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Karma Sutra - Essays From The Margin
Karma Sutra is about sex workers, Hijras, HIV/AIDS, Devadasis, drug addiction, runaways, the homeless, the dying and the abandoned on the Indian street. A first person account of the trauma and the triumph of those destined to spend their entire lives on the other side of the boulevard. The book is raw, heroic, gripping and tragic.
- GenresNonfiction
220 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 2, 2020
Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/YmUE7EqCusw
Poetic in parts, stream of consciousness in others, Karma Sutra by Rajendra Menen is a journey into the murky urban underbelly of the streets and alleys of India. It tells the stories of those who live on the street, a cast of characters that includes sex workers, bar girls, hijras, Devadasis, drug addicts, runaways, migrants, hustlers, the homeless, the dying, and the abandoned. Yes, I too had to look up some of those words, and they are now forever in my search history.
It’s an interesting book and took me to a place that I have never read about, so it was good learn some new things and have my eyes opened to this part of the world. Given the subject matter it’s pretty heavy reading in places and the offhand way in which some of it is delivered took me aback a couple of times. An example of this was part of the story of a girl named Tara. Menen reports:
“Tara was gang-raped several times, had repeated abortions and several venereal diseases long before she turned eighteen, and finally found deliverance in a brothel she was sold to by her own family with the help of an agent.”
It just breaks your heart to read and picture these kids in these situations.
Other parts give you a mixture of emotions, for example when talking about eunuchs, I physically grimaced when reading of how the eunuch operations are done. But I also liked how there is a whole multi-day ritual that goes along with it to mark and honour the transition. I thought that was pretty cool.
Where the book lost me though, is that at times it's non-sensical. Here is a passage that well illustrates this:
"The guesthouse, a doddering apartment built by the British ages ago, always seemed to eavesdrop, with an inordinate longing, on the opulence of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel opposite as though, like a blockbuster Hindi film script, they had been siblings separated at birth and one had lost out on all the crockery."
Or when describing the way a pimp talked, he says that the guy "Drags every word with a wheelbarrow" - like, what does that even mean? Then at other times a sentence that should be simple ends up full of seemingly random words:
"When she walked into the lobby of a good-looking hotel every male eye zeroed in on her like trichologists in a superspecialty clinic looking for dandruff on a piece of chalk.
This kind of verbosity got annoying after a while and I kept thinking “get to the point!”
I also wish that throughout the book we heard more from the sex workers themselves in their own words rather than just read his notes about them. We end up seeing them through the lens of Menen, when I think it would be more impactful to have them tell their own stories. I feel like a stronger connection could be made, rather than working through a once-removed filter. That said though, I did really like how Menen didn’t pass judgement on the people he met with. He treated them all as humans, and with dignity.
It's a messy book but certainly has some good stuff in there. Frustratingly it has no real strong conclusion. It just suddenly finishes. He is recounting a story of health worker, the story ends with a quote from her, and that’s the end of the book. There was no summary or final thoughts. It goes straight from there to an About the Author page. I was hoping there would be some kind of wrap up or final words or thoughts, but no, he just ejects from the book.
Overall, it was a maddening read. Some really good content is in there, but you have to wade through a fog of loquaciousness to access it.
Poetic in parts, stream of consciousness in others, Karma Sutra by Rajendra Menen is a journey into the murky urban underbelly of the streets and alleys of India. It tells the stories of those who live on the street, a cast of characters that includes sex workers, bar girls, hijras, Devadasis, drug addicts, runaways, migrants, hustlers, the homeless, the dying, and the abandoned. Yes, I too had to look up some of those words, and they are now forever in my search history.
It’s an interesting book and took me to a place that I have never read about, so it was good learn some new things and have my eyes opened to this part of the world. Given the subject matter it’s pretty heavy reading in places and the offhand way in which some of it is delivered took me aback a couple of times. An example of this was part of the story of a girl named Tara. Menen reports:
“Tara was gang-raped several times, had repeated abortions and several venereal diseases long before she turned eighteen, and finally found deliverance in a brothel she was sold to by her own family with the help of an agent.”
It just breaks your heart to read and picture these kids in these situations.
Other parts give you a mixture of emotions, for example when talking about eunuchs, I physically grimaced when reading of how the eunuch operations are done. But I also liked how there is a whole multi-day ritual that goes along with it to mark and honour the transition. I thought that was pretty cool.
