tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59566261594704393812024-03-13T09:37:38.883+05:30The Summing UpIf you are aroused by the ring of words, the turn of a phrase, by a great epigram, and the inexhaustible treasure of ideas contained in books, then you might just find yourself at home hereSandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-48884904898501983992016-01-07T04:12:00.001+05:302017-11-15T01:29:30.283+05:30Who We Are: A Citizen's Manifesto<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Author</b>: Rudyard Griffiths<br />
<b>Year of publishing</b>:2009<br />
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Like most book lovers, I enjoy the idea of discovering a country, its national character, its quirks through the written word. Some of the first questions that come to my mind when I think of a new country are - what accords it its unique identity; what are its most distinguishing features; what are its beliefs that it carries forward? With most countries, this question of identity is not problematic. Most have enough distinguishing characteristics and national symbols to set them apart. Think Chinese, and you imagine a rather competitive, cut-throat, high-achieving population. Not to forget Chinese food, and cheaply produced assembly products that are flooding the world market. Think Japanese, and you conjure up images of their traditional art and crafts, philosophies, and their meticulousness, You think America, and a dazzling collage of brands and names come to mind.<br />
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Part of Canada's problem of self-perception is having America as its neighbour - an enterprising, saucy, on-the-face giant nation that not only manages to completely overshadow its more mild-mannered neighbour to its North but also makes Canada appear anemic and too "boringly nice."<br />
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When I moved to Canada a couple of years ago, I will admit, I did not know very much about it apart from the fact that it is a cold country. I knew it to be prosperous, I knew it to be home to many Punjabis and Sikhs (thanks to Bollywood), and I knew Canada had been extremely generous with its immigration and refugee policies. The country had generously absorbed several waves of refugee influx in the last many decades and had emerged triumphant in being able to offer a safe haven to these newcomers. The country is now home to many wonderful writers, one of them being Shyam Selvadurai who fled his home country, Sri Lanka in the 80s during the Tamil-Sinhala riots.<br />
Yet, this unique destiny that Canada has charted for itself by being home to a record number of immigrants, many of them now visible minority, is changing the composition of the country in irrevocable ways, Much of this immigration is of course in high-density cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. In Toronto, a stunning 40 percent of the population is visible minority (mostly from China, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan).<br />
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There is no question that Canada needs immigrants. For a by and large sparsely populated country, that distinguishes itself through its welfare policies -free education and health for all- it becomes imperative that enough taxes are collected to fund these schemes. Canada wants to use immigration to maintain its ratio of four workers for every one retiree.<br />
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But this ever-changing composition of the country - Trudeau's new policy is to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees - can pose several challenges towards preserving the core values and identity of any country. These waves of mass immigration have the potential to completely change the complexion of a country, and without the strong trunk of national identity and social capital, Canada may not necessarily be able to hold all its boughs and twigs together. This is the quandary that author Rudyard Griffiths lucidly discusses in his important book, Who We Are.<br />
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I have personally been struggling to understand aspects that define Canada, and while their immigration policy is a stand-out, they do not have many other national symbols or distinguishing features to make it a talking point. Canada, which was largely created on the historical plank of Anti-Americanism, seems to have decided to be unlike Americans, in order to stand apart. So from a very early time, even before the immigration of the present kind, what you got was a rather dispassionate, mild-mannered, cultured group of folks, whose ancestry and loyalty remained with either England or America (for those newcomers who joined later).<br />
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Griffiths argues that Canada's loss of political clout on the international stage, its seeming neutrality, its non-aligned nature, it's inability to be seen as a leader is the result of policies of the last several decades, and a result of moving away from Canada's founding principles and values. But his greatest fear is the country growing lack of social cohesion and social capital born out an apathy for advancing the country's history and civic traditions. Societies with diverse and disparate population are historically prone to strife, he says. And without social solidarity and a sense of understanding of who we are, Griffiths believes that "any prolonged national crisis can severely strain the country's institutions and loyalty to each other."<br />
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Griffiths feels that without an appreciation of our past and the struggles of previous generations to forge an inspiring civic identity, capable of bridging our ethnic, regional and linguistic differences in common purpose, Canada would face uphill challenges in its attempt to stay united. Yet, he also understands that there is a significant group of people who believe that Canada's "fuzzy and indeterminate nature of what it means to be Canadian" actually works to the country's advantage. The book quotes John Ibbitson who says that Canada would exemplify what can be achieved when "chauvinism gives way to accommodation, when an obsession with shared race, shared blood, shared history are transcended by an infinity of permutations."<br />
According to Pico Iyer, Canada has distinguished itself from America and the rest of Europe by not being bent on asserting a common identity to which all citizens must subscribe. Many commentators likewise believe that for highly pluralistic societies, a strong national identity can be an impediment.<br />
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"And this is not just the view of an academic fringe," Griffiths says. "One in three Canadians surveyed felt a 'lack of strong national identity' makes Canada successful.<br />
This post-national vision, he feels can cause "disastrous realignment of our public institutions, civic values, and personal convictions."<br />
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There was a considerable furor over writer Yann Martel's statement when he described Canada as "The greatest hotel on Earth: it welcomes people from everywhere." Martel's comment was meant as a compliment and was in response to a question about why Canada has some of the best writers in the world. But most people thought the metaphor of a hotel to be a "disheartening and dangerous" formulation. A hotel is a symbol of impermanence; you pay bills, follow the rules, but hold no allegiance to it.<br />
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Griffiths believes that the metaphor is a damning indictment of what Canada has become - a country of civic slackers that is fast losing its reserves of social capital. He says people have been choosing highly individualized definitions of identity and showing "cavalier disregard" towards the politics of their country. The voting levels are lower than ever; volunteering in truly important and relevant areas are dwindling. Things like volunteering in a church, joining a professional group, becoming a member of a political party - elements that help build an informal network between people - is completely missing, he opines. It doesn't surprise him that Toronto lays claim to being the city with the most Facebook members worldwide; a by-product of its low overall levels of social capital.<br />
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Canada, and especially a city like Toronto has failed to become a melting pot of cultures like Mumbai or New York. People feel more comfortable with members of their own ethnic groups. Call it distrust, or a lack of interest in pursuing friendships with people who don't speak the same idiom; who share a vastly different cultural value-system, Canadians simply do not mingle to a great extent.<br />
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Griffiths believes this is a dangerous situation and in the "not-so-distant future we could wake up to find that we are strangers in a strange land, with little in common."<br />
He also says that the time to be aloof is over for Canada, both domestically and on the world stage, as the coming decades will pose plenty of challenges that can potentially test the country and its people.<br />
Without having a sense of nationhood, without being aware of the country's history, its values, its traditions; without strengthening citizenship rules, without creating equal opportunities for immigrants; without immigrants knowing about the country's core civic values and without them following it; without demanding more from its people in terms of national service --- Canada could well find it difficult to sustain itself as one nation. Griffiths devotes considerable space to Quebec and its demand for separate nationhood that was met some years ago. The author says he was distressed to find most people being sanguine about the demand and quite willing to give what was asked. He feels this ran contrary to the essence on which the nation was build - a bilingual, bi-cultural country, that put common values and core principles ahead of any sectarian, ethnic considerations.<br />
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Apart from climate change, an aging population is a big worry for Canada. The country runs on welfare schemes and to keep those going would need replenishing its workforce. Griffiths takes a generous, pragmatic view about immigration, and believes it is essential to the country's progress. Yet, the fact is that Canadians earn fully one-third more money than newcomers in the same age and with the same educational qualifications; as many as one in four immigrants are also close to the poverty line. Many foreign degrees are not recognised in Canada; most newcomers do not find jobs in their own fields and have to start afresh or choose a completely different line of work that leads to them earning far less than they could. Housing and child-care are prohibitively expensive, and newcomers bear most of its brunt. Away from loving family members, in a relatively dull, cold country with not many prospects or income is making many immigrants re-consider their choice of Canada. Also, their native countries like China and India are progressing steadily, which makes immigrants start comparing benefits. This is a worry, says Griffiths. Immigration numbers are already going down, and might further dip if enough opportunities are not created for them to integrate into the society and work-force, he says.<br />
One of the book's fascinating chapters is on Canada's history that talks about the country's earliest settlers who were British (Tories). They were joined by the Loyalists (followers of the Queen) who had to flee America during the American Revolution. They were welcomed to Canada. However, when many poor Americans started coming to Canada, there was resistance, and soon the unequal treatment gave rise to political conflict. It took the wisdom and political sagacity of Robert Baldwin and La Fontaine to rise above the country's ethnic, sectarian character, and create common laws and common public institutions that emphasized a system of fairness and justice. Canada was a proud, high-achieving nation through the 50s and 60s and was an important player on the world scene. However, much of that eminence the country earned was frittered away, as biculturalism gave way to multiculturalism. It was thought best not to assert the country's history or heroes for fear of making newcomers feel disconnected. This timid and too much political correctness has led to a near complete erosion of Canadian idea of history and values, notes Griffiths.<br />
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How come America with its diversity maintains its civic touchstones that help its citizens define who they are as a country? Griffiths is right that the average American takes far more interest in the country's politics and civic life than Canadians do, The average Canadian is disinterested, if not completely apathetic to politics. This, Griffiths believes, must change.<br />
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He comes up with several solutions to set the wheel moving in the right direction. A tougher citizenship exam that tests immigrants on Candian history and politics is one of his suggestions. He also recommends having a similar civic literacy test for all students in the country.<br />
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After presenting a rather pessimistic view of Canada, Grffiths changes gears to see the brighter side of the country and believes it can expect a more committed approach from both native Canadians and immigrants. In spite of its issues, the author believes Canada has many things going for it. The country is by and large considered far more immigrant-friendly than America and Australia. It is essentially a very prosperous country on account of its rich minerals and natural resources. The biggest advantage is that Canadians today enjoy a reassuring geographical distance from the globe's trouble spots. Griffiths view is that Canada must value itself, and rethink its policies on dual citizenship, that allows people minimum responsibility and maximum benefits. He also puts forth the idea of a national civic service that requires one-quarter of 400,000 Canadians (to be selected by lottery), who turn 18 each year to undertake a mandatory eight-month service for the country. The government, in turn, could give these students a generous subsidy on their higher education.<br />
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Griffiths' solutions are reasonable, but the crisis points that he foresees for the country and its future are far more realistic. He is right that mass immigration is going to change the complexity of the country in unimaginable ways. He is right about climate, and its geographical impact to a country that is already one of the coldest in the world. He is right about the class divide that is entering a country which has so far striven to be egalitarian in its approach, and successfully so! He is right that Canada is losing its sense of identity, and is unable to preserve or celebrate national symbols.<br />
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Part of the problem, I believe is that Canadians are a gentle, modest lot, who think it is bad manners to assert one particular identity or culture onto another. Yet, this has led to the country's core vanishing, and this should be distressing to not just native Canadians, but even newcomers who would be far more reassured in a culture that takes pride in its history and culture.<br />
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Griffiths considers Canada to be ambitious, a risk-taker, with the ability to go contrary to popular notions. "The Canadian way" is important to Canada in all its decisions. The author believes its immigration policy is its greatest experiment and serves as a model for many other countries. Yet, within that broader idea, there are undoubtedly several pesky issues that need to tackle for the country to preserve its special place in the world.<br />
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Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-20228570601933210562015-10-05T22:57:00.001+05:302017-04-28T19:22:35.709+05:30The Hungry Ghosts; interview with Shyam Selvadurai
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<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #500050;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Shyam Selvadurai's novel, released in 2014, The Hungry Ghosts, marks a gigantic leap in his craft and writing. The author who garnered international acclaim with his first novel, Funny Boy, and went on to become an icon for the Sri Lankan literary world, has authored a story about haunting recollections from his childhood and young adult life. The novel is </span>bewitching, going back and forth, travelling different time zones between Sri Lanka and Toronto. It gives an accurate portrayal of immigrant life for South Asians in Toronto, which to my mind, makes this a valuable work of contemporary fiction. It has the same heart-wrenching passion of his previous novels, but clearly, the author's understanding of his craft, and his felicity with language have scaled up to extraordinary extent, making The Hungry Ghosts a tour de force.</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i>I find it propitious that he lives in Toronto, which is also my home now. I took the opportunity to do a short interview with him, and was glad to get an insight about his writing.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>1. You moved from Sri Lanka to Toronto due to
circumstances back home. You've lived in Toronto for many years now. How do
think Canada has influenced your work as a writer? What would you say is the
upside and downside of living in a foreign land, and how has it defined your
career as an author. Toronto, while a safe and multi-cultured place, is often
looked upon as restrained and staid. There is diversity, but perhaps less
originality and idiosyncrasy. I see some of that dreariness reflected in
<i>The Hungry Ghosts</i> as well. Would you say, Canada's political positioning and
national temperament make it greatly liveable but less inspiring in terms of
writing? Feel free to vehemently disagree with me.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SWnNMa-GHRi9mO3NEdlyqwcsu1DvgTTytFQO-sqKY0SWj7Dus0p5KS0q5MI3kDbJXJicWJr7ZCvBjzMVlfbw26mCnlkPCKu7EDUSbsKAE3Ax-mGaVoc9aqPiZD0fHwkjn-5SwbeXYGU/s1600/the-hungry-ghosts-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SWnNMa-GHRi9mO3NEdlyqwcsu1DvgTTytFQO-sqKY0SWj7Dus0p5KS0q5MI3kDbJXJicWJr7ZCvBjzMVlfbw26mCnlkPCKu7EDUSbsKAE3Ax-mGaVoc9aqPiZD0fHwkjn-5SwbeXYGU/s320/the-hungry-ghosts-cover.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are many Canadas in <i>The Hungry Ghosts</i>, there
is the ghastly suburb in which Shivan and his family find themselves but there
is also vibrant downtown Toronto and Vancouver which is portrayed as a haven, a
golden place, where Shivan because of his past cannot find peace. I don't see
Canada as dreary or as foreign. For me it is home and Toronto is a vibrant
place to live, while at the same time being safe and stable. This stability has
greatly helped me as a writer coming from a very unstable place. Here in
Toronto, I can let down my guard and be who I am and write what I want. Because
I spend 4-5 months in Sri Lanka each year, it is no longer some lost magical
place but a place lived in with its own tedium and pleasures. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>2. Did you always wish to be an author, or
were there other interests you were dabbling with as well? Was it <i>Funny
Boy</i>'s wide acclaim that propelled you into being a full time author? Now, with
<i>Cinnamon Gardens</i> and <i>The Hungry Ghosts</i>, you are firmly placed as one of South
Asia's best known authors. This perhaps means that you can devote every
minute towards honing your craft. This, if I may say as a long-time reader of
your works, was evident with The Hungry Ghosts which has the fineness and
assuredness that comes to writers at their peak. How are you enjoying this
phase, and what are your creative struggles? What are the aspects you enjoy
most about being a writer? Also do shed some light on the authors and books you
read.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was happy that <i>Funny Boy </i>allowed me to keep
writing on a more full time basis but my decision to keep writing was not based
on its success. In other words, if it had been published by a small press and
sold very little I would still have kept writing. Yet, like most artists
through the ages, I must do other things to survive such as teaching. So I can
only write 1/2 to 3/4 time. Thank you for your nice words on <i>Hungry Ghosts</i> but
alas, I am not enjoying this phase but rather trying to take on more and more
challenges as a writer. The enjoyment lies in constantly pushing for a higher
level. This is what I enjoy about being a writer. I read widely and voraciously
and love many authors. At this stage in the game, a writer tends to be drawn to
writers whose work is nothing like theirs out of curiosity and admiration for something
different. I don't have therefore a favourite author. I will read anything
written by Jumpha Lahiri, Zadie Smith, Kiran Desai, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche,
Margaret Drabble and a few other writers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #500050; font-size: 12pt;"><b>3. The uneasy
struggle with the self, the fear of rejection and prejudice - mirrored by Sri
Lanka's bloody ethnic strife - is a powerful theme. But how essential do you
think is the homosexual instinct to the core of your being as a writer. In
Funny Boy, Arjie's struggle with his sexuality masterfully parallel the ethnic
conflict and malevolence he sees in the adult world. Your subsequent novels
(<i>Cinnamon Gardens, Swimming In the Monsoon Sea</i> and <i>The Hungry Ghosts</i>) also
carry a definite theme of homosexuality. But it's not altogether hard to
envision these last three books when taken out of the prism of sexuality.
In <i>The Hungry Ghosts </i>especially, there is such wealth of memory and ideas, that
the novel could stand on its own, without the protagonist's sexuality being
brought in question. (I found myself comparing it to <i>Of Human Bondage</i>.)</b></span><span style="color: #500050; font-size: 12pt;"><b> </b></span><span style="background: white; color: #500050; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Would you agree at all to that? Or would you say homosexual love is the chief
driver of your stories.</b></span><span style="color: #500050; font-size: 12pt;"><b> </b><span style="background: white;"><b>I ask this,
because my favourite author, Somerset Maugham, who was said to be bisexual,
never so much as dropped a hint about it in his works. The times he lived in
didn't allow it perhaps, but when asked if his stories are autobiographical, he
said, "The characters are not me, the emotions are all mine though,"
or something to that effect. Do you see yourself attempting that?
Also, do you believe, taking sexuality out of the equation lends more
universality to a story?</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To me being Gay is normal, it is the world that
sees it as abnormal and this is the way I have approached my work. I like
having gay characters because I like working with them and I feel it is
important to create visibility. I can identify with straight characters so I
work on the assumption that the straight reader will be able to identify with
my gay characters and that the work will be "universal" in its themes
of family, displacement, search for self, search for love etc. What drives the
story is not sexuality but ideas and themes and a desire to capture a certain
experience. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #500050; font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">4. I can't help but ask you to tell us a little
about your new book. Also, you mentioned about your teaching. How rewarding is
that experience?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I don't talk about any work in progress as it
seems to kill it. I do love teaching and next to writing it is my favourite
occupation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</script>Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-24244239591949215412015-03-11T17:45:00.002+05:302015-03-18T23:17:25.272+05:30The Weight Loss Club<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Weight Loss Club</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>The Curious Experiments of Nancy Housing Cooperative</i></span><br />
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Author</b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">: Devapriya Roy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Published in</b>: 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Publisher</b>: Rupa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Price</b>: Rs 250</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4CYEjPp3B9UF3Zxikr_8MpOXZ_tJmv3oZlX1XKErp2qbARZI-jpRnvbn7dd3Y-Of3rBj-OM281wW4YbrkzpT65uIh6Ru9boiaBKWSe0hWtVxcca0YGW3i9AOTqg8PSdnRGqBPoaXSuk/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB4CYEjPp3B9UF3Zxikr_8MpOXZ_tJmv3oZlX1XKErp2qbARZI-jpRnvbn7dd3Y-Of3rBj-OM281wW4YbrkzpT65uIh6Ru9boiaBKWSe0hWtVxcca0YGW3i9AOTqg8PSdnRGqBPoaXSuk/s1600/download.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Devapriya Roy’s novel proves once again why books and
literature continue to offer women the most satisfying expression to their
lives.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">After thoroughly
enjoying her first book, ‘The Vague Woman’s Handbook’, I took up her second, ‘The
Weight Loss Club’, with a certain assuredness in the young author’s talent.
Also, since Devapriya Roy tends to draw a lot from her own personality and
interests, which I relate to, I knew I was in for a good time. The author is a
bibliophile and much of the things that happen in her fictional universe mirror
her real-life passion for books. Her
lead characters have academic careers, revel in their intellectual pursuits,
and have a singular love for books. Like
all book lovers who love leisure and have a special fondness for cafes,
bakeries and tea time in general, Devapriya’s books abound in lush descriptions
of food, which are guaranteed to make you head to the kitchen while reading the
book. <br />
Being a researcher herself, she has a curious mind, and many subjects find
expression through the novel’s varied and interesting characters.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The
novel has several strengths. For a woman of 30, and a lovely looking one at
that, Devapriya has an enviable grasp on the workings and dynamics of human
relationships. More importantly, she articulates these thoughts with linguistic
grace and humour. Importantly, the book shows the courage to confront many intimate
feelings that women tend to experience in their emotionally charged lives.
Devapriya is particularly on surer territory when she’s talking about women.
Her best creation in the book is the character of Monalisa Das, whose only description
can be that she is the mother of two boys. Her mind is all at sea, as she plots
and plans to see her sons succeed. All her energies are focussed on seeing her
sons embark on a picture perfect career.
