Unarmed articulates Rajee Seth's vision in two narratives-presenting a common concern in entirely different contexts through totally different characters. A novel with two stories. A different novel. Basu of the first narrative is not an expatriate while the protagonist of the second one is. Yet, both are, in spirit, in exile. What takes them into those unmapped terrains of human consciousness? Love? Both the young men seek identities of their own, groping in the vastness of life through relationships that don't make much sense now. Straining under the weight of Experience, their self-images constructed over years begin to crack. And they move into the adult world looking for fresh anchors. Some of the old ones, of course, stand the test of time and emerge stronger. The mother in the second narrative, for instance. In the first however, ironically, Basu, who has always been an anchor for others, crumbles under the pressure of love.
No longer armed with innocence, the protagonists of Unarmed struggle to create new armours to battle life. Perchance to see them crumble again under the onslaught of fresh experiences.
