Three avatars of Ecstasy: Sex, Religion, and…?
This is another of my old media columns, written in one of my more tongue-in-cheek moods.
I thought it would make a nice change of pace. :~)
BRAND BAAJA
Ashok Banker
Three avatars of Ecstasy
Last issue, I wrote about prophets of the media age. A day later, I learn that Deepak Chopra is writing a “steamy novel” (the article in Sunday Review says that, not I). And another day or two later, I happened to read Sudhir Kakar’s latest book Ecstasy. Which at first glance, seems to be a steamy novel (okay, this time I said it).
As it turns out, Kakar’s novel is about religion not sex. The title refers to religious ecstasy rather than the orgasmic kind.
Now, this is a nice swap. Chopra, best known for his spiritual books, decides to turn his hand to a “steamy novel” (please note the quotes, Mr Chopra’s lawyers). And Kakar, who is often quoted as an authority on the psychology of sexuality–and whose previous novel was about sexuality–decides to turn his hand to a “spiritual novel” (those are my words, Mr Kakar’s lawyers).
As if reading my mind, the jacket copy of Kakar’s novel sums up the significance of this subject-swapping dichotomy: “Sudhir Kakar, the best-selling author of The Ascetic of Desire, a novel about sex and sexuality, has written a richly layered and revelatory book about the other great theme of humankind: religion.”
Sex and religion.
Strange bedfellows, but familiar ones. The Sadhu and the Streetwalker. The Pope and the Prostitute. The Wise Man and the Whore.
Sex and religion.
The link between the two is neatly summed up right there in that single word title of Kakar’s new novel. Ecstasy. There are only two things that evoke that extreme emotion in a human being. Two states of being that are otherwise as different from each other as amrit and Scotch.
And yet, both evoke the highest state of awareness possible. The ecstasy of Realization, as Isa Upanishad calls it. And the ecstasy of sex, as everybody calls it.
Kakar’s first novel was deservedly a bestseller. Because it dealt with this arcane subject of Indian sexuality and Indian spirituality in an original and thought-provoking way. By using the life of Vatsayana as a base, Kakar explored the inner workings of Indian sexual behaviour and attitudes, using folklore, myths, misconceptions and misassumptions to weave an entertaining and insightful tale that was as much an extended essay as a work of fiction.
But with Ecstasy he falls flat on his pen. (Hope he didn’t hurt himself). Because all he does is tell us about a young boy’s visionary gift and how that gift made him one of the greatest seers of our time. The book is based on the lives of Ramkrishna Paramahansa, his successor Swami Vivekanda, as well as other similar historical personages. Yet it comes across as a strangely unmoving tale. Almost a religious tract, dramatized to promote a spiritual message.
To understand why Ecstasy fails as a book and The Ascetic of Desire succeeded so brilliantly, we’ll have to go back to Deepak Chopra. (His lawyers are waiting for me to do just that, I know, I know!). Dr Chopra understands this principle far better than I do, because I’m writing about him writing his book, while he’s actually writing the book!
What Dr Chopra understands is that sex and religion are bonded together. Not in an obvious vulgar way. But in a subtle, intricately linked, forever-together kind of way. Just as pious pujari-producer Ekta Kapoor understands that her serials must have sexy bahus and even sexier husbands. So also Dr Chopra understands that as an acknowledged expert on spirituality (I can call him that, can’t I?) people would not just read a “steamy novel” by his hand, they would approach it with interest, enthusiasm and even critical interest.
It’s the same interest we have if a famous iconoclastic actress pens a novel–which is why Neena Gupta has several contracts for novels. Or a socialite who people believe has experienced the grimiest underbelly of high society first-hand–which is why Shobha De wrote novels until her children grew old enough to read them! And the same allure that will draw us to open the covers of Dr Chopra’s “steamy novel” if only to find out if the good doctor has managed to pull of his Merlinesque magic once more.
That magic, I think, lies in the ability of arouse, provoke, evoke, not just religious, spiritual or sexual ecstasy. But holistic ecstasy. Which includes the orgasmic thrill of earning fabulous sums, of winning the jackpot on KBC, of going shopping without having to look at the pricetags, of touring the world, being featured on the cover of xyz magazine, or whatever else turns you on.
Because, here’s the rub: There is a third kind of ecstasy that both Kakar’s and Chopra’s books don’t necessarily deal with.
The Ecstasy of Wealth.
And judging by the orgasmic spending and earning going on all around, it’s likely to beat even religion and sex hands-down.
And I mean hands down, you naughty boy, you.
This entry was posted on Friday, July 8th, 2005 at 12:38 pm. It is filed under Ashok.
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