Harmony - A Quote

Do not shirk away from the ghosts of the past, bcz they have given us the gifts of perception to tackle the present. True harmony happens in life, only when we integrate the past and present, to enlighten our future.

              ***
Image: Pinterest
                     

The Book of your life...

What did you pen
in the book
of your life?

More love, smiles,
& joyful memories?
Or pain, guiles
grief & miseries?

Let gifts sink
from the former
into the stories
of another's life.

Remove cursed ink
of the latter,
& rescue histories
from strife.

           

       ***

Book Review: Ice Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa.

This is the third book I’ve read, based on the theme of the partition of India, in addition to 'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie and 'Tamas' by Bisham Sahni. This novel is entirely different in all aspects, except for the religious divide the partition brought about and the consequent violence it resulted in.

Bapsi Sidhwa’s story is interspersed with multiple themes. The key ones have been summarized in my review below.

Introduction

It is achingly easy for a child to lose the quality of innocence. Sidhwa’s protagonist slashes into the mind of an adult reader with a compelling mix of inevitable horrors: the erosion of the child’s naiveté and the unveiling of a juggernaut of events, that leave readers gasping to cope with the monstrosities of mankind.

The first thing that one notices in the book is that the child narrator is too smart for her own good. Lenny is not childlike in her eloquent, elevated language or keen observation, comprehension and conclusions she draws about adult behaviour. Adults can be really stupid when it comes to children. It is stunning how they underestimate the intellectual capacity of children, when they speak or behave in ways that are typical of them. It is only towards the fag end of the novel that Lenny is spared the gross details of a few horrors that are too perturbing for a child’s psyche to be thrust with.

Some parts of the story do not ring true at all. Lenny’s grandmom assumes a high power, with powerful strings in Lahore’s society. She pulls off bureaucratic wonders that perhaps seasoned politicians may find hard to achieve and is able to locate kidnapped women, as well as pack them off to India.

The Title: Ice Candy Man

Why did Bapsi Sidhwa name the book ‘Ice Candy Man’? The key story is about Lenny, the Parsee child. It is about the consequent aftermath of the partition of India in the last century. It is also about Lenny’s 18-year old Punjabi Ayah who becomes a pawn in the ego games of a deranged man and a victim of religious fanaticism that leads to her disgraceful kidnapping and subsequent ruin. The ice candy man is only one of her many suitors, who vies for her attention. In fact, it is the masseur who assumes more importance as Ayah’s lover. The gardener Hari, the Sethi cook Imam Din, or the low-caste sweepers Muccho and her daughter Papoo are also given ample importance in the first half of the book. Further, Lenny’s friend Ranna’s story takes considerable precedence in the middle portions too.

Hence the reader waits for the Ice-candy man to assume more importance, given the title. It is only towards the kidnap and the end, where he repents his actions that he takes centre-stage. The tilte therefore may be a little misleading for readers who assume that he is the key character throughout the novel. 

I was surprised because of the obvious twist wherein the Ice candy man is depicted in shades of grey (or even black) in the story. He is a stalker of dangerous proportions and suffers an obsession of manic magnitude for Ayah. His demonic treatment of Ayah during and after her kidnapping, where he pimps her for money is disgusting to the core. Although some readers may want to term his behaviour as stemming from ‘love’, he is an obvious case of a person who is psychologically deranged. It is only in the end when Lenny’s grandmother accosts him severely that he breaks down and appears to repent. How then, does such a character deserve the titular honour, in a story narrated by a child? It leaves a distinct bitter feeling in the mind.

Theme of Human Psychology

Disturbing, heart-wrenching scenes complement irksome incidents to the core.

The disturbing scenes are those which remind us that human beings have latent demons buried within their psyches. It only takes the right trigger, opportunity and endorsement from fellow demonic humans to let the demon loose on their victims. Religion, politics and gender serve only as mere excuses that alleviate the allowing of such humans to wreak havoc on society.

Ice candy man who claims to love Ayah causes her devastation. He is deranged with hatred for Hindus after he witnesses the train from India, with mutilated Muslim bodies. He pimps her to other men to make money, despite claiming to love her. The warped sense in which his so-called love is portrayed towards the end does not match up to his earlier behaviour.

