GORA - Rabindranath Tagore

-

There are some books you read and put away; and then there are others, like Gora, that you absorb. You get sucked into it, you feel everything the characters go through, and you come out of it as a better person altogether. Gora is one of the finest and the most complex of the Tagore's writing. It is not merely a novel; it is an epic saga of India, in a troubled time, questioning the basis of caste, tradition, filial piety, patriotism and marriage.

Gora (Gourmohan), the protagonist, is intensely patriotic and a strong advocate of Hinduism. He practices his religion with thorough conviction and strict austerity, making him seem an arrogant, self-asserting, aggressive and violent person who thrusts his opinions unto others. On the other hand, Binoy, Gora's best friend, is soft spoken and compassionate gentleman who initially comes across as a shadow of Gora, but subsequently emerges as genuine and self-analyzing. The two boys come in contact with Poresh Babu, a spokesperson of the Brahmo Samaj, formed to counteract orthodox Hinduism as well as Christian attacks against polytheism and idol worship. Sucharita and Lolita, his two daughters, are the heroines who are educated ladies and have their own point of view in life. The story revolves around these, and some more prominent, characters as all their lives get transformed during a time when there was a political and ideological turmoil in the entire nation.

Rabindranath Tagore is a master-crafter of stories. Although the original is written in Bengali and has been translated into English by various writers throughout the years, the essence is still captured. The writing is lyrical and poetic in nature. Gora represents nationalism, Binoy intellectualism, Lalita feminism, Poreshbabu wisdom, Anadamoyi motherhood, and Borodasundari orthodoxy. All the characters are very well researched and developed.

It cannot be considered the best book in terms of capturing events or the plot, but that never seems to be the intention. Rather, Tagore surprises you by describing the true feelings of the characters, be it perplexion, curiosity, distress, joy or all of it together. The plots and sub plots are so elegantly woven between the characters that you may find yourself marvel at the sheer brilliance of the writer.

The book is voluminous and the story too serious to make do for light reading. The main plot thickens after around a 100 pages, and it can get too descriptive at a few places. However, it is one of those books which make you think and reflect.

All in all, very highly recommended. An obvious five star material.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE SONGSEEKERS -Saswati Sengupta

-
Image
With its  subversive feminist thrust and persistent questioning of what constitutes religion, tradition and  culture, Saswati Sengupta's debut novel  The Song Seekers is sure to strike a chord. It is a poignant exploration of the lives of women in Indian society transcending time and space. Weaved around mystery and laced with beautiful poems throughout, this makes for a perfect unputdownable read.  Set in the turbulent 1960s in Bengal, the novel revolves around the life of newly wed Uma, an  English Literature graduate from Miranda House, as she steps into the threshold of her marital home  Kailash, the ancestral mansion of the highly reputed Chattopadhyay family of Calcutta. Even as she  tries to find her footing in a new, unfamiliar world, Uma is intrigued by the shadows that seem to  linger in the sprawling mansion; her husband’s silence about his mother’s death, the presence of the  enigmatic green-eyed Pishi, a few old letters kept safely in her father-in-law’s bedsi
Read more

RIOT - Shashi Tharoor

-
Image
RIOT, by Shashi Tharoor, is not a conventional novel. It is not a story that starts with a ‘once upon a time’ and ends in a ‘happily ever after’. It has no linearity, no narrative, and neither a formal structure. It is an engrossing story in its own right; but which serves a much wider purpose in this ambitious and utterly fascinating novel. Yes, it is an experiment; but a pretty successful one at that! It speaks about a troubled time in India. It is about one of the most historic riots of the country, when extremism and provocation by Hindus and Muslims led to militancy. The author has admirable knowledge about the subcontinent’s history and current ills, including the increasing intolerance of religious diversity. The ensuing mayhem gave license to kill and avenge with little chance of accountability. Amidst all this, there is the ill-fated romance of Priscilla Hart, a young American working for an NGO in India, and Lakshman, an older, married Indian civil serva
Read more

JASMINE DAYS - Benyamin

-
Image
Jasmine Days is a translated work of fiction. It was originally written by Benyamin in Malayalam in 2014 as  Mullappoo Niramulla Pakalukal,  and translated into English by Shahnaz Habib. It came under my radar after it won the inaugural JCB Prize for Literature in 2018, but I only got around to reading it very recently when I heard of its sequel, The Al Arabian Novel Factory.  TL;DR- Jasmine Days was compelling enough to make me want to read the sequel, at the earliest. The Jasmine revolution started with the self-immolation of a street vendor in Tunisia. This soon turned into the Arab Spring and went on to spread to Egypt, Libya, and Morocco. Jasmine Days is set in the  City ( the author deliberately never clarifies the name of the city or the country where the story is based out of) in the Middle East roughly around that time, and covers the riots that take place under the garb of politics, nationalism, religious conflicts, and the physical and mental trauma that ensues
Read more