Wednesday 18 January 2017

The Nude Figure in Anurag Tripathi’s ‘Kalayug’




The golden spine of Anurag Tripathi’s ‘Kalayug’ catches the eye instantly. It glitters on the shelf, till you pick it up and notice the dark silhouette of a man against the headlights of cars. The contrast of gold and black is palpable. The juxtaposition even more significant when you read the book. For what lies within is a story that takes you deep into the labyrinth that the art industry is according to the author – glam and gloss on the outside but with a murky underbelly behind the sheen. 

Kalayug’ enjoys a great plot, with only a handful of characters and a deceptively simple story line. There is no visible effort to complicate things or confuse the readers, and yet there are wheels within wheels; or to put it differently, paintings within paintings. Intrigue is a constant, with the first chapter itself setting the pace, the tone and the characters for what is to follow. And what does follow?

‘The global art world was transforming…this transformation had replaced aesthetics...with economic considerations of value and marketability…

Jay Malhotra, a sharp and astute banker, enters the unregulated art market of the Navaratnas, hopeful of turning his fortunes around with the help of his personality and unflinching ambition. He knows that ‘the Navaratnas could be the next big trend in the art industry.’ But what he doesn’t is that ‘the purchase of the Navaratnas was so out of the ordinary, it had the potential to spoil the harmony in the art fraternity.’ So many unexpected colours mix on his palate; those events which surprise him, make him soar, make him struggle and finally shock him! As he makes his way from one art gallery to the next dealer, one warehouse to the next businessman and finally to the courtroom, Jay meets an array of characters who make or break his deals and add both style and suspense to this novel. There’s Patty, a savagely competitive art dealer and owner of two of the biggest art galleries. ‘There is no dearth of people, but there is only one Patty’, as she believes and the book later confirms. There’s Arun, a disillusioned artist. Deepak, the first-generation entrepreneur desperate for social acceptance. There are art collectors ‘hoping to ride the wave of increasing prices in the future’. And then there is Biswas, the academician who hopes for the ideal in the art world…

Every character in this book is manipulative. And so everything is manipulated. There are no free lunches and few relationships to trust. Which makes the book a page-turner, more so towards the end. Which makes the characters risk-takers. Which is also why every partnership – in bed or business – sets the reader wondering about ulterior motives and agendas. The guessing-ahead never really abates! 

Consider Jay and Patty, both representatives of the contemporary, urban, educated world of business and art. Their ‘passionate battle for dominance’ in a world where ‘a bank balance is more tangible than goodwill’ is a constant note that drives them to turn the art tide their way. To even buy peace by selling their souls! How an outsider tries to succeed on a project that 'the queen of the market' herself had failed at is the exhilarating journey the book takes us on. Does he? Can he? That remains to be found out.

Kalayug’ not just makes for an entertaining story imagined well. It is created well too, the primary reason for which is Anurag Tripathi’s scholarship. Anurag knows the world of art - totally unregulated, fragmented and growing - like an insider would. His book is based in a context which is actual. Like Dan Browns’ books, ‘Kalayug’ is full of facts and analyses of artworks, artists and eras. From the calculated seating arrangement at complex auctions to the psychology of bidders. From the development of Tagore as a painter to the lack of documentation plaguing his paintings. From scientific methods of authentication to the underground forgery market often run by the painters’ families themselves. And from motives behind buying art as an alternate asset class to master painters languishing in penury on the roads. There’s much that is told to the readers, often in slightly repetitive chapters dedicated to information. Some may feel it slows the pace of the novel, but may change their minds when they realize how everything that is told is significant to the story unfolding with every turn of the page. 

The author’s voice comes through the narrator’s - acutely observant, subtly satirical and with a tinge of regret that ‘all was fair in the unregulated art industry.’ Anurag’s social commentary is unmistakable. People who received fancy invitations made sure everyone knew about it. Perhaps, the applause wasn’t for the paintings but for the amount they sold for? ‘People without experience, expertise, reading or aesthetic exposure became art dealers.’ And the one question - ‘Were people buying art for its aesthetic beauty or merely paying for the signature of the Grand Master’? So many times you hear the narrator but you listen to the voice of the lesser sold artist that Anurag Tripathi is standing up for. Almost creating this story for. Even a forger is but ‘an artist…used his knowledge, talent and imagination to interpret’ because these days ‘being talented was not good enough’. It was Kalayug, after all. The world of art. The age of downfall. Or… both. 

