Former Ashok Leyland CEO and well-known business
leader, R Seshasayee, has a penned a novel, A Dance of Faith. It is an
utterly charming work.
The novel is about a Muslim boy in a village in Tamil
Nadu who develops an interest in dance while at school. It turns later into an irresistible craving to learn Bharata Natyam. After a great deal of struggle,
he finds a teacher in Chennai who is willing to accept him and even help him
out financially in his quest.
Seshasayee weaves out of this story-line a tapestry
comprising many elements: the conflicts and turmoil in the mind of the Muslim
boy as he pursues his quest; family relationships; village life with its many
restrictions, prejudices and cruelties; the cultural life of Chennai' and
musings about life, religion, art, music and dance. All of this is captured
with a deep sense of irony and dashes of humour.
The characters in the novel come alive and their
voices are authentic. The reader is left in no doubt as to the literary quality
of this debut novel. I particularly liked the Tamil flavor to the novel- there is a smell of rasam and sambar
in the last part.
Two things that struck me were Seshasayee’s grasp of a
range of literary techniques and his exquisite turns of phrase. I have known
the author for a while now. I must confess I never suspected that he harboured
literary talent of such an order. I have
little doubt that his first novel will be acclaimed as a considerable
achievement.
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