The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

"But man is not made for defeat," he said. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated." - Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.

Great quote.

Born (to Clarence and Grace Hemingway) on July 21, 1899, in Cicero (now in Oak Park), Illinois, Ernest Miller Hemingway served in World War I and worked in journalism before publishing his story collection In Our Time. He was renowned for novels like The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls (nominated for the Pulitzer Prize), and The Old Man and the Sea, which won the 1953 Pulitzer.

Clarence and Grace Hemingway raised their son in this conservative suburb of Chicago, but the family also spent a great deal of time in northern Michigan, where they had a cabin. It was there that Hemingway learned to hunt, fish and appreciate the outdoors. In high school, Hemingway worked on his school newspaper, Trapeze and Tabula, writing primarily about sports. Immediately after graduation, the budding journalist went to work for the Kansas City Star, gaining experience that would later influence his distinctively stripped-down prose style. ~ While working as a foreign correspondent for the Star, Hemingway made the acquaintance of many of the great writers and artists of his generation, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Pablo Picasso and James Joyce.

Hemingway's first novel, The Sun Also Rises (1926) is widely considered his greatest work, artfully examining the postwar disillusionment of his generation. ~ His celebrated World War I novel A Farewell to Arms (1929), secured his lasting place in the literary canon. ... When he wasn't writing, Hemingway spent much of the 1930s chasing adventure: big-game hunting in Africa, bullfighting in Spain, deep-sea fishing in Florida. In 1951, Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea, which would become perhaps his most famous book, finally winning him the Pulitzer Prize he had long been denied.

In 1954, Hemingway won the Nobel Prize (in Literature) "for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style".

The Old Man and the Sea & my twopenceworth: Among Hemingway's later works, the most outstanding is (perhaps) this short novel, The Old Man and the Sea - the story of a Cuban fisherman who refuses to be defeated by nature.

"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy's parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week. It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast. The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat."

Though a slim volume, do not expect it to be a breezy read. Reading a classic requires lot of patience; this novella (Hemingway's last major work of fiction and published in his lifetime) packs in a lot... while meticulously chronicling the story of an old fisherman's journey - his long and lonely struggle with a giant Marlin and the sea, and his victory in defeat. [~ Hemingway said, "I was trying to show the experience of the fisherman so exactly and directly that it became part of the reader's experience."]

The Old Man and the Sea is in many ways a deceptively simple tale (especially given Hemingway's use of sparse, straight-forward prose). Santiago, the old Cuban fisherman, has had a significant run of bad luck (i.e., 84 days without taking a fish). "Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same colour as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated." Attempting to change his luck, he decides to take his skiff further out than he has ever gone before, "beyond all the people of the world." Eventually, he lands the largest Marlin he's ever seen and the bulk of the narrative details his epic struggle to reel in the fish and get it back to shore. “The fish is my friend too...I have never seen or heard of such a fish.”

"He rested sitting on the un-stepped mast and sail and tried not to think but only to endure."

"Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready."

... It takes some getting used to - in order to feel a connection to the story and/or be moved by the restrained power of the narrative.

Despite the many hardships and struggles that Santiago faces, or the epic battles he endures on the open sea (what with the elements, sharks and so on), one does not feel sorry for him. One does not pity him. ~ He is simply doing what he loves to do, it gave him purpose and fulfillment in life: struggling with an iron will to accomplish his goal. "I may not be as strong as I think, but I know many tricks and I have resolution."  The struggle is long, hard and difficult... but the reader only feels a great deal of admiration for Santiago. He is thin and gaunt. He lay cramping himself against the line with all of his body. The rope cuts his hands. His muscles strain. He talks to himself. He has no food or water. And yet he does not give up. He never loses hope or faith in himself.

"And what beat you, he thought. 'Nothing,' he said aloud. 'I went out too far.'"

"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." - Ernest Hemingway.

The author's writing style coupled with spare dialogue and sparse simple prose can make this one a somewhat difficult-to-comprehend read: one that may not quite stir much within every reader. (~ So you will have to read and decide for yourself.)

However, this story can also mirror man's struggle with challenges (including old age and fading memory), and his indomitable will to win - with resoluteness or pride, no matter the odds. ~ To not be defeated. Come what may.

There's also reminiscing of/for youth and vitality. ~ Santiago is mentor and old age; Manolin, the boy, is pupil and youth. He loves and cares for Santiago. In him, the old man wishes to entrust his skill as a fisherman, and his memory.