This desperation to not slip up and her refusal to let go is aptly
reflected in her maniacal daily routine of cleaning and scrubbing her house
till it sparkles. Devapriya, who is otherwise quite compassionate with her
characters, reserves her most bitingly ironic commentary for hyperventilating
mothers obsessing over their sons. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">There’s
not much here by way of plot. The setting is a housing society, teeming with a
varied lot of inhabitants. Every household has its hitch. There is the inevitable
scenario of the tipping-on-the-wrong side-of- marriageable-age daughter,
Aparajita (Apu). Notwithstanding her Ph.D, her mother, Mrs Mukherjee is worried
about Apu’s weight issues, and is determined to find her a worthy match. This
is where the novel tackles the traditional Indian mindset versus the new,
emerging attitude of the young. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The
Sahai household typifies the traditional Indian joint family, with its
high-handed mother-in-law and well-meaning but absentee husband. Meera, the bahu, battling postpartum depression,
is barely able to cope up with the mom-in-law, when the whole extended family descends
on her. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Then
there is Treeza, who cannot summon up any will to clean her house, cook or even
take a bath. Her husband, John is worried about his wife’s state, while their
maid, Anwara is struck by the sloth on display. But you soon learn that Treeza is no Madame
Bovari. This is one of the more intense tracks, and the author manages to treat
it with sensitivity and insight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The book
is at its most interesting when the narration revolves around these stories. There
are other characters and their stories as well, but not all are equally
interesting. I found myself skipping pages too. But what one finds interesting could depend on
what one relates to at a certain point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> There
are several plot points within each story, which hold quite well, but the
central plot line involves a modern-day guru Sandhya, who begins residing in
the colony. Soon, she becomes privy to the problems of the inhabitants and
heals them in her own unique way. Devapriya in her useful epilogue mentions how
the Bhrahmacharini character was inspired by a book called ‘The Path of
Practice’ by Maya Tiwari to which she keeps returning again and again to dip
into its wisdom. There are other authors on healing and spirituality whom she
mentions. The insight in ‘The Weight Loss Club’ no doubt gives it heft and
purpose. However, the plot itself, involving the guru with a back story, does
not seamlessly blend with the story. The track appears forced, and is also unduly long.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Yet, the
novel is a delicious slice-of-life book with lush characterisation, setting and
atmospherics. The book speaks beautifully to the modern Indian woman, bringing
many untold emotions to the fore. Female bonding was the subject of Devapriya’s
first book, and the theme runs through this one as well. In the author’s world,
female friendships are not just supplementary, but essential and hugely
rewarding. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In a character-driven
book, the author’s biggest strength is her writing. Devoid of clichés or artifice,
Devapriya masterfully brings scenes to life. Small, trivial things become interesting in her hands as she crafts a delightful crochet of ideas. Indulge by all means!</span></div>
</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-2528264224970033202015-02-28T14:37:00.003+05:302017-04-27T18:53:52.081+05:30Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Author</b>:</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Shyam Selvadurai</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Penguin Books<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Year of Publishing</b>: 2005</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16pt; font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ_qDyYpz-YqsCjSg49qjeW3o8QJDn9M_O4XrLPFXGA0sa6g5cujYZ6akhfEj-yYPia-6-jrq3ZcdDIawYR08q53dYbV95lUwivWebGJZcKc-RBGMsP0Ac4bpaSb-858I75CrsXa1Ms4/s1600/swimming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQ_qDyYpz-YqsCjSg49qjeW3o8QJDn9M_O4XrLPFXGA0sa6g5cujYZ6akhfEj-yYPia-6-jrq3ZcdDIawYR08q53dYbV95lUwivWebGJZcKc-RBGMsP0Ac4bpaSb-858I75CrsXa1Ms4/s1600/swimming.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">When a writer is part of two worlds – Sri Lanka
and Canada – with a readership in both countries, his instinct often is to
combine these worlds so as to help his readers relate better. That seems to be
one of the ideas behind his third novel, ‘Swimming In The Monsoon Sea’ - a forgettable title that I’m never
able to remember without looking at the cover again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">
Shyam Selvadurai, who is now a citizen of Canada, and has been residing in Toronto for years, is a Sri Lankan by birth. He was among the thousands of refugees who fled his home country during the Tamil-Sinhalese riots in the 80s. His first book, ‘Funny Boy’ was an exceptional one in many ways. Sparkling with compassion, the novel instantly brought Selvadurai in the limelight. The fact that he is now long settled in Canada has enabled his wonderful work to be appreciated by the western world as well.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /> The book’s 14-year-old protagonist,
Amrith comes face to face with his Canadian cousin, Niresh after years of not
knowing him. This introduction of a foreigner into an affluent Sri Lankan
family of affable parents and plucky teenagers turns the story into a cultural
exchange of sorts. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Young Amrith who is at the threshold of
puberty has much to be content about, but many
things to mull over as well. His parents are no more, and he has no blood
relatives to call his own. However, he has a solid support system and
protective guardians in the form of Aunt Bundle and Uncle Lucky. The couple has
two girls, Maya and Selvi, who treat Amrith as one of their own, even if the three are bickering for most part. <br /><br />As children experience so often when they step
into young adulthood, a strange sense of loneliness takes over, a
self-consciousness creeps in, and new emotions find home in the heart. The only interesting aspect of Amrith’s life at
this time is a play he’s participating in. Being a boys’ school, the female parts are also essayed by the boys. Instinctively, Amrith
is drawn to the female roles. In this case, he sets his mind on playing Desdemona
from Othello. The Shakespearean drama
about intense jealousy and injustice serves as a backdrop to Amrith’s story,
as he is faced with uncomfortable truths about himself. His cousin's sudden entry into his life literally throws him into a deluge of discovery about his sexual orientation. Till now, Amrith only has a small idea about what such a thing means. He knows ‘such people’ are made
fun of, and he dreads what its consequences could be.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">The novel’s pace is languorous, in tandem
with Amrith’s own uneventful life. But
Selvadurai has a gift for description and his prose is unfailingly
elegant. Also, the world the author
recreates – upper-class Sri Lankan society of the 80s is charming and a precious
piece of period history. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Selvadurai also manages to effectively
capture the anguish of a young boy, as he comes face to face with his real
sexual desires. The discovery saddens him, as he realises that nothing would go
back to being the same again. This aspect of homosexual love is
autobiographical and expectedly, the author beautifully brings forth the
character’s inner struggle.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Yet, the novel is not a patch on ‘Funny Boy’
or even ‘Cinnamon Gardens’. The earlier novels were far more accomplished in their
writing and plot. A reason why this novel feels a bit watered down is also because
it borrows many themes from the previous two books. Homosexual love is a
recurring theme, so is the period setting and other elements like bickering
cousins etc. Selvadurai also gets bolder and incorporates several homoerotic
scenes. This takes the novel precariously close to being an out and out
candidate for queer literature. Now, this is a trap Selvadurai might well want
to avoid. The universality of the story and emotions in the author's books succeed as long as the visceral aspects of homosexuality don't take over.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Many dialogues and scenes are awkward, even
mawkish. With ‘Funny Boy’ every emotion carried a ring
of sincerity. That aspect is not consistent in his third novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Yet, even when not at his absolute best,
Selvadurai is never dismissable. He seems to enjoy the domestic atmospherics around the upper classes - a bit like Edwardian writer Edith Wharton or even Jane Austen, and it’s hard not get sucked into a world he so lovingly
creates. Many descriptions are the work of a miniaturist. <br />
<br />But put together, ‘Swimming In The Monsoon Sea’ is only a little above a workaday
novel.</span></div>
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Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-56242261715216260092013-03-21T12:51:00.004+05:302014-11-14T03:39:23.744+05:30Their Language Of Love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Publisher</span></b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; line-height: 115%;">: Penguin Viking</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Price:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; line-height: 115%;"> Rs 499</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Year of Publishing</strong>: 2013</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It was
despair and unhappiness that drove Pakistani author Bapsi Sidhwa to be a
writer. Afflicted with polio as a child, she battled intense and soul-crushing
periods <span class="il">of</span> loneliness. </span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">'Earth-1947',
the acclaimed Deepa Mehta film which was adapted from her best-selling novel,
'Ice Candy Man', gives a fairly accurate portrait <span class="il">of</span> the
author's childhood consciousness. Her personal trauma, both the handicap and a
failed first marriage, was what drove her to write. She said in an interview,
"Had I lived in a milieu where I could have boyfriends, gone to dances and
had fun, I don't think I would have written....Just the act <span class="il">of</span>
writing removed much unhappiness."</span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It must be
her debilitating personal grief that lets her see the world in its peculiar
grotesque forms. And yet, the author's brutal wit and ability to see people as
creatures <span class="il">of</span> circumstances, capable <span class="il">of</span>
much charm and goodness, acts as an antidote to the otherwise grim world she
portrays.</span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The tide
changed, and the author found her peace finally.</span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGu7dyss5OYNOU9Pxm_Pl0WchE_oUzahD9n-qijHj9CNq1FFdMWL_Vgi0bZgJrCChsDnXsXmzXys2HdwHruLtWpNwgIgfkqu7i6yUtZPTNrE5wRhByWywldHD1PoB1XzoKaTf4omQLiMg/s1600/bapsi.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGu7dyss5OYNOU9Pxm_Pl0WchE_oUzahD9n-qijHj9CNq1FFdMWL_Vgi0bZgJrCChsDnXsXmzXys2HdwHruLtWpNwgIgfkqu7i6yUtZPTNrE5wRhByWywldHD1PoB1XzoKaTf4omQLiMg/s320/bapsi.png" height="160" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">"Now
that I am pretty reconciled to my life and am happy, I don't feel the urge to
write." she said a couple <span class="il">of </span>years ago. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Perhaps that
is why Bapsi Sidhwa relies on past memories, desultory meetings with random
people, leftover episodes that she could not accommodate in her earlier books,
to make a collection <span class="il">of</span> eight short stories in her
latest. </span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">'The <span class="il">Language</span> <span class="il">of</span> <span class="il">Love</span>'
while extremely readable is not freshly inspired. These are no stellar stories,
and if you've read the author before, there isn't anything spectacularly new.
In fact, on first reading, you feel impatient with stories high on embroidery
and garnish, and low on plot. Much <span class="il">of</span> it meanders and
there is a lack <span class="il">of</span> a tight structure. </span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The raciest
in the collection is 'Breaking It Up, about a mother who travels to the US to
persuade her daughter to give up on her idea <span class="il">of</span> marrying
her non-Parsi boyfriend. The story is entertaining and gives a portrait <span class="il">of</span> the community's customs and quirks. The other one is 'The
Trouble Easers' , which Sidhwa borrows from the famous Zoroastrian Gujarati
tale about a woodcutter and his fortune. Both stories move with vigour.</span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">'Their <span class="il">Language</span> <span class="il">of</span> <span class="il">Love</span>'
recounts a fairly convention story <span class="il">of</span> a young Indian
bride who is getting acquainted with a new country (US) and a new life partner.
</span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">None <span class="il">of</span> these are very ambitious. The others are languorous and
essentially stories <span class="il">of</span> atmosphere. Being a novelist
primarily, Sidhwa tends to linger on, and describe settings in the greatest
detail. </span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This can get
tedious in the beginning, as your mind is trained to look for a plot point in a
short story. But once you realise that the atmospherics and descriptions are
'the' point, you allow yourself to soak in the elaborate and luxuriant period
sets that Sidhwa tenderly etches out with consummate skill.</span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">'Ruth and The
Hijackers' and 'Ruth and the Afghan' intersect with some characters slipping in
and out. Ruth is an American housewife whose husband, Rick works for the South
Asian division <span class="il">of</span> a company and is required to travel to
India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The couple's house is in Lahore, and Ruth
while affectionate towards her absentee husband, has a proclivity to fall for
handsome and elite Pakistani men <span class="il">of</span> her circles. </span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The setting
is <span class="il">of</span> the 80s, a period where a casual visit to Kabul is
possible for a foreigner. Here, Ruth and Rick befriend an Afghan, a top ranking
official in the government. They are quite charmed by what they see around. The
ruling party is pro Soviet Russia and America is starting to get increasingly
paranoid about the latter's expansionist motives. This is the time <span class="il">of</span> US support to the mujahideens (not Talibans, as
misunderstood), routed through Pakistan. It ultimately led to a bloody war that
destroyed peace in Afghanistan forever. This is a period rarely documented in
fiction and though Sidhwa's stories are personal, they are studded with many
historical details.</span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">'Defend
Yourself Against Me' is a leftover piece from 'Ice Candy Man', and considers
how youngsters approach their acrimonious past.</span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">'Sehra-bai',
about an ailing elderly Parsi woman is that rare story in the collection that
is a triumph <span class="il">of</span> characterisation.</span><span style="font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">'Their <span class="il">Language</span> <span class="il">of</span> <span class="il">Love</span>'
is not Bapsi Sidhwa's best, but it is still greatly readable, as is the case
with seasoned writers. Even when they aren't in their most inspired phase, they
produce work that can make the cut.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-8361492438530079972013-01-30T13:09:00.001+05:302016-04-30T04:19:49.704+05:30Maugham and India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham was a great traveller, who considered journeying as indispensable to his career as an author. Most of
his inspiration came to him from his travels and Maugham ended up visiting a great many countries in course of his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
local flavour delighted him and gave him material to write. Like 'Don
Fernando', which he wrote on his travels to Spain. The entire book covers
Maugham's inimitable observation on Spanish culture, art and literature and
makes for a fascinating read. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">His travels to China
and Malay, which were<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>British colonies
then, threw up interesting settings and cross-cultural domestic scenarios that
made for some unforgettable stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">It's a pity that
Maugham did not write a book on India and explore the extraordinarily lush social and
political time of the British Raj. Though E. M Forster wrote a great book in
'Passage To India',<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>there is no doubt
that pre-independence India would have laid before Maugham a fascinating
array of themes that he would have absolutely loved to work with. Unfortunately for him and
his readers, for the longest time, Maugham held the regretful presumption that
Rudyard Kipling had already written in his numerous books all that had to be said
about India. This of course was not true, and though Kipling is certainly well- known among the reading class in India, his works aren't considered the most popular or estimable. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham visited India in the winter months of 1938 and immediately realised it was a mistake not to come here
early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'adobe garamond pro', serif; font-size: 21.3333px; line-height: 42.6667px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'adobe garamond pro', serif; font-size: 21.3333px; line-height: 42.6667px;">In a letter sent to E. M. Foster from Calcutta, Maugham is said to have written,</span><span style="font-family: 'adobe garamond pro', serif; font-size: 21.3333px; line-height: 42.6667px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: 'adobe garamond pro', serif; font-size: 21.3333px; line-height: 42.6667px;">"(I) only regret that the shadow of Kipling lurking over the country in my imagination prevented me from coming twenty years ago." (source: Selina Hastings, </span><i style="font-family: 'adobe garamond pro', serif; font-size: 21.3333px; line-height: 42.6667px;">The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham</i><span style="font-family: 'adobe garamond pro', serif; font-size: 21.3333px; line-height: 42.6667px;">).</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">He came down South, visited Cochin and The Lotus Club, started by Gertrude Bristow, wife of Robert Bristow, among other places. Robert Bistow was a chief engineer who at that time was working on building a massive port in the city. The story
is that Gertrude wasn't given membership to the Cochin
Club, an exclusive all-White club where aristocrats hobnobbed. That prompted the Bristows to build their
own club, which they did with the help of the King of Cochin. This was also the
country's first anti-racial club which was open to Indians. Maugham visited
this club, and also the Trivandrum library. He was joined on this trip by well-known
lawyer and administrator C P Ramaswamy Iyer. At this time, CP had been law
minister of the executive council of the Viceroy Of India from 1931 to 1936 and
when Maugham met him he was the Diwan of Travancore. Both became friends during
this trip with Maugham supplying </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">a eulogy for the book, <i>C. P. by his contemporaries.</i></span></div>
<i><br /></i>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham wrote of CP,
"He had the geniality of the politician who for years has gone out of his
way to be cordial with everyone he meets. He talked very good English,
fluently, with a copious choice of words, and he put what he had to say
plainly, and with logical sequence. He had a resonant voice and an easy manner.
He did not agree with a good deal that I said and corrected me with decision,
but with courtesy that took it for granted I was too intelligent to be
affronted by contradiction." <br />Maugham e</span><span style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">ven
created a character called Ramasamy Iyer in his novel, 'The Narrow Corner.'</span></div>
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CP (centre) British officials</div>
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T'puram library</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham was also pleased to see so many of his books at the Trivandrum library.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">In the course of his three-month sojourn to India, he also
made a trip to Ramanasramam in Madras. The journey was a tiring one and when Maugham
met Ramana Maharshi, the saint, the author fainted. This accident, wrote Maugham, was purely
due to the fact that he was fatigued and moreover had a tendency to faint. But the version
from the worshipers present was different, and they immediately announced
that the famous English writer on seeing the Maharshi had gone into the
trance-like state of samadhi. Maugham laughed the episode off in his essay <i>The
Saint</i> that he wrote years later. He wasn't critical of India or this experience
but being a rationalist to the core, his tone of bemusement is evident in the narration. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">When
Maugham wrote <i>The Razor's Edge</i>, he recreated this setting in India as the place
where his character, Larry goes on a spiritual journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some have conjectured that Larry's character,
who Maugham said was a real-life person for whom he had immense adoration and
respect, was someone the author met at the ashram. This has no evidence, and it
is in fact erroneous to even call <i>The Razor's Edge</i> as Maugham's Indian novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some have interestingly compared it to
Elizabeth Gilbert's <i>Eat Pray And Love</i> where the author travels to an ashram in
India.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Only a</span> small part of <i>The Razor's Edge </i>qualifies for this juxtaposition. </span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham visited Bombay (now Mumbai) and had a brief meeting with none other than the young Congress leader, Jawaharlal Nehru, who went on to become the first prime minister of India. This fact is revealed through Nehru's letters that he wrote to his daughter Indira (Gandhi). While Maugham's biographers like Selina Hastings have done an adequate job of covering Maugham's India visit, not one of them has mentioned this particular meeting between Maugham and Nehru. </span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">Up North, Maugham did not miss seeing the great Taj Mahal at Agra and was overcome by its beauty. In his book, <i>The Writer's Notebook</i> which carries the many scribbles he made as a writer, he says, "I can understand that when people say that something takes their breath away, it is not an idle metaphor. I really did feel shortness of breath."<br /><br />Maugham was treated with a great deal of courtesy by all the royals he visited. Every effort was made to make his stay enjoyable. There's one story of Maugham inquiring about R. K. Narayan - a new Indian writer then, who later went on to become a legendary one. Narayan's novels were being read in England, and Maugham had been impressed by one of his books called <i>The English Teacher.</i> Maugham expressed a wish to see Narayan when he went to Mysore, but astonishingly, no local person knew that such a writer existed in their midst. Maugham later wrote a glowing letter to R K Narayan, that the latter's biographer, Ranga Rao quotes, "Your story (<i>The English Teacher</i>) is charming and moving and curious, but what I think chiefly delighted me was the description of the home life with all the telling details that you have given. You cannot imagine how fascinating that is to the European reader. The portrait of Susila is very graceful and touching, and very, very human."</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">It's not surprising that Maugham found so much to like about <i>The English Teacher</i>. The story is about a newly-wed couple, their blissful early years, and a bitter-sweet lover's tiff that brings them even closer. But the union is not to be, as Susila is struck by illness and dies. Maugham, who has always been intrigued by domestic relationships of man and woman, would have undoubtedly found much to delight in Nayaran's novel. </span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "adobe garamond pro" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">Considering Maugham's fascination for India, it is a dear loss to us that he could not return to the country to write a full-fledged novel. Maugham of course had plans to come back. However, second world war struck and the plans had to be abandoned.<br /><br /></span></div>
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Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-53821430772224113252013-01-24T23:42:00.000+05:302013-02-06T22:24:39.904+05:30Conversations with Mani Ratnam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">
</span><strong>Pages: </strong>305<strong>, Price: </strong>799<o:p></o:p></div>
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<strong>Author:</strong> Baradwaj Rangan</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Knowing how reticent
filmmaker Mani Ratnam can be, one has to congratulate writer and reviewer
Baradwaj Rangan who gets the maker to articulate so well in his book,
'Conversations with Mani Ratnam' that released last month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Rangan is an erudite film critic whose reviews
stand apart from the rest as cerebral and nuanced pieces . Not everyone finds his writing style accessible, and yet, his is an opinion always worth
having.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The writer originally had plans of going ahead with a standard
narrative style with quotes from the maker. But after their initial few exchanges, both decided to opt for a Q&A format. This could
have been dicey if the filmmaker had not opened up in the manner that he does.
