Had Sonali Mehta not found a publisher, the series of essays encompassing the myriad trials and tribulations of the “damsel-turned-dame” (rather, “dome” with reference to the ever-increasing girth of the married Indian woman), she could have very well created an absolutely hilarious blog.
The bulky book is divided into five parts - the first two parts being the best of the four. There is a lot of laughter and fun in these two parts, courtesy the magic of characterization. Prabhaker, with his “solar smile” provides an amazing and often hilarious description of the Mumbai way of life, and introduces the author to a world of the Mumbai slum, and many friends, that he cherishes forever.
It’s also interesting how my parents kept a keen watch on what I was reading. I remember this incident when my mother kept “Shobha De’s Snapshots” under lock and key in her almirah. I was perturbed and even angry with her for hiding a book from me, but years later when I finally read the book, I realized the need for guardianship at an impressionable age.
The end was brutal and maybe a little too fast - Martel did not waste many pages and words in describing the “real” course of events. I am still fascinated by the episode of the carnivorous island. Sometimes, you are so near salvation, so near the ultimate truth and peace and strength engulfs you, and then suddenly you catch the signs of distress and disaster that complacent living offers you.
Her writing style is lively, witty and informative and the book follows a smooth pace - a wonderful mesh of distinct topics that clearly contain a pattern. From Mahatma Gandhi’s funeral to the National Emergency, from the rag pickers in Delhi to the sati in Rajasthan, from Congress demonstrators to the street booksellers - this book is a collage of India seen from various angles.Her insight is supported by facts about an India that we can vaguely remember but have been a part of.
Her daughters suffer, and the maids in her house lead equally traumatized and abused lives. Over the years, Tehmina suffers and sometimes rebels, yet is constantly drawn into a web of intrigue and self-denial.
Brida was originally published in the Portuguese language, right after The Alchemist. It has been recently translated into English. For those who might not be aware, Brida has already been adapted to the silver screen with a Portuguese movie released in 1998 with the same name.
It makes interesting reading to delve into the mindset of people from various walks of life, who talk about Athena, as they knew her, and as she influenced some aspect(s) in their life. It’s almost like reading pages from the personal diaries of these people, and it goes a long way in holding your attention.
She also explores smaller, more marginal traditions, including Goenka’s Vipassana meditation camp, the Parsis in Mumbai, and the now-fading Bene Israel Jewish community. She mentions Varanasi in her travelogue, Osho Rajnish’s sex-cult, and provides information on Jain culture.
While this may intercept a distinct sense of satisfaction or a lingering feeling of “Who Dunit?” that reading a thriller or murder mystery usually entails, there is definitely no sense of disappointment. In fact it is to the author’s credit to have interwoven so many details and characters with such finesse that the novel’s climax seems highly plausible.
With technology and genetic engineering playing an important role in the events of the novel, the skeptic reader can find a reason to read this book. The author has tried to objectively treat the subject of Christ’s healing touch and presented a practical vision for comprehending a New Messiah in the context of the New Age.
I self-doubted my intelligence. The world was going gaga over Ayn Rand. I was irritated by “her philosophy”. Something was really wrong with the intellectual lobe of my brain!!
The tryst between faith, belief, empirical research and scientific enquiry has remained encrusted in our psyche and our socio-political fabric since time immemorial. While the characters debate on the existence of God and scientific practicality, the author has summarized the entire human quest in one word – Immortality.
I am reading Astral Travel for Beginners by Richard Webster. (You can read some scanned chapters from the book at: http://books.google.co.in) I have always been drawn towards esoteric subjects and crave for knowing about the off-beat. I saw a copy of the book at the local bookseller, and purchased it because of the torn cover for peanuts.
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I have added another romantic classic set in the time of the American Civil War, but then this is another great book on the strength of the female spirit in times of war. I read the unabridged version of the book, as a teenager and I instantly fell in love with the medieval lifestyle