Prisoner Of Tehran

Sometimes some books make way to our hands with a purpose. Marina Nemat’s Prisoner of Tehran is such a one for me. I bought this book, thinking as one of the other books that detail the troubles in a Muslim dominated society. But the book captivated me from the first page itself and opened up a world that was totally alien to me.

Marina Nemat’s Prisoner of Tehran is an autobiography of the author’s life in ‘Evin,’ the notorious prison in Tehran. Aged sixteen, Marina Nemat from an expatriate Russian family in Iran got arrested for reasons that may be incomprehensible for people outside Iran. The two years that she’d spent at Evin contoured the rest of her life. The tortures and painful memories at a time encumber Marina and at the same time give her an insight to the world outside.

The narration is interwoven between Marina’s memories of life inside and outside the Evin. As any other girl in Iran during Iranian revolution of 1979, Marina Nemat also had to witness tragedies happening around her and to suffer the loss of her dear one. This must have sowed the seeds of self assertion in her. However, her modest actions for justice changed her life dramatically.

After being arrested by the revolutionary guards in 1982, Marina Nemat was tortured and later sentenced to death in Evin. However a prominent guard named Ali Mousavi took an interest in Marina and she was taken away from death to the position of his secret bride. Marina had to get converted into Islam during this time. All along her life with Ali, Marina grew hopeless of her return to the life she’d always cherished. She was growing accustomed to love Ali and bear him the first child, when Ali got shot by the revolutionary guards involved in a conspiracy against him.

Ali’s last words to his parents saved Marina from the life in Evin. As she puts it, Ali had saved her life twice, once from the gun point and the second time from the life at Evin. Marina returned to her life with her parents who were unable to protect her during all these mishap. She then took the courage to marry Andre-her love before arrest-against the Islamic law. Though she got the threat of arrest once again for this, Ali’s parents and friends lend the support for Marina. 

Marina and André decide to leave for Canada. Though her parents couldn’t help her, her guardian angel again came for help and Andre could secure the money needed for the security deposit at Evin. Life turned out to be normal for some time at Canada for Marina. However soon the memories returned and nightmares began. None had asked her about the life at Evin and the painful memories suffocate her. Soon Marina out poured her memories into the paper and here came out one of the most edifying memoirs- The Prisoner of Tehran.

After Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, this novel got the same effect on me. Even though Marina Nemat hasn’t listed all the atrocities that had happened inside Evin, her writing is apt for evoking the realization of suffering to the reader. Through the form of fiction, the book also educates the reader of the political scenario of Iran prior to and after the Iranian revolution. 

Marina also draws the futility of violent revolutions through a comparison of her life with that of her grandmother’s. Her grandmother had suffered losses similar to hers during Russian revolution. However these new governments never proved to be better than the previous one to provide a better living for the society. People suffered and suffered!

It seems, the atrocities that are still happening with Evin, also prompted Marina to write this memoir. She has dedicated this book also to Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian-Iranian journalist who got brutally killed in Evin in 2003.

Marina Nemat presently works with people who assist social welfare. Her second book After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed got published in Septmeber 2010. To know more about Marina Nemat also visit her website http://www.marinanemat.com Marina Nemat’s Facebook Profile http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Marina-Nemat/56366503068 

Afterword: Just after reading Prisoner Of Tehran, I took the courage to mail her. Her reply showed her real self, “There is a lot of suffering in this world, and if we don't know about it, we cannot help it.”

Memoirs Of A Geisha!

I didn’t come across Arthur Golden’s Memoirs Of Geisha by sheer accident. I was planning to buy the book ever since 2004. However, I mistook the term ‘Geisha’ just as the Westerners took it and always put aside the purchase. Therefore, when the book came to my hands as a gift, I realized that I am destined to read it.

From the very first page, you feel like living in Japan feeling its unexplored lands and a time prior to the World War. The story unfolds through the memories of the successful Geisha Nitta Sayuri who spends her old age in New York. Though Nitta Sayuri is an imaginative character of Arthur Golden, the passion of her for the bygone time reflects in the introductory pages.

