Kecse1

Cul
tur
alcont
radi
cti
onofchar
act
ersi
nSal
manRushdisTheFr
e’ eeRadi
o

I
nthest
ori
esofSal
manRushdi
e,i
tisnotasur
pri
singphenomenonf
ort
he
mai
nchar
act
erst
oof
tenhav
eami
xedorsocal
l
edhy
bri
dident
it
ywhi
chi
susual
l
y
basedont
hedi
ff
erencesoft
heOr
ientandOcci
dent
,wher
emai
nchar
act
ersofa
cer
tai
ncul
tur
albackgr
oundal
sohappent
ohav
ethe(
mai
nlyi
nner
)char
act
eri
sti
csof
t
he“
opposi
te”cul
t e.TheFr
ur eeRadi
oisoneoft
het
hreest
ori
esoft
heEastsect
ion
ofRushdisEast
e’ ,Westcol
l
ect
ion,publ
i
shedi
n1994.Thesest
ori
es,ast
hesect
ion’
s
t
it
leal
sosuggest
s,ar
eseti
naneast
ernset
ti
ng,wher
etheOr
ient
als(
Indi
anpeopl
e)
ar
einf
luencedbyt
heWest
,somuchsot
hatt
hei
rtr
adi
ti
onsandwayofl
i
febecomei
n
away"
cor
rupt
ed"bywest
ernst
andar
dsandcul
tur
e.Ther
efor
e,t
hechar
act
ersev
en
st
artt
othi
nkaboutl
i
fel
i
ket
hei
dol
i
zedwest
erner
sdobyt
ryi
ngt
obr
eakf
reef
rom t
he
t
radi
ti
onsandhav
ingnew ambi
ti
onsdi
ff
erentf
rom t
heonest
hei
rcul
tur
ewoul
d
appr
oveofornor
mal
l
ytol
erat
e.

I
nthecaseofTheFr
eeRadi
owecandi
vi
det
het
hreemai
nchar
act
ersi
nto
t
hreemai
ncat
egor
ies:anol
dteacher
,ther
epr
esent
ati
veoft
heor
ientandol
dIndi
an
t
radi
ti
onal
val
ues;
Ramani
,themai
nchar
act
erwhoi
sanaï
ver
ickshawr
iderandl
ast
ly,
t
het
hief
’swi
dow (
lat
erRamani
’
swi
fe)whoseper
sonal
i
tyi
sal
mostt
heopposi
teof
whati
tissupposedt
obel
i
ke.“
Teachersahi
b”i
sanol
dret
ir
edt
eacher
,ar
espect
ed
f
igur
ewhospendshi
sol
dday
saccor
dingt
othet
radi
ti
on,
sit
ti
ngunderabany
ant
ree
smoki
nghi
shookahandobser
vingt
hel
i
feofev
ery
daypeopl
e.Hehasheal
thy
cur
iosi
tyt
owar
dsot
herpeopl
e’
sbusi
nessandi
npar
ti
cul
art
owar
dsRamani
’
swhom
hef
eel
sresponsi
blef
orandgenui
nel
ywor
ri
esabout
,si
nceheusedt
oknow hi
s
deceasedpar
ent
s.I
tisi
mpor
tantt
onot
ethathei
stheonewhonar
rat
est
hest
ory
,
t
her
efor
eiti
smost
lyhi
sbi
asedpoi
ntofv
iewt
hatwesee.

Then,wehav
eRamani
,ay
oungnon-
educat
edbutgoodl
ooki
ngman,whoi
n
t
hebegi
nni
ngoft
hest
oryl
i
veshi
sli
fewi
thoutambi
ti
onsandwor
ksasa‘
ri
ckshaw-
wal
l
ah’
.St
rangel
yhei
stheonl
yonei
nthest
orywhohasaname.Hehasast
abl
e
busi
ness.Hecoul
dhav
emar
ri
edsomeonehi
sage,hadhi
sownchi
l
drenandl
edan
av
eragel
i
fe.Unf
ort
unat
ely
,heal
sohappenst
obev
eryeasi
l
ymani
pul
atedandt
hus
heendsupmar
ryi
ngat
hief
’swi
dow andbecomest
hef
atherofherf
ivechi
l
dren.
Theymadehi
m doandev
enbel
i
evet
hingshei
nat
radi
ti
onalenv
ironmentnev
er
 Kecse2
woul
dhav
edone,l
i
ket
hev
asect
omyanddr
eami
ngaboutbecomi
nganact
ori
n
Bol
l
ywood.Al
lthesef
act
orsl
eadt
oachangei
nRamani
’
sper
spect
iveonl
i
feandt
his
changesy
mbol
i
zeshowt
hecul
tur
eofI
ndi
aduet
otheWest
’si
nter
vent
ionf
ell
apar
t.