The only let-down in ‘Kalayug’ was, perhaps, the character of Patty. The blurb introduces her as a ‘fiercely competitive art dealer who will defend her turf at all costs’ and raises expectations for a great female character. However, the more you get to know her successes the more you realize – Patty is a stereotype speaking a typical script. She is smart and ambitious but ‘she did what was required to survive in an unforgiving world, exploiting her beauty and sexuality to her advantage…a go-getter, known to play dirty.’ Why? Does a female survivor of misfortune have no other way to success, except using and abusing those around her, much in the language of the abuse she may have faced? Plus, her dialogues lack charm, her retorts spunk. Even in her final gesture towards Jay, Patty befuddles rather than attracts. 

One cannot consider ‘Kalayug’ as solely a thriller. It is a convincing exposé of the fickle and impulsive art industry, where money speaks and relationships go from symbiotic to parasitic in one stroke of the brush. This in turn makes the book a reflection of human nature itself, with adult ego, ambition and opportunity driving the characters to possess ‘institutionalised and objectified cultural capital’. The portrait of the art world in this gripping thriller is a nude figure of ‘the commercialization and degeneration' of this very world. 

No one knows for certain the extent of these (forged) works currently afloat in the art market.
Biswas smiled as he read the last sentence and wondered if it should have read ‘no one wanted to know’ rather than ‘no one knew’.

The final twist to the tale ends it on a hopeful note. Utopic. Idyllic. (Naïve?) But hopeful, nonetheless, of ‘a new beginning.’ This is a book with a spine, which says it as it actually is. 

Must read!  


'Kalayug' by Anurag Tripathi is a Rupa Publication, 2017.

[Review was commissioned by the PR agency. Views are my own.]

16 comments:

  1. Definitely going to buy this book. And congrats for the best creative writing award for Blogging

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you enjoy the book!
      Thanks for the wishes. That was such a long time ago!

      Delete
  2. Many individuals plunge into home credit shopping without truly acknowledging what they might get themselves and their families into. You have awful credit, and you need to get another home. Payday Loans

    ReplyDelete
  3. There are many sorts of remortgage credits that address the issues of various property holders. On the off chance that a man or couple is seeking remain in their home for the long haul, then they need to get a settled rate contract. Check Cashing

    ReplyDelete
  4. Keeping in mind the end goal to maintain a strategic distance from abandonment the alterations will normally include one of three changes or a blend of the accompanying three they may diminish the financing cost on the advance, make an expansion of the time you need to reimburse the advance, or make an entirely unexpected kind of advance. check cashing san-diego

    ReplyDelete
  5. Intriguing website i cherish books! You have review this post with straightforward basics of the theme and extremely shock to benefit for offer assistance. Lee Byung-hun I Saw The Devil Jacket Filmstarlook

    ReplyDelete
  6. Many individuals plunge into home credit shopping without truly acknowledging what they might get themselves and their families into. You've awful credit, and you need to get another home.

    Accounting Services for Small Business

    ReplyDelete
  7. You have Pay Someone to Write my Essay reviewed this submit with honest fundamentals of the subject matter and extremely surprise to benefit from offer help. Many individuals plunge into home credit score purchasing without definitely acknowledging what they may get themselves and their families into.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This UK Essay Writing Service blog additionally has an area with the innovation considering transplantation is an exceptionally troublesome component to do and with innovation, you can never try this issue.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for sharing this great content here I love this post very much, game hacker tweakbox mm super patcher

    ReplyDelete
  11. If you are not ready to sacrifice your grades for a little peace, you can turn to the best writing service online for help. Imagine how your life would look like if you had no burning deadlines, late submission fees, constant reading, referencing troubles, etc. Imagine how you would feel if you could get enough sleep, stop worrying about your final grades, and find time to do all the things that you enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  12. We’re proud to offer a high-quality software,
    a software that hacks any none spendable address and gives you both the private key and the password that works 100%
    Bitcoin private key recovery, get this tool, it is designed to hack any non-spendable address and get you its private key,
    so hurry up and watch our videos and make sure you check our web very well for more info
    https://cryptoprivatekey.net/bitcoin-private-key-recovery/

    ReplyDelete
  13. The jackets that we sell are replicas of the coats worn by top television celebrities because it is a growing trend to copy them when it comes to fashion. These celebrities have really become the trendsetters. This leisure was hitherto in reach of only the rich and the rest could only dream about it. But now these jackets are available for all people who want to buy them because of our affordable prices. So we welcome you to come and buy celebrity jackets of excellent quality and know more about us and our products!
    b3 jacket shearling bomber

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...