“Sayuri chose me as her amanuensis, to be sure, but she may have been waiting for the right candidate to present herself.” (p.vii)

As the reader begins to read, a usual question arises. “Why did Sayuri want her story told?”(P.vii) unlike many other Geishas, she didn’t choose to keep her secrets. Why? Though not explicitly written, the answer comes to the reader’s mind as the book progresses.

The life of Geisha was not the choice of a simple girl ‘Chiyo’ born in the fishermen’s village of Yoroido. But just a pebble fallen into a river, her life takes her away from Yoroido to Kyoto to become one of its successful Geishas named ‘Nitta Sayuri’.

When the novel initiates the reader with the dilemmas of a helpless girl in the beginning pages, it soon takes the reader to the world of Geishas without even being realized of it. As a reader leaf through the pages, they may get so familiar with the lives of Geishas, their customs, manners, competitions, hard works, dilemmas etc.

The novel has its later settings in the backdrop of Second World War. The writer sketches the hardships of Second World War without even pointing at it directly but through the eyes of Sayuri. The earnest mind of the Japanese to hope amidst hardships after the world war has brought out a new realm in Sayuri’s life. She struggles along with the business magnets in Japan to bring forth a new thriving phase into their country.

The course of life eventually takes Sayuri from Japan to New York. She discovers the scope for a business venture in New York through her experiences as a Geisha. As her old age withers day by day, she meets the author whom she confides her life in.

As one finishes the story, the fact on why Sayuri chose to write the novel becomes clear. She wanted to wipe out the wrong notions about a ‘Geisha.’ A Geisha is not a prostitute but an artist. It’s true that she entertains the men but, the relationship is bound with customs. Sayuri also sketches the time of Japan in the backdrop of her life story for those to revive the history. As she speaks the last lines, she not only speaks about herself but on the history of her country itself.

"But now I know that our world is no more permanent than a wave rising in the ocean. Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they blend into a wash, just like watery ink on paper." (P.439)

Author: Arthur Golden
Publishers: Vintage Classics
Price: 232 Rs/-

Eragon & Eldest-The Fantasy Continues After Harry Potter!

Once you become a fan of Harry Potter series, it is only natural to leaf through any other books from the fantasy genre that comes your way. On the more, if the second series that comes into your hand is the Twilight series, the interest all the more builds. However after these dives into the fantasy world, a reading of Eragon might take you back to the world of literature.

The gist of the two books can be summarized as this-a peasant boy finds the dragon egg, the dragon hatches for him, enemies locate him and murder his uncle, a village bard escorts him to flee, the boy gets introduced into the real world, acquaints with supernatural powers, win the war against a fierce enemy, pursues a challenging romance and finds out the secret of his life etc...

The beginning pages of Eragon will definitely raise the interests of a fantasy reader. However as one reads through, there are striking similarities between the Harry Potter series and Eragon. The protagonists are teenage boys orphaned in their childhood. While Harry Potter is under the guardianship of his unsympathetic aunt and family, Eragon is under the care of his loving uncle and family. They are initially unaware of their rightful supernatural world and bumps into that blindfolded.



Once Harry Potter and Eragon reach the supernatural world, they become the heroes or saviours of that world. Both of them have to fight against mighty magicians who have distorted their lives as well as the society. There is all right to believe that Christopher Paolini was influenced by the concept of ‘Dementors’ in Harry Potter series while depicting Ra’azac in Eragon. Both these evil sect of creatures can glide through air, can drain their enemy of emotions, do always hide under their hoods and emulate foul breath. There are elves (though in different provisos), use of magic and conspiracies that can be traced as the binding forces between two books.

The influence from J.K.Rowling can be attributed to the author’s teenage while writing Eragon. However, while taking the author’s age into consideration, the series are a promise for the wonderful tales that have to come out from his pen. Christopher Paolini has discovered a brilliant secret of magic that Rowling had missed in her wizard series. That only makes the Eragon a little more interesting than Harry Potter series. However, the readers will definitely hope that he’ll miss out unnecessary adventures and incoherent events in his forthcoming books.

One more last point to be noted here is the author’s inclination towards Indian ideas and rituals. The name of the elven princess Arya, the rigorous ‘Rimag’ practice that is a duplication of ‘Indian Yoga’, the advocacy of vegetarianism and the narration of the power of nature are based on Indian culture. Being an Indian, I enjoyed noticing these espouses.