Theme of Religion

The partition of India unleashed horrors on both sides of the border. Sidhwa’s story revolves and culminates in Lahore. In showcasing the leading up and aftermath of the partition on the Hindus and Muslims alike, Sidhwa brings out the fear, uncertainty and grave dangers that Lenny’s family.  In doing so, the readers are aware of what Hindu and Muslim families in the region, alike would have suffered during the time of the partition.

The keen observation of the protagonist offers us the chance to comprehend the changes and effects of the partition at the ground level, amidst the common man. How families and livelihoods get disrupted, along with the loss of life, property and peace is showcased with the perceptive clarity of a child.

The most irksome scenes are the ones where Lenny’s cousin repeatedly takes undue sexual advantage of her innocence although Lenny is smart enough to avoid too much damage.

Theme of Innocence

As mentioned in the introduction, Lenny’s aching innocence is slowly, but surely corroded with the horrors that she is forced to witness. Her keen observation does not miss the changes that happen around her during the time when the political situation of the country undergoes massive change. Lenny sees, records, learns and continues to learn. Each revelation is another slice chopped off her childlike innocent mind. The first time she hears of the brutal murder of someone she knows, (a British policeman, a family friend who visits and interacts with her parents over dinner) causes in her the realization that the horror of violence is more powerful when it hits closer to home, on a personal level.

The most perturbing scenes are the ones when she watches the massive fire that destroys the Hindu settlements at Lahore. The worst one is when she comes upon the mutilated body of the masseur on the pavement near her house.

Theme of Betrayal

Lenny first tastes betrayal as a child after her painful operation to rectfy her polio. Her parents fool her into the belief that her father goes to fetch her doctor to alleviate her pain, while all he does is sleep in the adjacent room.

The bigger betrayal, that is a major turning point in the whole novel, is when Ice candy man betrays Lenny’s friendship when he shrewdly wins her trust and weans the Ayah’s hiding place from her.

Theme of Guilt

Lenny’s guilt after she inadvertently betrays Ayah’s whereabouts to Ice Candy man are heart-racking. The irony, where she punishes her own tongue for being truthful, burns into the mind of the reader.

Theme of Politics

The common man is a mere puppet at the hands of those who wield the strings of political power.

The so-called leaders of the country, together with the British deal out cities like a pack of cards and divide the country based solely on populace and boundaries, with no regard to the sentiments or livelihood of the people. How different is the situation today? Do the leaders of either country truly care about the sentiments of its countrymen while taking crucial decisions that affect their daily lives? Food for thought, indeed.

Theme of Death and Danger

The scenes where Lenny’s friend is grievously injured and left to die, and his subsequent escapades from the bloodthirsty Sikhs to return to his aunt keep readers on the edge of tension. The dangers are not limited to a particular community. The underlying irony that all humans behave the same way when it concerns love, religion, or violence is not lost on readers. The danger does not lie in politics or religion. It  lies amidst us, in the psyche of the common man who is inflamed by people, dialogues, visions and events around him, that causes him to behave in unnaturally violent ways.

Theme of Sex, Assault and Violence

A recurring theme throughout the novel, the assaults are both physical and sexual, and not limited to a single gender or even age. Ayah is groped by her friend and sexually assaulted multiple times after her kidnap. Thankfully, the reader is spared of the gross details owing to the age of the narrator. The ice candy man’s toes and their twitching is hilarious and annoying at the same time.

Lenny’s cousin may qualify as a sexual predator too, despite his young age, with his highly questionable actions with the five year old Lenny that extends to his shameless groping of her, as an eight year old girl. His shrewdness in milking every opportunity to take undue advantage of her innocence is infuriating in its objectionable recurrence. It is perhaps prudent to acknowledge that children may satiate curiosities and discover the word of sexual joy through experimentation such as this, however, adult readers generally tend to find the articulation of such actions by children loathsome and unsavoury.

The attack on Ranna is described in the context of extreme violence that is punctuated by mass murder of menfolk and rapes of the captured women. Scenes that describe the outcome of the mob attacks are gory. So does Muccho’s violent ill-treatment of her own daughter Papoo. The abusive language leaves a gash in our minds, as does the description of the episodes.

