Interpreter of Maladies

 

This is one of those books I had heard a lot about, but sadly, it failed to meet my expectations.

 

Each story in Interpreter of Maladies gives a perspective of the immigrant life of Indian Americans as well as their Indian counterparts in the 1970s and 80s. The stories are set in a time when maids could walk into your house anytime and play with your kids, a time when landlines were a sign of luxury and people still cooked with kerosene. However, there isn’t a lot of variety in the stories. In all the stories based in America, the women are always at the mercy of men, constantly in the kitchen cooking fish or curries, while the men themselves are, more often than not, college professors. I understand this must have been the predominant scene of Indian immigrants to the USA during the 70s and 80s, but as a reader, I would have liked to see some diversity in this collection of nine stories, which gets a bit too predictable at times.

 

While I am aware, intellectually, that these stories are supposed to make me feel something, something deep and soulful, but in all honesty the stories hardly touched me and had no effect on me whatsoever. When I read of a father watching his country broken and tattered in the war, with no clue about the fate of his wife and daughters, I wanted to feel his pain. When I read of a couple reconciling after a long silence, I wanted to wipe their tears and lend a shoulder. But the author never gives you that opportunity to completely connect with the characters. The stories end just when you want them to begin; want them to be explored further. Reading this book felt like words being interpreted in my mind, and that is all.

 

The only thing I liked about the book is that it gave me the immigrant Indian perspective of the state of affairs during the 70s in which the stories are set. We don’t fight wars with our neighbors anymore, and though we hear a lot of rhetoric in the media, wars are avoided as much as possible. My generation has no experience of what it means to watch your country crumbling down on TV millions of miles away. We do not know the longing one feels while waiting for years before they have saved enough for a visit to their homeland. But these things have changed so much now, that many a times I felt a generation gap while reading the stories, whether they were the ones based in America or the ones based in Bengal.

 

There is no doubt Jhumpa Lahari's writing skills are admirable and distinct. She describes every scene beautifully, and makes you feel like you are there, in the centerstage of her story. However, I wish she explored the human nature and relationships more in depth, the way she does with the surroundings. I wish she took one step further and implored each character a little more, dug deeper into the intricacies of their thoughts, so that the stories didn’t feel empty and the writing impassive. 

Sapiens

 

 

I adore fiction and classics and hence rarely go to the nonfiction section of the bookstore. A talk by Yuval Noah Harari, the author of this book, got me interested in the history of homo sapiens and eager to learn more, I picked up this nonfiction to read. And boy! true to its popularity, this book kept me engaged until the last word.

 

Most of what we know about our ancestors is based on textbooks we studied way back in school. Keeping ourselves up to date with latest scientific discoveries requires us to regularly read journals and papers, which, honestly, none of us have the time or an appetite for. This is one of the reasons for the immense popularity of this book; it’s a comprehension study of our history written in less than 500 pages, meticulously divided into chapters, and in a simple language sans the technical jargons. The book covers not just our biological evolution, but also the evolution of our social culture and norms, the gender norms, the development of religions and ideologies, of the economy, capitalism, money, and all the things that define us as a species.

 Moreover, it isn’t just a book of facts, rather, it’s insightful, making you pause and ponder on the consequences of our actions, both past and present. It reflects how our dominance has influenced and shaped the world of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Accurate comparisons of the way of life of our ancestors with that of our current lifestyle help us understand the rationale behind illogical decisions back then, and why we so fervently continue to do the same even now.

 The author provides us with the ability to distinguish fact from fiction, and to think for ourselves. Fact is the physical evidence of our ancestors from bones to artifacts found across the globe. However, the deductions and conclusions could very well be fiction, as a lot it depends on the historian’s and archaeologist’s own beliefs and prejudices. The author certainly does not suggest we dismiss all scientific studies, but he does tell us to be aware that there’s after all only so much one can deduce about an entire culture and people from just sticks and stones. 

 The book compels us to observe and consider everything around us, and question if the things we regard as imperative to our lives are really worth our immense time and effort, and whether these values we hold so close are significant from evolutionary perspective or are they mere myths created by us to keep us from truly evolving. The book also makes us realise that homo sapiens penchant for cruelty and complete disregard for others is not a new trait. The only difference between then and now is that earlier he didn’t care much for nature or animals; now he doesn’t care much for anyone expect himself. It surely looks like our evolution’s sole purpose is to cater to our ego. For instance, when you learn that our species’ cultural development supersedes that of our DNA, and then look around at the mess we have havocked on the world, you can’t help but wonder if we are evolving in the right way.

