canes hit on their backs in the name of discipline, brickbats and the smell of butter served as meals.

As the fog clears, we see the boys for who they are! Boys being boys, they break rules, break themselves and break canes and a few pigeon necks in the process of growing up, their testosterone-filled bodies asking for more. Bodies waiting to be touched. Explored. Loved. Desired! If that isn’t the start of all thing evil what else is?

What does a lonely heart of an innocent boy in his teens long for? A bit of approval and a lot of love! We follow the heart of the story of Anirvan and his heart Kajol as they traverse their relationship in a discreet manner amidst the other boys. There are moments in the shower where all things wet happen, both emerging clean and dry.

In this battle of two innocent boys trying to be men, one grows up fast. Goes slightly off track into the murky lands losing who he was, not knowing where he left his heart behind.

The story moves forward with Anirvan and not the other way around. It may seem like a slow deterioration into a trance. But once you reach a certain point in the story all hell breaks loose and you just want Anirvan - the body to be reunited with his heart.

The Scent of God is a lot like this. The story grows on you, demanding your undivided attention and hued by the presence of saffron, red and white. There’s even a flower and a football coach, each and every one an integral part of Anirvan’s life affecting the consequences.

[Sumit Dhamija · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected ending to the book “The Scent of God” by Saikat Majumdar, has left me baffled. An extraordinary gripping narrative makes this novel unputdownable. The mystery woven into each chapter will leave you wanting to devour the book, as if it were a delectable meal for a hungry stomach.

An unconventional yet bold concept takes a stab at the monastic order, in the late-twentieth century India, where things aren’t as they look like on the surface. It uncovers the world of ruthless discipline and vigilant atmosphere shaped by monks in flowing saffron.

The story revolves around two young boys Anirvan (who’s fascinated by the music & silence of spiritual life, which, leaves him aspiring to become a monk) and Kajol (who’s overtly obsessed towards following rules and is a bookworm). Anirvan amidst seeking his dream, finds himself drawn towards Kajol, and they come together to form an intimate and unspeakable relationship.

The book raises and then goes on to answer some pertinent questions in a subtle way. Questions like - Does the beating of the boys reveal urges that cannot be named? What is the meaning of monastic celibacy? What, indeed, holds the brotherhood together?

Quoting Vivek Shanbhag, “At this time when religion and politics have committed to besmirch each other, a brilliant novel explores their meeting points”.

[Md Akhlaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scent of God is a lyrical fiction based on a boarding school or ashram, which explores the young mind of postulant monks.

This is a brilliant novel of present time where religion, and politics is in a defile conflict. Author touched some sensitive like monastic celibacy. Story revolves around Anirvan, who's fascinated by silence of spiritual life. In this spiritual journey , he finds himself drawn to his fellow student Kajol ( an intelligent fellow scholar ).

This sensual, painful work by the author raises some admissible questions, and then answers them in a very subtle way like; monastic celibacy, and brotherhood.

Maturely written with layered plots, characters are very well crafted. Language is poetic with a very nice diction. story is undoubtedly engaging, really unexpected.

Very conscious note about gender, sexuality, pluralism and guilt. Enjoyable.

-Md Akhlaq

Picture by : @readwithak_

#𝗾𝗼𝘁𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝗮𝗺𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 ?

#readwithak

[Chinmaya Lal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apart from Majumdar's book on criticism (the modern/contemporary novel, to be specific), 'The Scent of God' is his second novel that I have read. I picked it up for I had really liked 'The Firebird'.

Even this book has its moments- nodes which really hold one's attention for a while. Yet, there are problems both in the narrative style and pace. Some of these include the tendency of the narratorial voice to become intrusive and (over)state things that need not be told to the reader, the time that the novel takes to setup the context, especially in the first-half, and, its inability to properly buildup to the climax which, consequently, appears contrived.

Yet, considering the times that we live in, some of the narrative's suggestions are certainly courageous and won't be easily amenable to either the Right or the Left. Thus, overall, the novel is a decent one-time read.

[Ryle Souto · Rating 3 out of 5]

HOLY GAY/10

I think the thing that takes me out of this story immediately is the fact that it's written in a third-person narrator. I'm not a fan of emotional and emotion heavy stories written in third person. Beyond that, you would think that the setting of an Elite All-Boys Hindu Ashram would make me not connect with it but I did. I feel like it keeps shying away from so many things; it doesn't go deep into its same sex relationships, the consequences of these relationships, the emotional and religious toll it has on our main character, the fears, the effects of the setting and much more. If you're going to write a story on religious trauma in queer lives you better not hide anything and go deep. Visually though...stunning. And That ending...that ending...