Another scene that stays in the mind is the one where the ‘firefighters’ arrive to contain the fire at Shalmi,  douse the neighbouring Hindu homes with petrol instead of water and cause an inferno that destroys their settlement of Lahore.

Theme of Wry Humour

Last, but not the least, Sidhwa infuses humorous interludes in the form of Lenny’s dialogues. Names like Slavesister and Oldhusband put smiles on our faces, even as Lenny proceeds to dissect the background of their titles, in her narrative. Lenny makes life simple for herself and refers to the characters as cousin, masseur, gardener , ice candy man, etc. Also, the sheer stupidity of adults who go about gossiping, ogling, groping and lovemaking in the presence of an eight year old is not lost on the readers.

Conclusion

While there have been quite a few books about the partition, this one stands out in its presentation and treatment. The combo of a child protagonist narrator and the theme of partition, juxtaposed with familial, psychological and religious brouhaha make the novel a compelling read.

I rate the novel 3.8 out of 5.

Do you agree with my review? Let me know in the comments. Do like and share it with readers and book-lovers too.

Until my next review, happy reading!

***

Book Photography: Chethana

Poison of Love : A Poem.

Kiss me, kill me 

once more 

before it's time

to walk out the door.

I picked my poison

they call it love

sinking seconds close in

shrill voices from above.

Struggle & strife

mock & threaten

Dusk of life

begins to beckon.

Wasted endevours

paid a price

searching forevers

in your eyes.

***

Image: 'The Kiss', Gustav Klimt

ms

'The Kiss', Gustav Klimt

Book Review: 'The Catcher in the Rye', by J.D.Salinger.

I love reading Bildungsromane. But this one is beyond one's expectations of a 'clean' Bildungsroman. 

Salinger meant this book for adults. Small wonder then, that it was a super-hit with teenagers. 

Holden Caulfield is not your average teenager. He's beyond average in intelligence, highly disinterested in studies and endears himself to readers, despite his rather disgusting behavior. The heart of gold is firmly in its place, though and it is more apparent as the story unravels. One feels sorry for the poor little rich kid, desperately lost in his intense loneliness, in his pathetic attempts to find his place in the 'phony' universe.

One also finds rings of truth in his intense musings about life in general & people in particular. Holden's unbiased critique of the large cross-section of society strikes a chord, while his angst tugs at heartstrings. The lack of moral or emotional support for the teenager who is obviously in need of help. Holden's friendless isolation in a world full of people is palpable. 

The story begins with frustrating the reader, and goes on to leave the reader more frustrated at the end.

This classic sold a million copies a year and for good reason. Unapologetic in it's language and demeanor, this is one mean story that let's you in on the workings of the male teenaged mind. .

Quotes:

I'm quite illiterate, but I read a lot.

What really knocks me out is a book that, 

when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. 

I am always saying "Glad to've met you" to somebody I'm not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though.

It's funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands & they'll do practically anything you want them to.

People always clap for the wrong reasons.

People never notice anything.

People are always ruining things for you.

Almost every time somebody gives me a present, it ends up making me sad.

When you're not looking, somebody'll sneak up & write "Fuck you" right under your nose.

If you had a million years to do it in, you couldn't rub out even half the "Fuck you" signs in the world. 

***

Book Photography: Chethana Ramesh

#JDSalinger #TheCatcherInTheRye
#bookgasm #books #bookstagram  #classics #bookobsessed #bookworm #reading #toread #novels #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookphotography #creativebookphotography

Surrender : A Poem

Warm lips, tender

upon my flesh,

I crave his plunder

in my dreams afresh.

My strength of wills freeze

& dissipate asunder,

in wild flower breeze

of lethal lavender.

One last chance of reason,

to potion of sky splendor

& an orb below the horizon,

my heart & soul, I surrender.

***

Image: Wallpaper Flare

Stolen Whispers: A Poem.

Stolen warmth

from whispers in the night

lasts into daybreak showers.

Frozen grounds

melt into wonderland;

I lie beneath willow bowers.

Come as you are to me,

beautifully forlorn

I await your power.

I am sometimes a fool

of your words,

but always I remain, your lover.

***

One kiss away : A Poem.

One kiss away

my lips quiver

yearning for your claim.

One touch to stay

my veins shiver,

anticipating the same.

