Qabar by K.R.Meera Book Review

 

Qabar by K.R.Meera Book Review

Now we search in Google to verify something. But for the truth to be proved legally... There should be researches or documents for it. There should be information in the newspaper and if it's historical, there should be an inscription. or there should be some ancient writings. 

Beyond all of this... We believe all this to be true.. But over the years, message has been passed on orally. But the question is whether the authenticity will remain intact when the message is passed on. When there is no proof to substantiate the truth. 

How can we believe it? Qabar has been written by K.R Meera. Her short story has won the Sahitya Akademi Award She has written the book in Malayalam. It has been translated into Tamil by Mo Senthilkumar. It is about something which might prick us. 

When two people come to us for justice... When two people tell their side of the story... The one which has proof... is the one which is believable. But if there is no proof for the truth... What can we do? The story starts with the dilema that there cannot be proof for everything. 

There is a case in court and we have an assistant district judge named Bhavana. She is a divorcee going through her fair share of personal problems. She has a child with ADHD. She wants to raise the child well. She would have given up a lot for her ex-husband. 

He would have been everything for her. But after he leaves her because the child has ADHD She takes up the responsibility of looking after the child. She couldn't stay with someone who doesn't have empathy She couldn't feel for that either. 

Both she and her husband would have written the professional exam But he wouldn't have passed. So, in order to avoid hurting him... She wouldn't have gone to the next level in her profession. But after the marriage breaks, she moves to the next level in her profession because... the government would allocate two people to assist her when she is in a higher posting. 

This would be a great support system for her child. Her Dad and Mom have traits of their own. Dad would be watching TV all the time. He talks to the her only if the current is not there. When the current comes back again He gets back to the TV. 

Her Mom and Dad are also separated which is a story in itself. They were together till the children grew up. A dog often follows the mother... And a bond is created between them. The dog gets wounded and is taken home. Bhavana's Dad fights with the mother for bringing the dog home. 

But the mother feels that the dog is more important to her and so she leaves her husband and lives separately. Dad feels insulted as the mother left him for a dog. While the mother feels bad about asking for permission to merely bring a dog home. 

She feels that it is not her home anymore. So, she leaves and goes to a separate home. She adopts more than 30 dogs and raises them. Whenever Bhavana goes to visit her mother the mother gives updates about the dogs. Bhavana feels that she is spending time with her mother's other children. 

A divorcee with parents who are also separated. A complex relationship is addressed but the story is not about that. The story is about a case which comes to Bhavana for hearing... She has to give a judgement for that. The one who files the case has ancestral property. 

His family had sold those properties to a trust. The people in the trust can do whatever they want with the property. But the property has an ancestral Qabar. The person who files the case doesn't want the Qabar to be taken down. 

It is the burial place for Muslims. And taking down the Qabar feels sentimentally wrong for the person who files the case. But the judge needs proof for existence of the Qabar. When there is no proof, the sale is just and the buyer is not at fault. 

Though the seller pleads the buyer to give him the Qabar area for extra money... The sellers promise to respond within a week But they don't and start construction instead So, the seller moves to court. But even in court the buyer is repeatedly asked for proof. 

The seller the authorities to check for the presence of Qabar. Meanwhile the buyers start the construction to avoid verification. The person who files the case makes use of magical realism Bhavana is the judge while the plaintiff is Khayaluddin. 

He does something which makes Bhavana feel that she is flying from her chair. She feels different. She would have blacked out for a couple of hours. A lot of miracles happen around Bhavana. Plus Bhavana hears stories about her ancestors. 

We don't have proof for those stories for we are the living proof. Sometimes such stories are passed on with truths.. Sometimes those stories become legend where fact is mixed with fiction. There is something in common between the stories that Bhavana hears and the plaintiff. 

The plaintiff's story seems similar to the story of Bhavana's ancestors. Her mother narrates the plaintiff's story in a different way. The story had been passed on in a patriarchial set up with details being hidden while the truth is different. 

While the case moves forward, Bhavana gets to know more about the Qabar. and also gets to know about her own ancestors. But it is too late for realisation because she had already passed judgement to get away from the plaintiff's use of magical realism. 

A lot of things happen without the discovery of the Qabar. The two of them discover their stories and also the importance of the Qabar. The entire story is based on this. At first, the use of magical realism alienated me from the story. 

But the passing of stories across generations... And the information that is hidden as it is passed on... This small book deals with how perspective changes. It is a very simple book filled with lots of emotions. I read this when I wanted to read a book written by a female author. The book has strong characters and complex emotions. 

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