Review: The Greatest Enemy of Rain by Manu Bhattathiri
In The Greatest Enemy of Rain, Manu Bhattathiri approaches fiction much like a scientist. He puts his characters in a maze with a bit of cheese at the centre and watches them run. In this process, he reveals their most base human truths. Across 14 remarkable stories, he captures the thin line between insanity and relatable behavior. A tribal girl uses fire to cook meat for the first time scandalizing her entire village. Two old men enjoy a boys’ night while one’s wife is travelling. A man in a small village believes the rain has a personal vendetta against him and is out to make his life miserable. Bhattathiri’s collection is remarkable due to its unique infusion of small-town whimsy and its ability to articulate beliefs and thoughts we are all guilty of indulging in.
Almost none of the characters in this collection are leaders or possess strong agency. They seem helpless, slaves to who they are or what they’ve become. It is this sadness or futility that Bhattathiri uses to such great effect as a balancing force to his dark humour. Much like a benevolent, yet mischievous god he takes a magnifying glass to an anthill on a hot summer day only to see his characters squirm and run amok. In Shravan Kumar’s Last Day, he paints a hilarious yet moving portrait of human insularity and indifference. A young man lies dying by the side of the road as many characters stop by, express sympathy, and for the pettiest of reasons refuse to help. This story in a way sums up the broader truth Bhattathiri is driving home; much like his characters, we have only ourselves to rely on.
In the same dark vein, the story of The Answer, presents the machine invented to once and for all, settle the question of God’s existence. Filled with tributes to Douglas Adams, the advertising man in charge of the publicity for the machine, has a tattoo of the number 42. But more than the question itself Bhattathiri’s craft shines through in the public reaction to the machine’s existence. In a predictable, tragicomic fashion it polarizes society. It is this relatable public reaction that forms the bedrock of much of his humour. There are assassinations, outbreaks of violence, and a betting syndicate is formed, all of this while the machine is hooked up to the brain of a rabid dog, an apt metaphor for humans. An updated version of the machine is hooked up to a scientist injected with rabies because a sane one, “wouldn’t quite completely represent our consciousness.” Implying that the human condition itself is inherent upon mania and instability.
Much like Hari Seldon’s models in the Foundation series, Bhattathiri’s work is great at predicting the reactions and behaviors of large groups, while individual lives take turns impossible to map. In Uncle, an old man strikes a bargain with an angel to be young for half a day. Even though he succeeds, it is scarcely as he imagined it would be. This is another telling feature of Bhattathiri’s work, that even when his characters do succeed, their victory is hollow, unforeseen forces rob them of the joy of triumph, leaving them wanting; that to even try is perhaps an acknowledgment of failure. This is best illustrated in the story Shabari and Anita, where the couple realizes that Shabari isn’t cut out for the corporate world. “In a dog-eat-dog world, he preferred to stand apart and watch dogs eat other dogs…”
In The Shit of the Seraph and The Difficult Customer, Bhattathiri questions the assumptions that surround the motives of his characters. A seemingly benevolent maid handles an eccentric patriarch not out of loyalty or devotion but for personal gain. A customer dissatisfied with his haircut rejects all attempts to fix it and the only solution he cares for is his revenge. Bhattathiri hints at the complex nature of behaviour underpinning the fact that we often know very little of it.
Bhattathiri has a real feel for relationships, which this collection amply showcases. The Woman Who Loved to be Right and Mr and Mrs Pareira are wonderful examples of how frail human relationships are. A retired couple cares for each other despite their controlling and eccentric natures. Giving each other the benefit of the doubt by saying their actions stem from a place of love and caring. A lonely, housewife finds herself so isolated that the only place she feels safe, and understood is sitting alone by the side of a lake. It is in these stories that Bhattathiri touches upon a world that can be cruel without ever realizing it. Everything Fatima and Chellapan do comes from a place of love and yet it hurts Radhamma in ways they could never fathom.
Hidden in obscure villages The Greatest Enemy of Rain, paints a poignant picture of the inherent contradictions of life, alone yet together, motives and effects, intentions and expectations, and the precipice that is a relationship with both the self and others. In this collection, Manu Bhattathiri drives two parallel forces simultaneously, building relatability through societal reactions and suspense through his individual character’s lives. He is in peak form.