I couldn’t like Eragon as I liked Harry Potter series. This may be because; I read the teenage wizard’s adventures prior to the teenage dragon rider’s adventures. On the whole, I enjoyed reading Eragon and Eldest. I always have the feeling that if characters can communicate with me in my dreams, that book has got into me. I slept with the whispers of Eragon, Saphira, Brom and Arya around me, while reading these books. In that way, I am happy to get these books into my hands. Keep flying Eragon and Saphira; there are people who need to meet you!

The Unaccustomed Earth

Jhumpa Lahiri rocks once again with her new short story collection-The Unaccustomed Earth. It is only an instinct for a reader, who has captivated by the life sketched in The Interpreter Of Maladies, to get a copy of this short story collection. As the reader leaf through the pages of The Unaccustomed Earth, life opens with all its colours and smells.

The collection itself can be seen as a garden in which different flowers with unique aromas and colours contribute to the panorama. Adapting the theme of the book from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Custom House, the stories convey the idea that expatriate life can be a rewarding one, only when women strike their roots to the ‘unaccustomed earth.’ Jhumpa Lahiri gives testimony for this idea through the sketch of two generations of Bengali immigrants in America.

Family relationships in an expatriate soil have a different significance than that in India. The stories “Hell-Heaven,” “Only Goodness,” and “Unaccustomed Earth” deal with the tensions in Indian immigrant families. “A Choice Of accommodations” and “Nobody’s Business” depict the strains of Indo-Anglo co-habitation.



The short story trio-“Hema and Kaushik” –is an introduction to a new writing style of Jhumpa Lahiri. The story moved me as deeply as it sketched through the protagonists' minds. Hema and Kaushik’s childhood, their unacknowledged teenage infatuation for each other, the expatriate Bengali lineage that they share, their middle age romance and the disaster that they encounter will etch in the memory even time after the story gets finished. The stories are aptly named as “Once In A Lifetime” to mark the time the teenage protagonists shared under one roof, “Year’s End” to mark the found and lost relationship that Kaushik shared with his step sisters and “Going Ashore” to mark the reunion of Hema and Kaushik and proceeding events.

The movements of events in these stories are spontaneous. As someone criticized, the stories have no marked beginning and finished end. The stories can begin anywhere from your imagination and can continue in your imagination. That is the ability that a good reader imparts to you-the power of imagination where you can ponder over small events and see the wonderful story in it.

Publishers: Random House
Price: Rs.595/-

The Moving Finger

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
Courtesy: Edward FitzGerald’s translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám.

The words came out from Agatha Christie’s fingers always moved its readers. The detective fiction written by her marks an era, in which a feminine mind showed intense power to dwell deeply into human characteristics. Her novel The Moving Finger is a powerful paradigm for this flair.

The plot of The Moving Finger centres on the placid village of Lymstock, where the protagonist Jerry Burton and his sister come for a retreat stay. The cosy village with its few members are soon poisoned with anonymous obscene mails that lead to a suicide and a murder. When fear contaminates the serene ambience of the village, Jerry decides to follow his instincts to catch the vicious fingers behind the letters. His and the Police officer Nash’s assumptions combined with Jane Marple’s ability to understand the human characteristics, remove the mask of the real culprit.

Apart from the curiosity, what makes this novel more beautiful is the exotic sketch of the landscape. As we read through the pages, Lymstock becomes a familiar place to us with its greenery and walkways. The Gothic elements used in the novel are able to fill the reader’s mind with fears after the darkness creeps in.



Also this novel is an appreciation for the woman power. While Megan’s abandoned childhood and loneliness fills one’s eyes with some unknown tears, radiance sparks in, as she shows her real courage. The novel is a testimony that when men can be heroes with their courage and power, women can be equally powerful with a deep understanding of the human nature.

The book is apt for an easy reading. So when you are on to the next tiring journey, don’t forget to take this paperback with you. You won’t know how the time passes and the journey will be a memorable one.

Additional Bits
Title of the novel is taken from Edward FitzGerald’s translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám.

