Kamala Markandeya’s Pleasure City

KAMALA MARKANDAYA’S PLEASURE CITYtc "KAMALA MARKANDAYA’S PLEASURE CITY"

Pleasure City, the latest of Kamala Markandaya’s novels, is based basically on the motto ‘live and let live’. It has all the elements needed for a happy living. All the terms associated with comradeship like love, affection, co-operation and understanding are significant.

Pleasure City is very much akin to some of Kamala Markandaya’s earlier novels Nectar in a Sieve and The Coffer Dams, in respect of the East-West contact and enccounter, native tradition vis-à-vis and versus imported technological civilization and their over-all relevance to the scientific and technical development of India.

The theme includes the building of a pleasure complex in a coastal village of India. It is the productive work accomplished by the two representatives of the East and West. Rikki, the fisherboy of coastal Indian village and Tully, the director of British enterprise on duty to set up the pleasure resort – ‘Shalimar’, jointly work to build the complex. The rapport between the two characters flourishes and blossoms into a fruitful venture.

Kamala Markandaya appears to have created Tully’s character in Pleasure City to neutralise the negative aspects of Clinton, to iron out the inadequacies and revamp the image. The inherent defect of Clinton to shut himself off from any humanistic side of problem is more than compensated by the abundant showering of love and affection by Tully towards Rikki in particular and towards all the fishermen in general. Tully seems to be the continuation of Clinton in The Coffer Dams. But his approach proves to be a wiser one than that of Clinton. It looks as if Clinton has changed for the better and transformed into Tully, the loving and lovable character. He is a perfect gentleman, kind and understanding towards his subordinates at the work spot. He takes care of their living conditions and offers better compensation for using their fishing village as a venue for the pleasure resort to come up. Here he differs greatly from Clinton who ignored the pitiable state of the tribals of the village where the dam was to be constructed; they were simply asked to vacate their age-old living habitat heartlessly. In contrast, Tully got work done by love and appreciation. His treatment of all men was alike. His intimacy with Rikki on the work site grows as he finds the boy innocent, sincere and dedicated towards the work allotted to him. Both Clinton and Tully, it seems, have identified themselves whole-heartedly, thoroughly in letter and spirit, with their respective projects. Clinton having been entrusted with the project of construction of a dam, cocooned himself from the tribals by a water-tight approach towards their emotional and human problems. On the other hand, Tully saw to it that, in the construction of Shalimar, the pleasure and happiness of the fishermen involved in its work. The relationship between Tully and Rikki is something great, devoid of inhibitions and in spite of the socio-cultural differences, they seem to be one in more than one aspect. They become an indivisible work-team, always in need of each other’s company and support. The two of them move about more like friends than like the employer and employee. Their emotional rapport is fascinating. It is thicker than blood relationship. The two of them together, form an inseparable unity—though they seem so, their separation is inevitable as, Tully is responsible in his domestic side and returns to England. The mutual understanding and love created and maintained between Tully and Rikki is a note-worthy feature as they belong to two different nationalities and this aspect does not become a barrier. On the contrary, it engulfs and envelops them into a harmonious relationship. Their responses to each other are such that they can be understood only by an open loving heart which both possess. Their unique, wonderful, close-knit bond blossoms parallel with Shalimar. Rikki, in his own humble way, gifts Tully, the small objects that he makes, as a token of love for him. Thus their intimacy and feeling of one-ness grows, with ‘Shalimar’.

‘Shalimar’ meaning ‘love’, is the name of the most beautiful of the gardens that Shahjahan the Moghul ruler had constructed for his wife Mumtaz as a token of his love for her. So also, in naming the pleasure resort as ‘Shalimar’, Kamala Markandaya has maintained the Indianness and making it appear a real pleasure resort – a resting place, a welcoming avenue to stay away from the usual busy schedule, enabling people coming to it from far and near, to gather and greet each other, share each other’s views and communicate, creating a small world of their own in a atmosphere congenial for friendship and love to grow healthily.

Tully, Knowing very well the art of managing situations, excels in his project work tremendously. The transformation of the serene and sullen-looking village towards modernisation as a consequence of Shalimar, obviously create a conflict between traditionalists and modernists. The immensity of the change is so much that the fishermen were drawn away from their age-old and traditional occupation of fishing, trawling and engulfing the whole of their settlements. The traditionalists represented by Apu lamented and cried hoarse, but their protests were drowned and stalled off by the majority representing modernists who welcomed the universal increase in the earnings and the modern amenities available to them as a fall-out of the pleasure city. Thus the conflict which could have built up was averted by the imaginative and innovative approach of Tully which included both a humanistic and materialistic consideration towards the people concerned, got nipped in the bud stage. If the people involved in the construction of coffer dams meekly submitted themselves, though participating actively in the work, the fishermen involved in the taking shape of Shalimar gave their heart and soul to it. The East and West differences were not just removed by Tully by paying them in their own coin and making them join (the mainstream), but also by a caring word and a helping hand wherever it was due.

Shalimar thus gave the luxuries and the minimum comforts to the people. It made a drastic change over the whole community. The people directly involved in its construction and the people who visited the resort, enjoyed thoroughly. It became a centre of attraction for one and all. As the pleasure city grew, along with it grew the tender loving affection between Tully and Rikki. It was a unique, a totally special bond that united them. “In fact”, writes S.K. Tikko, “Tully and Rikki are tied together not by the master-worker relationship but by relationship based on sincerity, honesty, sympathy and commitment to work”.

It is obvious that Pleasure City aims at fostering friendliness amongst people, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion or nationality. It is a novel which provides a positive turn in Indo-British relations with its trend of positive thinking and progress. It acts like a binding force between two individuals with divergent personalities representing two nations – India and Britain.

Their mutual love showed in their joint work at the pleasure resort which took shape into a beautiful complex – a comfortable resting place, in the coastal area. It provided comfort and luxury where people could relax peacefully and spend time and enjoy a holiday. The novel Pleasure City, therefore, is a portrayal of a splendid workmanship achieved through sincerity and love. It is a healthy sign of co-operation and an example to be followed for good relations to be maintained between two countries or more – Tully, representative of England and Rikki, that of India.

This is one example of the two opposite poles representing the East and the West coming close, forgetting the racial barrier happy in each other’s company. Here, it is the meeting of two souls, devoid of any differences. It is to be acknowledged that progress can be had when there is mutual co-operation and understanding among countries and people of all regions, taking part in the world’s integration. The novel, therefore, teaches values of brotherliness in order to accomplish a heavenly place to live in, for one and all.

In this novel, the novelist does not probe into the mental recesses of her characters, but depicts them to be in the mood of rejoicing and a lighter vein. As the name suggests, the whole affair appears to be a natural drama, where the characters involved, play their role in their own natural vein – nothing more and nothing less. All of them or most of them seem to be gentle and lovable – least harmful. They have the natural humanistic temperaments and express their feelings of joy, friendliness, love, affection and jealousy.

The expressions are subtle, situations so created as to bring forth the tenderness and humane aspects which touch the heart gently, leaving one with warm feelings of peace and love.

Pleasure City leaves a mark of undoubted, innocent love engraved permanently, in one’s memories, cementing the bond between the two characters which speak of universal brotherhood, care and understanding.