The Dance Of The Cosmic Cells
By Goldy M. George
15 December, 2012
Countercurrents.org
Title: Blissed Out
Author: M.C. Raj
Publisher: Frog Books
First Published: 2011
Pages: 428
Unfolding the Mysteries
The book starts with Iniyan being introduced by his girl friend to her mother Helen. The entire story surrounds around Helen who is in search of herself throughout the novel. Her father a British army officer kills himself after a mental shock of death and killing in the war. Unable to bear the pain of her husband’s demise her mother dies with her birth. Helen’s life struggle starts. Her foster father Philip another army officer, brother of her father, followed the military discipline in bringing her up. Her foster mother Lorrain didn’t like her hanging out with boy friends and hence makes her follow the rules.
Helen’s search for “Self” continues and she falls in love with her married Professor Daniel which ends in a failure. She comes across a Hindu spiritual teacher Keshav in London who refers her to his guru Tapasananda in US. He seduces her into sex under the aegis of tantric Hinduism which ends up with her deportation from New York, Later she is send as agent to get rid of the Maori rebel chieftain as part of the diabolic design to Aotearoa. Here she meets with a gallant and courageous Maori chieftain Ngai Tahu with whom she falls in love and marries him against the wish of the British army. Raged by this act of Helen, the British takes revenge by assassinating Ngai Tahu. After his death she led a brave struggle against the British occupants to reclaim their land and
Helen’s journey and search continues. She falls in love with Sunil a Dalit professor from India who recommends her to a Vajrayana Buddhist guru Bikshananda in India. She reached Mysore and stays in his ashram where she meets Kanni a young beautiful and bold lady. However her meeting with Sunil back in the Ashram had a change on her which raged Kanni. Bikshananda had a different intention with Helen to make sex with her under the garb of fusion. Helen run away the trap and throws herself into the arms of her love Sunil. With Sunil she has a daughter Nyree.
The Philosophy undercover
Blissed out is rather a philosophy than a novel. Raj speaks his heart in Blissed Out. He draws the commonality between the political progressions of the western world to colonise nations with that of the socio-religious processes of India under the garb of Hinduism. The application of Christian missionaries to tame and civilize the indigenous people, thus pave the paths of British Empire reiterates the historical combine of faith and power. While Buddhism in the current format is only an extension to Hinduism, Christianity is the clear method of establishing power under the garb of dogmas and doctrines. Colonialism and imperialism are operated under various formats of politics, religion and social domain.
Freedom is the lifeline of this novel. Freedom of every individual has to relate with the larger freedom of the community. It is a process when one moves from reflective actualization to self-actualisation. The notable factor is that freedom is not an independent entity. It consists of justice, liberty, peace, sustenance and harmony. Anything that is forced on another is a violation and it obstructs freedom and peace. Thus individual freedom is an essential component of the liberation of cosmos. This means that it provides and creates space for all. Thus it is an ideal state of no-domination of religions, caste, culture, dogmas, politics, and power.
Love, Sex and sexuality are means to reach the ideal state of freedom. The ultimate reality human existence is one’s body. Love is a quality of a cosmic being communicated through the cells. This again is a progression in self-actualisation. Sex is the most common interaction between living beings of all kinds. It is the consequence of the communicative interaction between the cells in the body of a male and female. Sex has a key psychological impact on human life.
A few Hitches
The writings of Raj requires thorough editing, which otherwise would appear to be a book without grammar, There are a few parts in the books where it suddenly jumps from one setting to another without a proper link. The space and time is not clear and connective, though one could have a wild guess of 18th and 19th century. In many paras signs, symbols and codes applied are all modern which again tings an element of suspect the time factor. Inappropriate metaphor is another shortcoming in this novel.
Apart from these few limitations, Raj has been good to do justice to infuse life to the theme, thesis and philosophy of his choice. It is reader’s delight and not a secondhand storyline for sure.
The ‘T’ factor
Halfway through the novel Iniyan the storyteller turns the story maker. He goes on to produce a TV serial based on the diary given by Helen. Helen has placed her life story in it. He figures out that the Sunil in the dairy is none but his father Kumar. He discusses with his father to bring his lady love Helen back home along with his daughter. It was a challenging task to get his mother Anu’s consent. Slowly Iniyan negotiates with her. After an initial outburst she finally agrees to have her daughter back home.
The interaction of indigenous wisdom, culture and civilization, of Maoris and Dalits, in the form of waves is the ‘T’ factor of the novel. Iniyan and Nyree recognize this truth and realize it in the form of DALAOTEAROA. The cosmos and its energy cycles dance to blend and melt in bliss. Kumar, Anu and Helen join it.
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