Publishers: BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK
Price: $5.99U.S

Osho: The Luminous Rebel

When I got Vasant Joshi’s new book Osho: The Luminous Rebel, Life Story Of a Maverick Mystic for review, my manager asked, “You got spiritual books for review? Well, it might be the God’s way of sending message to you.” I was in search of my spiritual master at that time. But never even in my wildest dreams, I considered Osho, around whom controversies and scandals of inappropriate teachings surrounded.

The cover photo of the book on which Osho appears with the long beard and piercing eyes initially scared something in mind. I was reluctant to touch the book and kept it aside for some days. Then I opened the book and from the first page, he captured me. Now the eyes hold a new significance in my life. Then I realized, it is my master who should consider taking me, not the other way around.



My master has come to me. Never in my life had I been eager to read a book on any spiritual masters. Though I was surrounded by spiritually inclined friends, I was always careful to keep myself away from their so called ‘insanity.’ Now, it is my turn to become insane and in love with a master.

There are many indicators that assert the fact that I have found my master. One such one is the gaining appreciation for my short write ups. I never thought that my write ups can attract anyone in particular. But for two articles that I have written casually, good comments are coming through. No wonder, since “With Osho, words flow fluently."

As a true Guru, Osho hasn’t done any miracle in my life. However since I’ve drawn to him miracles keep happening in my life. His words revive the lost spirits and he clears my questions in silence.

There cannot be a conclusion for this article. This is just the beginning. I have to follow more works of Osho and anticipate the harmony with my life.

Publishers: Wisdom Tree
Price: Rs 245/-Only

Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories

Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories can be considered as a piece of diasporic writing. This short story collection includes the stories about the lives of immigrant Indians who struggle to adjust between the Indian traditions that they left behind and the entirely different western world that they have to encounter every day. Being born as the daughter of Bengali parents in London; homeland for the author is only an imaginary place. Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories is her first published short story collection and had won Pulitzer Prize for fiction in the year 2000.

The stories " A Temporary Matter", " When Mr.Pirzada Came To Dine", " Mrs. Sen's", "The Blessed House", "Sexy" and " The Third And Final Continent" deal with the sense of alienation that an emigrant Indian feels in a foreign country.



In " A Temporary Matter" a young couple exchange confessions after a long silence to cope with the failure in their marriage. " When Mr.Pirzada Came To Dine," narrates the cultural unanimity between an Indian family and Pakistani young man in a foreign country. "The Blessed House" is the story that shows the adjustment of young emigrant Indians to a new culture and beliefs.

Mrs. Sen's" explores the life of an emigrant Indian life through the European point of view. " The Third And Final Continent" shows the hegemonic control still exercised by the European people over the third world people. "Sexy" is the story that shows the falling marital relationship among young emigrant Indians. The story shows the extra marital relationship between an Indian and a western woman as well as her feelings to valuable relationships.

The title story " Interpreter of maladies" stands exceptional among all other stories. The story powerfully narrates the fascination of the third world people to the European life. The protagonist Mr.kapasi is an interpreter and " English is the only non-Indian language he spoke fluently..." (P.52). The story shows how the everyday language of a common Indian becomes a western language. " Interpreter of maladies" is an open confession of immigrant Indians, who have to shut their dilemmas and nostalgic feelings at a foreign culture.

Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories falls under the category of post-colonial Indian English fiction. The stories deal with the nostalgia for homeland that emerges chaotic and even harsh at some times. The narrative is simple and poetic. The use of symbols and images has been merged with the theme of the stories. The stories will grasp the whole attention of the reader till the end and will leave thoughtful impressions in their minds. This short story collection will be a valuable addition to your library and you can go back to explore the contemporary Indian culture.

Reference
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories. New Delhi, Harper Collins Publishers Pvt ltd, 1999.

Indian Birds In Focus

Many of you might want to relax in the lap of nature and wants to wake up with a promising mood. However the busy schedule will keep you away from the serene ambience. In that case, take a glance at Aman Samarpan’s Indian Birds In Focus.


Indian Birds In Focus is a book that will take you to water bodies, shorelines, swamps, grasslands, scrubs, deserts, woods, mountains and to human habitations through the exotic wings of photography. When the author photo cases the wonderful birds in these areas, our minds get relaxed at their beauty and the nature they live in.