But as it turns out, Ratnam seems to have accorded due importance to the
project and was closely involved with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Expectedly, Rangan is
the right man for the job. It's easy to see that he is an ardent admirer of
Ratnam's cinema. In an age where good Indian films are a rare occurrence, and
thinking filmmakers a disappearing breed, Ratnam stands out as an auteur whom
a reviewer like Rangan would quite naturally engage with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Mani Ratnam during the
conversation seems at times impatient with Rangan for reading too much into
individual scenes and situations in his films, and you smile knowingly.
However, as you read further, you realise that much of what you see in his
cinema is indeed well-thought out, with sub-text and so on. So him chiding
Rangan for it seems amusing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The two get on quite well, though Rangan's
reverential tone is clear. At some places the director gets defensive about
a certain point of criticism even if Rangan words it most tactfully. Then the
atmosphere gets a bit heated up, with the filmmaker getting slightly cutting in his
remarks. But for most part, Mani seems like a sharp, astute man, sometimes
sarcastic but with a rough affection that is somehow touching. Much like how he depicts his male characters even when they are in love. <br /><br />Rangan too plays his part admirably. He is unfailingly respectful but never desists from his line of questioning when he can help it. He persists with some points to seek answers even when Mani appears to snub it in the first attempt.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Many illuminating points come up in the book for
the reader. Like why he takes the action to Delhi in 'Mauna Ragam'. It is
because, he replies, the new place - cold, strange and alien - enables in externalising
the heroine's feelings about her marriage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">In 'Ravanan' - the
beautifully surrealistic scene of Aishwarya falling from the cliff - works
sublimely to show Vikram falling fatally in love with her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The book talks a great
deal about the craft of filmmaking, which will be of much interest to film
students or even movie buffs who watch cinema with some intensity. But not
everyone will summon up enough patience to go through the whole book. Divided
into several parts, each section talks about one major film. This is a good
move. Though the content overlaps and this could not have been helped in a
free-wheeling conversation, it allows the reader to skip a certain film he
hasn't seen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">I was also not
particularly interested in detailed analysis of films that I didn't think very
highly of. And since a great many of Mani's films do tend to be emotionally
less satisfying in the end, where something somewhere seems to go wrong, the
superb parts never adding up to a fulfilling whole, I must confess to getting a
little exhausted with <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Still, this is a valuable endeavour and these
conversations from an intellectually gifted filmmaker like Ratnam with
undeniable prowess in his field is something worth preserving.</span></div>
</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-64266822487534076492012-12-29T18:56:00.001+05:302015-03-14T13:42:24.490+05:30Christmas Holiday by Somerset Maugham<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIdliEmHvjzcxxP-Gm215EabWO0NnAdUF3SBKiTPKDpTYootuV7jYazjK36Hx2B6m5tmwTeio-2sIF_WvaVVY8sWjAfAXNqYCI8W0a3N3yGuN2QuNAzBZHMSmYfhGneR15ypnQFMgvA8/s1600/ch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIdliEmHvjzcxxP-Gm215EabWO0NnAdUF3SBKiTPKDpTYootuV7jYazjK36Hx2B6m5tmwTeio-2sIF_WvaVVY8sWjAfAXNqYCI8W0a3N3yGuN2QuNAzBZHMSmYfhGneR15ypnQFMgvA8/s320/ch.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Among all his works, <em>Christmas
Holiday</em> published in 1939, counts as Maugham's most political novel. It still
has all the central themes of love and coming-of-age which the author engaged with, but certainly, here, Maugham was keener to make a political
point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Written just before the outbreak of World War 2, the entire novel can be seen
as an allegory of the situation that was unfolding in Europe, post the Russian
revolution. The novel gives you an overview of the history of the time, and
acquaints you with some people that this troubled age
could well have produced. The action of the novel is Paris, which is one of the cities where
many White Russians immigrated. Like all immigrants, they had left behind their
property and wealth under the Bolshevik regime. Many of them belonged to affluent families
but were now penniless, desperate for work. The second
generation Russians in Paris now had only a faint idea of their motherland,
and were holding on to any crumbs of nostalgia.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">The French population viewed the
ever increasing Russian émigré with distrust, and slowly with lack of
opportunities, the Russians were pushed into fringes of society doing lowly jobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">The novel's young protagonist, Lydia is
representative of this class. </span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">A White Russian,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>she works for a dressmaker for a while but when she is introduced in the book she has become a prostitute called Princess Olga (because the idea of going to bed with a Russian queen is
appealing to men) . She is disturbed and over-worked. She has
individuality and a naive intelligence to make conversation that is unaffected
and straight from the heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">The novel<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>however moves by way of Charley Mason, the 24 year old male
protagonist of the novel who has arrived to Paris on a short Christmas holiday.
The trip is a gift from his father and by extension his loving family in
England.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good many pages at the start
of the novel are devoted to an elaborate description about the Masons. The
family which came up through modest means, now finds itself in its most
prosperous phase. Charley has parents who are interested in art and culture and
have taken pains to inculcate in their children a taste for the finer things in
life. Their dining tables are well-laden with expensive silver and healthy, nutritious
food. The comfortable rooms, with well-appointed fire places and cushy beds, the
drawing rooms, with paintings of the great masters displayed on the walls, have
an effect of a decorous, well-ordered home that envelops its family of four in
a smug blanket of security and warmth. It is in this home that Charley grew up. An exemplary English boy, well-bred and genuinely nice, Charley is attracted
to alternative cultures and there is some charm for the risqué in him. His
friendship with Simon, a childhood friend, who is drastically unlike him, explains
this. Simon talks and talks, much of it to use Maugham's phrase is 'confused
eloquence' His ideas are grand, confusing, bizarre, mean, contradictory. But Charley is enamoured by his quixotic appeal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Charley wants to have a good
time, and a visit to a brothel is in order. Simon has a familiarity with the
place, more as a journalist and less because he is a regular. He brings
together Charley and Lydia, and thus begins the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">The book works on parallel
narratives from here. One is Charley and Lydia's own interaction in a hotel.
Both spend a good part of a week together which passes in a surreal round of
sleep, breakfast and then lunch and again sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Between the course of this, a
fascinating story is revealed of Lydia's past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span> A prostitute narrating a sob story to a
client is a clichéd situation and Maugham makes this observation himself
through Charley, suspecting that most of these tales are untrue. Yet,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maugham creates a mood of thrill and suspense
and allows Lydia to tells her story, not telling us whether to believe her or not.
This works well because the novel here takes the form of a murder mystery (the
influence of the many detective books Maugham read would surely have come
in handy).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">The story itself is riveting,
and makes up for almost 2/3rd of the novel. You get to know a bit of Lydia's
background, and then comes the big soul-crushing romance in her life. She falls
for a handsome French man, Robert Berger. He is charming, jolly and belongs to
a respectable family. Yet, he himself has the temperament of a rake and would
ideally like to drop all pretentions of decent, upright living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves Lydia, but she considers him so
above her own station that she is cautious not to suppose he would marry her.
But he does propose, and Lydia is delirious with joy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">"She had never known
such happiness; indeed, she could hardly bring herself to believe it: at that
moment her heart overflowed with gratitude to life. She would have liked to sit
there, nestling in his arms, for ever, at that moment she would have liked to
die. But she bestirred herself."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Her passion corresponds with
Maugham's idea of love and the height of sacrifice a human being is capable of
in this state.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">This is really the centrepiece
of the novel. But Maugham also allows the story to be a political one. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charley listens to Simon talking about
revolutions and how potentially he was preparing for one in England also. This
denotes the totalitarian ideology among fringe elements that were forming.
There is destitution all around and Maugham's <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>idea here is that England could no longer be
insulated from the happenings in rest of Europe. There are many scenes where
Maugham forwards this idea of the immense disquietude and turmoil that was
eating at the roots of society, which would eventually raise its ugly head and
destroy any illusion of calm and beauty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">When Charley talks about his
family back home, it is with a great affection. Lydia can see it is a
life of dignity and grace, something she cannot have. And yet, she has faced enough set backs to be unsure if these things really last.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">"If Lydia saw how much of
their good nature, their kindliness, their unpleasing self-complacency depended
on the long-established and well-ordered prosperity of the country that had
given them birth; if she had an inkling that, like children building castles on
the sea sand, they might at any moment be swept away by a tidal wave, she
allowed no sign of it to appear on her face.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Charley himself is only too
conscious of this inequality between him and Lydia, and feels a sense of shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>" He felt awkward and big, and his radiant
health, his sense of well-being, the high spirits that bubbled inside him,
seemed to himself in an odd way an offence. He was like a rich man vulgarly
displaying his wealth to a poor relation"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham portrays Charley's
parents with a good deal of sarcasm, and scoffs at their pretentions about
knowing art. He sees them as decent folk but views their preoccupation with art
as phoney and nothing but the idle pursuit of the rich. In contrast, Lydia's instinctive
comments about a painting at a gallery she and Charles visit, is sincere and
heart-felt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">What strikes most about
Christmas Holiday is the phenomenal writing. Maugham is always an elegant
writer, but one is amazed by the sheer power of the pen in this novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">The characters all come alive
beautifully, and Maugham has delineated them with a great deal of affection.
Charley is generous and kind, even if a little condescending. His
good-heartedness towards Lydia is more than anything else a prevailed man's<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>largesse towards the poor. And yet, Charley is
a wonderfully likeable fellow and not insensible to the unfairness of the
world. He is the most humane, unprejudiced and compassionate person to be
confronted with the sadness of another world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Lydia again is etched with
sympathy, and a tenderness that is appealing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham's depiction of Madame
Berger's character ie Robert's mother is masterful. You get a complete sense of
her personality - she fights for her son as only a mother can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Robert is a regular guy for
all purposes but with an unconventional crime fetish deeply imbedded in his
system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His motives are unusual and
unpardonable, but Maugham who knew the vagaries of human character so well, is
sympathetic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">His tone of partiality is
clear in the compelling court scenes, where Robert is given a lawyer who is
beyond extraordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The description of
the lawyer, Lemoine is merely a page, but it is so thrilling, it takes your breath
away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">"I wish you could have
seen the skill with which he treated his hostile witnesses, the sauvity with
which he inveigled them into contradicting themselves, the scorn with which he
exposed their baseness, the ridicule with which he treated their pretentions.
He could be winningly persuasive and brutally harsh...."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">"He spoke generally in an
easy, conversational tone, but enriched by his lovely voice and with a
beautiful choice of words; you felt everything he said could have gone straight
down in a book without alteration"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">His talent has a devastating
impact on the public prosecutor who came across as cheaply melodramatic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">"It was grand to see the
way Lemoine treated him. he paid him extravagant compliments, but charged with
such corrosive irony that, for all his conceit, the public prosecutor couldn't
help seeing he was being made a fool of. Lemoine was so malicious but with such
perfect courtesy and with such a condescending urbanity, that you could see in
the eyes of the presiding judge a twinkle of appreciation."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Passages of such brilliance
dot <em>Christmas Holiday</em>, and it is extraordinary how the book manages to touch
upon so many issues in the span of 200 odd pages. The book is full of quotable
quotes and stunning insights on life. Quite easily a masterpiece.</span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-52159554926828731202012-12-14T21:41:00.002+05:302016-12-24T00:25:24.948+05:30Real-life stories need fictional plausibility too<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Realism in movies or books is a
confusing term. One wonders if it means to portray life as it is - in its bare, unpolished
form?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often you see a film that
completely defies logic but is sold to you as a 'real life story'. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One is confused as an audience
what to make of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Some of Maugham's literary ideas here
come to our aid. The author saw no reason why implausibility in story should be condoned even if it was taken from real life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham in his book of essays 'The Vagrant Mood' commented about many crime thrillers that were directly lifted from real life stories. But some of these cases were rather far-fetched and hence offered no reading satisfaction. </span><span style="font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">"That something has occurred in real
life does not make it a fitting subject for fiction. Life is full of
improbabilities which fiction does not admit of." <br />Life may be stranger than fiction, but even the world's greatest fantasies need a grain of truth in them to succeed.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">In
'Ten Novels...' also he had similar views about Stendhal's novel - 'Le Rouge et
le Noir'. <br />He found the book to be extraordinary overall, but felt
disappointed with the climax. Stendhal had written the novel inspired by a news
report. Maugham was wonderfully impressed with the author's acuity and psychological
insight into his lead character. But the climax he felt was a terrible let
down. He remarked that he couldn't think of a worse ending. This happened
apparently because Stendhal chose to give the same ending that happened in the
actual case, from which he was inspired. This required Stendhal to make his central
character <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">behave in a way that
was foolish and out of character. It was a grave flaw in an otherwise great
book, says Maugham. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">What could have prompted Stendhal to
dilute such an enthralling character? <br />Maugham felt that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"the facts from which Stendhal was
inspired exercised a hypnotic power over him from which he was unable to break
loose". He felt himself under compulsion to pursue the story, against all
credibility, to its wretched end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This,
Maugham felt is a wrong approach for fiction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">"By God, fate, chance, whichever
you like to call, the mystery that governs men's lives, is a poor story-teller,
and it is the business , and the right, of the novelist to correct the
improbabilities of brute fact."</span><span style="font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Clearly, Maugham here implies that art,
to qualify as one, must be able to rise above its bare facts and say something universal
about human nature and life. The individual's life story, however exceptional,
would have to be plausible enough for the reader or audience to picture
themselves in the character's position and feel his/her emotion. When the
character acts too unreasonably, the audience detaches itself and the sympathy
is over. Art is not life itself. It cherry picks from life what it thinks is beautiful and arresting. Art's ultimate goal is to engage and entertain.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Facts and real-life are an artist's raw material, not art itself is Maugham's point. There is a wonderful piece, 'The Rolling Stone' in
'On a Chinese Screen' by Maugham where during his travels, he was told of a
man who had a remarkable career. He had been to different lands, lived with the
most unlikeliest of people, and on the whole boasted of extraordinary
experience. When Maugham saw him, he was a little surprised because the man's
face was so blank and indistinctive. The man indeed had travelled to all the places and
partaken in all the experiences he was credited with. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a job,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>he was offered the chance to write about his journeys in an English
language paper in China. The man's difficulty was now to choose from the fullness
of his experience. He wrote many articles, and though they were not unreadable,
Maugham felt they were merely observations. "But he had seen everything
haphazard, as it were, and they were but the material of art. They were like
the catalogue of the Army and Navy Stores," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">"They were a mine to the
imaginative man, but the foundation of literature than literature itself. He
was the field naturalist who patiently collects an infinity of facts, but has
no gift for generalisation: they remain facts that await the synthesis of minds
more complicated than his...his collection was unrivalled, but his knowledge of
it slender."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham in this piece also points out how
in writing, the important thing is less richness of material than richness of
personality. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">Maugham himself was inspired by stories
of real people. He did not adapt what was humdrum and routine -which he admitted
was how most people live. When he heard a story, he obviously looked for some
singularity of characters or circumstances. Something that stoked his interest.
