Kanchana Sita

In this long short story, Krishnamurthy Chandar has attempted to erase the thin line that separates the reality as it exists in the real world and an imaginary one. The protagonist, sitting in a restaurant in Toronto, enjoying his chole batura, dreams of his childhood friend, and on an impulse decides to travel to India to meet her and keep his promise.

This dream brings him to the Biligiriranga Hills in the southern part of India after a long and arduous journey filled with several reminiscences. It is through this journey and the flashbacks that we get to understand the main character and the ‘illusory’ friend. The journey itself is quite enigmatic and is generously interspersed with incidents which lend support to the development of the plot. The significance of each incident, especially the meetings with Satya, Nagu, the two priests and Putta, contributes significantly to authenticating the story. However, each incident lends itself to more than one interpretation, allowing a reader to explore and unravel the mystery that surrounds the story.

The seeds of suspense sown at the beginning of the journey are sustained till the end, and we are left to wonder whether Kanchana is real or merely a piece of imagination.