Advaita Kala in “Almost Single” makes a pertinent observation on the institution of marriage- is marriage the be all and end all of womanhood as decreed through convention? Patriarchal society’s utterances on any matter pertaining woman have been treated as inscriptions on stone. Marriage has been a status woman strives to reach for, but has this concept changed with woman becoming self-confident and savvy? Has education and western exposure made woman think twice before biting the proverbial marriage apple? Advaita Kala compels the reader to ponder on these issues.
Aisha, the saucy, modern heroine of “Almost Single” is a quixotic blend of the East and the West. She is liberated yet the vision of marriage holds her spellbound. Her single-status world, comically labeled by her as ‘raft’, denigrates women in India, of over twenty-nine and single. Misha, her friend advises her to scour for grooms in matrimonial web sites, illustrating our generation’s desperation to get boy and girl maritally hooked up, no matter what. Aisha echoes a modern girl’s dilemma of-shall I marry or not marry for love. We the readers get indoctrinated through the novel, to various agents and rituals which help a girl look out for eligible bachelors, get a chance to impress them and the spiritual aids to keep them by their side.
Even when empowered and amused at the need to have a man in her life, Aisha craves to get married for society’s sake. Kala has hit spot on, the raw nerve of Indian society which inspite of being in the global arena looks at woman as the lesser half in marriage. Aisha’s friend Anushka is on the brink of divorce. Her lackadaisical attempt at cheering herself makes us want to give her a mighty shake to bring her out of her marriage stupor. Ultimately, she achieves that state of self-reliance, when she decides to strike out on her own and stand on her own feet instead of her husbands’. Kala pictures very poignantly, the loneliness and anxiety a separated woman endures. She has given yet another bold stroke in her depiction of Ric and Nic’s gay relationship. The honest and warm bond between them is infused with confidence and comes straight from the heart. Any relationship based on sincere love and understanding can never go wrong. Misha on the other hand is on a quest to wed a handsome and financially healthy groom. Is it going against the grain for Aisha to marry for love and not security?
“Almost single” harps on the theme of marriage. Mothers, colleagues, friends and family are always matchmaking. A vast industry of marriage brokering, itself is seemingly spawned in India. Aisha’s mother, her aunts and even male colleagues add to her angst when they look out for suitable match for her. Aisha, the present day Eve, would never go down without a fight. She keeps Karva Chauth, a ritual of fasting and prayer for a husband as a detox thingy. When it comes to doing rituals with Shivlings, she is firm that she is not into worshipping phallic symbols. When it comes to guys having a set of demands to marry a girl, Aisha has her own set of rules. She will want a guy who will only do high protein and no carbs or even low carb guy if food is the relevant basis for marriage. She feels rolling rotis in the kitchen is so regressive when one can get it in a can. She wonders rightly as a liberated Indian woman, is garlic and onion central to her existence?
The characters in the novel are refreshingly ordinary, true to life yet heroic in their own quixotic way. Kala captures those nuances of mannerisms which etch the characters in their uniqueness. The dialogues are witty and ring true like deja vu. The language is rich with local slang and pun on the words, adding flavor to that word-soup. Some of the episodes are downright naughty, salacious and funny. The encounter between Aisha and her men is a laugh riot. Aisha can be a brazen hussy getting away with all kinds of bizarre acts and sparks fly when she matches verbal sword with Karan. It is a treat to read those passages involving their verbal skirmishes.
Advaita Kala has portrayed achingly, the helplessness and deep love of mothers all over the world, who though wanting a happy life for their girls are still conditioned to think that happiness for a girl is only via marriage. According to Mama Bhatia, whenever something is wrong with Aisha it is because she did not get married when she was supposed to. She even uploads Aisha’s photo, with a write up, without Aisha’s knowledge, in a popular matrimonial website.
The character of Aisha, showing spunk and intelligence, is the icing on the cake, connecting us to her in her spurts of uncertainties, bouts of bravado, and surges of sanguinity. She introspects- when will she get married, why should she get married, will it be arranged marriage; which those in the know give thumbs down or love marriage; which incidentally seemed to be breaking around her. Aisha the gutsy gal had almost been ‘married’ if her fiancé had not deserted her at the altar. Yet she is seeking marriage, and that mystic ‘love’ in it. Aisha’s dilemma; “am I ready for marriage?” is the predicament of scores of unmarried girls around India, who are single yet self-sufficient.
The Marriage Motif in Almost Single
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