Naturally then, most of his short stories <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are very dramatic, with shocking outcomes. But
there is a structure and plot. And the characters are all believable. So even
if Maugham was inspired by real-life, he only took what was useful to him in
telling his story and conveying the inevitable truth in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond premr pro" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">This weaknesses of getting carried away
with one's real-life impression was something Maugham too suffered in two of
his novels in my opinion. This did weaken the respective plots of the novels, both
considered his best works, Cakes <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>&
Ale and The Razor's Edge. That both are extraordinary in their own ways is nothing
to debate. However, both have a central character (Rosie in 'Cakes And Ale',
and Larry in 'The Razor's Edge) who is shadowy and vague. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maugham is terribly fond of these two people,
whom he knew as acquaintances in real life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
characters are normally treated with sharp irony but Maugham in these cases was somewhat
reluctant to fictionalise these characters and pointedly analyse their
motivations. Especially Larry in 'The Razor's
Edge' gets extreme leeway, and there are long, meandering passages of his
monologues. At one time it gets confusing and you wonder if it is Maugham or
Larry speaking. The novels gets painfully tangential in these parts. As a
reader you struggle to get a grasp of Larry's mind. He is too detached and
confused a figure to ever completely draw in the reader's sympathies. Larry and
Philip in Of Human Bondage are comparable. The latter is Maugham
alter-ego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There, Philip's struggle and
wretchedness is wonderfully conveyed, mainly because it was written in first
person. They were Maugham's own emotions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author was essentially describing his own
life, and though in 'Of Human Bondage' too there are episodes (the Mildred one)
which astound you, and there are parts which stretch one's logic somewhat,
Philip's character on the whole is plausible. Larry was someone Maugham related
with, but he was still another person, and Maugham did struggle to
translate his personality on to the pages, especially since he was predisposed
to only believing the best of him.<br />
But on the whole, Maugham always did a stellar job of adapting from life and
presenting his stories convincingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Few
authors lay as much emphasis on creating credible stories and characters as
much as him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-9484312555368018162012-09-19T22:48:00.000+05:302012-09-19T22:48:15.726+05:30The Big Book Shelf - Sunil Sethi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>Author</strong>: Sunil Sethi <br />
<strong>Pages</strong>: 240 <br />
<strong>Publishers</strong>: Penguin <br />
<strong>Price</strong>: 350 <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMFzSaHXg1R7umICj-S9iOREWLupicgxUYJI55NTa3d34Eu3M2sJx5_CcEralfNWslrmrTk7t0zoTPQ1WiwDqsu86ISPm-SCMG0MmEvg2iVgpEogMA6RFZX_LDICUbWF6lHCX4yoxPpg/s1600/sunil.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605739695243595682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMFzSaHXg1R7umICj-S9iOREWLupicgxUYJI55NTa3d34Eu3M2sJx5_CcEralfNWslrmrTk7t0zoTPQ1WiwDqsu86ISPm-SCMG0MmEvg2iVgpEogMA6RFZX_LDICUbWF6lHCX4yoxPpg/s400/sunil.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 296px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<br />
With the opening up of the publishing industry in the country and the rapid flowering of desi writing in English, the interest around books and authors has but naturally intensified. The Jaipur literature fest that has ballooned into a hugely successful event in its last six years further underlines this feeling of enthusiasm and intellectual leaning among the modern, literate Indian. <br />
<br />
In such a context journalist-presenter Sunil Sethi's effort to compile a book of some of his best interviews with present-day, renowned authors is timely and useful. Sethi is a familiar face on television with his show <em>Just Books </em>on <em>NDTV</em>. In his eloquently written introduction he reveals how he had ample doubts about the viability of the show when the idea was first suggested. He wondered whether a half hour show on books would be sustainable given how much of a visual medium television is. Also writers as a breed can be shy and elusive. But Sethi's fears proved unfounded and the show caught on. Over the last few years many illustrious authors have appeared on it. And it is some of these rare interviews that find a place in Sethi's elegantly penned book. The purpose, he says, was to document these conversations and for that reason, and many others, this is a completely valid exercise.<br />
<br />
Sethi chooses 30 of his best interviews with internationally acclaimed authors where facets of their craft and motivations are revealed. More than anything they open up a window into the world of these thinking, imaginative people. To say they are the ultimate representatives of the larger corpus of literature being produced currently in India or other countries may not be accurate but their lives and work are clearly a source of education and inspiration to readers and aspiring writers alike.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mo0cPUNwSgi2MEB2WviUwnk3XxQZp8U1JhDLPNQ6gR2selfyMrtPV5MxfocNASvtYRRNnbpES4dNtihPslrUGCsEtdK-LEI8DRt61otOa7ojiFHoPNG3bmBmMkpFLlRdUJKbBOgAFH0/s1600/william+d.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605733899680023202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mo0cPUNwSgi2MEB2WviUwnk3XxQZp8U1JhDLPNQ6gR2selfyMrtPV5MxfocNASvtYRRNnbpES4dNtihPslrUGCsEtdK-LEI8DRt61otOa7ojiFHoPNG3bmBmMkpFLlRdUJKbBOgAFH0/s400/william+d.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 270px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 350px;" /></a> <br />
<br />
What is revealing through these interviews is of course a well-established fact. That opportunities of education and travel are central to the evolution of a writer. Most of the authors covered are second generation Indians who belonged to fairly affluent families and studied and travelled around the world. So from Vikram Seth to Salman Rushdie to Amitav Ghosh to Suketu Mehta to Anita and Kiran Desai - all spent a considerable time away from their countries, which enabled them to have richer experiences and exposure. <br />
<br />
The same holds true for Pakistani novelists - Mohsin Hamid, Daniyal Mueenuddin and Nadeem Aslam. Most of them were academically brilliant and blessed with an imaginative, fertile mind. But it's also true that being part of different worlds provided them with larger perspectives and a greater facility with the English language. Importantly, this problem of being caught between two worlds (moving from their third world motherland to the first world) - fed their creative impulse - and they were naturally drawn to themes such as exile, identity and belonging in their writings. Today with such massive changes coming about in India in the last one decade - where it is economically more empowered and global travel/education has become a trend - the complexion of Indian writing in English has understandably changed and a variety of literature is coming to the fore.<br />
<br />
Yet, what is revealed through the worlds of non-fiction writers like William Dalrymple, Patrick French, Ramachandra Guha and Paul Theroux is their intense passion for history, research, academics and travel. Dalrymple was a student-backpacker who took off to Northern China for his book <em>In Xana</em>du. He briefly passed through India and those memories lingered. And thus began his invigorating journey into Delhi, along with his artist-wife Olivia, out of which <em>City of Djinns </em>was both. More journeys followed, and then came the grand centre-piece of his work - <em>While Mughals </em>and <em>The Last Mughal</em>. What comes through in Dalrymple is his infectious energy and peseverance, as he goes through delving into his subjects with a genial mix of curiosity and affection.<br />
<br />
Ramachandra Guha's intitiation into being a writer is equally interesting. His studies in anthropology prompted a research on political activist Verrier Elwin. He proved to be such a potent influence on Guha that the latter decided to write a full-fledged biography of Elwin. "I discovered the joys of working amongst forgotten, buried and dusty documents," he says. That stoked such a strong interest in academic non-fiction that Guha since then has produced some extremely valuable books on politics, leaders and sports. The author of books such as The Picador Book Of Cricket (2001) and India After Gandhi (2007) also gives a complete perspective on non-fiction writing. He sees tremendous scope for non-fiction in the coming years. So far, he says, the writing of Indian history has been inward-looking and self-referential and paid no attention to literary elegance to reach out to a wider audience. Patrick French calls Indian biographies 'self congratulatory and flattering portraits' "There's no point in researching and writing in stilted sociological prose. And there's no point in just writing fun stories without deep research," says Guha.<br />
The author/columnist also stresses that non-fiction involves artisty too. "The hisorian is a researcher who digs deep in the archives and gets good material, but he is also an artist and a writer who constucts his story in an appealing, intersting, evocative and accessible way," he says.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiht9YthSob4TxziME-Ys_uo1GynG1GmRu34ox2Py4gzdc4X_Iu-oJ_q0o-yOVn_lRNHyBf4Qc6heEdQiXforJLymWArim0inKCAlQIMc_iRIyz0suYaiIlrr4vHZUYRf4iTi0Mn_N18/s1600/ramchandra+guha2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605735447101929298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiht9YthSob4TxziME-Ys_uo1GynG1GmRu34ox2Py4gzdc4X_Iu-oJ_q0o-yOVn_lRNHyBf4Qc6heEdQiXforJLymWArim0inKCAlQIMc_iRIyz0suYaiIlrr4vHZUYRf4iTi0Mn_N18/s400/ramchandra+guha2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 350px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 365px;" /></a> - <strong>Ramchandra Guha</strong><br />
<br />
Again, each of these writers was greatly drawn to the world of letters, and were heavily into reading since childhood. For authors like Bapsi Sidhwa and Ved Mehta, it was their physical handicap that provided the creative impulse for writing. Sidhwa was struck with polio at the age of two and could not be sent to school for long. She says it was her feeling of intense loneliness that made her seek refuge in books. An unhappy marriage followed and there was separation from her children. It was only after her second marriage that the Pakistani author could actually start writing. She poured out her emotions into her stories and found a sense of inner liberation. She says she wouldn't have turned writer at all if her life would have been a normal one. "Had I lived in a milieu where I could have had boyfriends, gone to dances and had fun, I don't think I would have written. because at certain times in my life, I was going through period of great despair, anguish in a way, it eased me into writing, Writing took me out of a very severe debilitating twitch I used to have," says the writer of books like <em>Ice Candy Man </em>(made into the Aamir Khan starrer <em>Earth 1947</em>) and Water - both by Deepa Mehta, among others. Ved Mehta used his blindness to feed his imagination and write books.<br />
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Almost unanimously, each of the writers have had a deep engagement with the socio-political world around them. South African novelist and nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer was an early champion of the anti-apartheid crusade. Many of her novels were banned for long periods, as they dealt with intense political and sexual relations between black and white people. The same holds true for Mahasweta Devi who broke from domestic confines and got fascinated with the life of Rani Jhansi. She produced a book. That in turn took her to the hinterlands, and her various journeys made her conscious of the suffering of marginalised communities. In her fiction, non-fiction and poetry, Mahasweta Devi has relentlessly taken up their issues. Similarly, Guha, Amartya Sen, Khushwant Singh, Mark Tully, Gunter Grass, Patrick Fench - all in various measures been the wellspring of modern intellectual thought.<br />
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Another aspect that aspiring writers might take heart from is that writing is not always a spontaneous art. It is arduous and requires a great deal of discipline and dedication. Khushwant Singh talks about how he has never missed a deadline for an article ever. "I get up at 4 am...It's regulated by a stop-watch. I have also learnt how to be ill-mannered. People don't drop in. I don't see them without an appointment,a nd when i invite them it's strictly between 7 and 8. I can be very rude to anyone who stays even a minute after 8," says the journalist/columnist/writer. <br />
Upamanyu Chatterjee (English August, Weight Loss) who balances a high-profile civil service job and his calling as a writer, sets himself a certain number of words a day, or how to resolve an idea or problem in a plot as his target everyday. Kiran Desai 'retreated into a world of almost monastic discipline' for seven years to produce her Booker winner, The Inheritance of Loss.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhie7wWw0iiaR9yDCP2QT90hOEOIPQVvr3DBPdvgdixqlPRSkcbavM5hrzO5QKVT-3F__8ZWJoyDOiK46Jh3TYfAFWnsadKKlCEF_cywj2-OQ_X1vNU0tNnB6AoMIc11zJnWFmnOklz5w/s1600/upamanyu+chatterjee.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605735904958199250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhie7wWw0iiaR9yDCP2QT90hOEOIPQVvr3DBPdvgdixqlPRSkcbavM5hrzO5QKVT-3F__8ZWJoyDOiK46Jh3TYfAFWnsadKKlCEF_cywj2-OQ_X1vNU0tNnB6AoMIc11zJnWFmnOklz5w/s400/upamanyu+chatterjee.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> (Upamanyu Chatterjee)<br />
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Others writers included in the book are each unique for what they represent. There's Jaaved Akhtar, Chetan Bhagat, Jeffrey Archer, Imberto Eco, Alexander Mc Call Smith, Ken Follett.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82Xd3Ty07hMqFRFr4qlffR5z9Ang83nQnVi80LSjZGFBO0y2FPRZSGTpFSVzI0DSLq-j2OELT_xbsTD2Xn_0DLto-EVlq7GHKW95uiMqrT8pTGXo8RX5OyjmNNXStfMld0TYa3mzviRQ/s1600/chetan+bhagat.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605739448573697650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82Xd3Ty07hMqFRFr4qlffR5z9Ang83nQnVi80LSjZGFBO0y2FPRZSGTpFSVzI0DSLq-j2OELT_xbsTD2Xn_0DLto-EVlq7GHKW95uiMqrT8pTGXo8RX5OyjmNNXStfMld0TYa3mzviRQ/s400/chetan+bhagat.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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The interviews focus on certain specific books that the authors were writing or had written when the interview was taken, so there's some detailed and illuminating talk on that. Vikram Seth speaks at some length about <em>Two Lives</em>, Suketu Mehta on <em>Maximum City</em>, Dalrymple on <em>Nine Lives </em>and Paul Theroux and Patrick French about their controvercial biographies on V S Naipaul.<br />
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Not so long ago, it was only established NRI names who got published in India. But today, with the floodgates opening up, anyone with some writing talent could give a shot at bringing out a book. Naturally, Sethi's book provides valuable cues to aspirants. "Reading, my dear, is the only training for a writer from a young age," says Nadine Gordimer. Theroux's tip is, "Go away. Yes. Leave home, leave your parents and all the comfortable things that hold you back..."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPs1NzBKlcaonehCzWC68C_fGw3r8g7SX33jcQx95yAIs3UZXhkN57CNPi0Sk4Lsssuh9RJMhi0r6uy4PrrusVG0aaKOHVvX3_qwMjfYr8qpMVFzqIBo2wkPa8yAqaPWy7mqnz7hn83ok/s1600/nadine.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605737624809273154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPs1NzBKlcaonehCzWC68C_fGw3r8g7SX33jcQx95yAIs3UZXhkN57CNPi0Sk4Lsssuh9RJMhi0r6uy4PrrusVG0aaKOHVvX3_qwMjfYr8qpMVFzqIBo2wkPa8yAqaPWy7mqnz7hn83ok/s400/nadine.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a> - <strong>Nadine Gordimer</strong><br />
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Sethi himself is an erudite interviewer with striking introductions for each author. His forward for Dalrymple indicates his own excellent narrative abilties as a writer. By an unexpected chance Seth was acquainted with the British author when he first came to Delhi. Dalrymple didn't have a place to stay and Sethi lent him the barsati in his family house. Recollecting those days Sethi writes about the author who has gone on to make India his second home. "Even then, he was an electrifying presence. Thumping the table over an impromptu dinner, he would pose questions like, 'Do you realise the deposits of history that lie unrecorded, here, in Delhi? or 'Why have stories of this great magical beast called India that has lain on the globe for millennia not been told as they should be? Questions I had to answer after a long day's work. What I remember most of those evenings is our 3 year old daughter becoming hysterical with delight at this large, pink person 'banging on'. She would dissolve into paroxyms of giggles and refuse to go to bed." Now when as I simultaneously read <em>City Of Djinns</em>, that same exuberance and indomitable drive gleam through the pages. <br />
When books are written on books, it's a healthy sign which indicates that there is a growing interest in the subject. One hopes Sunil Sethi's book is a harbinger of that movement.</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-5069088231061543262012-09-19T00:21:00.002+05:302012-10-13T16:52:54.698+05:30The Secret Lives Of Somerset Maugham <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Author: Selina Hastings
Pages: 550
Published in: 2010
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<br />
<strong><em>Not a rollicking read, but Selina Hastings' biography on Maugham is balanced, credible and engaging enough</em></strong><br />
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Given that Maugham reveals so much of himself in his works and has given such a vivid description of his childhood, his views on art, love, marriage, life and sundry things, there's only so much more that a biography on him can reveal.
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<br />
Selina Hastings' work therefore has nothing drastically new to say. But the book picks up with her description of Maugham's stunning professional ascent as a playwright after several years of struggle. She throws light on each of his works, the circumstances surrounding them and the public and critical response they elicited.
Selina describes the plot line of most of Maugham's major works with a brief analysis and is spot on most of the time. None of her reading is particularly brillaint or insightful, but it is clearly from someone who has enjoyed studying Maugham.
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She of course focusses amply on the author's private life which is what stayed under covers. Most of this is revealed through the letters that Maugham wrote, some of them being to his male lovers. The author, the biography says, distroyed all his private correspondences and even urged his friends to do the same. But his friends were no fools and opportunistically preserved the letters knowing they would fetch them handsome returns. Maugham was a biosexual, and appears to have had many affairs but thankfully Selina maintains a balance, never going overboard with salacious personal information. This despite the title of the book suggesting otherwise. This naturally lends the biography more credibility and if nothing more, it is an excellent chronicle of his life and work.<br />
<br />
Her authorial voice is fluid and elegant but also a wee bit too restrained, so that at times the biography tends to drag.
Yet, Selina has one admirable quality. Much like Maugham, Selina is able to see things from multiple persepectives and understands the compulsions under which characters act. Though Maugham disliked his wife, Syrie, and hated acknowledging her, terming his marriage as a very insignificant detail in his life, Selina is able to view Syrie's predicament and takes an empathetic view of her situation.<br />
Maugham who enters the marriage never fully convinced about it soon realises his mistake. He becomes eager than ever to take up long travels with his male companion, Gerald, staying away from home for extended periods. Syrie by now is in love with Maugham and feels despondent and lonely. This results in ugly, loud scenes that unsettles and infuriates the author. The marriage ends in spite of resistance from Syrie and Maugham till the end resents having to shell out big amounts in allimony. This despite the fact that he was otherwise quite generous with money throughout his life. They have a girl child, Lisa and though
Maugham is fond of her, he is never particularly close. Selina also suggets that the author might have preferred to have a son. Selina similarly also gives a rounded perspective of the two men in Maugham's life, Gerald Hastings and Alan Searle.<br />
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One recurrent theme in the book is of Maugham's increasing wealth and him moving into bigger and lavish homes. Though he belonged to reasonaly well-off parents he was left with very little money when they died. For many years Maugham was forced to live frugally. He was a novelist but money only trickled in at this point. Then almost overnight his career as a playwright took off and Maugham was famous. The cheques flowed with many added zeroes now. Maugham posessed shrewd wisdom with respect to his craft, and knew best how to satisfy an audience. His set-up was light and entertaining that appealed to the masses, and yet there was a cetain complexity, a dark core he provided to his characters and themes (extra-martial affairs...)so that the thoughful man in the audience too had something to chew on This meant that Maugham wasn't producing any high art, but he wasn't selling his soul either. What he wrote was perfectly acceptable entertainment. Today the author is remembered for his novels and short stories which is where Maugham's heart always was and he wrote them with unfliching honesty and passion. But it was his plays that brought him his millions.
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<br />
As money poured in, the author was able to fully devote his time to travel, leisure and writing. Having made so much wealth on the dint of his genuis, Maugham was not only an inspiration for everyone around, he weilded a rare creative and personal power leading life entirely on his own terms.
<br />
Maugham of course had an active personal life but that never seems to have interfeared with his writing career which he 'ruthlessly protected.' He liked stimulating company and sex but his daily schedule where he spent most of his morning hours writing was never disrupted till the end. He entertained guests, enjoyed tea times and dinner but promptly went to bed at a fixed time. It is this discipline to his craft that is inspiring about Maugham's life.<br />
<br />
His passion for places and people, combined with his need to be productive and relevant at all times is what prompted him to take up assignments as a British secret agent during World War 1 & 2. Maugham soaked himself in the thrill of new experiences as it was all finally material for writing. He hated dullness and constantly sought change.<br />
<br />
What do you take home about Maugham after reading Hastings' biography? For someone with such deep insight into human behaviour and a pragmatic, clever grasp of life, Maugham's success was expected and most deserved. <br />
His marriage was miscalculated and this was a bitter irony for someone who was so curiously fascinated by marriage and wrote about all kinds of complexities in relationships. But he also believed that it was almost always tipped to fail, only with a slim chance of escaping that fate. Even with that knowledge his marriage was a disaster. The important moral here is that all of us, no matter how intelligent or shrewd are prone to misjudge and make mistakes. <br />
<br />
Did his own soured marriage impact his writing? Hard to say because Maugham's stories depicting the doomed nature of love and marriage, like Mrs Craddock, Liza Of Lambath, Merry-Go-Round, including many of his plays were written before he tied the knot. It is very likely that some of his feelings to do with his vexing marriage may have found an expression in his stories. Selina attempts to draw constant parallels and a few examples do seem to mirror Maugham's thoughts on his marriage. But nothing very substantial.<br />
<br />
A gifted story-teller who could enthrall his listeners even as a child, he was clearly born to write. Beyond his complex relationships and conflicted sexuality, Maugham's life essentially speaks of great persevearance, discipline and drive. His constant travel and reading ensured he had a wealth of experience and wisdom from which he drew upon to create unforgettable stories.</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-34163828134933397062012-07-31T16:33:00.002+05:302015-03-12T10:43:15.427+05:30Duo On Discovery Path<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The husband and wife writer duo, Devapriya Roy and Saurav Jha went backpacking through the length and breadth of India on a daily budget of Rs 500. The couple is currently turning their travel experience into a book called 'The Heat And Dust Project'
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The idea of taking off and getting a real taste of India and its people was long lingering in the minds of this bright, young couple. But taking that decision, which meant having to give up their cushy jobs in Delhi, came with its share of anxiety.
More than a year ago, the lovely Devapriya Roy, all of 27, wrote her debut novel, 'The Vague Woman's Handbook' , a theme that refreshingly looked at the younger woman-older woman friendship. Much of the story was inspired by Devapriya's own life, especially parts where she describes the bitter-sweet moments of her 'just married' life with her college
sweetheart.
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<br />
Saurav Jha, energy analyst and columnist, she met while studying for her M.Phil in English at JNU, Delhi. Both fell in love as students and promptly got married. They settled in comfortable jobs, with all the trappings of a successful lifestyle. But in a few years, both started to feel weary within the confines of their bourgeois lives.
"Since we got married in our early 20s, we also began our domesticity early. All
the restlessness that comes with having to buy a house, pay EMIs we had already gone through. And then we tried figuring out what our options were. We could very well stick to our jobs and let it own us. By then our first books got commissioned. That is when we did some serious soul-searching and the 'Heat And Dust Project' was born," says
Devapriya.
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<br />
Now after the couple has travelled for months and covered over 18,000
kms across India, both have taken a break, after which phase two of the
journey will begin.
The travel was carried out on a tight budget of Rs 500 per day, and this Saurav says was not a "philosophical indulgence" but a "grim
economic reality". "But this all too real state of affairs also ensured that we kept our feet on the ground and saw India the way we
had always wanted to because there is just no one 'perfect' time to set out on a journey like this. And that motivation i.e to see India as it is, here and now was what prompted us. We set forth looking to ask some questions, find some answers and completely step away from the India of Delhi studio discussions, which frankly speaking have become shambolic echo chambers," he says.
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The couple started from Delhi and chose the places on the fly. From Agra to Pushkar to Junagadh to Jaisalmer to Kolhapur and down South to Kerala and Kanyakumari, the travel packed a lot. And if anyone gets a whiff of another touristy adventure here, Devapriya says it was not meant to be so. Which is why the whole journey happened by bus, she says.
"Our next destination from anywhere could be chosen on the basis of historical interest, because it was a name that was heard but little explored and of course on the basis of local suggestions. We also
bowed in deference to the wishes of some on Facebook," says Saurav.
<br />
<br />
The Facebook group started as a page on the networking site where Devapriya and Saurav wrote on their travels, giving out funny stories, pictures and confessions while the journey was on.
Devapriya, who doesn't always share Saurav's austere habits, says the biggest challenge for her was the long hours in the bus and relentless journey without stopping anywhere for too long.
"We were following this Buddhist idea that you must not sleep under the same tree for over a day, as it sprouts roots and holds you back. Just when we would reach a place after hours of a bus journey, I would learn it was time to move on to the next destination. That was tiring, but we were soaking up the sheer excess of the experience. It also unlocked and brought us face to face with many unknown fears, but the travel also came with the sobering thought that no trouble is insurmountable, especially when you see people battling with bigger difficulties, " she says.
<br />
<br />
Many of the observations will make its way in the book. "There is one India. But there are several ages of India which are terribly intertwined with each other sometimes in harmony and sometimes out of
sync," says Saurav.<br />
<br />
The couple has some more travelling to do, but the book has been taking some shape meanwhile.Both being writers, they don't quite know who will really pen down the book, but they do know what it will be about.
Says Saurav, "It is a travelogue - a funny hysterical sort of a travelogue but it would also engage with various books on India that
have been authored by mostly foreign writers in English - from V S Naipaul to Patrick French and William Dalrymple - which attempt to make sense of India. But in addition to being by Indians, it is also meant for Indians, especially, young Indians, if they would care to
read it."</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-49552164458599689692012-03-13T13:58:00.000+05:302015-01-08T21:19:28.019+05:30Shobha De's Spouse and Surviving Men<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shobhaa De's latest 'Spouse - the truth about
marriage' is a surprisingly tame book on the evergreen subject of Indian family politics. Many years ago she
wrote the controversial hot-seller, 'Surviving Men'(1997), an entertaining
book with brazen titled chapters like 'How To Hook A Man' , 'How To Dump A
Man', 'Is It Possible to Love a Man', 'Men And Their Uses', 'How To Train Men'
to others like 'Men at Work', 'Men at Home', 'Men in Bed', 'Men and Their
Mothers', 'Men as Buddies' and 'Do Men Have Morals'. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">All of these contained De's satiric take on gender-politics. Much of the book is
pure fun and meant to shock. There are plenty of dos and don'ts she
offers in a careless, flagrant manner, but some things she says do stick.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">"Women desperately want to believe
in love, even though it's in an abstract sort of way. Without love,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>life loses its meaning and motivation. They
want to believe in it so desperately, they'll love anyone or anything - even
the world's worst creep, a habitual wife-beater, a Scrooge or an abusive sob.
