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Literary Review
First Impressions
BY SUCHITRA BEHAL
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Ramu, Henry Scholberg, Promilla & Co. Publishers, Rs. 395.
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IF Ramu were to be written today, it would sink without a trace. However, since the actual story was first published years ago and has now been re-edited, re-igged and re-published , one must allow for amendments. This is the story of a young American who manages to get his passage to India. Like all tourists, he lands at the Delhi Airport and makes his way into the town. Kurt Anderson has come to the country to try and fix a deal for his prospective father-in-law. On the very first day, as he ventures into the market, he is accosted by a little street urchin named Ramu. Ramu, as it turns out, has more than his share of the powers of persuasion. He manages to coax Kurt into meeting his "auntie". Even as Kurt and the "aunt" get into a heady relationship, an ugly turn develops. As Kurt tries to sort it out, Ramu finds himself being marginalised. Kurt has also to try and figure out what to say to his fiancée when he does get back to America. To cut the story short, eventually everything works in Kurt's favour, who, indebted to Ramu, puts him through school with the promise of getting him into America. A bland story, made worse by some terrible editing and spelling errors, makes this a lacklustre book.
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