Indian Birds In Focus is not only a book that consists the enticing pictures of the birds. Aman Samarpan introduces the birds in each area with thoughtful quotes. The introduction to each section gives an insight into each bird’s habitation and lifestyle. The introduction also points out the threatening factors introduced by humanity to the avian population.

Each of the photographic birds in this book comes up with a catchy caption. The index at the end of the book, which indicates the English names and the corresponding Hindi names of the birds, is really informative for a common reader. In the same manner the index indicating the scientific names and the size of the birds, is a helpful note for the ornithologists.

The only drawback that one can point out in this book is the lack of many birds that appear in South India. The photographs in this collection are exceptional. They cannot be compared for their excellence. However, just have a look at the black eagle soaring high in the background of the blue valley at Katmandu. (p.92-93). Without your awareness, your mind will be brimming with peace. Also have a look at the photograph of striated heron (p.22) for its amazing photographic skills.

Publishers: Wisdom Tree

Price: Rs/-695 Only

My Guru In Disguise: A Spiritual Rebirth

“Over the centuries much has been written about many spiritual masters and mystics in India. These individuals are deeply revered and respected because they are viewed as a physical link between earthly and divine realms. Although there are numerous written testaments on mystical lives, there are hardly any from a family’s perspective. A guidebook on how to cope up with the day-to-day difficulties of living with one, within whom a spiritual storm is constantly raging, simply did not exist.” (My Guru In Disguise P.76)

It is true that there are many books evolving on the spiritual experiences and spiritual teachings on these days. However a book that passes the above criteria is very rare to be seen! Priya Mookerjee’s My Guru In Disguise is one such one. The book travels through the writer’s reminiscence on her childhood, parents and the unique relationship she shared with her mother.



Priya Mookerjee was born as the eldest daughter to her parents. Her parents hailed from one of the foremost families in India-the much-revered Tagore’s. Ajit Mookerjee was very much interested in the Thantric arts in Indian tradition whereas his wife Sudha Mookerjee was a very lively person with inclination to music, painting, dance and other art forms.

The happy family starts to get its shake when Sudha Mookerjee develops a spiritual desire within her. The spiritual power grows violently inside her and she very soon becomes alienated from the traditional role of a wife and mother.

Priya Mookerjee describes her mother’s spiritual growth through the viewpoint of a daughter in her school days, teenage years, young woman and later as a disciple. Priya grows from the abandoned feelings of school days, to the rebellious teenager, to the unbiased youngster and later to submit her queries in front of her mother.

The language used in the book is simple and reaches straight into our inner soul. There are unique photo sketches throughout the book that helps to broaden the imagination of the reader. This book is highly suggested for those who are inquiring the reason for their restless situation.

Publishers: Wisdom Tree

Price: Rs./-225

Three And A Half Seconds To Ponder On Life!

I really cant explain what I really felt after reading the story ‘Three and a half seconds’ in Indu Sundaresan’s short story collection In The Convent Of Little Flowers. Was it fear, sadness, helplessness shock or mere numbness?

The story unfolds through the thoughts of Meha at the end of her life. Born in a peasant family somewhere in the western parts of India, Meha had an earlier life of family chores and fielding. She enjoyed a happy married life with her loving husband Chandar till the unseen hands of nature decided to test them.

When the rains fell, Meha and Chandar leave their village with their little son Bikaner to the unknown city Mumbai. They start up their life in the footpaths of Mumbai. Slowly Chandar gets a job as a security guard at the Agricultural bank and Meha becomes the maidservant for houses. Even in these hardships they decides to put up their son in the school. Meha and Bikaner learns the lessons together in the light of streetlights.


Slowly Meha and Chandar get adapted to the course of Mumbai life. They buy a small apartment in the sixteenth floor of a flat and begin a happy family life there. Things go fine till Bikaner joins the Agricultural Bank as a clerk. Right from the childhood Bikaner was a violent boy who never hesitated to attack the weaker ones. He gets married to his colleague and starts tormenting his parents.

