Change Stories by Kapil Raj is an amalgamation of five independent short stories: Kuroopa, A Gutterful Life, First Love Many Times, Flying with Chains, and A Mother by the Window. The advancement of humankind invariably poses new challenges to the existing social order in society. Each story interweaves a heartening story with a deeply imbibed social issue, hardened public belief, and associated fabrications. The stories will highlight the suffering that was never supposed to take place had we brought about a meaningful change for ourselves and others in society.
We live how we think, and we think how we choose to live
Progress is hard; change is heroic
KUROOPA
Kapil Raj’s Part I of the Changes Series, ‘Kuroopa’, recognizes the existing stereotypes and social issues deeply rooted in our society despite the growth and advancement of the generation’s mindset. This book narrates the empowering story of a girl, Meera, who suffers through taunts, stereotypical remarks, and judgment every day due to her dark skin tone and weight issues. She also has to go through a constant comparison with her older sister, Ashna, who is considered extremely beautiful and intelligent according to our stereotypes. Meera is one of the siblings out of three who is constantly judged and ridiculed because of her appearance, unlike the other siblings who are praised and loved. Their mother, Pooja, plays an important role in Meera’s character development story. She tries her best to understand Meera’s pain and also tries to love all three of them equally. She validates her daughter Meera by saying looks don’t matter and that, in the long run, the purity of the heart is the most important thing. But is it really true? The author argues that there is a fine line between truth and falsehood. However, in today’s world, the rapid increase in demand in the cosmetic and plastic surgery industries says something else.
Will Meera be able to find her footing in this hypocritical world that preaches “looks don’t matter” while constantly objectifying and running towards beautification? Will she be able to accept herself for who she is and overcome the hatred she has for herself? As we delve further into the story, we feel the suffering and injustice faced by people due to stereotypes and prejudices throughout Meera’s life. It is saddening to watch a little girl face such pain for something she had no control over. It shows that we, as a society, have failed little girls like Meera. In the story, there comes a breaking point for Meera where she loses control over herself, and that’s where her father steps in and plays a crucial role. Due to a particular moment with her father, Meera realizes her true worth and the actual reality of the world we are living in. Meera’s incredible journey towards self-realization empowers and inspires the readers to do the same, break the shackles of stereotypes, and free ourselves from the burden of being good enough. It is also important to realize that words are powerful and affect the people around us. The words we speak might be temporary to us, but they might shatter someone’s confidence and beliefs about life. Therefore, ‘Kuroopa’ by Kapil Raj is an incredible story for everyone who would like to deeply understand the impact of stereotypes imbibed in our society. The book is divided into 10 chapters and shows how Meera’s father helped her overcome her fears and insecurities through two incidents, showing how Goddess Kali impacted many lives and how happy and content disabled children are despite their hardships.
A GUTTERFUL LIFE
Part II of the Changes series ‘A Gutterful Life’ focuses on the division of communities on the basis of religion. Here, the author shares the heartening friendship story of two boys, Somu and Aklaq, who are Hindu and Muslim, respectively. Everything takes place across a Naala (open gutter) at the edge of the city. People near the Naala have divided themselves into two communities, that is, Hindus and Muslims living separately on different sides of the Naala. Unaware of such stereotypes and rules, the little boys live their lives happily and play and share things with each other on the Naala. Meanwhile, Arif, a Muslim vendor, and Billu, a Hindu vendor, create a battleground for the Hindus and Muslims where there is only one winner. In this story, Chai Chachu, a Hindu who runs a tea stall on the Muslim side of the Naala, plays a crucial role in the character development of Billu and Arif as well as in the conflict between both communities on each side of the Naala. The storyline of this book is well written, as it captures the emotions and mindsets of both Hindus and Muslims very intellectually. Throughout the story, we see the different perspectives of both communities and how they struggle every day to make a living and provide for their families. They live away from the city, or, should we say, are abolished by the privileged? One could say that they are stereotypically hated by the rich. We see the rich abandoning and segregating both the communities living in the Naala, while the communities do the same but on the basis of religion instead of uniting with each other and developing the entire neighborhood as a whole. The story could either lead to a bad ending where the communities keep destroying and separating each other, or Chai Chachu could bring about a change for the better, which we eventually find out.
Will Aklaq's and Somu’s friendship survive the vagaries of communal division? Will Chai-Chachu be able to bridge the gap between Hindus and Muslims across the Naala? Will religious propaganda compel people to forget their hardships and sow seeds of division in the illusion of unity?
This book is divided into 8 chapters and shows how Chai Chachu, an adopted child, was found in the gutter, adopted by Rashid, and thrown out by his brothers after Rashid’s death. He runs a tea stall and is a generous man who has great understanding and wit and resolves matters of religion between two residents there who fought just due to some misunderstandings and blocked the bridge between them and stopped Aklaq and Somu’s friendships, which reminded me of the bond between Rashid and Kumar Uncle.
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