Byline: Sharmistha Jha
There are no gods in Manav Kaul’s world, only temples, and children forced to live without them. His book Shirt Ka Teesra Button, translated by Sayari Debnath under the title A Temple of No Gods, depicts the story of Rajil, a boy who lowers his gaze to the third button of his shirt whenever fear or shyness takes over—justifying its title in Hindi.
Set in a small village, the plot carries the familiar traits of Indian storytelling, following Rajil and his friends Radhe, Choti, and Ghazal. At its heart is a dilapidated temple with neither gods nor priests. Surrounded by broken walls and ruins, the temple of no gods becomes the place for secret meetings between friends and lovers. The true selves emerge from the shadows of the seemingly ordinary individuals residing in rural India at this place.
Rajil is a contemplative boy, consumed by the questions of sin and virtue, of crime and punishment. He dwells on whether Chitragupta, the god who keeps score of sin and virtue, takes note of his sins, and if they can be balanced by his virtues. At such a juncture, Ghazal introduces him to two epic works of literature—Bhagwati Charan Verma’s Chitralekha and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. These texts anchor his inner turmoil, but as the narrative progresses, Kaul strips away the comfort of divine justice.
Even as Rajil is haunted by the sheer thought of Chitragupta’s judgement, he comes to realise that there is no god to keep an account of his sins and virtues. His pursuit for becoming virtuous is left behind as life pushes him into situations where, setting values aside, he must act for his survival. It dawns on him that we are merely slaves to our circumstances.
There is no god in the temple, and Chitragupta is not looking down upon us to keep an account of virtue and sin. In the novel, as in reality, evil deeds go unpunished and innocent people suffer catastrophe.
The book reminds one of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. Morrison set out to expose the reality of the most vulnerable member of society—the girl child. Kaul points out the vulnerability of children surrounded by adults who fail to protect them.
Children in both novels conjure a new reality in order to survive. Both Morrison and Kaul employ magical realism to write stories which are intimately haunting. With a subtly feminist subtext, Kaul paints an unseen picture of childhood in rural India which emphasises the dangers of patriarchy. Filled with complex characters, the book shows us that survival itself becomes a kind of prayer in the absence of god.