Maybe the story in a way (metaphorically) also chronicles Hemingway's own struggle with depression and numerous conditions and ailments... that slowly but surely sapped his burly body and mind - even at the peak of his literary career. ["Most people were heartless about turtles because a turtle's heart will beat for hours after it has been cut up and butchered. But the old man thought, I have such a heart too." - Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.]

One never knows.

Santiago survives on a bottle of water and on (raw) dolphin fillets and a couple of flying fish (and eventually some of the marlin's flesh to sustain himself)... but ultimately succeeds in hauling the giant Marlin to shore to the collective wide-eyed admiration and awe - of tourists and fishermen alike. Upon his return (to his shack) delirious and exhausted, Santiago dreams of his youth - of lions on an African beach.

Though the great fish is now merely an 18-feet-long skeleton, its flesh eaten away by mako sharks, it is nevertheless a prized catch if there was one. It is the stuff legends are made of; it is (after all) the largest fish the villagers have ever known to come out of the Gulf Stream. It is to become a mute (yet permanent) testimony to Santiago's greatness. "There has never been such a fish." ~ It represents and brings Santiago the intangibles he craves... to give his existence meaning and dignity. It represents perseverance, hard work and also highlights the indomitable nature of the human spirit. ~ The boy, Manolin, too returns, eager to fish together, convinced he has much to learn. He no longer cares about luck anymore, or what his family might say. He professes his faith in Santiago (the old man) and everything he represents. ... And, when Manolin accepts the (marlin's) spear, he truly becomes his legatee; he accepts for all time everything that Santiago wishes to bequeath him.

Does it also symbolize Hemingway's last hurrah amidst his battle with deteriorating mental and physical health? ~ Well, my guess is as good as yours.

The book feels good to hold; hardly any editing errors - and that adds to the reading pleasure. The jacket cover is eye-catching; appropriate but could have been better.

~ Hemingway, known for his brevity and predilection for understatement, had a unique style. Here are a couple of his quotes:

1. "Never confuse movement with action."

2. "Write drunk, edit sober." 

Succinct, right?!

Details of the book: The Old Man and the Sea/ Author: Ernest Hemingway/ Publisher: Arrow Books, an imprint of Random House India/ Binding: Paperback/ Language: English/ Publishing Date: September 2013/ Genre: Fiction/ ISBN-10: 978-0-09-990840-1/ ISBN-13: 9780099908401/ Pages: 99/ Price: INR 110.

Picture: The book jacket cover of The Old Man and the Sea. Courtesy: link.

Ghanta College: The Art of Topping College Life by Clyde D'Souza

Ghanta College: The Art of Topping College Life is (author) Clyde D'Souza's (somewhat cumourously-titled, that's a portmanteau made from 'curious' and 'humourous') second offering. It's not a book of short stories; it's not a novel or novella either. Its 'humour' and non-fiction, though the eye-catching book jacket cover somewhat flatters to deceive. ~ Some writers seem to achieve an effortless humour. But then, humour is very difficult to get right, and it is almost impossible to define what makes something "funny", particularly in books. 

Book blurb: '... For the first time in India comes a non-pakao book that gives students straight answers to nervous questions. ... The ultimate college guide as you go from nervous fresher to confident graduate. With true college stories from celebrities and gyan in the form of Professor's Tips, Topper's Secrets, and Nerd's Warnings, if there’s any book you even pretend to read during college, make it Ghanta College.' 

About the book (along with my twopenceworth): The author has given some tips on how to have fun in college and manage the academics. There are some quick solutions (or even consolation, and some purportedly entertaining snippets) on how one should spend the last few days in school, besides some tips on how to go about choosing the right college, being cool, hostel life, and so on.

Umm, did I say some purportedly entertaining snippets? ... Well, make that some (purportedly) quick solutions or even consolation. That's because D'Souza has tried too hard - to be humourous, funny and cool. He has tried his bestest to make it all seem full of wit and wisdom... the sort that tickles the funny bone and bring a smile to your face, or will have you laughing out loud. ~ The end result is somewhat underwhelming (though there are some bits of spontaneous fun and humour.) However, it could have been a quick and informal read, an unboring read (though, without any take-away or lasting effect) - if only it had been more free-flowing and compact, and paired with inventive situations. That way it would have capitalized on a promising premise, instead of being tripped up by (a somewhat) poor/tepid execution. Having said that, it could still work for you... but for that you will have to read the book to find out.

