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THE HANG WOMAN When we start reading some books we have a control over the act that we are involved in. But as the time proceeds we may carried away by the mesmerizing power of the book. We don’t even feel like keeping the book aside without completing it. K.R Meera’s “Hang woman”, originally “Aarachar” in Malayalam, and translated by J.Devika, is such a book. Hang woman by K.R.Meera is an intense and fictional story of a young woman who was appointed as India’s first hang woman.

K.R.Meera was a journalist by profession but later concentrated more on writing. She won the Kerala Sahithya Academy award in 2013 for the novel Aarachar. Aarachar is one of the brilliant works by the writer as well as in Malayalam literature. Meera is a native of Sasthamkotta of Kerala state and an astonishing writer in Malayalam literature.

As the name of the novel implies this book has a close relation with life and death. This story has taken Bengal at its background and it is the story of a female executioner. She was pressurized by her father to be an executioner. Her name is Chethana, and she has born in the family of Gridha Mallikk’s, a family of hangmen who trace their professional lineage back to 400 BC and have been witnessed to several historical incidents over the centuries. The story develops through Chethana’s views. The novel is using the narration method in which “I” speak about the surroundings and emotions. This method may induce the elements of protagonist to the readers. The hero of this novel has a mesmerizing beauty and that is why the readers are always attracted towards this novel, and he is no one but “death!” And Chethana is always astonished about the mystery of death by birth. The Gridha Mallikk family has a pride about their profession which borders on arrogance. Of course there is one who is trying to grab the place of the hero; Mr.Sanjiv Kumar Mithra, a news reporter and a channel employee. His name may mislead us that he is a north Indian, in fact he is born and brought up in Kerala till the age of eighteen and then migrated to Bengal, as his father was a Malayali. His mother belongs to the ‘Apsaras’ family of Bengal. And this family is known for their beauty, especially women. This particular family is meant for the profession of sophisticated prostitution in which the emotion and meaning of love which unites the world together is transacting to a man.

The significance and relevance of this novel is in our society, is because of the loud arguments to stop and to continue execution as a punishment. Foni Bhushan Gridha Mallikk, father of Chethana was considered as too old to be chosen again as an executioner for the execution of an old man, who was a culprit in a rape case. The cunning, cruel father of Chethana utilized this situation well to obtain a job for his daughter. Even though Gridha Mallikk was not tried for an executioner job, he happened to agree for that. Chethana was innocent and ignorant about the commercial world when she was appointed as the first hang woman of India. The news reporter Sanjiv Kumar Mithra made use of the greed for money of Foni Da and obedience of poor Chethana. He made exclusive stories on contract basis for his channel by tapping on the emotional aspect of the society and the first lady executioner. The novel proceeds through lots of strong emotions and always keeps the reader at the verge of curiosity till the last sentence. Even at the ending the writer has left a slot empty in which the imagination of the reader can fill his own desired colour.

chethana was born into the lap of myths and epics of Bengal. She started learning about all these even when she was conceived by her mother. Her grandmother was a living history and was always keen in explaining the heritage of their family, which was inseparable from the culture of Bengal, to others. The evergreen romantic movie “Devadas” was believed as the story of a Gridha Mallikk ancestor. Chethana had a sister similar to goddess Durga in beauty and she also had a dimple in her right cheek. Because of Foni Da’s cruel decisions and compulsion Niharika, the elder sister of Chethana hung herself in a perfect noose in their small house roof. After the death of Niharika also Foni Da was thought to be right about his decision in stopping Niharika to marry a clay- sculpture maker of god. After the end of this tragic love story, Chethana had observed the dimple in the right cheek of goddess Durga’s idles in the Bengal streets. Chethana also had an elder brother who was extremely handsome and smart, but he was the victim of a revenge to Foni Da. Ramuda’s limbs were cut and as a foot ball lover he spend rest of his life rolling in his bed itself.

Through this novel we are witnessing the growth of an innocent, ignorant girl to a woman of Chethana who can handle even an execution of a man in an effort less manner. In between Chethana had felt a strong love towards Sanjiv Kumar, which was derived from hate. She simultaneously loved and hated him in deep. The writer was very keenly developed a thread between to extremely opposite emotions. But Sanjiv Kumar’s aim was to make Chethna as the exclusive of their channel by giving her a fake marriage promise (?). As Chandramukhi in “Devadas” had given mud from her courtyard to Parvathi for making Durga’s idle, Thrailokya Devi, mother of Sanjiv Kumar ,had also given a hand full of mud to Chethana.

This novel contains certain elements of humanity more than feminism and as mentioned in the beginning after started reading of “Aarachar” I held my breaths in certain sentences, haunted by the intensity of the ideas described and was taken into a frozen world of death and life. The inseparable part of Bengal’s history was really complementing and thus appropriate for the background of the novel. The final chapters of the novel were completed in a few hours with a great urge…! I couldn’t resist the eager to complete it and would like to mark as a great reading experience.