The ultimate blow comes on the day that Chandar retires from his work. Bikaner accuses Chandar for his lack of promotion due to a security father. Bikaner snatches away the golden wristwatch from Chandar and beats him. The beatings continue and Meha and Chandar forced to move to the balcony for living. Then one day, Bikaner forcefully signs in the rights of the flat from Chandar and on that day the couple decide to commit suicide.

The story ends at the point when Meha helps Chandar to leap from the sixteenth floor balcony and she follows him. The only feeling that she had at that time is an intense feeling for freedom.

The beauty in this story narration is that the whole life of Meha passes through her mind in a three and a half second. This reflection of one’s own life at the deathbed is too much in connotation with the Hindu beliefs. The first half-second describes gives introduction to Meha’s life, first second is about Bikaner’s character, the second second is about Meha’s life in Mumbai and the last second is about their hardships at the hands of Bikaner.

The story gives a real glimpse on how the old parents are tormented at the hands of insensitive modern generation. As the modern generation speed after the money and status, too many traditional values, loving moments and emotional feelings are churned under their speedy wheel. This story is an eye opener for the young couples in India. Always remember that the story of a child who kept his late grandfather’s dirty feeding pots for his parents is not a story after all…

Thoughtful Flowers from the Convent of Little Flowers

The recent scenario in Indian English literature is to reject and embrace the modern values with an authenticity. The established Indian English writer does that exceptionally well in her new book In the Convent of Little Flowers. In exception to her earlier works In the Convent of Little Flowers brings forth real life traditional incidents from 21st century rural India, which we may prefer to ignore. This short story collection has 7 short stories that we can discuss in detail.

The first story in the collection, “Shelter of Rain’’ inspires the title of the entire collection. The first introductory lines itself gives what has to follow in the following pages.
The story begins when the Indian born Padmini arrives at Sea Tac airport to receive her aunt Sister Mary Theresa. The story unfolds through Padmini’s reminiscences of her past.
Born in an orphanage in Chingalpet of Tamilnadu in India, Padmini was brought up by the caretakers of the orphanage till the age of four. Her fortune changes as the touring foreign couples from Seattle arrive at the convent to adopt a baby. All of a sudden they like Padmini and adopt her as their own.
Padmini reaches as Seattle as Padmini Merrick. She soon gets accommodated into the alien culture and grows up as a successful young lady. She finds a job and marries her childhood classmate cum friend Mike.
When everything seems to go under its smooth rhythm Padmini receives a letter from Sister Mary Theresa. The letter reveals that Padmini is Sister Mary Theresa’s niece and she was abandoned by her biological mother soon after her birth. Now, Sister Mary Theresa just wants to meet her since she wants to meet her favorite flower from the ‘Convent of Little Flowers.’
The story deals with many emotional upheavals that can happen to any human being. Padmini is trapped between her desires to meet her biological relative and repelled at the same to meet her biological identity which was dispelled from her birth. There is a beautiful description on how she had sensed the maternal affection from Sister Mary Theresa while she was in the orphanage. Mary Theresa admits in the letter on how she wanted to adopt Padmini and had to reject the idea due to her nun hood. There are also glimpsed on how Padmini’s biological mother emotionally traumatized after abandoning her baby.



The story will give you a warning if you are about to abandon your child, which is a growing trend in India. On the other hand it will support you if you are going to bloom a new flower in your home. The story has captured the real essence of the strong connection between Indian born youngsters and their values.
Posted by Dhanyasre

Zapp: The Squirrel Who Pumped Energy To Me!

Long years ago William Wordsworth had penned, "Child is the father of man." This profound idea is coming to us in a beautiful manner through Rachit Kinger's debut work Zapp: The Squirrel Who Wanted To Fly! However this 21st century allegory has much more to inspire the readers than this reflective idea. This book will provide you with a mirror to see the hidden dreams in your heart that you've blanketed under the thick sheets of doubts and fears.

The book revolves around the little squirrel Zapp who is only six and half days old as the story begins. He is the representative of the innocent infants who born with a clear mind to adapt the world as it is… His innocence and pure curiosity to know the world wins the hearts of two dangerous species in the society –the poisonous snake named Saap and the mighty eagle named Baaz.