Ghanta College has 11 chapters: Leaving School; Choosing a College; Fresher Year; Academics; Being Cool; Dating & Relationships; Parties & Dancing; Hostel Life; Internet & Mobile; Alcohol & Drugs, and Beyond College. ~ They cover topics like: The Last Day in School; Bluffmaster Guide on Board Exams; Types of College; The Classroom Map; Student Stereotypes; Time Table vs Timepass Table; Bluffmaster Guide to Classroom; Canteen Behaviour; Bluffmaster Guide on Bunking; Extra-curricular Activities; The Party Guide; Typical Roomies; Hostel Food; Dropping Out, and so on.

The Guest Lecturers are: TV personality Rajiv Lakshman, Singer Ramona Arena, Author Vrushali Telang, IIT dude Gaurav Sahni and Stand Up Comedian Chris Lazarus.

Here is an excerpt from 'Types of College':

'K-JO College: This is the kind of college you dream of securing admission to - a place where the college building looks like it's been licked everyday by the Principal himself. The students can easily pass off as actors and have equally befitting surnames like Kapoor and Khan. Everyone drives a fancy car to college and there's always one poor kid (how did he get there, I wonder?) madly in love with a rich guy's daughter.

Three Idiots College: This type of college is marked by hardcore studying, corridors filled with bespectacled geeks on the verge of a new invention, and most importantly, NO GIRLS.

Emraan Hashmi College: You could refer to this kind as the Madhur Bhandarkar College. Everyone looks normal, like they actually travel by train, have pimples, and look as ordinary and real as...well...Emraan.'

.................................

On the issue of dropping out, however, D'Souza rightly points out that famous dropouts (like Mark Zuckerberg) did not get bitten by the genius bug one night, got up the next morning and created Facebook. ~ That in truth these guys were already ahead of the curve and possibly found formal education a little too slow for them. And that: even if they were out of the system they spent much of time poring over textbooks - teaching themselves without the help of professors and help from fellow students. ~ That takes a lot of motivation, a cool intellect and single-minded ambition. Bottomline: They did not 'drop out' to escape studying.

Rating: I am going with a 2/5 for Clyde D'Souza's latest.

There aren't too many editing errors. But it could have been a sparkling (time-pass) read or (at least) a good time-pass read... full of fun and wit, instead of a convoluted and laboured one - if only the author had been less conscious about making it humourous.

Details of the book: Ghanta College: The Art of Topping College Life/ Author: Clyde D'Souza/ Publisher: Ebury Press, an imprint of Random House India/ Binding: Paperback/ Language: English/ Publishing Date: September 2013/ Genre: Humour; Non-Fiction/ ISBN-10: 8184003765/ ISBN-13: 9788184003765/ Pages: 264/ Price: INR 199.

Picture: The book jacket cover of Ghanta College: The Art of Topping College Life. Courtesy: link.

Happy Birthday! by Meghna Pant

A financial journalist with NDTV Profit and Bloomberg-UTV, Meghna Pant inhabits two worlds: the quantitative world of finance and the creative world of storytelling. She has reported from the New York Stock Exchange and has met and interviewed a galaxy of personalities representing politics, business and entertainment. Happy Birthday! (July 2013, Random House India) is her second offering in as many years. One & A Half Wife (May 2012, Westland) - Meghna's bestselling debut novel - was shortlisted for a clutch of awards, including the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and the Cinnamon Press Novel Writing Award. It received critical and commercial acclaim, and went into multiple reprints. And thereupon began her writerly journey...

About the book: Happy Birthday! is a celebration of the complex, mysterious inner lives of our fellow human beings, by the award-winning novelist Meghna Pant. A dedicated friend undertakes one last labour of love for a childless woman. Nadia - married into money - finds herself facing uncomfortable truths about her comfortably numb marriage. A retired civil servant of modest means struggles to support his snooty foreign-returned daughter. And so on...

Meghna Pant's knife-sharp stories are compelling, emotionally intelligent and provide a rare glimpse into the strange workings of the human heart. They evade neat categorization, and are the perfect read for all curious spirits.'