Cursed fool, me

my tears wither

oblivious to your game.

Catastrophe I see

quietly I suffer

chanting your name.

***

Image: Pinterest

Book Review: 'Orlando', by Virginia Woolf.

“A woman knows very well that,

though a wit sends her his poems,

praises her judgment, solicits her criticism,

and drinks her tea, this by no means

signifies that he respects her opinions,

 admires her understanding, or will refuse,

though the rapier is denied him,

 to run through the body with his pen.”

Orlando is different from Virginia Woolf's other books like 'To the Lighthouse' and the non-fictional lecture-book, A Room of One's own. I have classified the review under various sub headings to demarcate multiple themes with better precision.

Style of Writing

Some books are easy to read, with an easy flow of language from one page to another. This book took me a longer time to finish, than I anticipated. Woolf's style of writing may be described as smooth, however it is not easy to read as fast as most other works. One needs to get used to the long sentences, flow of ideas from one paragraph, page or chapters to another.

Although there is a feel of strong 'Stream of Consciousness' in Woolf's writing style, one may argue that it is not as disjointed as Joyce's 'Portrait of a young Man' or even Miller's 'Black Spring'. However, unlike Miller's unending lists of seemingly unimportant content, the protagonist Orlando's ever-changing thought flows, opinions and ideas connect to nostalgia that spans across 400 years, though he stays in his thirties! This emulation of the human mind is shown with good clarity through Orlando, and is made more interesting when the comparison between the thinking of both genders is added to the equation.

There are long passages that do get tedious to follow. The story-line moves fairly well, though some parts range from too fantastic to almost gross. Woolf’s personal angst is barely camouflaged in Orlando’s observations or lamentations. At times, it weighs heavily on the narrative, with reminiscences that are excessively nostalgic.

Theme of Feminism

Knowing Woolf to be a writer of feminist theories makes it easier to grasp the changing topography of the story line. It is a stroke of brilliance that Woolf's protagonist changes his gender and becomes a female. Have not the feminists of today cried their voices hoarse just to highlight the societal perks denied to women, but enjoyed by men? Haven't women over the ages wished for men to 'understand' them, while the men have tried to do so in vain? Orlando lives the life of both genders and comprehends the subtle intricacies of a woman's feelings, even as (s)he understands the differences with clarity. What makes it more interesting is that Orlando's gender change examines the physical, mental and most importantly, the differences in societal perceptions of the two genders.

It is interesting to note that the three figures who are instrumental in turning Orlando into a woman are named as the ladies of Purity, Chastity, and Modesty respectively. The depiction of each of them is hard-hitting in its satire. The focus on virginity as an important criteria for a woman, as opposed to the promiscuity of Orlando as a man cannot be missed.

The unfair inferior treatment meted to women with regards to their intellectual capacity is ironically showcased throughout the chapters where she is a woman. This reminds one of the period during which Woolf struggled to make a mark as a writer in a male dominated environment. Readers are also prone to recall the angst of Sylvia Plath's poems that harp on similar themes.

Theme of Literature Satire

Another instance of genius that cannot be ignored, is the traverse of the story through centuries, in the literary perspective. It is an intriguing joy for literature lovers such as myself to read about Pope, Addison and Swift as characters who interact with the protagonist of the novel. The paragraphs describing Orlando's carriage journey with Alexander Pope, where her perceptions waver from positive in the dark, to negative in the light of streetlights, are laced with oxymoronic humour loaded with serious symbolism.

Orlando’s analysis of Browne’s conceits and Donne’s talents are interesting to behold, especially when one gets a strong inkling of Woolf’s own critique, through Orlando's voice. I actually found myself nodding in agreement, when Orlando (or Woolf, as we are well aware) cites Shakespeare, Marlowe, Ben Jonson, Browne, Donne as favorite heroes.

“Now all young writers were in the pay of booksellers and poured out any trash that would sell. Shakespeare was the chief offender in this way and Shakespeare was already paying the penalty.”

How different is the situation now, in the twenty-first century? A host of authors today continue to churn out what the masses want, irrespective of how their work compromises class, quality or value in content. 

As Orlando feels,

“…neither of which the Greeks would have tolerated for a moment. Much though it hurt him to say it – for he loved literature as he loved his life – he could see no good in the present and had no hope for the future.”

