When R K Narayan was writing Gods, Demons, and Others, he visited E M Forster one day. During the conversation, Forster asked Narayan the title of his new book, and Narayan replied, Gods, Demons, and Others. Forster looked quizzically at him, and asked, “So who is left?” — S Krishnan
I came across this anecdote some years ago and didn’t quite get it. I figured there could be so many worthier classifications for humanity than the vague and dismissive ‘others’.
‘So we are all either gods or demons? How unimaginative is that!’ I thought.
Slumdog Millionaire taught me that gods and demons are exactly what we are. There are no ‘others’ amongst us. Not anymore.
In our world, there is pain and unhappiness. There is heartbreak and there are shattered dreams. There is cruelty that would put to shame the sickest of writerly imaginations and there are irredeemable losses.
At the same time we have undefeated courage and boundless love. We have kindness, the capacity to forgive, and the will to move forward.
Truth is, nobody today has the liberty of taking the middle path; of leading a normal life – disconnected from these two extremes.
We are faced with a thousand damning choices each day of our lives. We are forced to either make a sacrifice or commit a sin. There is no walking away from it anymore. A simple gesture of understanding makes a god of us. A little apathy turns us into demons.
I no longer wonder why this country is called home to gods and demons.
Aha,a short and sweet one. So here’s my take on the above theme, and which is that though these ‘others’ were meant to be different from either, both the parties made it a point to constantly tempt. Yup, for gods and demons,’taking over’ these middling others became a priority. And hence this breakdown, and a constant yo-yo, people caught between their angels or demons, not knowing what it is to be truly human.
I keep thinking that our greatest mystery has always been the human condition. So the godliness and demonicness (is that a word?) are sort of moral markers against which to establish how good or bad we are.
Well, and this goes back to good and evil, thing is don’t think anywhere in Vedic vision there is an ultimate primacy given to either. Really. And that is why so good and almost a necessity to have projects like what ‘Ravayana’. And if that is the case, then we, the others, the ones in the middle, well yes it is a mystery, as to how we should be or can be.