Where the book lost me though, is that at times it's non-sensical. Here is a passage that well illustrates this:
"The guesthouse, a doddering apartment built by the British ages ago, always seemed to eavesdrop, with an inordinate longing, on the opulence of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel opposite as though, like a blockbuster Hindi film script, they had been siblings separated at birth and one had lost out on all the crockery."
Or when describing the way a pimp talked, he says that the guy "Drags every word with a wheelbarrow" - like, what does that even mean? Then at other times a sentence that should be simple ends up full of seemingly random words:
"When she walked into the lobby of a good-looking hotel every male eye zeroed in on her like trichologists in a superspecialty clinic looking for dandruff on a piece of chalk.
This kind of verbosity got annoying after a while and I kept thinking “get to the point!”
I also wish that throughout the book we heard more from the sex workers themselves in their own words rather than just read his notes about them. We end up seeing them through the lens of Menen, when I think it would be more impactful to have them tell their own stories. I feel like a stronger connection could be made, rather than working through a once-removed filter. That said though, I did really like how Menen didn’t pass judgement on the people he met with. He treated them all as humans, and with dignity.
It's a messy book but certainly has some good stuff in there. Frustratingly it has no real strong conclusion. It just suddenly finishes. He is recounting a story of health worker, the story ends with a quote from her, and that’s the end of the book. There was no summary or final thoughts. It goes straight from there to an About the Author page. I was hoping there would be some kind of wrap up or final words or thoughts, but no, he just ejects from the book.
Overall, it was a maddening read. Some really good content is in there, but you have to wade through a fog of loquaciousness to access it.
June 17, 2015
Karma Sutra - Adventures of a Street Bum by Rajendar Menen is a powerful book about the Indian street - a journey into the murky urban underbelly. It tells the varied stories of those who live on - and off - the street, an amazing cast of characters that includes sex workers, bar girls, hijras, Devadasis, drug addicts, runaways, migrants, hustlers, the homeless, the dying and the abandoned.
The book does not pass any moral judgements. It just tells stories as it is and leave the whole process of draw-your-own-conclusions phase to its readers. The author takes us through various places in Mumbai - starting from the red light area of Kamathipura and Ladies Bar which once upon a time were a major employment avenue for the people coming from outside for work in Mumbai. These chronicles extend to Colaba, Kala Ghoda, Juhu, Saundatti and even touches on the migrants from Goa and young, nubile sex workers from Kathmandu.
The realistic tone of the narrative allows you to feel for each of the flesh and blood characters and leaves a indelible impression on your psyche. It helps that author has literally got his hands dirty but living in these dingy places, sharing space with these varied crumbling personnel and hence, in turn aware of those small nuggets which are fascinating to know. Fortunately, all of that real-time experience is translated into the book even though non-profanity form and at times, sugar coated humour softens the blow at various plot points.
The author cleverly stays away from his own personal experiences of living with the prostitutes, and i am glad it happened that way which otherwise would have taken out the gritty touch and in turn, infused the narrative with a voyeuristic tone which gets difficult to fathom for best of the readers. The experience with transsexuals - their religious ceremonies and festive enormities is my most favourite section of the book. Underneath the humour on this community, there is a real insight into the new consumerist, yet traditionally acquisitive India and terrible though subtle strains of sadness and loss palpitating across hierarchy of society.
The book does not offer easy answers, neither put forward questions which you don't know before. But still it makes you think, it makes you introspect your own life and your existence as a human being in a complex city like Mumbai. It is difficult to understand the pains till you have been on street but sometimes it is so easy and deliberate to exploit it to your own advantage. Like the various intermingled worlds the book represents, it is witty, charming and heart breaking tales, all at the same time. I strongly recommend you make time to read it.
The book does not pass any moral judgements. It just tells stories as it is and leave the whole process of draw-your-own-conclusions phase to its readers. The author takes us through various places in Mumbai - starting from the red light area of Kamathipura and Ladies Bar which once upon a time were a major employment avenue for the people coming from outside for work in Mumbai. These chronicles extend to Colaba, Kala Ghoda, Juhu, Saundatti and even touches on the migrants from Goa and young, nubile sex workers from Kathmandu.