They don't want to stand out in a world teeming with love-sick ladies. They
want to conform and be one of the girls. They want a man to hang on to. Men
realise this soon enough. And use it to their advantage. They learn to
manipulate their women without even trying....It works both ways. Women manipulate
men too. As long as this tug-of-war remains at a manageable level, the marriage
endures.</span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">"</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">To survive men and marriage means to
make well-timed, crafty moves in De's world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p> Within a decade </o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">since 'Surviving Men, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> the once-divorced </span>De is a changed person. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 'Spouse -the truth about marriage' the
popular columnist-writer is cheerfully married second time, and admittedly has found the marital union to be highly beneficial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The joys of a large,
bustling family with a caring husband and her children give her a wonderful
sense of belonging. Which is why, her views have also altered beyond
recognition. Now, 'Spouse' and 'Surviving Men' barely look like books written
by the same person. De is the same modern career-woman, but as the years have
progressed, she has come to see marriage as a workable, even likable institution. 'No one has come up with anything better anyway," she remarks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The sense of togetherness that she shares with her spouse is what she enjoys most. A measure of
her attraction for her husband is that she finds little meaning in dressing up if he's
not around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She mentions an incident
when she wore a salvaar-kameez for a function, and Mr De remarked what an unflattering garment it was. "It does nothing for
you," he said dismissingly. De immediately rushed to change into a sari,
and has not wore a salvaar-kameez since then. <br />"My friends find this
strange...that someone like me should conform to a man's image of how a wife
should be. Frankly, their 'surprise' surprises me. I think it is the most
natural thing to do. And there's absolutely no shame in it. Reserve your ego
battles for something<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>far more
important," she writes</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">When hubby gets back home at 4 pm, De, no
matter how occupied, rushes to fix him toast and snacks. Every single day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her affection, she feels, is perfectly natural
in a marriage which remains her number one comfort zone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The book is sincere, and offers sober
advice. There is the occasional wit De throws in. 'Carats over carrots"
she advises women on domestic wars. Her views and tone on tackling in-laws have
also dramatically altered since 'Surviving Men'. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This could well be because De is conscious of turning mother-in-law herself one of these days. She's unusually sympathetic to the senior
woman's position here, whereas she had mercilessly lampooned the mom-in-law and mamma's boys in 'Surviving Men' .</span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"> ( 'Men love their mothers, Men only love their mothers, Men love their mothers only.)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The restrained voice also makes 'Spouse' less interesting. It </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">has little
to offer in terms of research and originality, and De could not have spent more
than a week writing it. She talks about her own journey of marriage, and uses a few examples of other people she knows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> De is sincere and means what she says, but it's just that the book offers nothing new. In that respect, De is turning into a
conventional, practical woman, having understood the joys of joys and benefits of marriage.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">It helps that the view comes from
someone like her, a celebrity-writer who has always believed in setting trends
rather than following them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She makes an accurate
final assessment of the reasons to marry. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Do not marry because you feel you must,
you have to, it's the done thing. Do not marry because you want children but
not necessarily marriage. Do not marry for the sake of some imaginary
'security', for none exists. Marry because you want to marry. Because you
believe in it. Because you want to share your life with someone you care about.
Only then will your marriage survive and thrive."<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-44450851326095640682012-02-19T15:00:00.011+05:302012-02-22T14:55:03.216+05:30Collected Short Stories: Vol 4<strong>Pages</strong>: 576<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fsupJLRMs_WlhtwbbrRmvdvEsIJmv_08upM0744R3Fh32sZ8hSHj64sqWZIzTkKya9BQ-tvVJLNA_IZVsp73BDBrD96DFIkQdrVJ7JjojGkXNFmV2Ie7BFj_-KLwMCAvAzaO2Mt2jrQ/s1600/vol4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fsupJLRMs_WlhtwbbrRmvdvEsIJmv_08upM0744R3Fh32sZ8hSHj64sqWZIzTkKya9BQ-tvVJLNA_IZVsp73BDBrD96DFIkQdrVJ7JjojGkXNFmV2Ie7BFj_-KLwMCAvAzaO2Mt2jrQ/s400/vol4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711538047626899522" /></a><br /><br />Much of what Maugham wrote was always greatly influenced by the numerous travels he made. In the course of his momentous writing career, there were few countries and cities that he did not visit. Yet, by his own admission Maugham found it difficult to open up and talk to the many strangers he encountered during his journeys. At the core he was a shy and introverted man. This, Maugham believed was an unfortunate handicap for a writer. Especially because no one could have been more interested and fascinated than him by the oddities in the men and women he met. Yet, he seemed to have managed rather well, as these experiences provided a rich source material for his stories.<br /><br />And of course he had his fecund imagination. Maugham has been quoted saying that he could spend an hour with a person and quite comfortably come up with a decent enough story. But not everyone became a subject-matter for the writer, and what Maugham looked for in people was a singularity of character or circumstance. <br />Though a naturalist, Maugham laid a fair emphasis on making his stories engaging and entertaining and had a natural instinct for drama. Hence all the stories you see in this Volume (as is the case with all his writings), have something extraordinary in them, one way or the other. <br /><br />As always, Maugham gives a lush description of his characters' physical self, surroundings, background. Often what the characters reveal in the end is an entirely unknown and unlikely facet of their personality. It is this hidden possibility in people that interested Maugham the most. Like a pathologist in a chemical lab, he liked to mix substances in various kind of solutions and watch the reactions that could take place.<br /><br />These were stories that Maugham wrote during his stay in the Far East (Singapore, Malaysia). The place was under the rule of the British and the period setting is somewhere before WW2. The land at this point is dotted with Englishmen, as consuls, planters, skippers, captain and others. Their lives in the colony, interaction with the local Malay populace forms the subject matter for many of the stories. The steam ships that made travel so much easier in later years and completely altered the Englishman's attitude to his stay in colonies (he saw it as a temporary abode now as opposed to earlier), was yet to come. The long and dry ship journey also forms a significant backdrop to the tales.<br /><br />This was a time when once an Englishman left for a colony, he spent almost his entire lifetime there. Often he took in a Malay wife as well, though the relation had no legally binding, and many left the woman and children behind (albeit well-provided for) if they did think of going back to England.<br /><br />The White officers had important positions in the native land with spacious houses and a retinue of servants to do their bidding. This was convenient as well as flattering to the Englishman, many of whom took the posting out of some constraint back home. Suddenly now, they had power and enough money. Where they would have to follow the strictest austerity to make ends meet in England, here they could<br />almost be counted as rich. Naturally many looked upon with nervousness the prospect of going back to their homes after the end of their tenures. Many just stayed back,since by then they grew so comfortable in the skin of the native atmosphere. In fact, many of them didn't even relish the idea of confronting another White man after all these years.<br /><br />Every story in Vol 4 is a gem. 'The Outstation' about two White men, a superior and his deputy, and the corroding effect of their mutual hate, is especially brilliant. These two men staying and administering an alien land, far away from their own country, despise each other, as both are offended by the other's peculiar bearing. Warburton, the colonial officer, is widely considered a snob, because he adores aristocracy and replicates the same English habits in the colony. Yet, he is fair and reasonable in his duties, and very fond of the natives. He isn't very thrilled on being told that a White man would be joining him in the district. The anxiety turns into a severe irritation when he meets the man who would be his deputy. Cooper, having heard of Warburton's elitist bearings, is determined not to appear subservient in any way. Believing offence to be the best form of defence, Cooper gets outspoken and rude. Warburton is positively shocked and offended by his junior's words but is keen to appear fair and dignified at all times. Their hatred grows with time with each being consumed with a gnawing anger for the other. Maugham achieves great narrative constancy, and the story is a marvel in character build up.<br /><br /><br />There's a pattern that starts to emerge with the stories. Just when things appear all hunky dory - and Maugham sadistically builds up an enviable image of felicity - a change in circumstance occurs that upsets the original status quo. It initially causes irritation and finally gives way to a deep seated resentment. From there on things quickly begin to spiral downwards. Repressed anger and despair finally end in a shocking catastrophe. <br /><br />Appearance v/s reality is also another recurring theme in Maugham's stories. Things are never as they seem, and appearance and bearing often belie a dark, complex and unexpected side. ('Red', 'The Letter')<br /><br />The other important theme is the impermanence and doomed nature of love and marriage. Infidelity is a running theme in most of the stories. (A Casual Affair, Neil Mac Adam, Episode, A Woman Of Fifty, The Letter, The Back Of The Beyond.)<br /><br />Many of the stories point to the inherent confusion among humans, where situations are strangely always at odds, This makes men and women fickle, impulsive, and drives them to act in mysterious ways. This is true in Maugham's fiction, as much as it is the case in real life. One wonders if this is the greatest tragedy God inflicted on man where he would never get what he truly desired, and if at all he got it, he would stop desiring the very same thing.<br /><br />As always, Maugham writes with tremendous skill and heart. The descriptions are slightly more lavish, given that the book is a travelogue of sorts. There are some elegant passages about setting and nature. But Maugham's greatest strength as a writer remains his ability to be lucid, and stick to his point without ever rambling. Every line he writes adds to the cumulative power and impact of these unforgettable stories.Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-67856259657840756662012-02-17T14:33:00.013+05:302016-08-30T02:31:23.752+05:30The Dutch Treasure Trove<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong>Renee Ridgway recently unveiled an archival find, a 17th century book on medicinal plants created by the then Dutch governor in Cochin. The event, held at David Hall, Fort Kochi aimed at looking at the fascinating impressions the Dutch left behind</strong><br />
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In the 17th century, when the Dutch came to Cochin for trade purposes, and eventually became its rulers, an interesting episode took place.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRAJ7ycaAcdqjafaYWitiNerjriShce-b0tmQ8kFdhyfwqYCUDPkj8Q8V3g3p18wE9W3WdReQSg-AqQm2WB6_mUSZ2O-uabx8hbFq-uMpilg76H5uHAZE63NXR2stQoUpgYSY1zjC7V8/s1600/renee.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710042839298386514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRAJ7ycaAcdqjafaYWitiNerjriShce-b0tmQ8kFdhyfwqYCUDPkj8Q8V3g3p18wE9W3WdReQSg-AqQm2WB6_mUSZ2O-uabx8hbFq-uMpilg76H5uHAZE63NXR2stQoUpgYSY1zjC7V8/s400/renee.jpg" style="float: left; height: 300px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" width="400" /></a></div>
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The then Dutch governor Hendrik van Reede undertook an unexpected and novel project. Probably impressed with the lush verdure around, he grew interested in medicinal plants and collaborated with the local Keralite doctors, botanists, translators and artists to bring out a book on the findings. People were sent far and wide across the state to gather plants. Local doctors would then assess their medicinal properties, after which drawings would be made in water colours. The King of Cochin also helped him in this endevour. It was between 1678-1693 that this 12-volume work, illustrating as many as 700 indigenous plants, was published in Amsterdam.<br />
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(Dutch governor to Cochin, Hendrik van Reede)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDU9dXoV25EpVxmHyRu2oX31yz1DmCGc3mpRGcJR3_UeS7HTWHgl3Q3xFtR8ZSO7XbleoDo9cCU_VtnTABEfZOuiKwGqrAEcx4m2Td-HJSI2Wyzfy7KjULWnNOby_Uvh4NJpAI_QYgMTw/s1600/governer.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710043521518119298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDU9dXoV25EpVxmHyRu2oX31yz1DmCGc3mpRGcJR3_UeS7HTWHgl3Q3xFtR8ZSO7XbleoDo9cCU_VtnTABEfZOuiKwGqrAEcx4m2Td-HJSI2Wyzfy7KjULWnNOby_Uvh4NJpAI_QYgMTw/s400/governer.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 300px;" /></a><br />
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This is undoubtedly a fascinating piece of archival history. And it is not surprising that 350 years later it should have caught the attention of visual artist Renee Ridgway, a keen student of history. Though a proud American in every sense, Renee was always interested in Dutch colonial history “I grew up in a Dutch colony in the US. Also, it also has something to do with my mixed ancestry,” she says, as we sit for a chat at David Hall on a hot, sweltering day.<br />
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She went to Netherlands for her studies, which further helped her understand the Dutch culture and history some more. Some time later Renee was battling with her migraines and sinus problem. No treatment seemed to be working. This is when someone suggested an ayurvedic doctor, Kochi-based Thomas Punnen to her, who was then in Netherlands. She was cured, and this instilled in her tremendous faith about the line of treatment. This reference somehow got her acquainted with Hortus Malabaricus, ‘the book’ that was compiled in the 17th century.<br />
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Her passion for history, her faith in traditional Indian medicine, and love for nature (“I worked in a flower shop in Netherlands”)all came together, and Renee decided to get to the heart of the matter. “I had come to India before, but never to Kochi. I knew there was a Dutch settlement here, and it was while I was staying at the Kashi Art Residency at Fort Kochi in 2007, that I became determined to find more about it. David Hall, that has now become a hub for art and food events, was in ruins then," she says. Ironically, this Dutch heritage building is where the entire project was undertaken, says Renee. “There’s good evidence that the project was carried out at David Hall. Where else could it have been?” she says. And now this is the venue for the unveiling of Renee’s own project on Hortus Malabaricus that she along with her filmmaker-friend Rick van Amersfoort undertook.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7s-ZuziRHJ3FRVBvvGA_B45i8H5LM0wre-OEpNPlgPB92QkXJcG9EGBGV0Cye9obAVcHx-GDawx549FuUNIe2MhmMt2q5atkF7f-eu5jP4IkXUKf_rgtlJD5O8lkSbNXPFq36vIHd7Cs/s1600/h-book.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710043751104480114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7s-ZuziRHJ3FRVBvvGA_B45i8H5LM0wre-OEpNPlgPB92QkXJcG9EGBGV0Cye9obAVcHx-GDawx549FuUNIe2MhmMt2q5atkF7f-eu5jP4IkXUKf_rgtlJD5O8lkSbNXPFq36vIHd7Cs/s400/h-book.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 300px;" /></a><br />
(A copy of the book, Hortus Malabaricus)<br />
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The launch of the book, and an extensive discussion held between Feb 15-22 aims to focus on the cultural exchange that has occurred over the past 350 years on the Mallabar Coast between the Dutch and the local population.<br />
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The research also allowed Renee to delve deeper into the Dutch social ethos. "The average Dutch person is a very business-oriented person. Unlike the British or Portuguese, the Dutch did not have any emotional ties with the colonies they ruled. Neither did they aspire to propagate their religion. All they were interested in was trade. They came to Cochin for the spices," she says.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg5jVc56KZBA3Buyy3PQZqEsM0CRHQukS3sckt6NPi6blR8j7Y82GoE7jhFudpETN6EHeA_LUxlTdE5E3VYFtLOKQfvhtqcd7eOV6ZT18qX07qTCdoeYk1bImdo8S1X402_m8MVQNR-0/s1600/plant.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710044944434011202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg5jVc56KZBA3Buyy3PQZqEsM0CRHQukS3sckt6NPi6blR8j7Y82GoE7jhFudpETN6EHeA_LUxlTdE5E3VYFtLOKQfvhtqcd7eOV6ZT18qX07qTCdoeYk1bImdo8S1X402_m8MVQNR-0/s400/plant.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 300px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
(an illustration from Hortus Malabaricus)<br />
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So what could have prompted the then Dutch governor to come up with the project?Renee is reluctant to answer, simply because she would like one to draw inferences from the vast footage of documentary she has gathered. She relents, "I think there were a couple of things. He could have been genuinely interested in the field of plants and medicine. He also found the local population very fit, and perhaps wanted to know how. But the real reason appears to be that he wanted the Dutch soldiers to be healthy, and traditional, local medicines would work out cheaper than procuring it all the way from Netherlands," she says.<br />
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The book was more recently translated in English, and is now more accessible to people. “The stunning thing is that the contents of the book have been in circulation one way or the other," she says.</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-73452117717728952902012-01-07T08:18:00.013+05:302012-01-09T23:51:20.052+05:30Somerset Maugham's Liza Of Lambeth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJpy8RCQZVqXQEHZJkA4MgbMRwGyMlDNmxNEw8BFJ7bYvVjSw8VMfKJYsNV0DSm8UQUdmOeX9LCbtoBZXNmSvNb1YRaaeB_tI2NgziVLbsa5hxwzMBTLzE2KsMjXwsxHh0VdHD5ub2bo/s1600/liza.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJpy8RCQZVqXQEHZJkA4MgbMRwGyMlDNmxNEw8BFJ7bYvVjSw8VMfKJYsNV0DSm8UQUdmOeX9LCbtoBZXNmSvNb1YRaaeB_tI2NgziVLbsa5hxwzMBTLzE2KsMjXwsxHh0VdHD5ub2bo/s400/liza.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694798818156094450" /></a><br /><br />Liza Of Lambeth (1897) is perhaps Maugham's only novel which I don't have the heart to revisit. Not because it is poor, but because it is so chillingly tragic. It isn't as if his other novels are all light and sunshine. Maugham in fact always had a great eye for human tragedy and unfailingly took up themes about the impossibility of love and the doomed nature of marriages. Almost every single novel of his has a grim death in it, but nothing is as brutal as what one witnesses in Liza of Lambeth. The graphic violence and the extreme misfortune of the lead character evoke a deep sense of horror.<br /><br />The book was written by Maugham when he was all of 23. It was his first attempt at writing a novel, and this he did while practising as a doctor. His work took him to the doorsteps of the poor and needy in the slums of Lambeth, and it is his experience and observations here that gave him the material for the book. To his own surprise, the novel was fairly well-received when it was published, and soon Maugham got more offers to write.<br /><br />The novel is Maugham’s shortest, and also most unlike his other works. Liza of Lambeth appears distinct because it is so removed from the world the author generally sets his stories in ie upper class London. Here, in a ghetto, where the labour class resides, the mood and tenor are vastly altered. Also, a large part of the book comprises of conversations in the local slang, which makes it that much tougher to read. Yet, the story is engaging, and in the end, fans of the author will recogonise many things in the novel that only Maugham could have written.<br /><br />Liza Kemp is one of the prettiest girls in Lambeth, a veritable lotus in the muck. Her life is not all rosy though, as she works as a labour girl in a local factory and then comes home to a sick, nagging mother who never has a kind word to say to her. Tom is a young, honest man, madly in love with Liza. She, however, only looks upon him as a friend and is repulsed with the idea of romancing him. Her good friend Sally is excited about going on a boat fair with her boyfriend and urges Liza to accompany them. Tom is willing to pay for her, but Liza doesn’t think it appropriate that she should take favours from someone she has no intention of marrying. Tom reassures her that he’s fine even if Liza is not interested for the moment. That instantly cheers Liza, who joins everyone else hoping to have a great time. Another reason for her happiness is the presence of Jim Blackeston, a handsome man who has recently come to stay in her neighbourhood. Jim is married with an imposing looking woman and three children. Liza feels an instant attraction towards him, and the feeling is reciprocated. Ignoring Tom, Liza tries her best to be around Jim. This angers Tom, while Jim’s wife, probably too preoccupied in other domestic thoughts doesn’t notice much. The attraction grows into a full-fledged affair and slowly tongues start wagging. Jim talks about deserting his wife, whom he says he cannot stand.<br /><br />The situation starts to get messy as the women-folk refuse to take kindly to the affair. They naturally sympathise with the wife and see Liza as a callous husband stealer. When Jim’s wife senses that her husband might be leaving her for good, she unleashes her anger on Liza, giving her a fatal beating in full public view. The scene is grotesque, but it is just the kind of violence one would expect in such a place. <br /><br />Jim Blackeston is pained by Liza’s death, and in anger beats up his wife. But there is every indication that he would go back to his same shoddy life and forget about the chapter with time. Liza’s mother is more concerned that she would have no one to look after her henceforth. Liza is a picture of such youthful exuberance and optimism in the novel that the reader feels an intense sadness at her life being snuffed out with such brutality. One of earliest scenes in the book has Liza exultantly walking down the street, like a diva. She stirs up a sensation and the men nearly faint with excitement. To then see her beaten black and blue on the same crowded street with no one coming forward to help in the climax leaves you with a feeling of cold disgust. <br /><br />For its striking differences with Maugham’s others work, the novel still has all of his favourite themes – the mundane pattern into which marriages invariably slip into, and the all-consuming power of passion that makes individuals blind to its risks and short-comings. And Maugham since the very start seemed to understand that for many, ‘the important thing was to love rather than be loved’ Like in his other novels, here too Liza can very well go for a respectable match by way of Tom. But she simply is not drawn and cannot help it. This is a recurrent theme in almost all of the author’s books – the inability to love what is gettable, and an idealisation of a potentially destructive relationship.<br /><br />Again, the disillusionment of marriage, a recurrent theme in Maugham’s oeuvre, finds a distinct voice in Liza of Lambeth too. <br />Jim Blackeston’s marriage has slipped into dull, domestic monotony, which is why it doesn’t take him long to fall for a younger woman. <br />Contrasting Liza's uncertain, desperate state is her friend Sally, who is smug and happy with her relationship and is all set for conjugal bliss. But as usual, Maugham builds a perfect apple cart only to upset it. Post marriage, Liza discovers that Sally’s husband beats her up regularly, and that all traces of love had evaporated. Sally though is too proud to admit this.<br /><br />Even though the book is too grim for me, I don’t see it lacking in merits. The story is engaging, the conversations are credible, and the situations unfold with perfect plausibility. Importantly, it reveals that Maugham’s ideas about love and marriage – the two central themes of his novels – remained more or less unchanged till the very end.Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-2570509623596243492011-12-13T19:42:00.000+05:302012-12-21T20:17:34.252+05:30Elizabeth Gilbert's Committed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEDJKAwNK2UrtnkoLRlfbLGm_-ftzUwrzn2hFo6euQ6LXNvrJZIyishLPIyCPiazzivK5wg-CKdmTJJCFB33v2uFAAKdNyhOj6MR3wHwsgUEEa6DLsejcYxJ-b7xFsvr-hM5AR6Y0CZI/s1600/committed.jpg"><span style="color: black;"></span><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527536053792128018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEDJKAwNK2UrtnkoLRlfbLGm_-ftzUwrzn2hFo6euQ6LXNvrJZIyishLPIyCPiazzivK5wg-CKdmTJJCFB33v2uFAAKdNyhOj6MR3wHwsgUEEa6DLsejcYxJ-b7xFsvr-hM5AR6Y0CZI/s400/committed.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 261px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 249, 238); line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Haven't we all at some point typed <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an intimate question on Google search for user
responses. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This mini research offers you
perspective and the assurance that you are not alone in it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also gives you some validation for your
point of view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Elizabeth Gilbert, in writing,
'Committed' was clearly going through a similar anxiety. Her last book, 'Eat
Pray And Love' had yet to become a best-seller, and the 38-year-old
was in a hopeless, new predicament. To marry or not to marry. <o:p></o:p></span>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 249, 238); line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">It is through this confusion that her
memoir was born. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not convinced about
marriage, and yet seeing no way out of it, Gilbert goes on a journey of
exploration into the institution of marriage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In her travels to places, she chats up people
from communities who lead lives and hold opinions very unlike her own. She
scans through books on marriage, goes through handy research on the topic, all
the while drawing parallels with her own life; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an impulsive first marriage, a string of failed
relationships and now a dilemma about marrying again. What you get in the end is
a book that is both absorbing and insightful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Gilbert's scepticism about marriage
is genuine and you can literally feel her grappling for answers and reassurance
through the 280 odd pages of this long book.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">She is happy to be with her current
boyfriend, Filipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship and even more
happier about their arrangement. Neither wants marriage, as both are happy
leading their separate lives in different continents, and meeting each other
every month. Both have been scarred by earlier divorces. Gilbert is
particularly worried about being financially vulnerable if she opts for
marriage. As a single woman who makes her own money, she is extra cautious this
time. Most importantly, Gilbert is unsure about herself, given her predilection
for disastrous romantic entanglements.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">She loves the companionship and
affection in her current relationship. Both see their bond as a permanent thing
and yet Gilbert is not enamoured enough by it to consider marriage. She has no
desire for kids, and as a woman living in a Western world, singlehood is no big
deal. So why marry at all, she asks.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 249, 238); line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The plan get upturned when Felipe's
constant travel to US evokes suspicion and he faces threat of being deported.
