The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri (Harper)

Manil Suri’s comic novel The Death of Vishnu was inspired by a real person named Vishnu who lived on the steps of the apartment where the author grew up. Vishnu died on the landing after living there for many years. 

In the novel, Vishnu is a man who does odd jobs for an apartment block in Bombay, now known as Mumbai. He was named after the Hindu God Vishnu, the Deity of Preservation. The God Vishnu creates, protects, and transforms the universe. He currently lies dying on the staircase landing where he lives. He has been living there for the past eleven years. Mrs. Asrani, a resident of the apartment has been bringing Vishnu a cup of tea everyday for those eleven years, however, she doesn’t think he will drink it today as during the night he has thrown up and soiled himself. 

Vishnu was a drunk but managed to make a contract with the previous occupier of the landing, named Tall Ganga, to be her replacement as a ganga, a servant who does domestic chores for a number of households. The apartment dwellers found to their dismay that Vishnu was not up to doing a ganga’s duty. They thought of various ways to dislodge him from the landing but the cigarettewallas (walla being a suffix for “one associated with”), one who sells cigarettes and the paanwalla were aware that Vishnu made a deal with Tall Ganga to take her place and “since nobody actually owned landing, it was clear that all inhabitation rights to it now belonged to Vishnu.”

Vishnu isn’t quite dead yet and as the lives of the people in the apartment go on about their business, Vishnu reminisces about Padmini, the love of his life. All the residents have their own stories to tell and their relationship with each other is often confrontational, especially between the two married women Mrs. Asrani and Mrs. Pathak. The two families share a communal kitchen and often accuse each other of using more than their share of the apartment’s water supply.

The Jalals are the only Muslim family living in an apartment whose residents are mostly Hindu. Mr. Jalal is seeking to find a higher meaning in life and doesn’t understand the concept of faith. He often tried debating with his religious wife trying to persuade her that her faith has no logic or reasoning to be of any use. The Jalals have a son who is in love with Asrani’s daughter, Kavita. They are love-struck teenagers who plan to elope and neither family believes they are suitable for each other. 

And on the top floor of the apartment is Vinod Tanej, a man who lost his wife to cancer and has become a recluse himself as he continues to long for his wife. He only has contact with Small Ganga who still does various chores for him. 

It is when Mr. Jalal decides to sleep next to Vishnu on the landing where he has a vision and believes that Vishnu is not just a sick man, but the God Vishnu and he has been chosen to spread the word that people should worship Vishnu and treat him as a God. The dying Vishnu thinks maybe he is the incarnation of Vishnu the God and is in the process of changing the universe. 

Suri’s story blends Hindu mythology within a contemporary setting in present day India and we are left to ponder. Was Vishnu just a man or was he Vishnu the God? It is really left up to the reader to decide. ~Ernie Hoyt