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Literary Review
First Impressions
SUCHITRA BEHAL
Twilight in Delhi; Ahmed Ali; Rupa & Co.; Rs. 295.
Delhi is today a huge metropolis, shifting with time. Modern flyovers, cars zooming in to join the race to a 21st century. Buildings in steel and glass. This is the modern face of the capital. But tucked away in the remote corners of the city are red
sandstone buildings, awash with memories. Memories of a time where stone and steel had no place. A time of grace and an undulating beauty.
Its subsequent ransack and plunder overrepeated invasions left the city bereft of any glow. Ghalib, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Hafiz and many more extolled the virtues of the city. But there came a time when it was left dusty, dirty its shimmering anklets broken and its seedy face now pock marked.
It is in this situation that Mir Nahal finds himself, yearning for a lost love, yearning for a city that was the epitome of graciousness. Twilight in Delhi is Mir Nahal’s story, his family’s life intertwined with the fate of the city once it fell to the British.
Mir Nahal is a benevolent patriarch, who looks after the welfare of his extended family. He balances life quite perfectly till he is struck by a mysterious illness. Lying in bed, he reminisces about the past, grieving for the death of the old city. His family continues to be part of his life but the changes that are sweeping the city are also affecting his family members. The old order is being challenged and Mir Nahal finds that he can do little but accept it.
An evocatively written book, this provides a perfect viewpoint of the Indian way of life as it were. The descriptions lead the reader onto a fascinating journey of Delhi and one can almost relive the experience. For those familiar with Delhi, this is a special book. And for those who have no idea of what the city meant or turned into this is an invaluable lesson in history.
Conspiracy of Calaspia; Suresh and Jyoti Guptara; Tara; Rs.350.
For those living in the throes of trilogies, here’s another one to delve into. Written on a grand scale, this first book is 584 pages long. And this is just the beginning, say the Guptara twins who began working on the book at the age of 11. At
17 they have already moved onto the next instalment and will soon be able to predict what happens in their make-believe world.
Like all epic stories there is a clear demarcation between good and evil. However who wins remains to be seen. But a gist of the story: When the Nurgor and Ostentum tribes destroy his peaceful village, Byrn joins a mixed group of brave individuals who must face danger and death to stop an enemy that defies all logic.
Needless to say, the Nurgor and the Ostentum look and act like ugly cretins out on a destructive bone-crushing, mind-numbing devastating binge.
Why do they target only one tribe? Who is the leader of this hell-raising pack? And just as the good individuals feel that they have finally, after many daring exploits, reached safety they find themselves betrayed and trampled in a web of lies and deceit. Their survival depends on how fast they can race to Calaspia and save it with their lives intact.
Bridging Connections: An Anthology of Sri Lankan Short Stories; edited
by Rajiv Wijesinha; National Book Trust; Rs. 85.
This slim anthology of short stories, drawn from English, Sinhala and Tamil, is dotted with stories about the Sri Lankan way of life and the country’s ethnic strife.
Almost every story has an element of uncertainty, which seems to have shaped itself indelibly into the consciousness of the people. Some are heartrending, others telling but each story makes a political point.
“It Could Happen Anytime Anywhere” is the sad story of a family who live separately to make a decent earning. But the spectre of the war looms large and finally the mother succumbs to it.
“Today My Son Comes Home” is the story of a mother waiting for the return of her son, who has been taken away by the authorities. Her denial of his possible death is apparent as is the helplessness of her husband and daughter to bring her back to reality.
While the book focuses on these three distinct languages of writing it also provides a glimpse into the hope that most people of the country continue to cling to — that of one nation without strife and violence.
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