They must either marry and stay in US or then be singles, but face other
relationship challenges. They decide to get married but Gilbert is filled with
doubts. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">While reading this book, I kept
getting the feeling that Gilbert is just not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that </i>into her boyfriend. I may be wrong here, but many times in the
course of the book I felt Gilbert was trying to justify her soon-to-happen
marriage, in the hope of seeing <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>her
relationship as viable. She gives many reasons for her anxiousness, and even
admits that she is not madly in love with Felipe and thank god for that, she
says. She is balanced and alert this time, which is perhaps why she fine combs
every aspect of the relationship. But at the end of it, I wasn't sure if that
sort of moderate approach also works with everyone. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gilbert is right that infatuation does not
last. Certainly the hormonal rush and exhilaration brought are bound to
subside, and one ought to be realistic about it. Familiarity, at its worst,
breeds contempt, and at its best cultivates affection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when one enters a union like marriage, conviction
is a must. <o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 249, 238); line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Falling in love does not always imply
recklessness. Yes, one tends to overlook a few things perhaps, but one still
looks out for many enduring qualities (Pride and Prejudice?). This then
translates into attraction and when couples instinctively feel it's the right
relationship for them, they take the plunge quite happily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The important thing is belief that it will
work. Of course nothing can be said about the future, but to my mind there is
nothing riskier than treating marriage like a 'sentence' which is the word
Gilbert uses for her relationship. She is filled with doubts and most will
agree that it happens when you are simply not sure if he's your man. It's not
the marriage at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Anyway, so thus she begins her
research project on marriage, its history, its cultural meaning and
significance that differ from community to community. She also looks at
marriage of the past and present, comparing her perspective with that of her
mother. She looks at the roots of marriage, and is surprised that an
institution which is considered sacrosanct today, was something which custodians
of religion were opposed to. They wanted people to reject it and adopt celibacy.
That never happened of course, and no matter what stand the State or religious
body took, men and women always have felt a natural inclination to come
together and marry. Which establishes that men and women have always held the
desire to get married.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 249, 238); margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Gilbert's narration is seamless as
she talks about her own relationships and attempts to seek answers on larger
questions about marriage. One chapter that is especially illuminating is
Marriage And Infatuation. There is the oft repeated view that while marriages
in the past endured many a storm, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>they
now fall apart for the flimsiest of reasons. <br />
Gilbert using research findings and expert opinions brings forth some
perceptive ideas. In most cultures, she says, women rarely questioned marriage.
They accepted their fate and role. But with industrialization and the breaking
up of the joint family system, the 'individual' suddenly came into focus and
his/her private desires took precedence. Now, couples didn't necessarily marry
because the spouse was 'beneficial' to the family as a whole or a convenient
arrangement to all, but because they fell in love. Gilbert rightly points out
that when a marriage is based on love and not on a collective arrangement, it
has more chances to fail - precisely because love, she says, is a very fragile
emotion. What if you fall out of love? Which is why modern couples are
divorcing more than ever before, and she says the institution itself is under
tremendous pressure.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 249, 238); line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Yet, Gilbert says she wouldn't trade
her life as a modern, educated, self-aware American woman of today with any
woman in a previous time and culture who had a conditioned idea of marriage.
Nor does she believe that people must not marry for love. But she points out
that one must be equipped with sufficient tools to deal with practical and
emotional problems before they get into it.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">That is precisely what Gilbert
decides to do this time with her beau. She says she is thankfully not
infatuated this time. She loves the narcotic high of love, but is happy not to
go through it again. She is on as more emotionally secure and saner ground this
time, and both, she and Felipe discuss in some detail about dodging the
potential landmines in their future marital relationship. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 249, 238); line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">I really liked a chapter where
Gilbert talks about the possibility of one's perfectly nice spouse falling for
someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"History teaches us
that just about anybody is capable of just about anything when it comes to the
realm of love and desire. Circumstances arises in all our lives that challenge
our most stubborn loyalties. Maybe this is what we fear most when we enter into
marriage. - that "circumstances," in the form of some uncontrollable
outside passion, will someday break the bond."</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">One might think that this is an
unavoidable situation, but Gilbert finds that it is not so! Regretting that she
did not have this wisdom when she got married at 25, she notes how couples can
drastically reduce such a risk of infatuation by containing the situation early
on. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One makes friends with a member of
the opposite sex, and it is all harmless for a while. But somewhere an intimacy
creeps in and one reveals more than one ought to and this is by default becomes
a breach of marital trust. Soon, this gets emotionally complicated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gilbert feels that with some
clear-sightedness and responsible behaviour, this risk can be drastically
minimised.<o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 249, 238); line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">She takes you through the bumps and
jerks in her own relationship with Felipe, describing moments that infuriate
and frustrate her. Yet, she offers a reason for sticking it out in a
relationship. "He was a good man, in the end." </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">There might be a few readers (read
men) who will chuck this book in irritation, unable to understand Gilbert's
complex, over-analysing mind. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(255, 249, 238); line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Garamond Premr Pro","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">But most women will like the book and
will appreciate the candour and honesty . The writing is fluid and extremely
readable. Gilbert is witty, entertaining and wields a formidable pen. And yes
it is time well-spent.</span></div>
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Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-83911805842803959162011-10-04T19:27:00.013+05:302017-04-27T18:55:05.238+05:30R K Narayan's The Dark Room and The World Of Nagaraj
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VN-06mrixJvgsc3HH8BhocrK2PG3YllQZUNkE9e4ZHbHEW86g4T_oKuBFUx5MujViyn8-8J0SzgOPnqHcey8YvCVAgKpaA8WKHkmb59iLv41uocWBXPLiF7HL5TdB_uHxadnh9lA8lk/s1600/Narayan_TheDarkRoom.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659643246659986658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VN-06mrixJvgsc3HH8BhocrK2PG3YllQZUNkE9e4ZHbHEW86g4T_oKuBFUx5MujViyn8-8J0SzgOPnqHcey8YvCVAgKpaA8WKHkmb59iLv41uocWBXPLiF7HL5TdB_uHxadnh9lA8lk/s400/Narayan_TheDarkRoom.jpg" style="float: left; height: 388px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 250px;"></a><br />
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Very few readers will dispute the talent that R K Narayan was. He was the first Indian writer in English to acquire such a name for himself both among native as well as foreigner readers.<br />
V. S Naipaul has written how his image of India was entirely shaped by reading R K Narayan's books and all that happens in Malgudi, the fictional small-town in South India that the author set his stories in. His tales came with a parochial delight, yet encompassed a world of human emotions and characters. This was enchanting as much as it was universal in appeal.<br />
Still, every now and then one hears of a not-so-flattering comment about Narayan's prose. At times it cannot be completely dismissed as it comes from say a Shashi Tharoor who in his wonderful book on his literary passions, Bookless In Baghdad writes candidly about Narayan's weaknesses calling his style 'flat and monotonous' <br />
Tharoor writes, "Some of my friends felt I was wrong to focus on language – a writerly concern - and lose sight of the stories, which in many ways had an appeal that transcended language. But my point was that such pedestrian writing diminished Narayan's stories, undermined the characters, trivialised their concerns."<br />
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Narayan's writing had its flaws, and within his own ouevre some were more successfully executed than the others . The Dark Room (1938) and The World Of Nagaraj (1990) are an example of that. Both have plots that draw you in, but each vastly differ in the manner in which they are written. The Dark Room has a poignant theme, but Narayan struggles with the writing and is unable to etch out the deeper nunances inherent in the story. Tharoor's criticism is quite right here.<br /> Nagaraj...on the other hand is the work of an accomplished genius. It's not the plot, but the character that drives the story and here Narayan shows tremendous writerly gifts.<br />
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The Dark Room is about a dominant, excessively critical and self-centered husband, Ramani living with his wife Savitri and three children. The first scene sees him criticising everything that his wife serves him on the table. He curses the cook and freely taunts his wife. At work, he takes more than a little fancy to a junior called Shanta Bai. She is pretty and recently separated from her husband. Ramani is taken in by her charms and goes out of his way to help her out, including vacating a spare room in the office and even making his wife give away some of their furniture to make Shanta comfortable. On the way from his golf club, he regularly starts spending time at her room, and sits entranced listening to her.<br />
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When Savitri hears of it she is unable to bear the humiliation . She confronts her husband who dismisses her objections. Desolate at being taken so entirely for granted she raises her voice and then is determined to leave the house. She wants to take the kids along, but Ramani stops her harshly. “Don't touch them or talk to them. Go yourself, if you want. They are my children," he shouts.<br />
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The blatant disregard shown by her callous husband causes such depression in her heart that she wanders alone in the street and even plunges herself in the river. But overcome by fear, she shouts out for help. A blacksmith by day and burglar by night saves her. He brings along his wife, Ponni who tries to befriend Savitri. She offers her shelter and food. But such a madness seizes Savitri that she refuses to eat anything not earned by herself. She is disgusted at being at the mercy of the men in her life – father, brother, husband. She gets so obstinate about not taking any more charity from anyone that she starts working at a temple as a cleaner for a cantankerous priest. But in a day she realises the impracticality of her choice and returns home, though a part of her is dead now. Ramani is relieved to find her back, less for her sake, and more to keep up social pretenses.<br />
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Narayan's sympathies are with Savitri though he resists from make a grand feminist statement. She leaves the house for valid reasons, but reconciles and comes back. Narayan, above all, much in the vein of say a Jane Austen was a realist and understood the limitations of people in their context and worlds. Narayan's characters rebel against a traditional and regressive society. Earlier in Bachelor Of Arts, the young protagonist is sickened at his inability to get the girl he wants and turns a monk for a while. But quickly realising the narrowness of his world, comes back into the mainstream.<br />
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In The Dark Room, Narayan quite clearly feels a deep anguish at the wife being treated shabbily and leaves no opportunity to portray the ugliness and selfishness of the husband's character.<br />
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The book is less of a novel and more of a novella. Narayan is effective in his portrayal of Ramani, a vain, sarcastic, self-serving man. Also, the part where Savitri leaves and encounters a different world is poignant, but the book as a whole has a few weaknesses. It is not as lush in its narrative, the story runs rather quickly, and doesn't delve too much into the complexities. Ramani's fling with his junior is awkwardly handled, perhaps because Narayan was writing about an episode he may not have experienced or seen first hand. The 'other' woman's character also remains shadowy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.naachgaana.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/world-of-nagraj.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-69425" height="234" src="https://www.naachgaana.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/world-of-nagraj.jpg" title="world of nagraj" width="150"></a><br />
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None of those problems are there in The World Of Nagaraj, which is an unqualified classic. It could be because it was written in Narayan's later years, and the narrative has a fluency and depth that is quite amazing.<br />
Since I read both books back-to-back, I felt an instant difference reading ...Nagaraj. One's reading pace is automatically slowed, as you try to absorb the atmospherics and the dense description of the leading character. The book is about a simple-minded, pleasant man, living with his wife, Sita and mother in a rather grand ancestral house called Kabir Street. He loves day-dreaming and talks a great deal to himself. His life's ambition is to be a thesis on sage Narada. Humble and affable, Nagaraj has no worries until his nephew Krishnaji, referred to as 'Tim' comes to stay with him. Narayan - through a series of flashbacks gives a vivid picture of the family characters. Gopi, the elder brother is aggressive and dominating. Until their father is alive and they all stayed together, Gopi took the best room, where he and his wife would stay locked in. The wife would cook savouries in limited portions and take them directly to their room. When the will is read out, Gopi asks for the farm house and lands in the village. This suits Nagaraj who prefers having the house in Malgudi.<br />
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Sharp-tongued and abrasive, Gopi looks at his younger brother as a bit of a fool, and openly insults him for his dull replies. Nagaraj being supremely unassertive, takes many of his brother's put-downs as a joke, trying to maintain a semblance of cheerful normalcy.<br />
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The entire book brings out the predicament of a man who cannot stand up for himself and confront situations. There is a scene in the novel where Tim and his wife have come to permanently stay in Nagaraj's house. This is the time when the latter has finally decided to get serious about his theses on Narada but Tim's wife is in the habit of playing the harmonium in the mornings and this is a source of intense irritation to Nagaraj. His impulse once prompts him to bang against her door and ask her to shut up. But he weakly smiles and walks away when she actually opens the door.<br />
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Narayan's point seems to be that it is human nature to take for a ride, and be insensitive to the needs of those who don't stand up for themselves. A complete lack of ego or pride is viewed as a grave weakness by others and the obvious response is to take the person for granted. Nagaraj's nervous reactions are both amusing and frustrating to watch. You want him to give up his meekness and take on his supercilious brother for once. The ending is poignant, and perhaps even sadder than The Dark Room.<br />
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But both novels leave you with a feeling of exultation as they give a wonderful psychological insight into human character and throb with a natural goodness so unique to R K Narayan's works.</div>
Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-38428346666954633492011-07-17T19:39:00.016+05:302011-07-18T09:12:33.484+05:30Priya - Namita Gokhale<strong>Author</strong>: Namita Gokhale<br /><strong>Pages</strong>: 195<br /><strong>Price</strong>: 350<br /><strong>Publishers</strong>: Penguin<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKPtAryzHEudhBZLMXP2wL7r-W-IN2bSpOMnPJLfn3xt-b6nvlSA_1RJRX1X3WPdge9jU0KKTKDZgLhlwDlNl2PnrFEvRcZpeS2kn015yiYreK5Yx8Jjp8hbUU5u1prYlUC3a6h_6QbM/s1600/priya.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKPtAryzHEudhBZLMXP2wL7r-W-IN2bSpOMnPJLfn3xt-b6nvlSA_1RJRX1X3WPdge9jU0KKTKDZgLhlwDlNl2PnrFEvRcZpeS2kn015yiYreK5Yx8Jjp8hbUU5u1prYlUC3a6h_6QbM/s400/priya.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630324429783184194" /></a><br /><br /><br />This is the first book I took up to review by Namita Gokhale, better recogonised as the co-director of the highly popular Jaipur lit fest. She's written 10 books already - which I had no idea about. <br /><br />You see the book’s inane title and cover design and wonder if the rest of the book is going to be as unimaginative. Its tag line below further reads -'In Incredible Indyaa' - an obvious smart-alecky attempt taking a dig at the socialite obsession with numerology. The author tries hard to satarise a certain class of people with their pretentions and superficial airs -the irony though is that the novel itself feels impossibly artificial and snooty. <br /><br />The characters are not fleshed out and come across as obnoxious caricatures. Also, the author's own personality seems to pervade heavily on the way these people speak. The result is not pleasant. The men don't sound like men. For example, the 45 something protagonist’s teenager son speaks dialogues such as these, “ Honest! That’s what her feminist-sheminist mother said. And her father got really upset, he even tried phoning Pitaji. He didn’t get through - all the PAs and secretaries saw to that. And then I sort of surrendered, and agreed to marry Monalisa. Her parents got uber excited. I think they had dreams of Band Baja Ghodi and Disco Bhangra and all that! Or Some Bengali fancy-dress tamasha” <br />Phew!<br /><br />Gokhale's latest is a sequel of sorts to the her earlier novel titled <em>Paro</em>, about a free-spirited, promiscuous woman. Priya has a presence in that book too. She is the more timid, staid one. She grows up as a middle-class girl in Mumbai, marries Suresh Kaushal, who in an unexpected windfall turns into a successful minister at the centre. This change in fortune is quite sudden and Priya’s lifestyle transforms overnight. She suddenly finds herself in the midst of political and Page 3 glitterati and has new 'challenges' to face every day. <br />She has twin sons, Luv and Kush. Luv is more artistically inclined while Kush is the more pragmatic one with aspirations of following his father’s political footsteps.<br /><br />But these characters are etched with no subtlety at all. What should have been conveyed in the narration with crafty irony is done blatantly with tasteless dialogues. For example, the author wants to assert Kush’s clinical approach to things. So when he gets a marriage proposal he meets the girl and discusses her on the breakfast table next day with his parents. He announces,“I’ve assessed the Sethia chick...It’s like a merger or an amalgamation. One has to study the fundamentals." <br />This is plain nasty writing and one would be hard-pressed to find anyone talking like that. The approach may be a reflection of Delhi’s opportunistic and mercenary culture, but the dialogues do the narration in completely. <br /><br />You have the husband Suresh having extra-marital affairs. Priya herself has an old flame whom she goes gallivanting with. There’s a Page 3 social climber type thrown in who talks about Botox and refers to Priya as Mrs Menopause. There is a ridiculous story about Luv and his love entanglements. Then just like that Kush turns out to be gay as well, and Priya is most sanguine about it. All this is laughably amateurish.<br /><br /> The novel's narration is in Priya's voice, but her character never really emerges in any sense. You never enter her head. Also, there are too many purple patches with needless adjectives thrown in. The author has the annoying habit of inserting all kind of Hindi words like ajeeb and adla badla as well. There's only one time when I thought a Hindi expression is well-used. 'Yaari-type hug' - I thought that captures a scene in an instant.<br /><br />However, the entire book has a vein of artificiality running through it with shrill coincidences and poor plot-construct and characterisation.