A Cut-Like Wound
Anita Nair
It's the first day of Ramadan in heat-soaked Bangalore. A young man begins to dress: makeup, a sari, and expensive pearl earrings. Before the mirror he is transformed into Bhuvana. She is a hijra, a transgender seeking love in the bazaars of the city. What Bhuvana wants, she nearly gets: a passing man is attracted to this elusive young woman-but someone points out that Bhuvana is no woman. For that, the interloper's throat is cut. A case for Inspector Borei Gowda. More corpses and Urmila, Gowda's ex-flame, are added to this spicy concoction of a mystery novel. Most intriguing is the grim world of Bhuvana. Her hijra fantasies, emotions and hopes are etched in a way that is chilling yet oddly touching.