Nevertheless, literature is an escape from harsh realities of life for many a reader or writer alike. This idea is consistently harped on, throughout the novel. Orlando's love for literary pursuits, be it books or poetry (The Oak Tree - a recurring symbol) leads people to think of him/ her as strange. An observant reader would surely notice the sharpened irony, when Orlando seeks literature more vehemently, after heartbreak from his Russian lover Sasha and betrayal from poetaster Nick Greene. 

Thereby, a literature lover's takeaway: Books and poetry are definitely preferable to socializing with unworthy people.

Theme of Societal Pressure

“No passion is stronger in the breast of a man than the desire to make others believe as he believes. Nothing so cuts at the root of his happiness and fills him with rage as the sense that another rates low what he prizes high. Whigs and Tories, Liberal party and Labour party — for what do they battle except their own prestige?...Each seeks peace of mind and subserviency rather than the triumph of truth and the exaltation of virtue”

Woolf makes some deep observations that delve into the psyche of human beings. The way she connects it to the politics of today is an indication of how human nature does not change, despite the passage of time. Her quotes remain timeless, till date, across boundaries and centuries.

“At one and the same time, therefore, society is everything and society is nothing. Society is the most powerful concoction in the world and society has no existence whatsoever”

The episodes with gypsies beings out the clashes of the cultures working within the framework of society. It is an sure opener to read about how the gypsies value the availability of  possessing Earth as a whole rather than the physically large palatial structures that other men brag about with immense pride.

Theme of Attire

Shakespeare's Hamlet famously declared that 'apparel oft proclaims the man'. 'Clothes maketh a man', quoted Mark Twain.

Woolf declares, 

“Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than to merely keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world's view of us."

The premise of how important clothing was to English society at the time is highlighted during the phase when Orlando's gender change causes her to notice several intricacies related to the same. As a woman, Orlando struggles to grasp the limitations of female attire as well as the positive ramifications. The episode where a sailor is shockingly, albeit inadvertently seduced by a mere glimpse of lady Orlando's calf is hilarious, especially when Orlando realizes the sheer sexual power emanated by a beautiful woman over men. 

The juxtaposition of fashion with sexuality is a recurring theme for both genders throughout the novel.

Theme of fantasy

Last but not the least, the key fantasy element where Orlando traverses through four centuries,(from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries) without ageing, allows Woolf to showcase not only  the strong societal nuances of each period, but also literary connotations and famous figures of the respective times.

Wry Humour

The ticklish episodes, where lady Orlando is smothered by boredom in the company of her ardent and atrocious wooer Archduke Harry, are hilarious, while her feelings ring with terrible truth of a loveless unrequited relationship. The reader aches, and identifies with Lady Orlando's frustration, as she pines for an escape into her writing, even as the Archduke foolishly strives to hold her attention. The scenes where she fools him repeatedly with a dead fly made me double up with laughter, even as I was uncannily reminded of the brilliant poem by Donne, where he uses the conceit of the Flea to seduce his lover.

The carriage ride with Alexander Pope, as mentioned before, is funny in its deeply observatory, powerfully analytical, yet finicky state of her mind. The sailor incident, although confined to a short line or two, leaves the reader in splits.

Conclusion

Myriad themes and heavy symbolism make the novel definitely worth a read, as long as readers can get used to the writing technique. A journey into the important nuances of feminism, juxtaposed with a profusion of learning scope about the eminent literary masters of the English creativity graph, makes this novel a must-read for literature lovers and students alike.

I rate the novel 4/5.

Did you find my review useful? Do let me know in the comments. 

Happy reading!

***

Never : A Perfect Love Story.

I'll never miss
roses or pastries
on Valentine's day
as long as he offers
me hopes & cures
on a painful day.

I'll never mind
his absences
on 'important' days
as long as his presences
brighten my blue days.

I'll never need wishes
on anniversaries or birthdays
as long as he holds my hand
on various random days.

I'll never crave 'I love you'
& other silly displays
as long as he stays true
& loyal to me, always.

I'll never want a 'perfect' man for me
till the end of my days,
as long as my man loves me
in myriad imperfect ways.

                    ***