<br /><br />The book has a few lines that are well written here and there - somewhere Suresh talks about India being a serpent with its hood being in the 21st century and tail still being in the dark ages. Also, some of the author's comments on Delhi's opportunistic culture and its obsession for private shorthand is interesting. The book is ambitious to the extent that Gokhale tries to etch out a novel driven entirely by atmospherics. Unfortunately, she's not upto the task.Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-46980384742011931192011-07-06T11:25:00.002+05:302012-02-28T19:43:51.921+05:30The theme of retribution in Delhi Belly<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8_tENtbyHMS17XJ-KaK6EmH_cVn8LV2j3bXGmagnW6tZ77G1OV_LbKCLrEUz6YC1HOXTYju7VA2kOP0LRIsl1QN8vsbJ_tMQzNZN6c-2LXCekLMj7jQQRT-c0R08bhiJFdvcFEQtI4A/s1600/delhi+belly.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8_tENtbyHMS17XJ-KaK6EmH_cVn8LV2j3bXGmagnW6tZ77G1OV_LbKCLrEUz6YC1HOXTYju7VA2kOP0LRIsl1QN8vsbJ_tMQzNZN6c-2LXCekLMj7jQQRT-c0R08bhiJFdvcFEQtI4A/s400/delhi+belly.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626114362572063698" /></a><br /><br /><br />The fact that this Akshat Varma penned script, stylishly directed by Abhinay Deo is a tightly-woven, smartly executed one is something all reviews have agreed. Varma – probably on account of having studied script-writing abroad – follows one of the essential rules of filmmaking – not to waste details. Every scene and reference in small or big ways adds to the development of the film – sooner or later. The story by itself is not novel, but it is this adherence to a simple scripting rule that makes this mad-cap, irreverent flick seem instantly fresh and unusual from the run-of-the-mill Hindi-film experience.<br /><br />But I come to a different point about Delhi Belly. This is not a film that is particularly bothered about appearing intellectual and profound – it is happy to be a dark, wicked comic thriller. And yet, I felt the film is very strong on subliminals. It’s not like the writer is necessarily aiming for it, but I detected a strong theme of retribution in Varma’s work.<br /><br /><br />Retribution is the idea of justice. You are punished for what you do wrong and rewarded what you do right. The three guys in the film (Imran, Vir, Kunal) stay in a dump, leading the most wretched, lazy, indifferent life. This is not uncommon with bachelors, but the writer recogonises that his protagonists need to wake up and gives them the jolt of their life. The film picks them up and throws them in the deep end of the sea, and challenges them to find a way out now. The fact that Varma has some affection for his protagonists goes without saying. These are well-meaning, decent chaps. But he raises a storm – makes everything go wrong for them – until they take stock of their life – a coming-of-age of sorts. They are rewarded in the end. Imran gets the girl he wants, and the three of them get to keep the pickings.<br /><br />This is the overarching retribution theme, but it works in every aspect of the film’s development. The writer takes no high moral ground anywhere, but there a subtle sense of poetic justice embedded into his script. Portly Nitin freely ogles at an actress, takes her photos from ‘those’ angles. His next stop is to a brothel where he could be a regular. The boob-press scene shows he enjoys some familiarity around. Today he is on business. His intent? To take pictures of his landlord (for all outward appearances a working-class, respectable man) in compromising positions with a prostitute. Nitin finds a simple blackmail the best immediate option for their rent woes. The writer sets up these things in such a way that you can’t help feel that Nitin is probably getting his just desserts. He suffers a horrible stomach upset that embarrasses him throughout the film. Nitin’s ordeal might be funny to the audience, but it’s never once a laughing matter to anyone in the film itself. His smug expression at the start of the film is soon replaced by a helpless, jolted one.<br /><br />The writer derives fun out of Nitin’s uncomfortable state, and also from the landlord’s, who gets a caustic tongue-lashing from his police inspector bro. Both get away in the end, because of a certain good act by them. Nitin stands by Tashi in his hour of need, and is clever – so he deserves the money he gets. Comically, the landlord – having no clue that Nitin is behind the blackmailing – like a helpful neighbour takes him to the clinic for his check-up. Naturally, this goodness melts Nitin’s heart, and once his own troubles are over, he wastes no time in sending the landlord an anonymous letter asking him to forget about the photos. “Lead a happy life’ it says. This is one of the most heart-warming scenes in the film, because this is the first kindly emotion the writer allows you to feel in this otherwise chaotic, crazed, messed up world.<br /><br />The retribution theme takes full force with the character of Vir Das (Arup) who is ditched by his girl friend. Cinematically, he is allowed a grand revenge with Jaa Chudail, even though the story cannot follow the girl in question.<br />Sonia (Shenaz Treasurywala ) pays for her dumbness with humiliation at the hands of the gangster (Raaz). But to Akshat’s credit – and this would have seemed very sexist and unacceptable otherwise – he is not entirely callous with her character. Rightly, she slaps Tashi hard, in full view of others for ditching her. In the last scene Nitin wonders whether he can start dating her if Taashi is not seeing her anymore. “She’s hot!’ he says. So Sonia’s feminine graces are allowed to be kept. <br /><br />The jeweller loses his money because he was a cheat. The most splendid character of the film Vijay Raaz – who the writer etches with great delight – has to die for not letting off his protagonist after he recovers his diamonds. But he’s not casually disposed off like a cheap villain. There is a cinematic grandness to his death as the shot hits his forehead and the blood drops in slow motion. Here was no ordinary man, the writer seems to say.Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-62700668785965369412011-06-21T13:38:00.004+05:302011-06-22T12:10:35.519+05:30Chinese Whiskers<em>Friends, this is a piece I did for Biblio, a one of its kind literary magazine in India - published from Delhi. I consider it a fairly important and essential platform for the intellectual exchange of ideas and information. I have attached its link. Readers can log in to the site and read</em><br /><br /><br /><strong>Author</strong>: Pallavi Aiyar <br /><strong>Publishers:</strong> Haerper Collins<br /><strong>Pages</strong>: 221<br /><strong>Price</strong>: 399 <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILaWg9etACTdZHNTnLjkql-u_JHCX1m78rpo28RZoB-hTnf_tmglvnkeftgkfzUGExQs7aFtfXSiEnlBkWEXN48ZU5D8B6JCAQwJCnAL2LesE0XotsaHRQBNdugfN9KY3DcSrE0YRUJQ/s1600/cats.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILaWg9etACTdZHNTnLjkql-u_JHCX1m78rpo28RZoB-hTnf_tmglvnkeftgkfzUGExQs7aFtfXSiEnlBkWEXN48ZU5D8B6JCAQwJCnAL2LesE0XotsaHRQBNdugfN9KY3DcSrE0YRUJQ/s400/cats.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620585566180110850" /></a><br /><br /><br />In one of her many interviews, author Pallavi Aiyar expresses her exasperation over too much “arm-chair analysis” that happens around the Indo- China relationship. To get a credible perspective on our Asian counterpart, she believes one must see things “ground up” rather than “top down” by observing the quotidian lives of its people. And Aiyar finds herself in a good position to do that, having stayed in Beijing for six years, first as an English teacher and then as a correspondent for The Hindu and The Indian Express. Like many expats in recent times, she has made use of this valuable experience to write two books on China, a society shrouded in ancient mysteries. This harmless cultural impulse apart, what has been worrying though is the Communist regime’s rigid monitoring and gagging of information, coinciding with the country’s dizzying success on the world economic stage. China elicits more interest now than ever before, and the fact that precious little fiction comes out of the country for the mainstream English reader, makes Chinese Whiskers all the more timely and interesting. <br /><br /><strong>http://www.biblio-india.org/showart.asp?inv=21&mp=MJ11</strong>Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-29270664835446847192011-06-16T22:42:00.011+05:302011-06-17T09:01:25.451+05:30A longish essay on Uncle Tom's Cabin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIH4eC6SMuQRaatlwZIrh-eX8bMyyjLO33GDkcd1s_UbDycQvB-jQAC8Ar0sbttdqA40a0y0AILc8kUnSMzR6PCsJbpMAv-UZXYc8gilulh6NMy9puQdglkpIwEd5KzGkWENlk_kPy5hs/s1600/uncle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIH4eC6SMuQRaatlwZIrh-eX8bMyyjLO33GDkcd1s_UbDycQvB-jQAC8Ar0sbttdqA40a0y0AILc8kUnSMzR6PCsJbpMAv-UZXYc8gilulh6NMy9puQdglkpIwEd5KzGkWENlk_kPy5hs/s400/uncle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618866884202825730" /></a><br /><br /><br />Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic 1852 novel is best remembered for its emotional, conscientious appeal for the abolishment of slavery. The author, though White herself, had seen the lives of slaves from close quarters and could give a fairly accurate version of the atrocities that were heaped on them. The book's powerful, hard-hitting narrative had the desired effect and within 5 months of its publication nearly half a million copies were sold. The book became extremely controversial. By this time slavery no longer existed in North America. But it thrived in the South where slaves were an economic necessity, as they were needed in the fields. The Southerners put up a fierce resistance against attempts to change existing laws, leading to the Civil war in 1860s. The North won, and America was finally declared free of slavery.<br /><br />Beecher's novel came a decade before the civil war took place and continued to have immeasurable influence on the political and social narrative on slavery. The Southerners expectedly slammed<strong> Uncle Tom's Cabin </strong>terming it exaggerated and even untruthful. However, the horrors that were captured in the novel and the psychology of human violence it brought out so incisively made a deep impression upon its readers. Over the years Beecher's novel grew so famous that it's characters - Uncle Tom, Eva, Simon Legree, Topsy became American by words. The novel was adapted for the stage many times and several film adaptations of it were made in the silent era. This did some disservice to the book "as many of these were garish dramatisations, emphasing the most melodramatic, seemingly improbable incidents in the novel", says Alfred Kazin in his introduction to the classic. For the later generation the novel turned into a caricature. "The characters had become such worn-out symbols that without knowing the book, people who mockingly used these symbols thought the book beneath their notice," he writes.<br /><br />Yet, it's impossible to deny the novel's historical significance. It remains the single-most enduring novel written on slavery. Over the years the Blacks have come to view the book with with mixed feeling. The novel unquestionably aided in the abolition of slavery but many also saw the portrayal of Blacks as objectionable for a variety of reasons. Author and critic Charles Johnson's introduction for one of the newer editions is especially useful in understanding the Black point of view to the novel. Johnson -though he finds the novel untidy, full of contrivances, improbable situations and mawkish sentimentality, applauds it for its stupendous characters and narrative power. He states that much need not be made about these faults because this was the structure prevalent in the nineteenth century. Also, <em>Uncle Tom's Cabin</em> came at a time when fiction was being published in serialized form in newspapers, which meant there was the natural tendency to stretch a story too long. Beecher's novel came in 45 weekly instalments which explains its immoderate length. "What <em>Uncle Tom's Cabin </em>lacks in concinnity it more than makes up for by being fully imagined and deeply felt," says Johnson. <br /><br />He sees the novel as a staggering success in terms of story-telling but firmly objects to the way Blacks have been portrayed, calling it 'ineluctably racist' "Stowe's interpretation of the 'nature' of Negros is her novel's most central and self-destructive flaw. It simple replaces one racist stereotype with another that is equally condescending and unacceptable." He goes on to say that this is typically the problem with most white Americans who will understand the racial and cultural "other" only 'in their own terms' <br /><br />Johnson is especially displeased that the author tags Blacks with adjectives like 'patient, timid and unenterprising' Also, he believes Beecher overdoes her sympathy by showing all Blacks as innocent and good. Even Topsy who is a wild, irreligious child is someone who monkeys around and amuses people. So essentially, the argument becomes that Blacks ought to be freed because they are harmless and pet-like. It totally deflects from the simple ethical question of human freedom and dignity. These points are extremely valid. He even quotes Charles Dickens who was disturbed by Beecher's attempt at portraying Blacks in an over-the-top positive light. "I think this extreme championship is likely to repel some useful sympathy and support." <br /><br />Similarly, while the Southern's felt that Beecher had fabricated the truth, Johnson on the other hand believes that her book only "touches upon the iceberg of two hundred years of depravity and cruelly inflicted on Africans"<br /><br />Beyond these points of debate, let's also look at what the books actually aims to do. Without much doubt Beecher's social and moral concerns overpowered her artistic ambitions. The issue of slavery was foremost on the author's mind. And yet, she has a terrific sense of drama, and some of her characterisation is as good as it gets in classic literature. Yet, there are also painfully exaggerated figures she creates in the lead characters of Uncle Tom and Eva - the angelical do-gooders as symbols of Christ. Both epitomise Christian ideals of forbearance and sacrifice, and belong to the Black and White sides respectively. This choice of characterisation was most probably derived from the fact that Beecher was herself brought up on tales of Christian charity and brotherhood. Her faith was strong and her attempt was clearly to evoke the image of Christ amidst the cruelties she saw around her.<br />Where Beecher is really in top form is in her slow peeling of the evil characters. She demonstrates an immense and awe-inspiring talent in the description of Marie Clare and Simon Legree. <br /><br />Now for the gist of the novel. The action starts at the Shelbys, a kindly family who treat their slaves well. However, when Mr Shelby's fortunes take a beating he is forced to sell off his loyal slave of many years, the middle-aged and diligent, Uncle Tom. He also plans to give away one of their female slave Eliza's son. When Eliza hears that her child would be taken away from her, a strange motherly power possesses her and she makes a great escape. Tom - the ever tolerant man meekly follows his new master, Mr Haley, leaving his wife and children behind. Tom is industrious and god-loving and doesn't face too many problems. But his stay with Haley is short-lived, as a young man of fortune and family, St Clare absorbs him into his large, picturesque household in New Orleans. St Clare buys Tom at a princely sum, since his little daughter Eva takes a great liking to him. Eva is portrayed as a little angel who cannot see anyone suffering around her and is always compassionate to everyone. She holds no prejudice of colour or class.<br /><br />Her mother Marie is the polar opposite. She is hypochondriac and a nag. The author says describing her, "Marie had never possessed much capability of affection, or much sensibility, and the little that she had, was merged into a most intense and unconscious selfishness; a selfishness more hopeless, from it quiet obtuseness, its utter ignorance of any claims but her own. From her infancy she had been surrounded by servants, who lived only to study her caprices; the idea that they had feeling or rights had never dawned upon her even in distant perspective."<br /><br />Marie intensely resents the fact that her husband is excessively lenient with their servants. She finds it absurd that he never whips them. Things seem to go along nicely for Tom for a while. But then almost suddenly Eva takes ill and dies. St Clare is a broken man but as kind as ever. He is keen to give Tom his freedom, but just days before the formalities can get completed, he too dies. Now at the mercy of their heartless mistress the servants start to get nervous about their altered circumstances. On one occasion Marie even sends one of her slave girls to a flogging house. Clare's middle-aged cousin, Miss Ophelia pleads the girl's case with Marie, but she obtusely holds on to her own position. <br /><br />Marie sells off some of the slave, including Tom. This proves to be the third and final destination for Tom. His master Simon Legree is a ruthless, sadistic tyrant. Yet, he means to be decent with Tom as he sees potential in him and wants to promote him as an overseer. Legree, however, is uncomfortable seeing the pious side of Tom. His inhuman and immoral acts fill his heart with a dread of the unknown, and he gets determined to break his will. He asks Tom to flog a woman. When he refuses, he unleashes the worst torture on him. Finally, Tom dies at the hands of Legree's men, much like Christ.<br /><br />The story is deeply moving and its emotional sweep is tremendous. Harriet Beecher Stowe's prose is compassionate and courageous, and it's not difficult to see that such a novel -with its particular nuances and shades - could only be written by a woman. Happy domestic scenes clearly delight the author and to her mind nothing can be more tyrannical than forcibly breaking up a family. This is the refrain throughout the novel. Slaves were allowed to marry but these marriages were not legally recognised and their owners very often would sell one half of the couple to anyone they wished. This inhuman aspect of slavery moved Beecher the most and she recounts countless episodes that show husband-wife and mother-child being cruelly separated. The author was evidently appealing to the sympathetic heart of White American wives and mothers, who would be able to feel the full impact of such an act. <br /><br />The novel's other important theme is the psychology of violence. When irresponsible and uncontrolled power is placed with someone, human beings are capable of unleashing the most perverse violence on each other. This is what is revealed in the case of both Legree and Marie.<br />While the author portrays the 'good' in its purest form, reaching almost unrealistic levels, she is more interesting when she tackles evil in people. Ever the evangelist, she likes to believe that people can have a change of heart. Many characters in the book do go through that feeling.<br />The novel’s other strength is that it wonderfully penetrates into the psyche of women and captures how their minds operate. There is always a fair bit of guile and tact that women employ to negotiate their way around, and this the author astutely brings out. <br />All of this makes Uncle Tom’s Cabin as much of an artistic success as much as it one of the most significant social novels in all of literature.<br /><br /><strong>Pages:511</strong>Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-82528350749401716832011-06-09T21:44:00.019+05:302011-06-10T22:30:59.699+05:30First Day First Show:Anupama Chopra<strong>Author</strong>: Anupama Chopra <br /><strong>Pages</strong>: 376 <br /><strong>Publisher</strong>: Penguin <br /><strong>Price</strong>: 499 <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BiAc3nVzoSQ0YeHo9TjWv1nYBCeN34PeAZPzNMZtFWKL-e5e3F6FmWDfpRWwoFLwr7PDCMYkUb4Tb3-hYtJdHbodfD04v10xEf7nYkHJdr98sCNKSLce7T6YxVCeVyf2bpqoQN7IEeg/s1600/first+day+first+show.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BiAc3nVzoSQ0YeHo9TjWv1nYBCeN34PeAZPzNMZtFWKL-e5e3F6FmWDfpRWwoFLwr7PDCMYkUb4Tb3-hYtJdHbodfD04v10xEf7nYkHJdr98sCNKSLce7T6YxVCeVyf2bpqoQN7IEeg/s400/first+day+first+show.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616412459472068546" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymx2oQTzhWG7LIdBemhk1D48edXYc2mXUjpXsMN_0Z-iK12-2nLYLm9ZwnewUhzDa49iylOaIw4CrvGe_6vwiCG9eExk1rc8TekBLXnxQ4inlWRVZJYlQNd4prsd2iuCGx49h-BmpRQU/s1600/anupama+chopra.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymx2oQTzhWG7LIdBemhk1D48edXYc2mXUjpXsMN_0Z-iK12-2nLYLm9ZwnewUhzDa49iylOaIw4CrvGe_6vwiCG9eExk1rc8TekBLXnxQ4inlWRVZJYlQNd4prsd2iuCGx49h-BmpRQU/s400/anupama+chopra.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616412609077655490" /></a><br /><br /><br /> It didn't seem like the wisest thing to do when a 20 something Anupama Chopra set her mind to write on Bollywood. Her intellectually inclined family was taken aback by her decision. Even more bemused was the <em>India Today </em>editor Arun Poorie who took her interview. "So you came back from America with a journalism degree to write about Bollywood?' he asked incredulously, giving her the job anyway. Through the 90s and mid-2000s, she wrote extensively on Hindi cinema, covering various aspects of Bombay’s dream factory. In the course of this time, she also wrote two books, one on the epochal <em>Sholay</em> and the other, her all time favourite film, <em>Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge</em>. Currently, as the consulting entertainment editor for an English television news channel, she does weekly interviews and reviews. Her latest book <em>First Day First Show </em>is a compilation of her numerous articles -- comprising interviews, quotable quotes and pithy observations, that give a panoromic view of Bollywood in the last two decades. The concentration is essentially on the 90s though.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRS7KtZzVRBOiFZX05bPdthCFlbSKHy42HagD8id4VISxWX_F70XM1lIpWZcHzPOQ3-dF6_sukcOBFjCDF3vqcbBSwM8VFwfukBKC61QDpNs26lis3TRu7lw2vcK_r4iCvdDoshd9OHU/s1600/dil.