Sunday, June 24, 2012

Tread Softly - Book Review



I have been looking for a good Indian writer who writes with honesty, about life in contemporary India. A sensible urban story, not chick-lit, not Bollywood wannabe script. I read two books recently and I am sorry to say that the search still continues.

"Tread softly" by Nandita Bose is the story about Paroma, a small-town girl who finds herself marrying the older step-brother of the intended groom and finding herself in Kolkata in an unusually hostile home. She starts off as a typical "sati savitri" trying to put the house in order, cooking, cleaning, being a good "wife" in spite of not sharing the bedroom with Abhinn, her distant husband. Mamun, the spinster aunt constantly berates Paroma for being the stereotypical backward woman whom Abhinn was brought up to abhor. Even on her deathbed, the aunt engineers the proximity of the beautiful Geetika who willingly gravitates into her beloved nephew's arms. Paroma is a bundle of contradictions as she watches the drama, wanting to escape it while fearing the consequences if she returns to her parents home. But that does not seem to stop her from distancing herself from Abhinn, blinded by her self-righteousness. She leaves only to return, assuming Abhinn will help her establish a bookstore in his home, put up a facade of a normal marriage when her father shows up while she holds no such responsibility towards him. The second half of the book drags on with repeated instances of people stepping in and out of their lives. The dialog between the couple is regressive sometimes and plain illogical most of the time. Paroma argues well with Abhinn but is unable to sustain a life on her own. Abhinn is the good husband who is unable to get through to his wife. What a long winded story until the final expected ending!

The author has created layered characters but they don't seem to generate much sympathy in the reader. Parts of Paroma's character seem incoherent like much of the dialog. Abhinn is a wimpy goody goody character, sweet and difficult to digest.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Influence and inspiration

I watched "Ferrari ki sawaari" yesterday. A cute, feel-good movie, based on our national obsession, cricket. The final credits thanked Sachin Tendulkar for being an inspiration for kids. It is true. Sachin's phenomenal success has stirred the imagination of all wannabe cricketers, showing a path of possibility for the truly talented. Inspiration is essential. Inspiration is the equivalent of the magician's "abracadabra" that ignites motivation in an individual to act upon his calling.

I also watched Amir Khan's Satyamev Jayate this weekend. The topic was domestic violence and was handled in the characteristic format of bringing to light individuals who have suffered, those who can shed light on the matter and others who show a way out. Some members of the audience speak in what appears to be impromptu statements but is probably finely orchestrated to fit the format of the show. But I still love to watch the show with my daughter and discuss the topic again, sometimes while watching the late night repeat. By bringing subjects like dowry, female foeticide, abuse and violence to mainstream television, Amir Khan has managed to shine a light on issues that we seldom discuss openly. These are issues that plague our country, across states, religions and social class. These are the stains on the image of "India shining" that the world sees. Like other countries, we have our social problems, compounded by the size of our population. But brushing it under the carpet has been the way we like to deal with it. Educated, informed people make choices every day that fuel the greed for dowry, that favor boys over girls, that systematically encourage violence against women. To change society, what we need is not just the occasional inspiring story, but a voice that influences choices and behaviors. A sustained debate, a possible solution, a tangible helping hand. The mass appeal of television can be channeled to encourage public discussion on topics that are not popular. But for people to listen, the spokesperson has to be one who has the charisma and the conscience to build the confidence of the audience. With his work and his image, Amir Khan does that, easily. While it may be easy for him to portray an image of earnestness considering his acting abilities, it is definitely not a popular choice for an actor to be typecast as a "do-gooder".

I am glad that Amir chose to host this show. While I am inspired by his decision to take up a task which no other Bollywood actor chose to do, I am happy to see today's youth being influenced by the sentiments expressed in the show. Whether its inspiration that brings about an individual change or influence that motivates social upheaval, one thing that is not up for debate is the fact that it is time for a change.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

The tourist and the traveller


"The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see", said the quote by G.K. Chesterton, on the Lonely Planet bookmark. One week after my return from a 15-day trip to Europe, the quote aptly sums up what I feel.

It was a whirlwind tour, or so it seems in retrospect. Italy, Switzerland, France and Belgium; numerous hotel rooms, innumerable train rides, unfamiliar languages and unforgettable experiences comprised the European holiday. If you ask me the short version, here are the top 10 things I remember:
1. Pizza, pasta non-stop
2. Gelato everyday
3. Playing cards on Eurostar
4. Grandeur of Rome
5. Canals of Venice
6. Lakes and mountains of Switzerland
7. Filter coffee in Paris
8. Warm Belgian waffles and icecream in Brussels
9. Chocolates and tiramisu
10. Walking, walking, walking

It was a fun fortnight. Great company; fantastic weather. The holiday included help from the travel agent for hotel and train bookings but we were on our own for local sightseeing. Did we see everything there is to see? Probably not. But did I get a feel for the new places that I had visited. Definitely yes. Its easy to get carried away by ambitious sight-seeing plans, packed itineraries and tiring days. Our days were full, when we were not seeing places, we were going places, literally, dragging out suitcases across train stations, poring over bus routes in new cities, asking for directions to strangers who did not speak English and finally crashing into beds in different hotels every third night. But we could chose our daily outings. We picked the place where we ate our meals. On many days we made sandwiches in the train, munched on juicy strawberries for dessert and ate ice-cream for an afternoon snack. That is how we came across lip-smacking pasta, melt-in-the mouth pizza and heavenly gelato in unpretentious eating places.

We took some organized tours - a day trip to Naples and the ruins of Pompei with Wilma as our tour guide, a guided our of the Vatican museums with Marco and saw the leaning tower of Pisa with Ricardo, the flirt. We had our share of adventures as well - finding out that the hotel booked for us in Venice was 100 km away from the gondolas, two youngsters in our group of six getting left behind on a platform in Paris, losing the key to a suitcase, misplacing sweaters/jackets. But there were no major mishaps. And many memorable moments.

At the top of the list are:
1. The symmetry of the spiral staircase in the Vatican
2. Being referred to as "Shahrukh Khan family" while waiting to get into the basilica in Florence by a street vendor
3. Seeing signs in Hindi on top of snow-covered Mount Titlis
4. Sliding down in snow tubes along with other "Aunties and Uncles" in Switzerland
5. Early morning in the Pantheon
6. Flea market at Montreaux
7. Waving to a family on the lakeside at Interlaken
8. The gentle clang of bells on the Swiss cows
9. Talking to the non-singing gondolier, Antonio
10.Learning about Belgian chocolates from Thomas at the Godiva store near Mannekin Pis
11. Wanting to work at UN for two reasons - to make a difference to the world and for the wonderful view of Lake Geneva from the corridors

Being a tourist is hard work, as demonstrated by the bus loads of Indian tourists who thronged many of the same places that we visited. But being a traveller is more interesting. Traveling is more of a two-way interaction. It is an experience, not just a visual treat. I have been to Paris at least twice before and I know I am not inclined to visit again but Rome, is another story. I know for sure I want to live there, not just scratch the surface as I did this time. Belgian beckons, as well.

I like going to new places. But now I have tasted the distinction between being a tourist and being a traveller. I want to be the latter. And I will. Where will I travel to next?

As Paul Theroux says, "Tourists don't know where they've been, travellers don't know where they're going."