 It takes a certain amount of grit and courage to read about the disastrous effect of humans on the earth, a large heart to take complete responsibility for it and a sensible mind to stop us from going down that path again. I was surprised to learn about the violence streak of our ancestors. If you thought we humans are destroying the world today, you will be surprised to know that this isn’t something new for our species. From time immemorial, we have been wreaking havoc every place we have set foot on. From large mammals such as mammoths to small birds such as dodo, we have been the primary cause for their extinction. I wonder, will we learn now at least?

 For someone like me who had been under the impression that domestication of animals was a step towards the progress of human life, courtesy our school textbooks, looking at domestication from the point of view of animals was a much-needed lesson indeed. Up until now, I had never given much attention to veganism, but the details of domestication, the cycle of castrating males, caging young ones and keeping the females permanently pregnant, has made me realise that veganism is a serious matter and probably necessary for our species’ survival.

 Fortunately for the readers, the author does not shy away from stating things as they are, pointing out the difference between biological order and orders created by us, which include both democracy and dictatorship. He is been able to successfully correlate the past facts to our present actions, and explain logically why we behave, feel and think the way we do. He aptly and elaborately explains how the social diseases that plague our society today, from racial discrimination to gender bias to casteism, were created by people and added to the society’s narrative, and the reason why we haven’t yet been able to break free from these inhumane narratives, and are, on the contrary, aiding to its propagation. Understanding how different religions and ideologies came into being certainly helped me understand why there’s so much conflict in the world today and why intolerance is growing.

 One cannot escape the author’s personal belief and emphasis of science over religion, modern technology over old traditions, which peek here and there in an otherwise unbiased book. This, however, was a minor concern for me. But a point where I strongly disagreed with the author was his praise for the explore and conquer mindset of western Europeans. I agree that Europeans must be hailed for putting the Americas, Australia and New Zealand on the map, but we must also not forget the numerous native populations decimated and thrown right off the map during this process. I am sure had the aboriginals of Australia, citizens of Aztec and Inca and the indigenous people of Tasmania given a choice between the ‘explorative’ Europeans and the ‘mind your own business’ Indian, Chinese, Persians, and Ottomans, they would have surely picked the latter. For, as an Indian, the technological benefit brought to us by the British in no way justifies or compensates for the atrocities committed by them on my ancestors.

That said, being aware of our own history is important, especially, to humble our ego, and make us realise that we are in fact not very different from other animals, and definitely not that ‘special’. And with history, biology, sociology, psychology, economics filling the pages of this magnificent book, it is imminent that we make use of this abundance of information available to us.

So, run and pick this book off the shelf and have a great read!

The Alchemy of Secrets

 

A while ago, i had the amazing opportunity to review Priya Balasubramanian's first book, The Alchemy of Secrets. From a small, sleepy village to the bustling streets of metropolitan Bangalore, the book captures the lives of three generations of women, whose fate and destinies are intertwined with each other.

I was truly honored to have my review published on Atta Galata's website, Bangalore's go-to place for inspiring and aspiring literary artists.

Here's a teaser for all my dear readers - 

...The author unmistakably creates a visually vibrant scene in front of your eyes. Even the minutest details, which we usually ignore in our mundane activities, are so accurately captured and presented to you in words that you feel you’re not just reading the book, but also living it. It is not easy to describe the frenzy look of a person who’s in a hurry or the simple aroma of coffee, but the author accomplishes this task effortlessly. 

... From Ajji’s Malehalli and her gandhian husband, to Vimala’s Bangalore and her ambitious husband, to Mira’s California and her hyperactive pet, the story beautifully shows how our traditions and customs, our culture and society, metamorphose from one generation to the next. One moment in particular where I realized how much things have changed in our society over the recent decades, is when I found a young girl feeling extremely guilty for having a simple crush on a boy, which is something unimaginable for us today, where teenagers are quite accustomed to having girlfriends and boyfriends. The transformation in society’s views on freedom and values is very visible throughout the book.

 

You can read the complete review at https://attagalatta.com/booksmart/the-alchemy-of-secrets/.

Cheers! 

The Blue Umbrella

 

 

It’s a wonder how such a small book of barely 30 pages has been so popular among readers and even been made into a feature film, which I intend to watch soon. But then, it's authored by Ruskin Bond, a writer who can invoke a teary smile in your heart and a vivid display in your mind with just a few words.

A smile is a constant when you are reading Bond’s stories. And only he would consider a subjective thing such as a smile that could be lent to someone who was unhappy. As usual, nature forms an innate part of Bond’s world - prickly shrubs to berried bushes, leeches to lilies, teasing winds to bleating rains.