The realistic tone of the narrative allows you to feel for each of the flesh and blood characters and leaves a indelible impression on your psyche. It helps that author has literally got his hands dirty but living in these dingy places, sharing space with these varied crumbling personnel and hence, in turn aware of those small nuggets which are fascinating to know. Fortunately, all of that real-time experience is translated into the book even though non-profanity form and at times, sugar coated humour softens the blow at various plot points.
The author cleverly stays away from his own personal experiences of living with the prostitutes, and i am glad it happened that way which otherwise would have taken out the gritty touch and in turn, infused the narrative with a voyeuristic tone which gets difficult to fathom for best of the readers. The experience with transsexuals - their religious ceremonies and festive enormities is my most favourite section of the book. Underneath the humour on this community, there is a real insight into the new consumerist, yet traditionally acquisitive India and terrible though subtle strains of sadness and loss palpitating across hierarchy of society.
The book does not offer easy answers, neither put forward questions which you don't know before. But still it makes you think, it makes you introspect your own life and your existence as a human being in a complex city like Mumbai. It is difficult to understand the pains till you have been on street but sometimes it is so easy and deliberate to exploit it to your own advantage. Like the various intermingled worlds the book represents, it is witty, charming and heart breaking tales, all at the same time. I strongly recommend you make time to read it.
April 3, 2012
I had heard of Rajender Menon's work amongst the people on the roads. His contribution to help uplift people from these areas has been phenomenal. He has worked with beggars, prostitutes, drug abusers and essentially those on the periphery of our everyday life. The book "Karma Sutra" makes one feel sad. I also got a feeling that the kind of work Mr. Menon has been able to do is because he has gained their trust and confidence. Moreover, it could be quite risky.
It was hard to read some of the stories. The book is not at all titillating which is a great aspect of a book on such topics. It has no abusive language or description of situations that could land up being graphic and yet, it conveys the right message.
Read this book for the insight it provides into the lives of people we might not ever come across. It would be quite difficult for us to enter their world and get a feel for the quality of life they lead. Should one want to educate oneself about people living in different circumstances and therefore bring a wider perspective and a wiser thought processes to the society we live in, then this is the book one ought to read.
I admire Rajender Menon's courage, courage of conviction, interest in people we almost write off as soon as we think about them. I like his style it is quite lucid and needless to say, the book will hold your concentration and attention.
I liked the title of the book. It says "Karma Sutra- Essays from the Margin." Indeed, the book is full of essays on people and their lives, their plight from the periphery of the so called "Civilized Society." A must read if you enjoy reading pieces of investigative journalism. Kudos to Mr. Menon for this heart wrenching compilation of essays on people who the world does not even take cognizance of!
It was hard to read some of the stories. The book is not at all titillating which is a great aspect of a book on such topics. It has no abusive language or description of situations that could land up being graphic and yet, it conveys the right message.
Read this book for the insight it provides into the lives of people we might not ever come across. It would be quite difficult for us to enter their world and get a feel for the quality of life they lead. Should one want to educate oneself about people living in different circumstances and therefore bring a wider perspective and a wiser thought processes to the society we live in, then this is the book one ought to read.
I admire Rajender Menon's courage, courage of conviction, interest in people we almost write off as soon as we think about them. I like his style it is quite lucid and needless to say, the book will hold your concentration and attention.
I liked the title of the book. It says "Karma Sutra- Essays from the Margin." Indeed, the book is full of essays on people and their lives, their plight from the periphery of the so called "Civilized Society." A must read if you enjoy reading pieces of investigative journalism. Kudos to Mr. Menon for this heart wrenching compilation of essays on people who the world does not even take cognizance of!
April 10, 2013
The book reeks of matchless honesty. Accompanying Rajendar on his journeys through this book will have you question, if not shatter, your own ideas of love and desires; virtues and vices; karma and destiny. If anything, this is a journey that will propel you to revisit your own life and actions.
For the full review, visit: http://rsarita.me/2012/04/22/yes-it-i...
For the full review, visit: http://rsarita.me/2012/04/22/yes-it-i...
October 5, 2013
Although quite meandering and rambling at first , the book catches pace with its no-holds-barred account of the mafia, the thugs and the web of prostitution , notwithstanding the insidious reality of AIDS , all of which form the underbelly of Mumbai . The writing is not really gripping , but it's definitely got it's heart in the right place !!
July 30, 2013
Gripping account about the streets of Mumbai. Makes you empathise with the masses who inhabit them, look at them differently. An eye opener of sorts.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews