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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

The World of Bahja

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T V SARNGA DHARAN NAMBIAR -


MUSCAT, JAN 20 -


Rasha al Raisi holds a bachelor’s in medical engineering from Glasgow University, UK, and works as a human resources development trainer in Muscat. But she finds ample time to revel in the delicate world of human emotions. And enough time to take care of stray cats as well.


Hers is a beautiful mind that is receptive to an amazing spectrum of feelings and sensibilities, including emotional turbulences arising out of a sense of being left high and dry even as life increasingly becomes a boring repetitive act full of meaninglessness and pretensions. She has observed closely the emotional outbursts that accompany any effort at disrupting the depressing status quo and finding one’s own freedom.


And, one day, Rasha realised that she has a story to tell. Thus the novel The World According to Bahja was born in 2010.


The world of Bahja, an educated, resourceful Omani woman, is deeply personal, and tinged with loneliness even though she is not alone, which makes her wonder, “What about me? How come changes never happen to my life too? Why do I always feel I’m standing still in the middle of the sea, while all the waves pass by me?” She is nagged by a feeling of being perennially “trapped in a loop of repeated scenes.” And, more than anyone else, it’s her black, handicapped cat ‘Miskeen’ that truly understands her.


The World According to Bahja is Rasha’s debut novel. Published in both Arabic and English, the novel sketches the seemingly weird world of Bahja, who shows a strong streak of independence, and who loves to question anything and everything with an open mind.


Rasha started typing the story on her laptop in 2008, and took almost two years to finish. “I was working as a teacher at a college, then. Nobody knew that I was working on a novel. Even my parents and brothers didn’t have a clue. It was all done very discreetly. They came to know about it only after it was published,” she said unable to suppress her laughter. But before publishing, the first script was given to a group of randomly chosen readers to get feedback and assess if it’s worthy of publishing. “Out of the 21 who read it, 20 liked the book,” Rasha noted. However, some of them expressed reservations about the ending. They suggested a happy ending, and persuaded her to rework on it. “But life is not always about happy endings, you know,” she says.


Thus the not-so-happy ending stayed. And Bahja stood there on the last page, just smiling, for some reason. And suddenly, “a feeling of nothing and detachment enveloped her again.”


Finding a publisher was a tougher task than writing the novel, Rasha recalls. “I sent the script to many western publishing houses, but they insisted on dealing through agents only. I had no agent,” she said. She tried to get an agent, but the fee they asked was exorbitant. But Rasha knew she had good story to tell the readers. So she translated the novel into Arabic, and sought publishers in the Arab world. Once again she was not quite successful. Finally, she learnt that the Cultural Club in Qurum is helping first time Omani writers to publish their works. Thus the Arabic novel came out in 2016.


As for the English version, Rasha did approach a UAE publishing house too, but their priority was for Emiratis, and the waiting time was huge. Here in Oman, publishing houses came out with a number of excuses like ‘Oman is not ripe for this kind of novels, and we don’t have money’ etc.


“Finally, I thought, enough is enough, and it’s too good a story to stay on my laptop. And on 2nd January this year, The World According to Bahja came out as a self-published book,” she said with obvious relief.


Priced RO 5, the novel — both English and Arabic versions — is being lapped up enthusiastically by the readers. “So far so good,” Rasha says, “In fact people find it interesting to read about the quintessential culture and lifestyle of Muscat, its traditional festivals and celebrations... And I doubt if any other novel has portrayed all that... The World According to Bahja could be the first of its kind narrative with the magnificent Muscat and its culture providing an enchanting backdrop. They say my novel brings back a whole gamut of emotions. They love it for the intense nostalgia.”


Rasha also makes Bahja deal with the social “issue” of remaining single, without marrying “someone” for the sake of marriage. “Does living without a married partner spell the end of the world,” Rasha raises the question.


“I wanted to declare that there is vibrant, enriching life even if you are not married. Happiness, ultimately, is in your hands; it doesn’t depend on marriage. The media and the TV channels all project marriage as the beginning and end of life... nothing is farther from truth. For instance, I am single, by choice. And my days are full and happy,” Rasha says.


“I went through the pressure of getting married. But I don’t believe in marriage, in the usual, casual sense. Either you marry the right person or stay single, and be happy. I wanted to challenge the society’s perception about marriage as a necessity, and its version of life that is based entirely on the institution of marriage. Bahja proves that,” she added.


Rasha’s literary pursuit was quite discreet. Not even her parents and brothers knew that she was writing a novel.


They all came to know once it was published.


Speaking about her craft, she said, “I felt comfortable writing about people and situations I know about. That’s how the college and the academic ambience appear as the underlying theme of the novel.”


So is Bahja, her alter ego? She apparently smiled at my naïve mind. Could be, or not; but it is difficult for anyone to easily forget the world of Bahja, and how she ultimately summons the courage to liberate herself from the chains of one-sided love.


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