Indian Talent, Global Content
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Indian Talent, Global Content |
November 2008: What's in the breeze |
Penning India Down
India is a country that is difficult to describe. It is a country of immense diversity, extremes, plurality, and to put it very simply, contradictions! You walk around one of the many cities in India, like Bombay, and you will find glaring examples of this; Beautiful young people dressed in designer clothes flashing their cell phones and talking about their evening plans at a lounge bar, and right next to them a street urchin who lives in one of the sprawling slums of Mumbai city selling a cup of tea, a mosque standing solemnly next to a cinema hall with garish posters of upcoming attractions screaming at you, cyclists winding their way through rush hour traffic jostling for space with sleek cars, the list is endless. However, it may be difficult to describe India, but not impossible. Several authors have written about India and this is a list of books that are by no means a list of the best books about India or a list of books that encapsulate India in all her diversity, but simply a list of books that gives you a taste of this country. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie An internationally acclaimed piece of work, Midnight’s Children, by Salman Rushdie won the Booker Prize in 1980. The book has a wildly fantastical story about two children born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the day India achieved independence from her British colonizers. These children get switched at birth. The son born to a wealthy Muslims is sent to be raised in a Hindu family, while the son (Saleem) from the latter unknowingly usurps the luxury of the rightful heir. Saleem decides to write his life story and that of India as well. Rushdie weaves fantasy with reality as Saleem launches into his narration of 1,001 children being born in the midnight hour on Independence Day in 1947 and how each of these children has been endowed with a special power. Saleem’s power of telepathy reveals to him the truth of his parentage as well as the identities of all the other children (including the other child, Shiva, who has grown up to be a killer), who he must gather together for a “midnight parliament” to save the nation. This fantastical story is set against the first years of Independence, the partition of India and Pakistan, Indira Gandhi’s rise to power, and finally the imposition of martial law. With elements of a fantastical Bollywood movie, clever and bizarre prose, and his mix of magic and reality, Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children is a must-read. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Set in a small village, Ayemenem, in the southern state of Kerala in India, Arundhati Roy’s first novel is considered a literary masterpiece. It is a story of twins, Estha and Rahel, who are part of a wealthy pickle factory and rubber estate owning family. Roy’s book is perhaps best known for its beautiful writing, which earned her the Booker Prize in 1997, but the plot is equally intriguing. A life changing death, an illicit affair, and a variety of brilliantly crafted personalities along with Roy’s clever word play, which flows like poetry, makes this an extremely vibrant novel. The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri Even though Lahiri’s set of nine short stories are not really about India, but rather about people, India is definitely felt and experienced in each of them. Some of the stories are set in India while others are about Indians living abroad and experiencing the resultant feelings associated with dislocation and disrupted lives. The themes in each of these stories transcend geographical boundaries whether it is broken marriage, living with delusions of grandeur when reality is far from it, mismatched couples, affairs, and much more. The stories are insightful, well written, and have a definite Indian flavor, even though the issues are not necessarily Indian. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth Vikram Seth’s ‘A Suitable Boy’ is perhaps best known for its sheer length. It is literally an enormous tale running over 1300 pages and encapsulating a variety of characters. Set in 1950s India, it is essentially about Lata and her quest for a suitable boy. There are four families, Lata’s included, whose lives, loves, trials, and tribulations are explored in great detail. All of this is portrayed within a country undergoing tremendous political upheaval and a complex society in flux. It requires some patience as it starts of a bit slowly, and the length can be a definite deterrent, but once you get involved it is very hard to tear yourself away. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry Mistry’s story has a thorough Indian setting. It is not, perhaps, the most flattering depiction of India, but unfortunately a rather true one. Set in the 1970s at the time of the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, the story revolves around a motley group of characters; A young widowed seamstress, a naïve college student, an enterprising tailor and his nephew, both of who are from the untouchable caste. The story is basically about the cruelty and corruption the poor and powerless must face. Indira Gandhi’s forced state of Emergency, which was declared by her when a court order called for her resignation, serves as a backdrop to the lives of these characters as they strive to find a balance between hope and despair. The Rough Guide to India There are loads of travel guides to India, which are probably very good, but I include the Rough Guide to India simply because it’s also a good read. It has the essential visitor information, great maps, a color section featuring India’s highlights, information for shoe string travelers as well as for those who are accustomed to luxury,etc. Well written in the distinctively straightforward and opinionated style of the Rough Guide travel guides, this one is a good read with its extensive sections on history, culture, music, politics, religion, and much more. Malgudi Days by R.K Narayan Set in the mythical town of Malgudi, R K Narayan’s collection of short stories is perhaps one of the most well known pieces of Indian writing. The stories are simple, endearing, and deal with ordinary characters and, yes, their ordinary lives. What is appealing is their sheer ordinariness and how one can actually recognize real life characters in the fictitious ones. It is a classic collection of the most captivating and charming stories that one can read about India. This list of books is far from complete and will definitely not help you understand everything about India, for that is hardly possible, but they each have something distinctive to offer and will leave a little bit of India inside each of their readers. Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. Read a book review about another popular Indian author
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