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRS7KtZzVRBOiFZX05bPdthCFlbSKHy42HagD8id4VISxWX_F70XM1lIpWZcHzPOQ3-dF6_sukcOBFjCDF3vqcbBSwM8VFwfukBKC61QDpNs26lis3TRu7lw2vcK_r4iCvdDoshd9OHU/s400/dil.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616413805048594578" /></a><br /><br />In her Prologue, Anupama tells us how she started working in a period when the mainstream press rarely took film journalists seriously, and movies were primarily the domain of popular magazines like Stardust, Filmfare and Cineblitz. Some of these were PR driven, while most others contained salacious gossip and spicy interviews. The language had plenty of spunk and chutzpah. However, these were entirely star-driven magazines with no place for serious film appreciation. This was also a time when the industry was anarchic in its working patterns. Stars would be hopping sets like headless chickens, doing 20-25 films at one time. The distributor lobby - which would push for randomly inserting action sequences or a sexy item number - made the movie business cruder than ever. Formulas ruled, and much of the scripts were frame-by-frame copies of Hollywood blockbusters. To compound matters, the industry’s murky links with the underworld were surfacing.<br /><br />To be conscious of this context and yet write lucidly and responsibly was a challenge by itself, and this is where Anupama succeeds. There is no trace of condescension or cynicism in her writing. Her passion for Hindi cinema brims forth, even as she takes an objective view of the industry with its chaos and contradictions. Her pieces are intelligent, not overly academic or pedantic. <br />These columns, most of them written for <em>India Today </em>in the last decade and a half run you through the various phases of the industry. And you have to agree with her when she says that the more things change, the more they stay the same. For example, the 90s for a while saw a phase where double-meaning, ribald songs ruled the roost. From cholis to khatiyas, each producer was trying to outdo the other. There was a public outcry finally, a few vulgar films flopped, and the ‘smut bubble’ as the author calls it, finally burst. <br /><br />She rightly observes that melody moves in circles and that the vulgar wave was perhaps inevitable. It’s like how Amitabh Bachchan came and edged out the soft, romantic songs typified in Rajesh Khanna’s films, she says. “In 1990, the super success of Nadeem-Shravan’s <em>Aashique</em> ushered in the year of ghazal-type romantic music as in <em>Saajan, Dil, Phool Aur Kaante</em> and <em>Deewana</em>. 'There was so much sweetness,' says (lyricist) Sameer, ‘that the audience got diabetes.’ <em>Aakhen</em> put a foot in the double-meaning door and ‘Choli’ opened the floodgates.”<br />One sees a similar trend in music now, with the likes of Dev D’s <em>Emotional Atyachar </em>and Delhi Belly’s D K Bose flaunting a devil-may-care attitude with their irreverent tone and impudent lyrics. The intent in some ways is again to break away from set pattern, and its target audience – youth – are lapping it up.<br /><br />Anupama covers the careers and personalities of all the key players of this time - Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan, Govinda, Aamir Khan, Kajol, Karisma Kapoor, Amitabh, Aishwarya Rai – and brings a rare acuity to her observations. She says about Madhuri’s astonishing ascent to the top. “So what is the Madhuri phenomenon all about? It’s about dancing, for one. No other actress can match her suggestive, come hither mobility. In the profusion of bare midriffs and wiggling hips, her sexuality stands apart, marked by apparent innocence...She doesn’t ooze sex, she suggests it. With no overt come-on, she is the ultimate Indian male fantasy – a desi, middle-class Madonna,” she writes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgdVUipUsB7P-lAqNhGqVA6YdqA-rCaO_qOqqhW13VsMmx1kIsYQS2VqBIokBOa3QJ5hBUgFitVXbUaUkVElXal3qpXhS9zqCnGm-st_dYRQZt1waBBE-bd9n4e0uAaGOO1UAqLCriHQ/s1600/madhuri.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgdVUipUsB7P-lAqNhGqVA6YdqA-rCaO_qOqqhW13VsMmx1kIsYQS2VqBIokBOa3QJ5hBUgFitVXbUaUkVElXal3qpXhS9zqCnGm-st_dYRQZt1waBBE-bd9n4e0uAaGOO1UAqLCriHQ/s400/madhuri.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616415104972875186" /></a><br /><br />Among the most interesting articles is the one on the Bhatts, who were the most prolific makers through the 90s. The piece on script-writer Honey Irani is hilarious as well. There are also a few articles on Govinda, who seems to be a favourite of the author. She describes a particularly amusing incident of her trying to pin down the Hero No 1 for an interview. She narrates how he and his family were unfailingly polite. Govinda himself kept referring to her as ‘Bhabhiji’ after Anupama’s marriage to filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, but constantly failed to keep his appointments. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmW_f-BxnviivDTocXxUePQ2o-dl4gA3VN_Va_CLQOYJHO0xFitJfEPdHrleq7bx1Yh8HNTUWHJdJQF2c_H3QpohZgMieEQYpJY74osdN3Vu60pMuyHQFMENkX-WUOGNFkjYJ7ljQ313o/s1600/govinda.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmW_f-BxnviivDTocXxUePQ2o-dl4gA3VN_Va_CLQOYJHO0xFitJfEPdHrleq7bx1Yh8HNTUWHJdJQF2c_H3QpohZgMieEQYpJY74osdN3Vu60pMuyHQFMENkX-WUOGNFkjYJ7ljQ313o/s400/govinda.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616412932063489586" /></a><br /><br />One of the best chapter here is an extract from her book on Dilwale <em>Dulhaniya Le Jayenge</em>, where she interprets the film is some detail, bringing in several fresh insights. Talking about the character of Raj, she writes, “He is the perfect blend of the modern and the traditional. He is progressive in certain situations and rigidly conservative in others. He plays by the rules but he also tweaks them. When Simran decides to keep karva chaut, Raj supports her. Karva chaut is a largely north Indian ritual in which married Hindu women keep a day-long fast, abstaining from food and water for the prosperity and longevity of their husbands. Feminists have long railed against this gendered practice, but the ritual continues to be immensely popular. Aditya (Chopra) who grew up watching his mother do karva chauth, puts a modern twist to it. Simran, the bride-to-be, decides to fast for her future husband. In her mind, of course, it is Raj and not Kuljeet. Raj doesn’t take the ritual too seriously – when Simran complains of hunger pangs, he tries to sneak her a laddoo. But as a token of love and solidarity, Raj also fasts...”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtF2bPdhqfeiZvsh1SC27uHlfD3v9DJvN4M6Xutu8E3D6KdlVV8T0d94r7V2FHA75rqO-k5RWaI5wYXcERplLM5Z00mdoxPgAtLbeO1c2trQJ0xMYS0HfDN4Ha2EPOatftrA0csdUW0Y/s1600/ddl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtF2bPdhqfeiZvsh1SC27uHlfD3v9DJvN4M6Xutu8E3D6KdlVV8T0d94r7V2FHA75rqO-k5RWaI5wYXcERplLM5Z00mdoxPgAtLbeO1c2trQJ0xMYS0HfDN4Ha2EPOatftrA0csdUW0Y/s400/ddl.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616414423370012882" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhSmFCCdhZxuq-O8gDu00XPQV5O7iBN6_TXWWeZ1pO_OeAEi_hKU2HRZ9jhZlavdExMvCy1SXH_Jdhgmlg1BToMHFB0dThfutqXxNiJebIGDS8Nnc17Rzt2GJb1-FVs3KQjTcOu5YHVE/s1600/srk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhSmFCCdhZxuq-O8gDu00XPQV5O7iBN6_TXWWeZ1pO_OeAEi_hKU2HRZ9jhZlavdExMvCy1SXH_Jdhgmlg1BToMHFB0dThfutqXxNiJebIGDS8Nnc17Rzt2GJb1-FVs3KQjTcOu5YHVE/s400/srk.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616417200162677730" /></a><br /><br />Anupama rightly points out how the DDLJ world is a largely male-driven one, where women have little power. She also makes a mention of one of the most terrific scenes in the film, involving Simran’s mother Lajjo who speaks about the continued sacrifices expected out of women. “The film most definitely recogonises this inequality between men and women, but affirms the status quo. Like Barjatya’s Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...! it establishes the importance of family over individual.”<br />The book also carries many of the author’s reviews of past and recent films.<br />Anupama’s writing is precise, with unmistakable irony and style. Shah Rukh Khan in his Forward of the book also makes a mention of it. "I may or may not agree with her view but I know it is honest. I like the simplicity of her writing. I like that it is never over-elaborate," he says.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6GPwoIkvhvw4qRsj-lWQ-wdLi2_MpEFDE6oEdnvm1KMqfyvRBq43z5RZPggObaWozGjnZCy35q-RGZl6Pmb8Afn4EEdivB2cXUXgIclSzjQJjM8t5E26YnChI72BpjJiaern7Lx5FJk/s1600/hum+dil.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6GPwoIkvhvw4qRsj-lWQ-wdLi2_MpEFDE6oEdnvm1KMqfyvRBq43z5RZPggObaWozGjnZCy35q-RGZl6Pmb8Afn4EEdivB2cXUXgIclSzjQJjM8t5E26YnChI72BpjJiaern7Lx5FJk/s400/hum+dil.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616414759088034498" /></a><br /><br />The actor in his forward also mentions how Anupama is objective because she is an 'outsider' who became an 'insider' - much like SRK himself. SRK further recounts some interesting aspects of his journey to superstardom, and especially talks about his early days. <br /><br />Since much of the contents of the book are from contemporary film history, it's not terribly revelatory in any sense. But Anupama's polished yet empathetic approach is what makes her writing stand apart. For that reason, this book is a worthy endeavour.Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-59125530162991517542011-05-27T23:04:00.011+05:302012-03-15T17:57:55.363+05:30City Of Djinns<strong>Author</strong>: William Dalrymple<br /><strong>Pages</strong>: 339<br /><strong>Published in the year</strong>: 1994<br /><strong>Publishers</strong>: Penguin<br /><strong>Genre</strong>: Non-fiction/ Memoir<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKn3cGT9odCPrrYB4v8YbDGPvTpvcuGw5vG0DkjoQ4FMT1AfPwCLn5VeQxFLWIdkoH4IoNAPJm1d2or3DMKR1IBib6aZozlPMoCAFeDQozE-LoBylUNu0dMNrry01gz0gpPqztfgvXap8/s1600/city+of+djinns.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKn3cGT9odCPrrYB4v8YbDGPvTpvcuGw5vG0DkjoQ4FMT1AfPwCLn5VeQxFLWIdkoH4IoNAPJm1d2or3DMKR1IBib6aZozlPMoCAFeDQozE-LoBylUNu0dMNrry01gz0gpPqztfgvXap8/s400/city+of+djinns.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611451246040756098" /></a><br /><br />For Dalrymple, who has come to acquire the status of a formidable travel writer today, it was <em>City Of Djinns</em> that marked the beginning of his fascination with Mughal history. For the book, part travelogue and memoir, the author spent nearly a year in Delhi unravelling the city's archaeological riches. What looked like a fling with India soon turned into a lasting romance, and the Scottish author followed it up with two more books on related themes that became the centrepiece of his literary career - <em>White Mughals</em> and <em>The Last Mughal</em>. While the former is about the early relationship between the English and native Indians, <em>The Last Mughal </em>largely is based on events around the 1857 revolt and the ouster of Delhi’s last king, Bahadur Shah Zafar. <br /><br />Both the above books were born out of <em>City of Djinns</em>. Dalrymple had visited Delhi when he was all of seventeen and was instantly under its spell. "It was so totally unlike anything I had seen before. Delhi, it seemed at first, was full of riches and horror, it was a labyrinth, a city of palaces, an open gutter...Moreover - I soon discovered - possessed a bottomless seam of stories, tales receding far beyond history, deep into the cavernous chambers of myth and legend," he says in his introduction.<br /><br />The whole city, then, seemed to be an endless and fascinating journey of discovery to the author, who had already by then acquired a reputation as a stunning travel writer with his first book In Xanadu. Still only 25, Dalrymple brought with him a sense of adventure and a charming wide-eyed curiosity to Delhi that he put together in this elegant, lush memoir. Besides uncovering grand, epic stories around the city, the book is punctuated with delightful daily-life anecdotes that Dalrymple narrates with a mix of bemused exasperation and empathy. Many interesting character dot his domestic world. His land lady Mrs Puri, who likes to govern things with an iron hand, and his cab driver, Balvinder, a loutish, pan-chewing Punjabi fellow - are coloured with vivid, ironic strokes. Charmingly, Dalrymple was also newly married around this time, and provides a very flattering portrayal of his artist-wife Olivia, who has done the illustrations for the book. The maps and monuments she draws are really pretty, though much of the sketches have a distinct exotic, western gaze - man smoking hookah, an old cobbler, qawwali singers, a eunuch and so one. <br /><br />The author slowly peels the many layers of Delhi, by tracing the antecedents of the city’s famous monuments. It opens up a long and bloody history of conquerors and blood-shed, of periods of glory and despondency, of exile and re-settlement. Darlymple’s journey touches upon the after effects of the Indo-Pak partition on its inhabitants, the Sikh revolt in the 80s. From contemporary history, he goes back to the Raj, and extensively covers the period which saw a rapid change in the British attitude to the natives. All this happened within a century. The Whites who came either as part of the East India Company or as scholars, were reverential to the Mughals. They imbibed the Orient culture, married Indian women.... But as the power of the East India company grew and the British conclusively established their rule in most of India, the equations drastically altered, and the natives were all shunned. The Anglo-Indians, in fact, suffered the worst blow, as they found no acceptance on either side. Dalrymple speaks to a few Anglo-Indians who survived that period, and their inputs are quite telling. Most of them consider themselves as full—blown British. One such old couple is Marion and Jeo Fowler, who describe with delight one of their brief visits to England. They talk about the great food, the picturesque landscaps and the sense of equality that prevails there. There is a hint of regret at not being able to live in a place they believe to be their right. “<em>It was that Mrs Thatcher. She never liked Anglo-Indians. She made it very hard for us. All her rules and regulations,” </em>they bemoan.<br /><br />From the British era, the book travels back to the luxuriant Shah Jahan period, where a bloody battle for succession broke out between his two sons Dara Shikoh and Aurangazeb. It was also a period where the Mughals were at the zenith of glory and wealth. Yet, the author observes that this outward refinement in art and etiquette was a cover for some of the most crude and heinous of crimes committed.<br />Delving deeper into Delhi’s history, the author gives vivid portrayals of Ibn Battuta, a Muslim, Moroccan traveller, who wrote about his journeys and Tughluk Khan, one of the most barbaric rulers of the 14th century.<br /><br />Clearly, Dalrymple summons up tremendous amounts of patience, as he painstakingly gets to the bottom of the city’s historical treasures. The entire endeavour brims with passion, and equally impressive is the maturity and restraint that Dalrymple brings to his excellent writing.<br />The author is seldom critical, except when he talks about the neglect by the Indian authorities of important archaeological sites or his harrowing experience at the customs. At other times, he prefers letting his ironic narration do the talking.<br /> It need not be added then that any reader of City Of Djinns will view Delhi is a completely new light.Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956626159470439381.post-50855921830804756252011-05-20T19:58:00.015+05:302012-03-15T17:25:28.917+05:30Tagore's NaukadubiKashmakash(dubbed) <br />Director: Rituparno Ghosh<br />Starring: Jishu Sengupta,Raima Sen, Riya Sen, Prosenjit,<br />Stars: *** <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWJOUbQnU1LICxxymos4UYoo0-BMSllH9qxYWPeKWip0Nrzg7rVOERfwrP6rh39FT5IgiCCRttdEl6WYPgYD0DvNivDeVJmD7x-CYl23RNEyqzn5sBo33ATXQmFFGmqj5XkXJd475Tlk/s1600/raima.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWJOUbQnU1LICxxymos4UYoo0-BMSllH9qxYWPeKWip0Nrzg7rVOERfwrP6rh39FT5IgiCCRttdEl6WYPgYD0DvNivDeVJmD7x-CYl23RNEyqzn5sBo33ATXQmFFGmqj5XkXJd475Tlk/s400/raima.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608825001957391122" /></a><br /><br />In times when intelligent and original stories are so hard to come by, one naturally looks towards literary adaptations with some interest. Because even if they often disappoint in their final execution, they still come with a semblance of a plot. And if the adaptation is of a book written by Rabindranath Tagore, one is even more thrilled at the prospect. Tagore's reputation largely rests on his poems and short stories, but he was also a farily successful novelist. His <em>Choker Bali </em>was an artistic tour de force and was earlier made into a film by director Rituparno Ghosh. This time Ghosh chooses Tagore's other famous novel, <em>Naukadubi</em> that was written at the turn of the 20th century. Great changes were happening in Bengal, as in the rest of the country at this time. And much of this got reflected in Tagore's works.<br /><br /><em>Naukadubi </em>has been dubbed in Hindi as <em>Kashmakash</em>, produced by Subhash Ghai to coincide with Tagore's 150 anniversary. Somehow, even though any endeavour that brings classic literature to the fore needs to be applauded, and <em>Naukadubi</em> has some definite strengths, it is a film that is closely tied to the context of its times. Chastity is an important concern in the film, so is parental influence. These elements are the chief drivers of the plot, and these may not necessarily find a resonance with today's audience, unless they can see it as art belonging to a particular social milieu.<br /><br />And yet, it does raise some profound and timeless questions. It looks at our deeply engrained sense of tradition and morality and what happens when it is in conflict with the dictates of the heart. Each character goes through this conundrum, and deal with it according to their individual situations in life.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3UofzhyXSZDUzl8SsErVuTu5f7NfvoFo3rK-DdkzchbzwdDOFb8vAYiH2t0zrMwDEe_SW5-GywUJjsSBu0H5VnvV04ffO8gEE4dgITB12tjXUxdbGzTbP2yV8k9LdrsL7v5NmRy1ESQ/s1600/naukadubi3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii3UofzhyXSZDUzl8SsErVuTu5f7NfvoFo3rK-DdkzchbzwdDOFb8vAYiH2t0zrMwDEe_SW5-GywUJjsSBu0H5VnvV04ffO8gEE4dgITB12tjXUxdbGzTbP2yV8k9LdrsL7v5NmRy1ESQ/s400/naukadubi3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608813293211305106" /></a><br />There is of course beauty and lyricism that come from the fact that Tagore was essentially a poet at heart. Novel-writing demands a certain analytical and realistic approach, but being a lyricist, he applied his grand imagination to real settings. <em>Naukadubi </em>is an example of a dramatic, incredible story, that almost seems like it was written with the intent of shaking up a complacent and custom-driven Bengali society. Though a popular fictional story, its critical reception has not been the most flattering over the years. Yet, it's not hard to see it as quite bold and progressive for its times.<br /><br />Ramesh (Jishu Sengupta), is a scholarly young man in Kolkata in love with the beautiful and intellectually-driven Hemalini (Raima Sen). They intend to get married, but Ramesh is suddenly instructed to come back to his village by his father. When he arrives, he learns that his father has fixed his marriage with a poor widow's daughter. Ramesh's first reaction is to flatly refuse, but on seeing the widow, his heart softens and he agrees to marry. On the wedding day, their boat gets wrecked. On the shores, he sees a bride, Kamala (Riya Sen) lying unconscious. He naturally supposes her to be his wife, and they start to live together. He fights hard to forget his paramour and is gentle and affectionate towards Kamala. But he slowly learns that she is not his wife at all and there has been a misunderstanding. On Hemalini's part, she tries to get over Ramesh and starts to imagine a life with a country doctor (Prosenjit) whom she meets. Kamala too finds herself on the crossroads.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m98Zw7l2zCW_7RlPOh_YqVEh0FzRqmUMC5sM_cdCaAwJk-0ak3_IsE95WGt03pwmzJfl_ecddHH4jl3wUwDSBr2mG0wo9c56hiuQLqr6OwnO91BbPJh5Z2lGMtodlx4BCm_wdVEewHo/s1600/riya.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m98Zw7l2zCW_7RlPOh_YqVEh0FzRqmUMC5sM_cdCaAwJk-0ak3_IsE95WGt03pwmzJfl_ecddHH4jl3wUwDSBr2mG0wo9c56hiuQLqr6OwnO91BbPJh5Z2lGMtodlx4BCm_wdVEewHo/s400/riya.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608823239397233298" /></a><br />The theme is clearly about nature versus custom. Each of the characters is forced to momentarily bent to accepted tradition, but ultimately a satisfactory resolution is found. The boat-wreck in some ways could be a metaphor for nature asserting itself and ending what it deems as unnatural.<br /><br />Hemalini and Kamala are two women who belong to opposite ends of the social spectrum. Hemalini has the previlege of wealth, education and an indulgent father - a desi Emma or sorts - while Kamala considers herself unfortunate and is subservient. Both experience the same kind of emotions, but their social background ultimately determines how they react to their situation.<br /><br />The period details, decor and costume make for sumptuous viewing. And the music is simply marvelous. Here's a link to Manwa from the film, one of the most gorgeous songs in recent times (http://www.video.mobitowns.com/manwa-kashmakash-2011.html)<br /><br />On the downside, Tagore's story uses too many coincidences at every point. The situation under which Ramesh agrees to marry also lacks conviction. Prosenjit's character is the most underdeveloped of the four. However, director Rituparno Ghosh seems to have done exceptionally well with the content at hand. There is tremendous grace to this film, and Raima Sen has never looked more ethereal. Though the emotional complexities don't emerge very well (and this could be a weakness in the original story), there is something deeply humane and dignified about its characters.Sandhya Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14447589463166718231noreply@blogger.com4