Saap and Baaz inspire Zapp into a world unknown to him. Through their experiences Zapp dreams of a world that can fulfill his dreams and make his life meaningful. He sets out from his own community to venture the world. The interesting twist happens to his quest when in search of finding a deeper meaning to his life, Zapp had to overcome the fear of losing whatever little meaning that had existed in his life.

On his way Zapp meets a snail, a rabbit named Id, the orthodox community of lemmings and its revolutionary youngsters Apple and Orange, a skunk called the learned one/Gyp, the disciplined ants, lazy cows, tricky monkeys, imprudent pigs, the tortoise named Dault and finally a group of little squirrels. He encounters new experiences among each of these species.

Zapp realizes that the jungle is not only unfair to him but so is to other species. Zapp believes that the difference between him/Id and other species is that he/Id chooses to live according to their dreams while the other species "can think what they want but say or do nothing."(P.102) Finally Zapp meets Dault the tortoise whom he was searching to bring to a close the quest of his meaningful journey.

The meeting with Dault opens Zapp's inner eyes. Dault reveals the beautiful secret in life that when you set out to fulfill your dreams things in world may appear to turn against you. However if you accept the things as it is the world is calm before you. On the other end "if you unaccept things there is chaos, madness, frustration and ruin."(P.107) There are so many stars in the world to guide us for a fulfilled life. You can either remain oblivious to these stars or choose one or many to reach the fulfillment. Dault advises Zapp that if he listens to his heart and do everything as per its instructions, he can lead a fulfilled life.

Zapp grows from a six and half days old to a grown up one by the end of the journey. He realizes that he has wings to fly above the dreams and he sets off to the clouds to fulfill the dreams.

The book is a magical allegory. It is a representation of the inner pathos of human life on the present day. The book is recommended to all age groups alike. Children may get related with the dreams of the little squirrel Zapp and will be promised with a bright future where they can fly with their own wings! For others who regret of not fulfilling their inherent dreams, this book is an eye opener. This book may aid you to find the true meaning in your life and will help you to listen to your heart.

Publishers: Wisdom Tree

Price: Rs/- 125 Only

Review of Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories

Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories can be considered as a piece of diasporic writing. This short story collection includes the stories about the lives of immigrant Indians who struggle to adjust between the Indian traditions that they left behind and the entirely different western world that they have to encounter every day. Being born as the daughter of Bengali parents in London; homeland for the author is only an imaginary place. Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories is her first published short story collection and had won Pulitzer Prize for fiction in the year 2000.

The stories " A Temporary Matter", " When Mr.Pirzada Came To Dine", " Mrs. Sen's", "The Blessed House", "Sexy" and " The Third And Final Continent" deal with the sense of alienation that an emigrant Indian feels in a foreign country.

In " A Temporary Matter" a young couple exchange confessions after a long silence to cope with the failure in their marriage. " When Mr.Pirzada Came To Dine," narrates the cultural unanimity between an Indian family and Pakistani young man in a foreign country. "The Blessed House" is the story that shows the adjustment of young emigrant Indians to a new culture and beliefs.


Mrs. Sen's" explores the life of an emigrant Indian life through the European point of view. " The Third And Final Continent" shows the hegemonic control still exercised by the European people over the third world people. "Sexy" is the story that shows the falling marital relationship among young emigrant Indians. The story shows the extra marital relationship between an Indian and a western woman as well as her feelings to valuable relationships.

The title story " Interpreter of maladies" stands exceptional among all other stories. The story powerfully narrates the fascination of the third world people to the European life. The protagonist Mr.kapasi is an interpreter and " English is the only non-Indian language he spoke fluently..." (P.52). The story shows how the everyday language of a common Indian becomes a western language. " Interpreter of maladies" is an open confession of immigrant Indians, who have to shut their dilemmas and nostalgic feelings at a foreign culture.

Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories falls under the category of post-colonial Indian English fiction. The stories deal with the nostalgia for homeland that emerges chaotic and even harsh at some times. The narrative is simple and poetic. The use of symbols and images has been merged with the theme of the stories. The stories will grasp the whole attention of the reader till the end and will leave thoughtful impressions in their minds. This short story collection will be a valuable addition to your library and you can go back to explore the contemporary Indian culture.

Reference
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter Of Maladies: Stories. New Delhi, Harper Collins Publishers Pvt ltd, 1999.