My twopenceworth: The jacket cover is tastefully done; it exudes joy and serenity. However, the title is misleading - perhaps deliberately so, and each balloon (on the cover) contains a story vignette. Happy Birthday! And Other Stories is a collection of thirteen many-flavoured and thought-provoking tales that make for a compelling read. Of myriads of layers... they are akin to peeling shallots; each tale is a slice-of-life; realties we see around us, realities we do not pay much attention to... realities we'd rather ignore. And forget. The stories are not interconnected, but unlike random brushstrokes on a canvas or a series of linked vignettes... they resemble a multi-hued kaleidoscope. Impactful, the stories are sure to leave their imprint on the readers and stay with them for a long time. 'The Gecko on the Wall' and 'Clip and Cane' are a tad predictable, while 'Friends' and 'Happy Birthday' (the title story) is not all that novel... though you'd still want to read them. The pages turn easily... but none of the stories make for a breezy read. And so, one can only put this down to a.) their content and b.) Meghna's simple-yet-powerful writing style. However, 'The Gola Master', 'Lemon and Chilli' and 'Hoopsters' are quite well-crafted; they bring forth a multitude of emotions in the reader: sometimes funny-yet-moving, at other times heartbreaking-but-never-sentimental. 'Shoulder Blades' is somewhat underdone (or maybe overdone - can't quite make up my mind). Perhaps the author's pen lost focus a wee bit. Or, maybe, it's a bit of both. In 'The Message', 'The Bailout', 'After Ashes', etc ~ the emotions are many and complicated.

~ Umm, I wouldn't like to play spoilsport. So, do grab a copy and read all you can. The few editing errors are easy to let go. Hopefully, the author will continue perfecting the precision of her language and attention to detail, the seamless shifts of moods, feelings and emotions, and the novelty and logic of her storytelling - to bring before us every shade of human behaviour.

Here are a few lines from Hoopsters:

"We enter a narrow muddy path with jhopadpattis on both sides. Lalit apologetically turns his head towards me; the car can move no further. Seven or eight dusty children in ragged clothes surround our car, their noses pressed flat against the windows, their teeth white through the tinted glass. If we leave the car here they'll scratch the silver-grey paint, sit on the hood or steal the rear-view mirrors, so I tell Lalit, 'I don't trust these slum people. I think you better stay in the car.'

'Memsahib, I can take you to Mary's house,' he says gently.

'How would you know the way around this kachra place?' I ask. 'I live here,' he says, and our eyes meet in the mirror.

I look away and croak a reply, 'Wait for us here.'

He nods his head slowly as Sara and I squeeze through the small space between the car and the corrugated iron wall of a jhopadpatti. The children scatter."

Rating: 3.5/5.  

Meghna Pant is a gifted storyteller, a unique voice... and someone to look out for in the future.

 

Details of the book: Happy Birthday! And Other Stories/ Author: Meghna Pant/ Publisher: Vintage Books, an imprint of Random House India/ Binding: Paperback/ Language: English/ Publishing Date: 2013/ Genre: Fiction/ ISBN-10: 8184004038 ISBN-13: 9788184004038/ Pages: 296/ Price: INR 299.

Picture: The book jacket cover of Happy Birthday! Courtesy: link.

Amreekandesi: Master’s Of America by Atulya Mahajan

Atulya Mahajan's debut novel Amreekandesi: Master's Of America is a decent one-time fun read. Choc-a-bloc with all the clichés one can think of about a middle-class Indian boy's journey to the "land of opportunity"... and subsequent events, complete with all the troubles, travails, struggles, disorientation, lifestyle changes, reality checks, road trips, matters of the heart, Indian English and an alien education system. The author covers almost every aspect of a desi student's life in the US of A: right from reading Barron's GRE guides, running around institutes for GRE coaching, using new words and American lingo (in everyday conversations), applying to colleges, getting recommendation letters, visa interviews, tickets, packing (to accommodate an assortment of desi snacks, masala, et al); bidding farewell to friends, withstanding endless advises from family, friends and the much-revered neighbourhood uncle (whose high-achieving-greatly-admired son already resides in the hallowed land; uncle isn't too pleased though, to share that halo henceforth). There's also the subdued drive to the airport (luggage bursting at the seams in tow), emotional farewell, take-off from Indian shores, connecting flights, foreign airports, landing in an alien land, Indian community @ campus, helpful seniors, new desi friends, classes, assignments, academic rigour, hard work, superior facilities, stern but compassionate professor, desi food ... graduation day ceremony - Mahajan has pretty much covered all facets of a desi student's life in the US.

Not surprising, since the author himself has 'been there, done that'.

