A beautifully crafted soothing read

The Two Women and Other Stories, a Stamford Lake publication published in 2006, is the work of Upali Kuladeva, a retired managing director of the Railways Authority. Retirement has helped him fulfil his urge to be a writer. This book is a work of fiction. The author drawing on his years of experience of humanity and a sympathetic imagination has presented to us six stories of rich variety.

Though varied in plot, texture and setting, the underlying theme of the stories, is relationships: relationships between individuals, between individuals and society, between individuals and circumstance. Kuladeva guides us gently through his intricate storylines, his intention being to inform rather than to shock or startle. Shocking, startling facts are often disclosed but in a patient, logical manner revealing the writer to be an unbiased, nonjudgmental scribe.

Village damsels, society belles and business magnates consort with nuns, adulterers and innocents. Kuladeva keeps the mix interesting. His women seem stronger in character than his men, and Kusum, from the fourth story, “Virtue” is my favourite. All her life, with maybe a brief hiatus, Kusum calls a spade a spade. When she sets her mind on something –

‘She felt the way to his bed and sat down on its edge. Then laying her hand on his shoulder, she gently tried to push him towards the wall. He sat up with a start.

“Who is that?” he cried in alarm.
“Kusum”
“Why…is anything the matter?”
“No…You move a little towards the wall….From tonight I want the world to know we are living as husband and wife.”

… and from then on they began sharing the bed in her room. Two months later she conceived her daughter Damayanthi.’
On the other hand, Rohan, from A Spectre from the Past, did not impress me much. I think he should have expended much more effort in looking for his benefactress!

In the first story, A Way of Life, we encounter a young man on a journey. Varuna is a pleasant young man who reveals his life to us in a series of flashbacks. (Kuladeva makes use of flashbacks in all his stories in a seamless fashion.) As Varuna proceeds on his way the writer makes us wonder if he seeks a place, a person, or a state of mind. More important, will he find what he is looking for?

Two very different personalities unveil their stories in The Two Women. This multi-layered tale revealed as background, the functioning of a Buddhist nunnery. A Christian layperson, I found it fascinating reading. In Virtue, where I met Kusum, there is a wealth of material, enough for a full length novel. It gives a non-committal view of village life into which some urbanization has crept. It is heartening to find non- stereotypical characters who complement each other very well, knitting different strands of the story together. A mudalali who is an honourable man; a village beauty who has her head turned, but does not go astray.

A modern reader might find the language clichetic, yet the writer is comfortable with his style. At home with timeworn phrases and similes, he makes them fit. He also produces fitting endings to his stories; handled with sensitivity. He has mastered the art of tying up just enough threads to give a sense of completion, avoiding the abrupt and the “happily ever after”. In some stories, his endings could morph into new beginnings.

The Two Women and Other Stories reminds me of the woven mat, our padura. Versatile, it has many practical uses. Local, it makes use of home grown material. Soothing, it suits our climate; it might be overlooked because of its very simplicity. Created with great attention to detail, its design carefully crafted and finished, it is a product of our country which portrays its many facets skillfully.

I feel that Upali Kuladeva enjoyed writing this book. This enjoyment should carry the reader through many hours of pleasant reading. He emerges a talented writer, worthy of interest and investment.