About the book:
This is a short story collection in Hindi language written by well known Hindi writer Kamla Kant Tripathi (कमला कान्त त्रिपाठी).
Review(non-spoiler):
There are about 6 short stories in the book all sharing some common elements.
First, all of them are primarily based on the Indian village life around the time of independence. These villages are mostly based in Uttar Pradesh(UP). Language used also contains local elements of UP villages.
Then, all the stories depict tragedies in lives of the common people who reside in these villages. Weaving around the tragedies, the stories show us quite effectively the basic human nature.
Overall, the stories are such that they might make you cry. You might not be able to relate to them sometimes as they are based in a very remote time and remote locations and mostly remote culture. (Remote culture because most of us don't have close familiarity to Indian village life. Further, if you are reading this, then in all universes you are not sitting in some Indian village!!)
However, one complaint you might have for the book is the similarity of the stories in the novel. Sometimes, theme looks the same and sometimes the tone.
List of Stories:
Sarhad
Janaki Bua
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Shadow Lines : Amitav Ghosh
REVIEW (non-spoiler)
The Shadow Lines(1988) is a Sahitya-Akademi Award winning novel by Indian-Bengali Writer Amitav Ghosh. The book is narrated from the perspective of the boy(narrator) and his second uncle Tridib, who gives him the worlds to travel in long before he leaves Calcutta. His beautiful second cousin, who would always break his heart, has been round the globe but still seen nothing. Along comes the story of the Grandma, Tridib's family friends in London, Tridib's love with the daughter of the family friends and the violence in Bengal and Bangladesh... All trying to highlight one point : The Shadow Lines present in our minds.
The book showcases a web of time and events. Of places and relations. Of borders and boundaries. Of the shadow lines. It's not a story of a single person. It is a story of many lives : the narrator, Tridib, May, Ila, Grandma. It's a story showing how a place as far away as Srinagar can erupt violence in Dhaka while a place as close as Mandalay(Burma) would be totally remote. It's a story about people caught between cultures. It's a story about necessity to imagine and invent. Everything of this is so beautifully woven by the author that it makes you almost flow with it.
One important thing that adds to the beauty of the novel is its style of narration which is non-chronological. The story moves in a zig-zag fashion in history. Whole novel consists of two parts : Going Away and Coming Back. These two names hold a great meaning in them pertaining to the story. While reading the novel, you might sometimes feel what point does the author want to make. What's the story all about? At the end, however, you finally get the point.
------------------------------SPOILER ALERT------------------------------
CHARACTERS
PLOT SUMMARY(spoiler)
The story starts with the narrator narrating about the time when Mayadebi went to England with her family. Tridib was at that time about 8 years old and narrator was only born after 21 years later. Now we come to the time when the narrator is about 8 years old. Tridib is now living in Calcutta taking care of her grandmother. Narrator's family is also living in Calcutta. In his family, there is the Grandmother, father, mother and the narrator himself. Tridib often visits them. Grandmother doesn't really like him. She thinks he has the opportunity to do something in his life and he is wasting it here although he is doing a PhD.
The Shadow Lines(1988) is a Sahitya-Akademi Award winning novel by Indian-Bengali Writer Amitav Ghosh. The book is narrated from the perspective of the boy(narrator) and his second uncle Tridib, who gives him the worlds to travel in long before he leaves Calcutta. His beautiful second cousin, who would always break his heart, has been round the globe but still seen nothing. Along comes the story of the Grandma, Tridib's family friends in London, Tridib's love with the daughter of the family friends and the violence in Bengal and Bangladesh... All trying to highlight one point : The Shadow Lines present in our minds.
The book showcases a web of time and events. Of places and relations. Of borders and boundaries. Of the shadow lines. It's not a story of a single person. It is a story of many lives : the narrator, Tridib, May, Ila, Grandma. It's a story showing how a place as far away as Srinagar can erupt violence in Dhaka while a place as close as Mandalay(Burma) would be totally remote. It's a story about people caught between cultures. It's a story about necessity to imagine and invent. Everything of this is so beautifully woven by the author that it makes you almost flow with it.
One important thing that adds to the beauty of the novel is its style of narration which is non-chronological. The story moves in a zig-zag fashion in history. Whole novel consists of two parts : Going Away and Coming Back. These two names hold a great meaning in them pertaining to the story. While reading the novel, you might sometimes feel what point does the author want to make. What's the story all about? At the end, however, you finally get the point.
------------------------------SPOILER ALERT------------------------------
CHARACTERS
- The narrator (whose name is never mentioned)
- Tridib (second uncle of the narrator, son of Mayadebi)
- Grandmother of the narrator (Tha'mma) (sister of Mayadebi)
- Ila (Tridib's neice, narrator's second cousin)
- May (daughter of the Prices family)
- Nick (son of the Prices family, much younger than May)
- Robi (Tridib's brother)
- Mayadebi (Tha'mma's sister, Tridib's mother)
- Shaheb (Mayadebi's husband)
- Queen Victoria (this is her nickname, mother of Ila)
- Jethamoshai (Tha'mma's uncle)
- Mrs. Price (Nick' and May's mother)
PLOT SUMMARY(spoiler)
The story starts with the narrator narrating about the time when Mayadebi went to England with her family. Tridib was at that time about 8 years old and narrator was only born after 21 years later. Now we come to the time when the narrator is about 8 years old. Tridib is now living in Calcutta taking care of her grandmother. Narrator's family is also living in Calcutta. In his family, there is the Grandmother, father, mother and the narrator himself. Tridib often visits them. Grandmother doesn't really like him. She thinks he has the opportunity to do something in his life and he is wasting it here although he is doing a PhD.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
What is the blog about?
During my Indian literature course here in my college, I was a bit astonished to find no suitable site for Indian literature, especially Indian literature in Indian languages. Even some of the jewels like "Godan" by Premchand had no proper analysis on net.
So I thought maybe I could contribute some of my knowledge towards Indian Literature which is rich in many ways. And I thought the blog was the best way to do this. So here I am with the beauty of Indian Literature.
I hope you will enjoy and if you have any special novels, stories or poems that you want reviews of or analysis you can post them here in the comments section. I will try to complete your demands if I get time.
So I thought maybe I could contribute some of my knowledge towards Indian Literature which is rich in many ways. And I thought the blog was the best way to do this. So here I am with the beauty of Indian Literature.
I hope you will enjoy and if you have any special novels, stories or poems that you want reviews of or analysis you can post them here in the comments section. I will try to complete your demands if I get time.
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