In Amreeka there are no roadside vendors selling cut fruits, coconut slices or assorted papads. There are no beggars either, and homeless persons did not appreciate a plate of rajma chawal and kheer. And yes, there's the bit about FOBs (Fresh off the Boat) and ABCDs (second generation Indian Americans, derided as 'American-Born Confused Desi'). There's a smattering of Indian English too: what's your 'good name'? Myself so-and-so. 'I will give you a ring tomorrow,' and the like.

The story revolves around two boys who dream to fly off to America for a better future. Akhil Arora, an engineer from Delhi. Jaspreet Singh (aka Jassi aka Jazz) from a small town in the Punjab. Both get to live their dream in Florida State University (FSU). They become friends and share an apartment with Kedar (a Math major). The trio gel well and call themselves The MSketeers. Kedar, being the joker, always clowns around and cracks jokes. Their other desi friends are Sundar, Venkat, Dilpreet and Ruksh - who go out of their way to help the newcomers settle in. Sundar even lays out a delicious dinner for a tired and jet-lagged Akhil and his dad, courtesy ready-to-eat frozen food: parantha with saag paneer (which so revives Akhil's spirits that he takes to it like Popeye to spinach.)

They shop for grocery, cook, host parties and get-togethers, visit beaches and Disneyland, celebrate festivals with fellow Indian students, and like every Indian fresh out of India, they convert everything into rupees (... and end up goggle-eyed and wobbly-kneed.) Of course, they gradually learn to just roll their eyes and move on. They are also pleasantly surprised on being handed back the precise balance amount... instead of Cadbury éclairs candy.

During Lakshmi Puja - since none of them (neither Akhil nor any of his friends, that is) know the entire Lakshmi Aarti by heart, they perform the puja with the 20-odd Indian heads bowed in reverence as Anoop Jalota sings praises of Goddess Lakshmi on YouTube. After prasad (halwa), the most important thing (that everybody was waiting for) is laid out: food. 'For the next one hour, everybody ate, and ate some more. Dilpreet handed out Hajmolas at the end.'

They make it to Subway, ask for vegetarian options, and are given two choices: Veggie Patty or Veggie Delite. And since the word 'delight' sounded better, they promptly opt for the latter. Thereafter they come across a whole bunch of bread in fancy sounding names: whole wheat, parmesan oregano, etc. And since they also want capsicum with their Veggie Delite, they try their bestest to communicate it (Capsicum. Cap-see-cum?) ... Only to be told it was bell pepper.

During their infrequent road trips they stay in Potels (Patel owned Motels). And are fascinated by how a hard-working, entrepreneurial community had achieved its American dream by providing Americans comfortable places to dream. Along the way they also discover quaint little Indian restaurants... and immediately get busy with the sumptuous spread on offer: chicken tikka, paneer butter masala, dal makhani, and gulab jamun (for dessert). Only Ruksh looks on wistfully at the chicken tikka - tuesday vrat coming in the way.

They get-together with other friends and chat over a delicious meal of rajma chawal, egg curry and frozen paranthas. For someone who had not cooked even a simple dal in India, Akhil gradually learns to whip up full meals, while Jassi prides himself on his ability to make Maggi noodles and boiled eggs without burning them. They also discover there's no aloo-tikki burger in America, but hunger pangs compel a vegetarian Akhil into eating chicken sandwiches (and since 'it tasted like paneer,' he finishes it off in a couple of minutes.)

They make some American friends too and learn about the latter's experiences in India. Jassi goes to watch his first football game (an inter-university game) with Nigel and some others - American football, not the one Indians knew. That was soccer.

Akhil is a decent, sincere and studious chap, sometimes homesick. He is determined to prove himself and make his parents happy ('coz with FSU not being in the top 100 US universities, they are worried about his future.) He plans to return to India after a few years, and eventually falls in love with Nandita - a fellow FSU student he had met on the flight to America.

Jassi, on the other hand, is the cool dude (or at least that is what he thinks of himself). He wishes to live the American dream, a la the movie "American Pie". He is embarrassed by his Indian identity and so, plans to look for an American girl... and settle down in Amreeka. Jassi, unlike Akhil, has no intentions of returning to his country, ever. His character is essentially that of an average Joe... dreaming of bikini-clad girls, beaches and Pamela-ji (in no particular order, though.) However, a few of the incidents involving him are somewhat over-the-top.

But here's a funny one:

"'Hi Victoria,' he finally managed.
'Whoa there. Looks like somebody's working hard to get rid of the love handles.'
'Love handles?' Jassi's ears stood at alert at the mention of love.
She laughed loudly. 'Oh, these.' She grabbed a tire of fat on Jassi's side.
She touched him, and Jassi knew that he was back in business. In his mind, there was no doubt that Victoria was definitely interested in him."