Final Thoughts: Colors by Halsey but replace Blue and Grey with 'Saffron'

[Fruits · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5⭐ really.
This was a rare find for me and I had high hopes for it - alas, they weren't met.
It started off strong with all the life and living of Anirvan and the boys and the monastic lifestyle. But soon it morphed into something that was more scattered and smudged. I found it hard to find a reason that warranted all that complexity of words nor the attempt at being subliminal. Reading this felt like traversing through a straight road that appeared to fork into other tracks but in fact was just a ridiculous loop of a tangle, a mess. It was absurd is what it was.

But the things I did appreciate was the rawness of it all. Even the chunks I found absurd.

If called for brevity, this was a meh for me but I don't regret having read it.

The next!
Aster

[Christos Droukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels serendipitous to have found this book right before the year's end, just in time to have it in my top favorite reads of the year (even if I finished it in 2020). The brevity of the writing in contrast to what I found to be a somewhat heavy, but extremely relatable, of a topic made it difficult for me to put the book down. Every young person regularly struggles with societal expectations, personal needs, and the consequences of their own naïveté. It was refreshing to see this impressionability battle with one's carnal desires presented in a way that is accessible to almost everyone, even when the backdrop of the story isn't a universal experience. I look forward to reading more literature like this in the coming years.

[Manjul Bajaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
An exquisitely written coming of age novel set in an all boys residential school run by an order of Hindu monks. The writing is slow, sensuous and subtle. A lot remains unsaid, only alluded to. The ashram setting, with its cool prayer halls, its majestic saffron robed monks, it's young smooth skinned boys, its gardens, library, playing fields and shower stalls, is the perfect backdrop for unnameable desires and attractions to play out. The last 70-80 pages in which Yogi plunges headlong into the politics of the poor, Muslim village just outside the school had a feverish pace, later characters like Renu and Malini had an unreal, not fully fleshed out feel that did not work for me. However, the book comes together in a surprising and what was to me a satisfying ending.

[Rohit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover is brilliant, and the book almost lives up to judgement based on it. Almost.

I found parts of the writing a tad slower and distinctly different in style, especially the atmospheric aspects, which is actually quite remarkable. It evokes a sense of claustrophobia at times and contrasts it with the expanse of space. The pace is languid and picks up towards the end which works for me too.

The intimacy is well described but some how doesn’t seem to fit with the poetry of the narrative. It feels physical rather than of the thought realm which is pervasive in most of the writing here. It feels forced but maybe that’s what writer was going for.

[☆Journeh☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book came on a recommendation from someone nearly 4 years ago. I wanted to love it as much as he did, but I really struggled with the very slow pace and the spilling into the political arena that seemed to detract from the story a bit. There were a few really beautiful passages that I actually read and re-read to savor a time or two. But for the majority of this book it was just a bit of a struggle to connect to the characters and sometimes the story took a left that made the whole plot a little bit of a struggle to follow. The end, though, was beautiful and a bit surprising, but it did leave me smiling. I won't be recommending this read to anyone I don't think.

[Sarthak Jana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off pretty strong, had a Joyce-ian third person limited POV, where all the events were from the perspective of the child protagonist. but then, the final forty pages... why is the child being SAed randomly all of a sudden??? why is there literally no growth of the protagonist? he starts off trying to be a monk and ends being a monk! Can't believe Herman Hesse's Siddhartha had a better character arc than this absolute letdown of an ending, and I DETEST Hesse's Sid.

[Nitin Nadig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The scent of God is a bold and lyrical book that explores the various themes associated with growing up. The setting of a hostel is realistic and the details used to describe everything is magical. However the second part or the last 100 pages moves very slowly and the politics that appears lacks sufficient depth. Overall a brilliant book that is not only bold but beautifully so.

[Ashi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5
I wish I could have given it 5 stars, but there were some things that bugged me.. While I usually don't mind if a book is slow, this one just didn't evoke the emotions I generally get while reading, nonetheless, a beautiful read...

[Michelle D’costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written well. Explores sexuality and spirituality in a boys' boarding school. Majumdar's style is something to watch out for.

[Amal Joseph Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the hell was the ending anyway 😡😡. Majumdar did justice to the plot , the boys and the saffron clad saviors . It’s a great
Work . I’m still hungover from this ending .

[Dariusz Adamowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has its great, intimate moments. But loses its pace and falls apart towards the end.

[autumn wind · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style is beautiful but sometimes too indirect for me to understand.

And ending... What was that???