The Diary of a Sex Addict

"This third and final part of poet, novelist and art critic Vinod Bhardwaj's trilogy (which began with Seppuku and was followed by A True Lie, the latter a depiction of the decline of journalism) looks at the massive downturn faced by the Indian art market post-2008 and the negative impact of notebandi from an unusual, almost surreal viewpoint. The novel's protagonist, Jai Kumar, is the son of a postman born in the middle of the blood-soaked times of Delhi's notorious Sikh massacre of 1984. The fleeting taste of the fruits of the sudden spurt in the Indian art market during 2004-2007 leaves Jai Kumar's creative instincts stunted. He now begins to look upon himself as a sex addict while the new surrealist grammar of the art bazaar strengthens this illusion of his sex life being a mark of sickness. Delhi's art world also has an underground stream and as an art critic Vinod Bhardwaj has known it from close quarters. Artists have often related to him anecdotes about someone harbouring the illusion of being a sex addict and these have come handy in weaving the episodes in this novel. Sometimes the real is far more surreal than the imaginary. The bitter truth about India's changing political landscape also forms the background of the novel. And central to it are characters who tend to interpret the dramatic decline in the art market in 2008 in the light of the decline in the fortunes of the Congress. They had pinned their hopes on Narendra Modi's economic policies but became disillusioned in no time. Is Jai Kumar able to save his true passion for art in this scenario? Is he sick or the society and the politics around him? ܀܀܀ This excellent gothic narrative reminds me of the 'Tower of Sins' by Lord Byron, written in the early 19th century yet lustrously telling the hidden realities of our own time. It is the unique porn related to the degenerating art market and artists trapped in all imaginable insanities inflicted by the invincible market forces. Here, like Manfred,