Percy Bharucha is a freelance writer and illustrator with two biweekly comics, The Adult Manual and Cats Over Coffee. Instagram: @percybharucha
The views expressed are personal
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In The Greatest Enemy of Rain, Manu Bhattathiri approaches fiction much like a scientist. He puts his characters in a maze with a bit of cheese at the centre and watches them run. In this process, he reveals their most base human truths. Across 14 remarkable stories, he captures the thin line between insanity and relatable behavior. A tribal girl uses fire to cook meat for the first time scandalizing her entire village. Two old men enjoy a boys’ night while one’s wife is travelling. A man in a small village believes the rain has a personal vendetta against him and is out to make his life miserable. Bhattathiri’s collection is remarkable due to its unique infusion of small-town whimsy and its ability to articulate beliefs and thoughts we are all guilty of indulging in.
Almost none of the characters in this collection are leaders or possess strong agency. They seem helpless, slaves to who they are or what they’ve become. It is this sadness or futility that Bhattathiri uses to such great effect as a balancing force to his dark humour. Much like a benevolent, yet mischievous god he takes a magnifying glass to an anthill on a hot summer day only to see his characters squirm and run amok. In Shravan Kumar’s Last Day, he paints a hilarious yet moving portrait of human insularity and indifference. A young man lies dying by the side of the road as many characters stop by, express sympathy, and for the pettiest of reasons refuse to help. This story in a way sums up the broader truth Bhattathiri is driving home; much like his characters, we have only ourselves to rely on.
In the same dark vein, the story of The Answer, presents the machine invented to once and for all, settle the question of God’s existence. Filled with tributes to Douglas Adams, the advertising man in charge of the publicity for the machine, has a tattoo of the number 42. But more than the question itself Bhattathiri’s craft shines through in the public reaction to the machine’s existence. In a predictable, tragicomic fashion it polarizes society. It is this relatable public reaction that forms the bedrock of much of his humour. There are assassinations, outbreaks of violence, and a betting syndicate is formed, all of this while the machine is hooked up to the brain of a rabid dog, an apt metaphor for humans. An updated version of the machine is hooked up to a scientist injected with rabies because a sane one, “wouldn’t quite completely represent our consciousness.” Implying that the human condition itself is inherent upon mania and instability.
Much like Hari Seldon’s models in the Foundation series, Bhattathiri’s work is great at predicting the reactions and behaviors of large groups, while individual lives take turns impossible to map. In Uncle, an old man strikes a bargain with an angel to be young for half a day. Even though he succeeds, it is scarcely as he imagined it would be. This is another telling feature of Bhattathiri’s work, that even when his characters do succeed, their victory is hollow, unforeseen forces rob them of the joy of triumph, leaving them wanting; that to even try is perhaps an acknowledgment of failure. This is best illustrated in the story Shabari and Anita, where the couple realizes that Shabari isn’t cut out for the corporate world. “In a dog-eat-dog world, he preferred to stand apart and watch dogs eat other dogs…”
In The Shit of the Seraph and The Difficult Customer, Bhattathiri questions the assumptions that surround the motives of his characters. A seemingly benevolent maid handles an eccentric patriarch not out of loyalty or devotion but for personal gain. A customer dissatisfied with his haircut rejects all attempts to fix it and the only solution he cares for is his revenge. Bhattathiri hints at the complex nature of behaviour underpinning the fact that we often know very little of it.
Bhattathiri has a real feel for relationships, which this collection amply showcases. The Woman Who Loved to be Right and Mr and Mrs Pareira are wonderful examples of how frail human relationships are. A retired couple cares for each other despite their controlling and eccentric natures. Giving each other the benefit of the doubt by saying their actions stem from a place of love and caring. A lonely, housewife finds herself so isolated that the only place she feels safe, and understood is sitting alone by the side of a lake. It is in these stories that Bhattathiri touches upon a world that can be cruel without ever realizing it. Everything Fatima and Chellapan do comes from a place of love and yet it hurts Radhamma in ways they could never fathom.
Hidden in obscure villages The Greatest Enemy of Rain, paints a poignant picture of the inherent contradictions of life, alone yet together, motives and effects, intentions and expectations, and the precipice that is a relationship with both the self and others. In this collection, Manu Bhattathiri drives two parallel forces simultaneously, building relatability through societal reactions and suspense through his individual character’s lives. He is in peak form.
Percy Bharucha is a freelance writer and illustrator with two biweekly comics, The Adult Manual and Cats Over Coffee. Instagram: @percybharucha
The views expressed are personal
Enjoy unlimited digital access with HT Premium
Subscribe Now to continue reading
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