Debates on gender equality tend to overlook lived realities. Writer and columnist Shahina K. Rafiq’s collection of short stories, The Menstrual Coupé, takes adeep dive into real life as experienced by women. It is an unabashed and honest collection that does not shy away from tackling prickly problems that persist in society.
The titular story is set in a local train compartment. The train is delayed unexpectedly and the women commuters in the compartment make use of the time to talk about things that often go unsaid. Their discussion traverses the terrains of class, religion, culture, to reveal the layered problems that are ingrained in Indian society. A conversation on the taboo subject of menstruation reveals simultaneous layers of reality: while for some women, the biggest struggle is to hide their first period, another woman talks about how she had to use mud in the absence of proper menstrual hygiene products.
The Menstrual Coupé
Hachette India
Pages: 200
Price: Rs.499
In “Muchrindu”,a couple from different religious backgrounds contemplates what marriage will entail for them. “My Notebook”is about child sexual abuse and the age-old system that allows the practice of child marriage. It focusses on the innocence of the child and reveals the ordeal she has to go through.
Also Read | Rethinking menopause: Time for a societal shift
Most of the stories analyse modern-day relationships of various kinds. In “Rigor Mortis”,a slow story is brewed around the married life of Ramachandran and Vanaja, who gets fed-up with her husband’s controlling nature and leaves him. But all of this is in the past. In the story’s present, a detailed series of events happens around Ramachandran as rigor mortis grips his body.
“Recognition”delves into what life has been, the possibilities of the future, and everything in between. Raghavan makes a living by taking passengers across a river. His life takes a sharp turn when two foreigners invite him to lead a group of rowers in a boat race. He accepts reluctantly. Potentially great things can happen to him because of this opportunity, but will that help him find love?
The Menstrual Coupé takes adeep dive into real life as experienced by women. | Photo Credit: By special arrangement
In an extremely short story, “Kagaz ki Kashti”, a final-year undergraduate student decides to stay home for a week. Soon his mother realises what isolation can do to a young mind. In just a few words, the story makes an appeal for cherishing the present moment instead of reminiscing about the past.
Also Read | Power of patriarchy
The recent protests against the rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata reminded us that while people want positive changes in society, the authorities rarely take affirmative action in that direction. Books like The Menstrual Coupé forceus to face reality and help us formulate a language of protest. Rafiq is not afraid to challenge the patriarchal norms that are normalised by society and kick off conversations on possible alternatives.
Priya K. Nair’s immaculate translation conveys every single message that the author wanted to impart. Some of the stories, taking up just 2-3 pages, are pointed and precise—for this, the translator is to be credited as much as the author. What makes the stories effective is the fact that they are firmly placed within our daily lives, making the situations seem close to the bone.
Chittajit Mitra is a writer, translator and journalist based in Allahabad.
