Book Review – Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri

I had always felt a lack of interest in contemporary Indian authors, mainly due to my lack of exposure to them. So, I thought twice when a friend of mine recommended this book to me. But this friend was someone with whom I shared not only interests but some personal traits too, and hence, I decided to fetch this one for reading. Man, was I thrilled?

Interpreter of Maladies – this book has won Pulitzer award and I very much understood why. The author, who herself is akin to many of the protagonists in this book - in the sense that she was also an NRI, a second-generation one at that having settled at the US during her parents’ times – has woven a wonderful tapestry of human emotions that range from mellowing love to biting indifference of relationships, and the stage keeps shifting from the small lanes of Calcutta to the wide avenues of the USA.

The book deals with the intricate emotions and intense emotional struggles that most people find themselves to be in, when they are caught up in the middle of two forces – in this case the force being two different cultures. Unable to adapt themselves completely to the so-called liberal culture of America, struggling to find their footing in an altogether different continent, having been uprooted from their own soil for reasons ranging from professional to nuptial.

Each of the nine stories takes you through the inner conflicts and contemplations of the protagonists.

The book tells nine stories – 1) revelations of the couple – Shobha and Shukumar - whose marriage is on the verge of failing at the arrival of a stillborn child, 2) the anxiety of a Bangladeshi academician, Mr.Pirzada, who is bothered about his family’s welfare due to the political scenario back home, 3) the typical adulterous tendencies of a married person, Dev, and the young American girl, Miranda, that falls for his charms, 4) the homesick pangs of a married woman, Mrs.Sen, that finds solace and happiness at the company of a little boy whom she has to baby-sit,  5) the sad plight of a poor old servant maid, Boori Ma, who boasts of a glorious and prosperous past that sounds more like fantasy than fact, 6) the whole gamut of emotions of a part-time cab driver, Mr.Kapasi, that starts developing amorous intentions towards the NRI lady who is travelling with her family, only to end up facing some surprises rather, 7) the story of a 100+ years old lady, Mrs.Croft, whose life and values are still frozen at the 18th century, but who nevertheless is self-reliant and enigmatic, 8) the unseen and unfelt frictions between a traditional Indian guy Sanjeev who marries the girl Twinkle that was born and brought up in US and who believes in having her way in whatever she does, and 9) the carnal and nuptial yearnings of a eccentric and indisposed young girl Bibi Haldar, whose illness has more to do with the mind rather than the physique.

If you are a person that relishes reading the emotional intricacies and empathizing with the characters, this is a must-read for yourself. Also, if you are a person who is of the opinion that everyone that settles in the USA is settled for life and has nothing to worry about or struggle against, this is a DEFINITELY a must-read for you!

One of my favorite ghazals of Mirza Ghalib

रहिये अब ऐसी जगह चलकर, जहां कोई न हो
हम-सुखन कोई न हो और हम-जुबां कोई न हो

बेदरो-दीवार-सा इक घर बनाया चाहिए
कोई हमसाया न हो और पासबां कोई न हो

पदिये गर बीमार, तो कोई न हो तीमारदार
और अगर मर जाइए, तो नौहाख्वाँ कोई न हो

Meaning -

Let us go now and live at a place where nobody goes
Where there’s none to speak with us, nobody to understand our language
Without door, without wall, a house will be built
Nobody to stick around us and no neighbour
If we fall ill, there should be no person to take care of us
And if we die, there is none to mourn the death

Book Review - There’s No Such Place As Far Away, Richard Bach

If I write this review for more than two stanzas, I run the risk of exceeding the size of the book itself. Yes, this book is made up of hardly 100 lines, but nevertheless, one of those gems produced by Richard Bach. In this tiniest of books, Richard Bach explores his meta-physical, parallel world concepts, in a simplest of stories.

Richard is going to attend the birthday part of his little friend Rae Hansen. The entire book is woven around this single sentence. With the watercolor paintings by Lee Shapiro, this book looks very much like a story book for children. But, in fact, with this single book, you can introduce the concept of parallel universe and metaphysics to even your little ones. A worthy read in 15 minutes of your time!

Book Review - Unposted Letter, T.Rangarajan (Ra)

This is a book that was gifted to me by a lesser-known acquaintance. I am wary of personality development manuals of this kind these days but nevertheless didn’t want to spurn the gift and hence decided to give this a try. Should say worth giving a read though!

The book, like many other ones in this category, uses many quotes, parables, sayings like they all do always. The author has put the words of Bible, Bhagavadh Gita, Koran and many such wise tomes as well as the sayings of many past greats and has presented some wise words in his own style. A simple manual if you are keen on reading this kind of self-improvement manuals. Not boring, nothing much new, nevertheless, worth reading once.

Book Review - The Secret of the Nagas

Finally I picked up this much-awaited sequel to the book ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ and, boy, I wasn’t disappointed. The sequel arrived after I had almost forgotten the plot of its predecessor, but the thrill and adventure, as well as the unique plotline made it all rush back into my brain’s core.

The book begins where the previous installment ends – Shiva and Sati chasing their assailant. The adventure that starts at the first page, ends only in the last page, with adrenaline oozing out of every page, with some high-packed action. What if Lord Shiva was once just a normal, mortal human being but was later exalted to the status of a God due to his deeds and destiny? The trilogy attempts to weave an interesting story based on this idea and the author has done a fairly good job, considering that this is his maiden attempt in writing a book of this magnitude.

The story takes Shiva, his family and friends across the country in search of the evil – or are they – Nagas and their kingdom. With so many unexpected twists in the plot, if I say anything more, I might spoil the fun of reading the book. A book like this deserves to be completed in one sitting. The book is a must-read if you are looking for razzmatazz plotline with a lot of action and adventure to pass your time. But don’t expect anything beyond that. Of course, the author gives us a glimpse of his philosophical quests in some pages and they are worth delving into. In fact, I picked up a wise thought – no one is completely evil. It is all about perspective.

The book has some sloppy sides though. The anachronism over the presence of a liger – I am not certain that any ligers were around in the period 4000 BC, the people using some of the modern day swearwords and such minor issues. Also, many a while, he breaks the suspense well in advance. He ends up giving more than enough hint so that when he reveals the identity of a character, you don’t find any suspense or thrill at all.

Also, Anandamayi’s advances to Parvateshwar aren’t lovely but lewd. The purity of the love that binds Shiva and Sati is entirely missing in their ‘love’ affair and this woman ends up acting like the modern day heroines who think that the only way to make a hero love them is to shed their clothes. Unsavory!

But compared to the fun of the author’s idea of bringing some contemporary persona in the book – like Bappi Raj, who reminds you of Bappi Lahari, with his heavily built physique and obscenely adorning jewelry – and his commendable play around words and legends, you won’t find these glitches in anyway impeding.

Overall, a good book to spend time with. I am now awaiting the final installment in this trilogy! 

Excerpt from 'Best of Thakazhi S.Pillai'

"Everlasting are the experiences that can awaken the feelings and emotions suppressed by discipline and self control" - read this in a short story collection of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai.

Where are the saviours(!) of Indian culture?!

Indian women are stripping at will and whims. Where are the cultural saviours - Bal Thackeray, Praveen Thgadia and RSS?!