Tahmima Anam's "The Good Muslim"

Thirteen. Her broken wishbone of a country was thirteen years old. Didn’t sound like very long, but in that time the nation had rolled and unrolled tanks from its streets. In its infancy, it had started cannibalising itself, killing the tribals in the south, drowning villages for dams, razing the ancient trees… A fast-acting country: quick to anger, quick to self-destruct.”That is Maya’s Bangladesh for you—Maya, the spirited, feminist, idealistic heroine of Tahmima Anam’s second book, The Good Muslim.Contrary to its title, the central aspect of the book is not religion. Rather, it is the lives of people intertwined with the life and birth of their nation, their courses moulded by the vicissitudes of a country taking shape.That country is seen chiefly through the rebellious, angry eyes of Maya—Maya, the dotctor, the freedom fighter, the column writer, the dismisser of religion, the woman who leaves her home in Dhaka and moves to the countryside up north, to return seven years later. And that is where the story begins.‘The Good Muslim’, the second book in Tahmima Anam’s projected trilogy, probes war-wounds with the precision and light handedness of a medical practitioner. It talks about scars that are embedded deeper than is possible to heal, scars that envelop every other family in Bangladesh. Even as all the while, voices unflinchingly, soothingly sermonise in the background to ‘forgive andforget’.Maya, having lost her father at an early age, and along with her brother, been brought up be her ‘Amoo’ Rehana, cannot understand her brother’s distant, withdrawn behaviour when he comes home from the war of 1971, a hero lauded and embraced by none other than Sheikh Mujib himself—‘the father of the Bangla nation’. She cannot understand why, despite all her attempts, he would not tell him about his experiences at war, why he would not spill out his heart before her. And later, she cannot understand what it is that slowly transforms her guitar-playing, university debating champion brother into ‘mowlana’, who becomes the ‘Huzoor’ holding sermons on the first floor of their house.It is easy, before reading the book through, to think of it as yet another tale of liberal-Muslim-turned-radical. But the difference here lies in the way that Anam explores this world—around the seams and inside out. The difference lies in Maya’s realisation of what it is that her brother sought and found: not revenge but forgiveness—forgiveness from an Almighty, all forgiving God,for his guilt, for the secret crime committed by him, that would haunt him to his grave.The book has some brilliant lines that tug at you somewhere inside. Such as the infinite questions in the mind of the little Zaid, Maya’s nephew who, left alone by his distant father after his mother’s death, learns all sorts of languages from the visiting Jamaats—French, German, Spanish.“I always ask them to teach me three things. Hello and goodbye, peace on earth, and why. They don’t like to teach why. I get it out of them. Why why why…” The charred book that graces the cover seems to stand for both the nation and the people, badly charred at the edges, but with a centre, a soul still remaining, each trying in their own way, to be good. To be a ‘good’ Muslim.

Witchcraft: Paulo Coelho style!

Ask someone to visualise a witch and most people would imagine a woman in a black gown and black hood, riding a broom. An ‘Indianised’ version would have scary, long nails, with bloodthirsty eyes and dishevelled hair thrown in for good measure. A witch has for long been an evil creature, and calling someone by that name would probably make her your enemy for life.However, modern day witches have come a long way from the three sisters in Macbeth, chanting, “Double, double toil and trouble/ Fire burn and cauldron bubble!” Instead, they are spiritual beings, looking to commune with the higher self, solving other people’s problems and leading them to the path of spiritual attainment. Surprised? Welcome to the real world of witchcraft, or Wicca, where being a witch doesn’t mean practicing black magic on unsuspecting people (or turning them into toads, for that matter). The above lines describe the “pagan” heroines of two of Paulo Coelho’s best-selling works — Brida and The Witch of Portobello. It’s always better to stick to fiction when exploring fantastic realms like this one: it allows you the comfort of exploring the topic without betraying any serious interest in it!Both of Coelho’s books are based on real people (real witches, to be precise), and their spiritual journey. It is advisable to read Brida first, as it progresses gradually into educating people about the ‘traditions’ of the sun and the moon, and how they are used to attain spiritual enlightenment. Coelho describes four pat­hs that a woman can take to reach this goal — the virgin’s path — total solitude, the saint’s — total giving, the martyr’s — through sacrifice, and the wit­ch’s — through li­mitless pleasure. Brida, a girl looking to get in touch with her soul and her soulmate, follows the path of the witch.A lot of misconceptions will be dispelled for you as you follow Brida’s quest. For one, witches practice the kind of magic that enables them to “tune into the wisdom of the world”, to discover the gifts hidden within. That’s not so difficult to grasp, given that we all have, at some time or the other, experienced something extraordinary in our lives, only we chose to brush it away. But perhaps the most emphatic thing you’ll come across is that this magic can never be used to make people act against their own will — even for a good cause. And if you do, it will certainly lead you to punishment. This is something the Magus, Brida’s teacher (and soulmate) discovers the hard way.The rituals followed by the witches are described in more elaborate detail in The Witch of Portobello, through the heroine, Athena. But here, too, you will discover that the power is not so much in specific rituals — they could be anything — but in your focus on the purpose. In essence, a witch is a woman who seeks a higher purpose in life, by completely immersing herself into life itself, rather than following the path of renunciation. The books also explain how witches came to be branded as ‘evil’, going back to the time in Europe when they were burnt for being ‘devil worshippers’, owing to their extraordinary gifts.By the time you reach the end of Athena’s or Brida’s journey, you might be convinced that you have a witch or wizard lurking within the depths of your soul. Don’t be amazed — it could just be another incarnation!