This is a simple story woven around a small village in the hills of Garhwal where a young girl’s constant companion and her reason for joy is a pretty blue umbrella. Within a few conversations and interactions between the characters, you get a complete picture of the life on the hills and how starkly different it is from the rest of the region. And this is what makes Bond’s writing so special – his ability to say so much with so little. As the story progresses so do the seasons. And just as each new season paints a new scene in the hills with its own unique shades, so does the story, bringing out a new dimension in each of the characters. It is amazing to see that, despite this being a novella with minimum characters, all the characters are full of life and relatable in many ways.

Bond describes the life in mountains as subtly as possible. Slowly you see, that this is a place where the food on your plate is from the fields you plough and the milk in your glass is from the cows you herd, where little boys go to school while the little girls tend the cattle, where a shopkeeper is the richest man in the village and where you have monsoon holidays instead of summer vacation, which are spent lending a hand in the fields instead of being at leisure.

This is another one from Bond that will bring a teary smile to your face as you reach the ending. It also contains a sweet message which is delivered in such few words, it’s a remarkable feat for any writer. With something for readers of every age group, this is one of those rare books which one can finish in half an hour and yet, reminisce about it for days.

Farenheit 451

 

Burning books! Oh, the sound of it makes my stomach churn.

The effect of the lockdown, now in its 5^th month, must surely be getting to me, for this is the second dystopian novel I have read in the last 3 months. Though ‎Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is not as scary as 1984, it is more believable and more likely to happen.

Imagine a time where people drive like maniacs to take out their frustration, kill each other mercilessly to vent out their anger, are constantly plugged-in to the radio or TV shows, students are fed facts and discouraged from asking questions, the masses are more interested in knowing what than why; a place where you are encouraged to do anything that makes you happy from smashing windows to wrecking cars, except think; a world where the walls inside your homes are made up of full screen TVs than bricks, all houses are fire proofed and firemen burn books!

When a small girl triggers a fireman’s curiosity, he begins to see things in a different light, and this sets the ball rolling. He looks up at the blue sky, wondering how many years back was it that had he last done this, he watches the rain and introspects his life, he slowly starts observing his own actions, past and present. And finally, against the advice of his senior, he begins to question everything around him, despite knowing that doing so will only lead him to the prison. From there on, begins his journey, from an ordinary fireman to an awakened warrior to a wanted fugitive.

In a world where people would rather listen to idiot box than to their loved ones, where Shakespeare and Gandhi are outdated, where people talk ‘nothing’ and hardly listen, what happens to curiosity? Is it dead forever? What about imagination? And thoughts? Without philosophy and sociology, without questions and debates, without discussions and analysis, without books, what is left then of the meaning of life? Are we heading to such a place? These are a few of the zillion questions that boggled my mind while reading this novel, and therein lies its beauty. It makes you think beyond books, beyond words and authors. It makes you ponder on how one mere book, a simple writer’s thoughts and views, is connected to bigger things in life. Without a moment’s rest in an overworked world, how would we enjoy nature’s gifts? Without accounted details of our past, how would we look into the future? And without the different shades of books how would we grow? The author’s ability to make you reflect on not only the big and important questions, but also ordinary ones, is commendable. Where would you read if they were no libraries, no parks, no comfy chairs? With whom would you share your thoughts if no one cared to think or listen anymore? Would books still be as enjoyable?

It took me a while to understand the author’s style of writing. The flow felt abrupt and disjointed at times. You really need to pay close attention to the words to understand their inner meanings, and what the author is trying to say. Most of what makes the protagonist’s world dystopian is implied and it took me 1/3^rd into the book to really understand this. Guy’s frustration, although understandable, feels too sudden. His breakdown and subsequent awakening happen all too quickly, and you are left wondering if some pages got burnt in between. However, now that I have finished the book, I feel the author chose this ambiguous and haphazard style of writing intentionally to make the readers truly feel Guy’s confusion. You are not reading the author’s version of what Guy thinks, you are reading exactly what Guy thinks.

It was at the junction, between part 1 and part 2 of the book, that I realised how easy it is for man to remember his natural instincts. Our quest for knowledge is embedded deep within us. It is not a physical object and hence, though it can be concealed with years of institutional ignorance, it can never be eliminated. And that gave me hope. Hope that one day, someone in our dystopian world, will develop the courage to break the rules. Someone will uncover the ashes to find the fire burning within. And man’s curiosity will overcome his fear of death.

It is true that books can have contradicting opinions, one tells you to love, another tells you to revolt, and yet another tells you to fear. However, this novel made me realise that contradicting opinions are better than losing the prerogative to have an opinion. All in all, this is a book that should be in every avid reader’s reading list, as a reminder to never take these precious gems of literature for granted.