It rained when I didn't expect it too. It didn't rain when I did.I read five and a half books.I met a classmate from school. I probably haven't seen her for a decade and when I saw her, I was utterly disoriented for a few seconds. "Am I really in Bangalore? Really?"I heard hundreds of stories from my grandparents. One about alleged cannibals (and my grandfather's escape from them). One about how my uncle aged four cheerfully went and reported to his parents (my grandparents) that my mother sounded like an engine. She had an asthma attack and was unable to breathe. One about how my aunt threw water on my mother when she fainted and my uncle thought it was a grand game. Many, many, many.I stayed up playing Uno till - what? - 2 in the morning.My train back home was 8 hours late. But I'm back. … [Read more...]
Getting a Promotion
In the Air Force, it is compulsory to speak Hindi to get a promotion. Commands must be given in Hindi.So my grandfather, a recipient of the AVSM (Ati Vishisht Seva Medal) had to prove he could speak at least a little Hindi in order to be promoted. The problem was that he could not speak Hindi. (For my foreign readers: that happens a lot in the south. Many south Indians - particularly in my grandfather's generation - find Hindi and other north Indian languages hopelessly difficult. No one around them speaks Hindi; it was not even compulsory to study it in school. Sounds, grammar and gender - they're all complicated.)My grandfather was told, "Tell that soldier to come here."Proudly, my grandfather said, "Idhar aao!""Good! Now send him back there."That was a difficult one. My grandfather had no clue how to say 'back' or 'there'. So he did the only thing he could think of doing. He … [Read more...]
Stormswift
Madeleine Brent, ah, Madeleine Brent. So many of your books are based on the same thing - an English girl in a foreign land, falling in love with an Englishman under impossible circumstances. How is it that I love them all?The power of the narrative just gripped me right through the book. A sense of peace always came with the eager anticipation of the next twist in the tale. I think that's something I could probably say about all Brent's works.Is Stormswift exceptional? I don't know. I want to say that it is because I was just swept away by the tide of the tale, poring over page after page even though I've read the book before. An English girl, sold to a pacha in Afghanistan, whipped into sexual submission, discarded as barren, adopted as a servant by a half-Greek-half-French doctor in captivity... All this happens even before the book has begun. Jemima Lawley, the English girl, … [Read more...]
Walkabout
Unbelievably moving.Two English children in the middle of the Australian desert - what are their chances of survival? But they come across a bush boy. A naked dark-skinned Aborigine. They cannot communicate to one another, but they have to because the 'darkie's' attitude towards them is simple. He will not judge. Everyone is together in the single battle of life - the battle against death. When a little boy and a little girl are stranded, what can the bush boy do except help them?So they begin their journey together, a journey that revolves around yeemara and arkooloola. These two are the bare essentials of life - food and water.But how can the civilised, Christian, English girl Mary come to terms with a darkie who doesn't even speak her language? Besides, the darkie has no sense of shame and wanders around naked! And worst of all, little twinges of jealousy tell Mary that … [Read more...]
The Moneylender’s Daughter
I often shy away from thick books. I'm not quite sure why because I have read (more than once) and enjoyed (tremendously) books like Gone with the Wind, Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. Maybe, somehow, classics escape my prejudices. But books like The Moneylender's Daughter ought to as well.As I began the book and got caught in the action, I found myself thinking, "It's the kind of book my mother should read!" For very predictable reasons - it's about the mercantile world of 17th century Holland. The associations were automatic.I was halfway through the book when I realised that it was the kind of book I should read, simply because it combines so many aspects of fiction that amaze me. Characters, action, plot and description - The Moneylender's Daughter has them all! The switches in setting were perfectly timed, alternately building the atmosphere and providing … [Read more...]
Impure Veg
'Pure veg' is such a uniquely Indian concept. I used to mock it. My grandparents are pure veg. (Somehow that sounds odd. A pure veg restaurant is different from pure veg food, which is different from pure veg people. My grandparents are people, not food or restaurants. Just making things clear.) When they went to Greece, the vegetarian sandwiches had tuna butter, so both of them ate only peaches and oranges in their time there. They explained that they were "pure veg, you see". For me 'vegetarian' used to cover that idea.But then, I realised that I'm probably impure veg. I love vegetarian food. I prefer to eat vegetarian food to crocodile kebabs (which my father has eaten) and insect soup (which my uncle has had). I also prefer it to good old chicken. I choose to be vegetarian, does that not make me vegetarian? But then, I'm not pure veg! If it's inconvenient or socially inappropriate … [Read more...]
Prized Modern Inventions
I remember my great grandfather (who, incidentally, lived to be 105) watching cricket on TV. The volume was very low and that, for some reason, used to annoy me. It was like a constant buzz - neither silent nor noisy. His logic was that he was deaf and would not be able to hear anyway, so the television might as well be soft instead of adding to the noise around him. My grandfather has become like that too. He watches the news; he does not listen to it. It does not bother me so much because at least there's no annoying buzz.My grandfather, of late, has started talking very slowly, thinking things through, weighing his words and all that. Two days ago, he said to me, "You know ... the modern generation ... the twentieth century ... even the twenty-first century ... the world has seen many, many technological advancements." I nodded, wondering where he was going from here. A point … [Read more...]
Magical Mail
'Dear Sir or Madam,My name is Thor. I would like to work for the council recycling department. I think I would be good at this as I have lightning for melting and a big hammer for those items that are difficult to crush. I have passed an exam in art and I am also a god.' - Magical Mail by Claire Barker What a silly, droll book! I enjoyed each page and read the whole thing at one sitting in a couple of hours. I giggled, chuckled and tucked my brains away under a chair as I read the book, delighting in its eccentricities and adventures. The end of the story did not fit, somehow. The tone and mood changed, making me frown for the first time. It felt as if a makeshift ending had been attached at the end, but not too well, pulling strings a little too tightly in an attempt to tie the loose ends. How does it matter? I still enjoyed the tale of one girl, nine letters and a whole lot of magic! … [Read more...]
The Poison Garden
I finally finished reading The Poison Garden only because I forced myself to. I turned page after deliberate page, skipping sections, skimming over larger sections and wondering who would read the book. And then, I had a rather startling thought.I understand where the inspiration comes from. I understand a fascination for plants and power - I have the fascination myself. I understand the thrilling secrets of a closed box - I've written a story about a box myself. I understand the love for fine language and vocabulary that is beyond the scope of a child - I have that myself.In other words, perhaps the essence of the book is something that captivates me. No, not perhaps. Every idea in the book does thrill me. The names thrill me. Albion, Arcadia, Broceliande, Tadmor, Xanadu, Nineveh and Acoma: gardens of love, poison, dreams, healing, time, perfume and journeys. They send ripples over … [Read more...]
Adjust
Sometimes, I cannot even believe that the word 'adjust' is really an English word. It seems to belong uniquely to the Indian context. Anything can be adjusted. I remember how amused I was when I learned that people even adjust Raahu kaal - the Inauspicious Time. Traditionally during this Inauspicious Time, you can't do important things. So, if you have a train to catch, you pretend to leave. You leave your slippers outside the door, or your luggage with the neighbours. Just a little adjustment, and you're safe.Today (and yesterday) on the train, I was astounded at how normal it is for people to feel that everyone will (and ought to) adjust. My co-passengers had tons of luggage. I was on a side berth and I wanted to sit with the seat back straight. The lady travelling with me looked at me as if I was the most inconsiderate person in the world. "If you put the seat back down, someone … [Read more...]