Santiago is back

There is unanimity among book lovers that the movie adaptation of a book can almost never be as good as the book itself. Of course, the screen version has to cut out details and squeeze the story into a form more suitable for the visual medium, in the process deviating from the script. But it also has a lot to do with the fact that it takes away from the imaginative freedom that the written word provides. A movie is someone else’s interpretation of that imagination — so that much less freedom to the viewer. This freedom might also be curtailed when a book is adapted into a graphic novel. But once in a while, an adaptation comes along that truly brings a book to life.The graphic novel adaptation of The Alchemist, which has been recently released, is surely among those. The Alchemist is a story that begs, rather commands, visualisation. And this Harper Collins adaptation by Derek Ruiz, with artwork done by Daniel Sampere, is probably as close to perfect as you can get.From the Andalusian grasslands in Spain to the bazaars of Tangiers in Africa, the desert caravan, the oasis and finally the great pyramids of Egypt, the journey of Santiago has been brought to life. Don’t be surprised if you open the book and, flipping through the pages randomly, find Paulo Coelho’s face gazing out from them — he has been used as the model for the face of Melchizedek — the King of Salem — who showed Santiago the way to follow his dream. That is, in a way, quite apt, as Coelho’s words are, and have been, a source of inspiration for many to get up and follow their own ‘personal legend’.The graphic version maintains that ethereal quality of the original, and people who have read the book will surely relish reliving the tale and experiencing the same deeply moving thrill all over again. The art style is classic, which depicts the characters beautifully and matches the story well. An interesting thing about the artwork is that the scenes are drawn from different angles, giving the impression of a camera following the action — a wide view, followed by a close-up or maybe an aerial shot.The words will come to life with the characters standing before you, and each emotion gets heightened many times as you watch it play on their faces. In one particular instance, the visuals create a much greater dramatic effect than the words would. It is an episode quite early in the story, when Santiago is musing to himself, thinking what would happen if he were to turn into a ‘monster’ and kill all his sheep one by one? “They would only become aware when most of the flock had been slaughtered,” he thinks. The graphic version shows a murderous Santiago with blood red eyes, holding a butcher’s knife and chopping down mercilessly while the sheep cry out piteously in the background. The effect it has is quite startling even as the next picture shows Santiago back as the clean and honest boy that he is.Both Daniel Sampere and Derek Ruiz have emphasised in the foreword that finishing this novel became their personal legend, and as it manifested itself, they felt that the universe ‘conspired’ to let them complete it!The book definitely deserves to be in your hands if you’re a fan of the original. Even if you’re not, pick it up just to see how dreams get materialised.

Jefffery Archer's "Only Time Will Tell"

Jeffery Archer’s latest offering Only Time Will Tell is a book any woman would love to take to bed, snuggled in the folds of her comforter. That’s a fact the author knows very well, and loves to flaunt with a trademark quip — “I take 50,000 women to bed everyday and I try very hard to keep them awake!” The book fits perfectly into his mould of storytelling, for this is one author who likes to drive home the point that he is a storyteller, not a writer.Archer’s books usually have an autobiographical element, and here too, he doesn’t fail. The author admits that the protagonist, Harry Clifton, has a lot of Jeffery Archer in him. But, remind him that this is the first part of a four-book series spanning a hundred years, and he replies, “That’s because I’m going to live to be a hundred!”A word of caution: if you’re looking for a book that provides mental stimulation in the form of a statement on society, or urges you to reflect on some established beliefs, you just got off at the wrong stop. This book makes no efforts to pontificate and demands little mental effort from its reader. All that it attempts to do is to transport you to the scene of action and elicit reactions that are purely emotional.So you can sit back and immerse yourself into the chronicles of Cli­fton, the way you’d sink into a silver-screen potboiler.The story follows the life of Harry through the voices of the people in his life — his mother Maisie Clifton, Hugo Barr­ington, who might be his real father, Captain Tarrant or Old Jack Tar who is Harry’s real guide in life, his best friend Giles Barrington (who could also be his half-brother), and the one true love of his life Emma Barrington. The narrator’s voice is the one that does most of the story telling, though it is interspersed with first person accounts of the characters.Set in post-First-World-War Britain, the tale revolves around a boy from a humble background who climbs his way to the top, partly through his church-choir voice and partly through his intellect, but mostly because of a mother who would sacrifice anything to see him get there. On the way, he discovers some family secrets that change the course of his life.For instance, when Harry falls for his best friend Giles’s sister Emma, we know that this is a disaster in the making — Giles is, in all probability, Harry’s half brother. But the manner in which this unfortunate truth is revealed upon the young lovers is enough to give you a good jolt.An interesting thing about Archer’s narrative is that he does not take the usual ‘tsk-tsk-tsk’ stand on the poverty that is part of Harry’s life. The emotions are subtly expressed; the dignity with which he presents Maisie Clifton and her efforts at making enough money to educate her son is touching in its simplicity.And that, incidentally, is one of the two things that stand out in Archer’s writing — wit and lack of adornment. This is a story that will keep you hooked, but it will, in spurts, also make you laugh. Keep the popcorn ready; you might just forget that this is a book.

