Simran Puri's: Kangan

Book Review of Simran Puri’s, Kangan

Smart Books India

Print: Chandigarh ISBN 978-81-932064-4-7

As I leafed through the last page, the last paragraph and the last line of Simran Puri’s historical-romance,Kangan, these words, “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create” resonate through my mind in applause for this supremely well structured, adroitly written novel. Published by Smart Books India in 2019, this a 258 page saga of the central motif, Kangan (gold bangles), set in the pre Independent royal state of Patiala that completes its journey with a relish in the independent, modern India chronicles the tale of the characters that are assiduously woven into this story to ensure a seamless movement of this treasured legacy from one era to another, from one generation to another. In doing so, it holds a mirror to some draconian patriarchal customs that are compellingly challenged and questioned by its female characters who lend an affable visage to empowerment and feminism, Bebeji, Mehtab Kaur and Veeran three generation of women linked by familial bonds, articulate the travails and tribulations of being custodians of faith, freedom and fortitude in the most testing times. 

The eponymous artefact occupies the pride of place in this novel that is seeped in history traversing from 19th century pre independent India, providing a grandiose and spectacular insight into the royal state of Patiala and its nobility and moves to modern India where women can be founders of higher educational institutions and adept law practitioners in its courts, where norms of inheritance have been challenged and redrawn as recently as 2005. The novel with ample dose of romance, crime, intrigue and adventure filled with high drama endears itself to readers across cultures with its rich tapestry of characters, evocative language and redolent symbolism that are akin to some of the best classics in literature. The men in this tale of intrigue, suspense and entangled relationships stand out as demigods of romance: Dilawer and Alamjit. The handsome and gallant military general Dilawer, who is sensitive, charming and respectful of women can also rebuke his domineering mother for heinous practices, like the “Karewa” ceremony. The antithetical males like the thundering Kehar Singh, who initiates the trauma with the “chaak” ceremony to the wily Sardar Bahadur and his inherently flawed first born, Iqbal, the proverbial womaniser who epitomises guile, there is not a single moment of ennui in this redolent novel. The very first line in the first chapter engrosses the reader, overcome by the foreboding and the travesty of the young bride, Bibi Mohran. Puri uses a non linear narrative, transitioning between times, between the chilling events at Mehmansingh to the epochal splendour of Patiala, from an agonising moment that embalms a young maiden into the hallowed confines of a dark well to the self assuredness and empathy displayed by the graceful Mehtab Kaur. While doing so, Puri in all the deftness of a gifted reconteur, details the customs, traditions, beliefs and practices of the vibrant Punjabi culture that has forever held a charm amongst Indians. 

Kangan begins ominously, in the darkness chronicling the dark deeds of the tyrannical Kehar Singh, who embalms his young daughter-in-law, Bibi Mohran into a well citing an ancient custom and belief. Before her fatal end, Mohran assigns custody of her precious Kangans and the ornate tin biscuit box, a gift from her otherwise impoverished father, to Bebeji, her older sister-in-law. Decades later, the aged Bebeji, who holds the secrecy of its legacy and the draconian lineage she is privy to, gifts the Kangans to its worthy custodian, Mehtab Kaur, wife of her gallant and beloved grandson, Dilawer, much to the ire of her daughter in law, Sardarni Naseeb Kaur. The resulting tumult and changes in their lives comprises the journey of the Kangans too, pivotal in the liberation of the haunting confinement of Afsaana exposing the vile and villainy of Iqbal, who victimises all the women he comes into contact with. Dilawer and Mehtab’s beatific marital bliss is often punctuated by this soldier’s trysts with war and destiny finally results in Mehtab emerging from the shadows of her gallant Dilawer to preserve the honour of the land, the Kangans she has been custodian of and in enabling the redemption of the ladies, victims of Iqbal’s debauchery. The charm and essence of this saga lies in its unfolding and for that you will have to leaf through the pages of this novel that course through the villages of Mehmansingh, royal state of Patiala, the verdant greenery of Kasauli, the menacing flow of the Ghaggar river, the plaintive, poignant setting at Morni Hills to the intrepid arguments in a Patiala courtroom. Likewise, Puri weaves in the tragic participation of Indian soldiers in World War 2, the traumatic experiences of Indo-Pak Partition and the formation of Bangladesh too. A good book is one which crystallises in the minds of its readers and resonates with their experiences. One where even its peripheral characters are etched out in detail that we can meet and greet in the precincts of our imagination, like the feisty Sheranwala Sardar or the inexplicably beautiful Haseena Khatoon, who remain etched long after the tale is told. The credit to Puri’s writing is also witnessed in the details, in the apt choice of customs and traditions woven into the tale. 

Simran Puri, the debutante author of this fiction, lends much credence to her Masters in History and upholds the acuity she has as a lawyer at the High Court in Mumbai. The novel gathers an unprecedented momentum and verve in the mention of wills, deeds, arguments in a court that one is witness to. Rightfully, the crest of law is placed on the head of the young Veeran, the third child of the much in love, ideal couple, Dilawer and Mehtab. The inner jacket of this hardcover edition affirms that Puri “aspires to curate a culture in ink”, and the novel bears testimony to this effort that seems to be penned with an effortless ease. Notwithstanding certain moments in the novel that are clichèd and akin to those depicted in popular culture, such as Dilawer’s accident or Hasina Khatoon’s tragic demise by the edifice in the marketplace or the meeting between Iqbal and his estranged wives and son at the Golden Temple, the novel is remarkable for its “legal-historical” narrative. 

Like the timeless classics of yore, Simran Puri’s masterful chronicle of the Kangan links the lives of three generations and two brides separated by a century hailing from “Mehmansingh to Patiala”. It is a tale of adventure, romance, customs and custodians of faith, freedom and fortitude that underscores the perils of patriarchy and shines in the affable positivity and progression of feminism. This must read novel with an intriguing refrain: “From Mehmansingh to Patiala” and “From Patiala to Mehmansingh” testifies to her evocative use of language laden with redolent symbolism, intrigue and aura of a bygone era making it a refreshing read of how humans need not worry about what one cannot control, for through their sensitivity and empathy one can create surely meaningful lives. 

Asha G Kumar

22 January, 2020