Dancers in the Dark
A story so powerful that it will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up in revulsion! The sad but true colour of one’s skin is a strong and despondently decisive factor in their fate, along with poverty. Dancers in the Dark by Ejaz Ahamad is a story that circles around this societal stigma and tries to explain the underlying facets associated with it. It also sheds light on the harsh behaviours meted out upon the “third gender,” aka the LGBTQ+ community, along with all other such clans.
Do you believe the colour of one’s skin is the only determining factor in one’s character and personality? Is being white-skinned or light-skinned so important that one simply does not acknowledge one’s inner character at all? Is racism such a grave reality that it has bottled up and gobbled up all the possible good there is for any person? And yes, who is it who decides the societal norms—acceptance or non-acceptance of genders? Why is this different and unjust treatment forever given to the “third gender”?
As these questions rankled my mind today while I sat finishing my latest read, “Dancers in the Dark” by Ejaz Ahamad, I wanted to share with you all my thoughts on this powerful narrative centered not only around colour conflicts but also the orthodox societal mentalities that continue to rule our generation even today. Societal discrimination, familial bonds, relentless buoyancy, chauvinism, intolerance, and colour revulsion—all of this has been brilliantly woven around the story of Karthi and his sister Kalki, as well as Shreyas, who is differently perceived by our society, and Kalki, who is quite dark-skinned and is shunned by all around for this factor.
Considering this to be the responsibility owing to his ill fate, Karthi, who is hell-bent on reversing this and embarking upon a quest to lighten her dark skin, gets into what comes their way in their pursuit of a solution and how they deal with the entire situation, embarking on a journey where they come to terms with the harsh realities of society.
A story that not only highlighted the issues faced by the different strata of society but much more, I would be surprised if you did not sit back and realize your very own blessings of life by delving into this one. I could feel the pain of these characters being ostracized and totally relate to it in such a manner that even though it was not exactly the same as what I faced, it was deja vu as far as emotion was concerned.
The fact that Kalki’s mother, Yashodha, was mistreated, made fun of, and ridiculed owing to her daughter’s complexion made me stiffen in revulsion. Also, it was equally tough to see how Kalki’s brother Karthi somehow developed this tendency to blame himself for all his sister’s troubles.
Yes, Shreyas’s plight was equally painful. Being different was surely no reason for him to blame himself for his family’s predicament. It is actually sad to see the manner in which society usually ostracizes the LGBTQ+ community. Neither do they have a status quo, nor are they ever able to live a normal life, caught up in the vicious circle of self-blame, ostracizing, and eventually a sad fate.
Some characters are young and some are old, and yet the magnitude of what they are facing is fully dawning upon them. Not only that, but they are also trying their absolute best to lock horns and fight this travesty of society. Ejaz has not only plotted the characters brilliantly, but he has created this enigmatically closer to a real-life scenario, where you will totally relate to not only Kalki’s plight but also feel the pain of Karthi’s struggles as he grapples with possible ways to undo his sister’s plight. Also, it was equally daunting to come to terms with Shreyas’s whole standpoint. Witnessing his suffering was intimidating. I was on the verge of tears, and that is proof enough that Ejaz has really ensured that we are updated quite enough and given us complete research too, at many junctures. It was a different as well as enlightening experience since I came to know many aspects of the LGBTQ community that I was previously unaware of.
Strange are the ways of fate. It is totally baffling at times to see and comprehend such a brutal reality. Do we humans really go that far out in our run-up to achieving something that, to begin with, has little significance? Is it really that important to be in tandem with and always in line with what is expected of one? Can we just not live and breathe in the manner we wish to? Why is it so important to be in the particular frame of “typecasting” that society decides for us? A sad travesty of humanity, really!
One of the strongest social stigmas related to colour has been brilliantly addressed by Ejaz through this one too. It is not easy to pick up an issue of such magnitude and address it in such a poignant manner. Nevertheless, the ending was something I surely did not expect as well. What was it? Well, go and pick it up and read it to discover it, you guys. But I would say, please, please do read this one for sure!
A fabulous debut, and I am surely going to be looking forward to more of Ejaz’s work. P.S. A special mention goes to the cover illustration since the message of the entire tale has been conveyed with such alacrity that I doubt if this story could have ever gotten a better cover than this one. Good writing and, most importantly, a good book with a strong message.
So, I hope you guys liked the book review of Dancers in the Dark by Ejaz Ahamad.
Adios Amigos!
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle, hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.