My one true love: THE SEA

I’ve always been insanely attracted to large expanses of water. Ocean, river, lake, pond — even a swimming pool would do. Swimming is supposed to be a great exercise, and I’ve always found it strangely calming. Nothing beats the feeling of lowering yourself in the pool and letting the water take over. Of course, a pool is no match for the monarch of all water bodies — the ocean. I haven’t travelled to a lot of seashores in my life, and the one time that I saw the ocean ‘live’, I was awestruck. Often, while travelling, I’ve reflected on the fact that the eye lens can take in so much more than the camera lens — that which the eye can absorb in a single glance, the camera takes several clicks to cover. But my eye lenses, too, fell short of capturing the beauty of the ocean. I realised that I had to move my head from side to side, to take in the entire panorama. For a long moment, I was dumbstruck. The ocean is alive.This is not to sound prejudiced, but the beauty of the mountains doesn’t come close to that of the ocean. The mountains are unmoving, stoical in their beauty. But the ocean is alive…and unpredictable. It beckons you, it entices you, and it has the power to hold you forever. It teems with life and throws up surprises every second, something I discovered during my stay.People go treasure-hunting in deep waters; I found mine in shallow ones. Standing amid the waves, every time I dipped my hand in, it came out with a different creature — clams, snails and molluscs with their smooth, shiny shells and even starfish — every second, the ocean was more alive. There was one feeling, though, that kept nagging me — and still does —from the moment I set my eyes on the waves. I felt this strange pull, an urge to walk right into the water, and go on…and on…and not stop. To ‘give’ myself to the ocean. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing suicidal! Its just true love, that’s all.

My first "middle", post marriage -- WITCH HUNT

Mar 10 2011, 2034 hrs IST
People have different notions about marriage. Having been through the rituals recently, I’ve received some interesting comments on my new relationship status. By and large, friends, who are single, consider me a suicidal maniac. But those who have actually been through the experience have genuinely congratulated me and no, they don’t consider being married the equivalent of hell on earth. (Wonder why that is?)More amusing were the suggestions that I was now ‘caged’ or ‘domesticated’. Not so amusing was the question, “And your husband allowed it?” on my decision to resume work, given the late timings. (May I be allowed to roll my eyes?) Is a husband a hostel warden from whom permission has to be sought? I’m pretty sure no one ever asked him, “Your wife allowed it?” for his late timings. This made me remember a story I had shared with my best friend six years ago. King Arthur, defeated in battle, was granted freedom on one condition — to get the answer to the question: “What does a woman want?” Apparently, the answer was known to a witch, who named her price: She wanted to marry the best knight, Sir Lancelot. Lancelot agreed for the sake of loyalty, and kept his temper under control when she was truly witch-like with the wedding guests. However, his astonishment knew no bounds, when on his nuptial bed, he found not the witch but the fairest maiden ever. The witch told him she was impressed by his behaviour and gave him an option — she would be a witch either at day or at night. The choice would be his. Lancelot, after a moment of thought, replied,"I leave the decision to you.". Hearing this, the witch smiled and told him,“That, precisely is the answer to your question. A woman wants to be in control of her life. To be able to take her own decisions. Because you gave me that, I’ll be a beautiful maiden the whole time.”
The rider — if he changed, she would go back to being a witch. My friend probably never forgot that story, because he is the man who became my husband six years later. I’m sure he stays very careful that the witch doesn’t get a chance to appear!!

Random thought....

The art of writing is like the art of love making........ you can't do it perfectly every time, and you certainly won't do it well if you do it in a hurry!