Little Tin God

Little Tin God talks about three characters in Sahana Cuffley’s life, her mother, Grace, the love of her life, Angad and her husband, Shadrach. Starting from a small hamlet in Shimogga, Sahana grows up in a patriarchal society, where she faces abuse from her mother, which is also directed towards her father. Tracing her life as she steps into puberty and her struggle to make sense of the world around her, she watches her father give up on life. She finds solace in Shadrach, a tenant in their new house in the city, though his motives are ulterior. He exploits Sahana for his physical pleasure, and all her resistance falls on deaf ears, unable to tell her mother, in fear that she will lose Shadrach, whose love is the only one she knows. At the end of college, she joins an education non-profit and shines in her job, when she comes across Angad. In him she finds a listener and trusts him to narrate her past. Their friendship blossoms, even though his parents disapprove of it. Soon, they share their first kiss, right before Sahana sends him off to Italy for an exchange program. While she waits for his return and his promise of a marriage, she confesses to Shadrach about her love for Angad, and says that she would like to move on. As Sahana struggles between the two, and Grace’s temper tantrums and the pressures of a new job, she realises that Angad is letting go of her. Unable to cope with a changing situation, she chooses Shadrach. With a strong bond forming between her and her mother-in-law, Sahana encourages her to break free and enjoy little moments, which she has never dared to explore. Her father-in-law is aghast at the changes and blames Sahana, trying to force her to leave the house and abandon the wedding. Fortunately for her, Shadrach arrives in time and the event proceeds as planned, and Sahana making peace with her mother before she leaves for Poland, where she hopes she’ll start a new life with Shadrach. She takes up the role of home maker in Poland. Shadrach controls her shopping, and drowns himself in alcohol and work. Things go fine for a while, until Shadrach subjects her to abuse again and Sahana is stuck in a foreign land unable to return, nor to seek help. She musters her tenacity again, when Shadrach is put in jail on a false charge, and she manages to get him freed. Encouraged and employed by the lawyer who fights Shadrach’s case, she decides to help those seeking asylum in Poland.