There's also the desi tadka offered by Akhil's dad who addresses Mindy as "Miss Bhindi" - to register his pique, attempts to haggle, turns up at a popular convenience store (managed by desis) armed with notepad and pen... all in a bid to prove how much they overcharge. He also eyes Akhils's new friends with nervous suspicion... imagining his precious son turning into a drug addict dancing to dum maaro dum on the streets of America, while wearing yellow coloured bell-bottom pants and shirts with red and orange floral patterns. On their first visit to a famous Mexican fast food joint Mr. Gyaneshwar Arora takes one bite of his Burrito, puts it down and opens up the wrap. Then discovering it is 'just rajma wrapped in a lousy roti' (for which they have paid 5 dollars!), he chides Dilpreet for calling it 'Mexican food'. Dilpreet only manages to smile while wondering what he would say when he found out that Taco Bell also served kidney beans with rice: Rajma chawal. (No wonder some of his friends refer to Taco Bell as Taco Balle Balle, for its closeness to Punjabi tradition.)

The unfit Arora Sr. also manages to run after a 'tall, very strongly built man with a bald head and green eyes' - to respond to the latter's casual "How are you doing?" And after striking up an acquaintance, tries to pass himself off as an Indian prince. Akhil (of course) gets to meet a strongly built man with green eyes and a shiny bald head - David Apostolov, Director (Admissions), Dept. of Computer Science, FSU. Prof. Apostolov taught the database course and 'had the demeanour of an African lion that had just escaped from captivity'. But Akhil's dimaag-ki-batti doesn't flicker until much later. Until a 'tall, very strongly built man with a bald head and green eyes' congratulates him on his successful presentation to Google - with the following words: 'Well done, Akhil. "Your people" must be so happy. Do you guys have some kind of celebration in your kingdom when the prince completes a degree?' Needless to say, Akhil nearly choked on hearing those words.

Meanwhile, Goyal-ji's supposedly star son, Priyank, prefers to call himself "Perry" in this fabled land. (Goyal-ji is Akhil's advise-dispensing-samosa-gulab-jamun-devouring neighbour, mentioned earlier.)

Mr. Arora's character is enjoyable, while Goyal-ji and "Perry" are plain amusing.

My twopenceworth: Though Mahajan has included witty insights and humorous anecdotes while chronicling the experiences of an immigrant (including identity crises, trying to find their feet in a foreign land, attempts to live India away from India et al) - none of it can be called novel. However, given Mahajan's neat writing style, you end up enjoying the journey till the end. Very few editing errors, and that adds to the reading pleasure. The book jacket cover is quite funky.

But the book is a tad too long, at some places the story just drags on. Needlessly. Some sharp editing... to prune out these unnecessary and over-the-top bits would make it more crisp.

My rating: 3/5. Predictable, but a fun read nevertheless. 

Don't expect a "Dil Chahta Hai" or a "3 Idiots" set in Amreeka. It's not in the genre of Nagesh Kukunoor's path-breaking "Hyderabad Blues" too. And it's not up there with Anurag Mathur's hugely popular "The Inscrutable Americans" either. The latter is a timeless polished read with intensity and depth, an unabashedly humourous take (tinged with pathos) on the travails of a simpleton, a small town Indian boy, who goes to the U.S. to pursue his higher studies... and is confronted with myriad culture shocks. This book has achieved cult status now. There's no comparison whatsoever.

About Atulya Mahajan: Atulya Mahajan is an Indian author and is the creator of the Indian satire blog amreekandesi.com. Professionally a technologist in an investment bank, Mahajan went to the US in 2004 to complete his Master's degree. He worked there for five years and then returned to India. He started this blog while studying in the US and used it as a platform to share his experiences of people living in a foreign land. Besides this blog, Mahajan also works with the Crest Edition of The Times of India as a columnist and writes occasional humor.

Details of the book: Amreekandesi: Master’s Of America/ Author: Atulya Mahajan/ Publisher: Ebury Press, an imprint of Random House India/ Binding: Paperback/ Publishing Date: 2013/ Genre: Fiction/ ISBN: 978-8-184-00395-6/ ISBN-13: 9788184003956/ Pages: 310/ Price: INR 199.

Picture: The book jacket cover of Amreekandesi: Master’s Of America. Courtesy: link. 

