#Book Review: The Oleander Girl by Chitra Banerjee Divakurni

My first acquaintance with Chitra Banerjee Divakurni’s work was through her novel The Spice Mistress. The film had released by the time I had started reading the novel but I opted not to watch the film, as I believe a film adapted from a novel can never entirely capture the essence of a writer’s emotions.

Being a Bengali, any story set in Bengal has always fascinated me. The Oleander Girl is a quest of a young Bengali woman and her journey to find her identity. Korobi orphaned at birth, is brought up in a traditional household by adring over protective grandparents. She spends seventeen years of her life in her ancestral home, 26 Tarak Prasad Roy Road, which characterizes the old charms of the beautiful city of Kolkata. On the other end of the spectrum is the rich party boy Rajat, confused about his love for Korobi and his ex-girl friend Sonia. Though Korobi and Rajat have nothing in common but after certain point the readers are made to wonder how these two opposite people fell in love with each other.

But outwardly beautiful Korobi is not only beautiful but intelligent and headstrong at the same time. It is her strong conviction and curiosity about her past that propels her into a journey across the world to find her father, half of her identity and puts herself and her loved ones in dangerous circumstances.

Though the novel starts in a slow note, the progress of the novel totally lives up to your expectation. You can’t help but admire Korobi and get thrilled while she experiences her highs and lows. The novel becomes very gripping as the secrets of the past are unraveled. The other characters like Jayashree, Sarojini and Mr. Bose also add depth to the novel. Another interesting part of the novel is the special relation which driver Asif shares with ‘missy’ Pia. The relation bears subtle undertones that love goes beyond conventional warnings and social prejudices. Throughout the novel, the reader is held in thrall as the problems pile up and secrets unfold.

However The Oleander Girl is much more than a tale of suspense; it is also a story of tender relationships that reach beyond race, religion and class. There are special touches in this book that make it heartwarming and reinforce your faith in nature. Overall, it is an extremely enjoyable read and Chitra’s lyrical style of writing makes the whole experience worthwhile. Banerjee is gifted for making the art of storytelling a magical experience and somewhere the dynamic facet of Korobi will definitely touch a chord in your heart.

Publisher : Penguin Viking

#Book Review: Lifting the Veil by Ismat Chughtai Translated by Asaduddin & Ralph Russel

‘In my stories I’ve put down everything with objectivity. Now, if some people find them obscene let them go to hell. It’s my belief that experiences can never be obscene if they are based on authentic realities of life’ - Ismat ke Shahkar Afsane This is how Ismat Chughtai, Urdu’s most courageous and controversial writer asserted the validity of her literary engagement in her characteristic, forthright manner.
My first encounter with Ismat Chughtai a.k.a Ismat Aaapa was at Jaipur Literary Festival 2013. Don’t take me wrong, I was not fortunate enough to meet her but I was lucky to attend one session moderated by the famous lyricist Javed Akhtar. It was a wonderful experience to know about such a lady who was great and became greater over time.
 Known as much of her unconventional writings as for her mercurial personality, Chughtai became a legend in her lifetime. Born at a time when Indian society was largely orthodox and tradition-bound , and women spent their whole life behind purdah, Chughtai challenged the morals and values of her time and fiercely advocated self hood and self-definition for women.
Lifting the Veil brings together her fiction and non-fiction writing consisting of twenty-one pieces which are some of her best works.
 The themes and characters of these stories are taken from the spheres which she knew intimately- the middle class Muslims families of Aligarh, Agra and Bareilly with their elaborate network of relatives, hangers –on and servants. These families were invariably large and hardly had any space for privacy.
All the stories are not mere portrayal of characters and events; she used her mimetic strategy to recreate the entire ethos of people at a particular moment in history. The characters have been treated not as autonomous individuals but as products of certain social environment which shaped their psyche. Removed from this social milieu they lose much of their appeal. They are culturally rooted and the local flavor adds significantly to their charm. Thus, when you read these stories, you enter a culture –the culture of Muslims of UP and all ingredients that make up its texture; the beliefs and superstitions , religious observances, rites and rituals.
 Her best known story ‘The Quilt’ (‘Lihaaf’),jolted the Urdu reading public out of their complacency by daringly depicting female sexuality in a manner not attempted before in modern Indian literature. This treatment of homosexuality and lesbianism lends itself fruitful feminist readings even as it provoked indignant reactions among the conservative public.
 Two pen sketches and two autobiographical fragments have also been included in this collection which records the life of the writer, her observation, her own life, family, friends and social milieu. Written in essentially the same style, they all demonstrate her strengths as a creative writer.
 This selection seeks to represent different facets of the writer’s literary engagement, without confining itself merely to her feminist concerns.
 I recommend this book to all those readers who have a literary bent of mind and who nurtures a curiosity to explore an unabashed facet of life.

Publisher : Penguin