Howev
er,t
hewor
stpar
taboutRamani
’
schar
act
eri
snott
hef
actt
hathei
s
easi
l
ymani
pul
ated,
butt
hewayhehol
dsont
othesenewl
yimpl
ant
edi
deaswhi
char
e
basi
cal
l
ythei
l
lusi
onsoft
hepoor
.Asi
tist
hecasewi
tht
he“
freer
adi
o”,Ramanii
s
madet
obel
i
evet
hatwi
tht
hev
asect
omyhemakest
het
hief
’swi
dow happy
,thus
ser
veshi
scount
ry’
sint
erest
sandont
opoft
hesehewi
l
lgetaf
reer
adi
oinr
etur
n.I
t
mustbement
ionedatt
hispoi
ntt
hatt
hedr
eam oft
hef
reer
adi
ocomesbef
oret
he
dr
eamsofbei
ngaBol
l
ywoodact
orandt
her
efor
ear
adi
o woul
dhav
epl
ayeda
si
gni
fi
cantr
olei
nhi
sli
fe.I
twoul
dmeanent
ert
ainmentandi
nfor
mat
ion;
itr
epr
esent
s
t
hewest
ernwor
ldandwoul
dat
tractnew cust
omer
stot
her
ickshaw.So,hebl
i
ndl
y
put
sal
lhi
sfai
thi
ntot
hespacebet
weenhi
shandandear
,whi
chr
epr
esent
sthe
bur
denhei
stocar
ry.Howev
er,ev
enaf
terhef
indsoutt
hathewi
l
lnev
err
ecei
vea
r
adi
ofr
om t
hegov
ernment
,hecont
inuest
ochasehi
sot
herunf
ulf
il
leddr
eam by
maki
nguseoft
heonl
ygr
eatt
hingGodhasgi
vent
ohi
m--hi
slooks.Hedeci
dest
o
sel
lhi
sri
ckshaw,
theonl
ythi
ngt
hatt
ieshi
mtohi
sol
dsel
f,andl
eav
esf
orBombayt
o
makehi
swayi
ntot
hef
il
mindust
ry.Thi
siswher
emagi
creal
i
sm r
eal
l
ydr
awsal
i
ne
and becomes cl
ear t
hat t
his st
oryi
s pur
efi
cti
on because under nor
mal
ci
rcumst
ancest
her
ewoul
dbenowayt
hatsomepoorr
ickshaw dr
iver
,whocannot
ev
enwr
it
e,woul
dbecomeasuccessf
ulact
ori
nanunknownci
tywi
thonl
yhi
sgood
l
ook.Thenar
rat
orknowsRamani
,sohel
etsusknow t
hathei
sknownf
orof
ten
conj
uri
ngr
eal
i
ty,whi
chmeanst
hathi
sdr
eamshappenedonl
yinsi
dehi
smi
ndand
t
heycoul
dnotbet
urnedi
ntor
eal
i
ty.

Last
ly,wehav
ethet
hief
’sat
tract
ivewi
dow,whoi
sbl
amedf
ort
hef
allof
Ramanif
rom t
hev
erybegi
nni
ng.Shei
steny
ear
sol
dert
hanRamaniandhasf
ive
chi
l
drenandappar
ent
lyear
nshermoneybydoi
ngsuspi
ciousdeeds.Bei
ngt
hewi
fe
ofat
hiefsheandherchi
l
drenwer
epoorev
enbef
oreherhusbanddi
edandnat
ural
l
y
af
terhi
sdeat
hthei
rcondi
ti
onbecomeswor
se,andsheneedssomeonet
osuppor
t
t
hem.Shehasherey
esonay
oungmanwhoi
snotf
amousf
orhi
sbr
ains.Thef
act
t
hatshewoul
dhav
ethecour
ageandconf
idencet
ogoaf
terany
bodyasawi
dow
makesherdi
ff
erentf
rom t
het
ypi
calor
ient
alwoman.Accor
dingt
othet
radi
ti
on,asa
wi
dowsheshoul
dhav
egonet
othe‘
widows’ashr
ams’
,j
oinedaspi
ri
tualcommuni
ty
andspentt
her
estofherl
i
fet
her
epr
ayi
ng.Consi
der
ingt
hatshest
art
sscr
eami
ngon
 Kecse3
t
hest
reetandshami
ngsomeoneol
dert
hanher
,nott
oment
ionamanwhoi
s
r
espect
edbyt
hepeopl
e,showsj
usthowmuchsheopposest
hecul
tur
alnor
ms.She
al
socl
aimst
hatshehasnodesi
ret
omar
ryRamanisi
nceshedoesnotwantmor
e
chi
l
dren.Howev
er,soon af
tershe cont
radi
cts her
sel
fby maki
ng hi
m hav
ea
v
asect
omyandt
heygetmar
ri
ed.I
tisasi
fshewassomeonewhogr
ew upi
nan
ent
ir
elydi
ff
erentpl
ace.Tobemor
eexact
,shei
stheonewhosesi
mpl
eexi
stence
r
epr
esent
stheWestandt
hewayi
tget
sit
swayi
ntot
hel
i
feofI
ndi
anpeopl
eandhow
i
tst
ayst
her
eunt
ilt
hei
rwhol
ecul
tur
e,ambi
ti
onsandbel
i
efschange.

I
tisi
nter
est
ingt
oseeadual
i
tyi
nthel
anguageoft
hisst
oryt
oo.Rushdi
euses
I
ndi
anwor
dsandpr
over
bsl
i
ke“
bany
an”and“
twomout
hful
sar
ebet
tert
oeatt
han
wi
nd”i
nor
dert
oemphasi
zet
hepr
esenceofI
ndi
ancul
tur
einanEngl
i
sht
ext
.AsI
ment
ionedear
li
er,t
hesedi
ff
erencesact
ual
l
yhel
ptomaket
hest
oryal
sor
elev
antf
or
t
hepeopl
eoft
heWest
.Nat
ural
l
y,t
hiswor
kst
heot
herwayar
oundt
ooandt
her
eason
f
ort
hati
sthatev
ent
hought
hesest
ori
esar
ebasedont
hedi
ff
erencesoft
heOr
ient
andt
heOcci
dent
,peopl
ear
epeopl
eandt
hesecul
tur
esar
enotasdi
ff
erentaswe
of
tenl
i
ket
othi
nk.