The Good Little Ceylonese Girl by Ashok Ferry

After Colpetty People (2003) come The Good Little Ceylonese Girl (2006), Ashok Ferry's second collection, and his own take on Sri Lankan life (at home and abroad). Witty, frank, conversational, slightly dark, full of funny-yet-insightful candour, tongue-in-cheek even, it conveys the great amount of social diversity that exists in Sri Lanka in all its myriad shades.

Playfully provocative Ferry pokes fun at the Lankan elite and their pretenses and foibles... in Lankan English. With his good-humoured writing, local flavour and clever turns of phrases, Ferry serves up almost the right mix of sarcasm and humour that gets their point across yet does not offend. What's more... he even pokes fun at himself. Ferry makes a couple of appearances in this collection. For example, in 'Maleeshya', he appears as Mr. Arishtabotale Pereira, attending his own funeral, to be covered in the very popular high-society magazine, Shuh!! Magazine, so named to differentiate it from its ugly European elder sister, Shah!! Magazine.

Sample this:

"A grey-haired man got out. He saw Maleeshya and immediately sucked in his stomach.
'Ko hearse?' she asked him.

The man looked behind him to see if there was a cortege following. There wasn't.

'And who are you?' asked Maleeshya, switching languages.
The man gave her a charming smile. He had slightly discoloured teeth. 'I'm the author,' he replied proudly.
'You can't be! You're dead.'
He straightened up. (There was not much straightening to do, he was quite short.)"

Conversation between Mrs. Arishtabotale Pereira and Maleeshya (the editor of Shuh!! Magazine):

'Isn't it wonderful?' she beamed. 'He's alive and well!'

'No, it isn't,' said Maleeshya. She could be quite short with people, though these people were short enough already. 'The flowers are paid for, the caterers are setting up the mala batha on the back verandah. You promised me a funeral.'

Ferry's insightful candour runs throughout this collection... and makes their point succinctly and clearly. Here are a few instances:

From: Pig:

Two childhood sweethearts, in time-honoured Sri Lankan tradition, are married off to other people. Nineteen years of clandestine meetings (for one or two days every year - the week before Christmas) culminate in another chance of marriage. Perhaps time does separate.

'In Sri Lanka, the people amongst whom you live, the people with whom you went to school, the people in whose houses you ate, whose jokes you shared - these were not the people you married. ...But if the people with whom you chose to associate were the very ones you could not marry, then the ones you did marry were quite often people with whom you wouldn't dream of associating if you had any choice in the matter.'

From: The Jackfruit:

'An Asian without a visa was guaranteed trouble-free: he did what he was told, he was at your beck and call. He was your creature.'

From: The Indians Are Coming:

I, on the other hand, get to play intellectual parts. Like policemen. The high point of my brilliant career was when I had to lead two thousand people at Maradana Railway Station in a big budget extravaganza. I got up on the podium, shook my fist at the camera, and shouted: 'Gandhi-ji's in the bath!'

And two thousand people roared after me, 'Gandhi-ji's in the bath!' (The actual words were Gandhi-ji zindabad! But I found my version more effective.) This five-minute scene took three days to film, naturally. Well, they released the film at Toronto the other day, and I found they had cut me out almost completely. Though there's this very good shot of the back of my head, so I mustn't complain.

From: Dust:

Father Cruz had read somewhere of the tourist who visited St. Mark's in Venice, and, looking at the sloping floors and thousand-year-old mosaics, had said: 'What this place needs is a level floor and a darned good coat of whitewash.'

Long years and many miles away, Colombo's Father Cruz attempts to rescue a church from parishioners who like to put their donations where others can see them - with plaques to announce their charity. 

'Father Cruz moved slowly from one row to the next. He noticed there was woodworm in the last two rows. The pews would have to be replaced. It was not that the parish was poor; there were more than enough people willing to donate new pews, new floors, new everything. Even stained glass for the windows in the tower. Up till now he had said to each of them: Thank you for your kind offer, but this parish has more pressing needs. He explained to them there were children who needed school uniforms, there were homeless people who had to be fed. But rich parishioners were strangely unwilling to donate to such insubstantial causes. They preferred to put their money where they could see it, or more to the point, where others could see it: in a shiny granite floor or a blazing stained-glass window, preferably with a plaque affixed bearing their name.'

As you can see, Ferry loses no opportunity to poke fun at the elite and their pretenses.

Ferry writes about Sri Lanka and its people, wherever they roam. He writes of the Sri Lankan Diaspora, who seem not to notice that their country has changed in their absence. He writes of the West's effect on Sri Lankans, of its 'turning them into caricatures, unmistakably genuine but far from the real thing'. As you laugh, you are left with nostalgia for a bygone Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans who might have been.

Our Sri Lankan narrator visits his friend Joe in Italy where Joe attends a course in higher studies in women. But Italians - much like today's residents of Colombo - live at home till marriage, death, and sometimes even beyond. A hen and chicken affair of fake fiancés and phony engagements ensues. [Fidanza to Fidanzata]

There's mention of elephant hair bracelets, shark's teeth necklaces and lion's claw earrings. There are enormous ostrich eggs, speckled and shiny, on people's coffee tables. There's Italo, the small purple baby ostrich - no more than two feet high, craning its dusty neck to reach the shoe flowers on the bushes. There are panettones, the fruit-filled Milanese bread, that made their appearance in Mogadiscio one festive season like a flock of gold-and-silver-coloured birds, and everyone gave everyone else one. 'They were nothing like as bad as the ones you got back then: dry and papery, hard to chew, impossible to swallow. Once you got a piece in your mouth all human conversation ceased. It was a surprisingly useful way of silencing your more talkative guests.'

There's Pizza and vadai. There's spaghetti and meat sauce. There's yellow rice and chicken curry. There's karavila. There's curried skins of the loofah, chopped fine with chilli and garlic. There's fried leaves of the murunga crisp like seaweed. All esoteric village dishes... but no mention of Lunu Miris or katta sambole (fish pickle) anywhere. 

This collection of seventeen short stories is many-layered and enormously wide-ranging: from Sri Lankans working abroad (in England and Africa), to footloose Italians, fading Maharajahs, personal space, human bonding, fortune-tellers and the tsunami, to issues of lesbianism, adultery, cronyism, and of course small-mindedness, facades and elitism. They vary widely in their length too. The shorter ones make for a better read. The longer ones tend to meander a bit. And as is the case with all short story collections, not all of them impress; some are a tad underwhelming. However, the title story is quite engaging. All in all, The Good Little Ceylonese Girl is like a montage of emotions, experiences, insights and observations... on Sri Lankans (both resident and roaming). Much like random brush strokes on canvas. Clearly, the island that lies like a little emerald on the waters of the Indian Ocean has much to offer to the world of literature. 

However, yet again, a glossary of terms is missing-in-action. So the meaning of various Sri Lankan words, terms and references may be lost on some readers.

That said... Ferry's writing, given its distinct Sri Lankan flavour, does take some getting used to. If one is familiar with Sri Lankan society, then his observations and innuendos would be instantly recognizable and amusing, but if one is a stranger to that country and culture, then much of the fun, and at least some of the amusing insinuations and associations, may be lost on the lay reader. And that would surely interfere/dilute the flavour, thereby altering the taste. Result? The fiction-loving epicurean in you might feel less than satiated. However, for those familiar with the Sri Lankan way-of-life... it will be a surprisingly breezy read, a thoroughly enjoyable one at that, due to its eclectic mix. Lunu Miris or no Lunu Miris.

The production value of the book is good. I am discounting the editing errors, putting it down to Ferry's writing style and Sri Lankan English. The book jacket cover is colourful; it depicts a scene from the title story: Suneeta aka 'The Good Little Ceylonese Girl' cuddling Italo, the small purple baby ostrich. Umm, if Ferry can put together his stories... complete with their unique mix of multifaceted humour, irony and pun in his signature gently snarky non-take-no-prisoners style, in a slightly more watertight manner, it will increase the joy quotient. Readers' joy, that is.  

I am going with a slightly generous 3/5 for Ashok Ferry's The Good Little Ceylonese Girl. Ferry isn't a run-of-the-mill author and his commitment towards advancing Sri Lankan literature in English is evident. [Incidentally, both Colpetty People and The Good Little Ceylonese Girl were short-listed for the Gratiaen Prize - Sri Lanka's premier literary award.]

Details of the book: The Good Little Ceylonese Girl/ Author: Ashok Ferry/ Publisher: Vintage Books, an imprint of Random House India/ Binding: Paperback/ Publishing Date: 2012/ Genre: Fiction/ ISBN: 978-8-184-00307-9/ ISBN-13: 9788184003079/ Pages: approx 200 with cover/ Price: INR 299.

Picture: The book jacket cover of The Good Little Ceylonese Girl. Courtesy: link.