Stranger to History by Aatish Taseer: Impressions

Many times during the course of 'Stranger to History', I admit trying to find Aatish Taseer's Twitter profile (with no luck). The more I read this book, the more curious I became about the author whose life seems to be an extraordinary case of ironies. I sought inane little details – as a person is wont to give away on Twitter – about Taseer, if only to humanise, 'normalise' him a little. Because going by the book, internal and external conflict is all he has ever lived by. Picture a set of parents belonging to different religions, living in different countries and divorced. Picture a little child who has only just known shadows of his father, forever clutching at straws of identity. It all befell Taseer's lot, and 'Stranger to History: A Son's Journey Through Islamic Lands' is his story.

Born as a lovechild to a rising Pakistani political activist and an Indian political journalist, Taseer's destiny seemed to bear the fault line of the Indo­Pak border. While his parents got married for a while, they divorced soon after, owing his Muslim father's political ambitions in Pakistan. His Sikh mother raised him in Delhi, with help from a host of Sikh relatives. Once a young man, Taseer is driven by a need to know his father and to truly understand what being a Muslim is. He sets out on a journey that takes him from Turkey to Syria to Saudi Arabia to Iran to finally his father's doorstep in Pakistan.

Taseer samples the unique flavours the religion of Muhammad travelling through these Islamic states. Through his journalistic lens, he shows you the undercurrents of radical Islam in the largely secular Turkey, the monied 'Sheikh' culture of the Saudi, the oppressive religious regime in Iran, the constant political unrest in Syria and finally, the imploding state of Pakistan. It's a great bird's eye view of the current state of affairs in these nations and an eye­opener for people like me who do not follow global politics; especially the politics of religion. Because he is a journalist, Taseer's writing is analytical, but it is also delightfully lyrical in places. Through the people he meets during his travels, he personalises the account, without ever getting emotional.

That's not to say the book is devoid of emotion. The book is an intensely personal account of a search for identity. It is hard not to be moved by Taseer's confusion, occasional jubilation and often, rejection. The point of strife between Taseer and his father is the question of identity, with Taseer being Indian yet not, Pakistani yet not, Muslim yet not. His father's reluctant acceptance of him after many years, and a fresh rift owing to difference of opinion are painful to witness.

It is hard not to feel sorry for him, for ourselves and for our Pakistani neighbours, who live in this milieu of political mistrust. Taseer's life could well be an exaggeration of the conflict all of us, who live in the post 1947 world, feel. Pakistan's children, are perhaps in a worse place, having rejected all their shared history with India. It can't be nice growing up with a big black void in the collective social consciousness. Reading this book causes one to ask many questions about one's religious and national identities. These are important questions that need to be asked and for that, I thank Taseer.

Rogerson's Book of Numbers: Impressions

It's hard to review works of non-fiction, especially if they're the kind that pack in trivia. But I am compelled to write some words of glowing praise for this wonderful book called Rogerson's Book of Numbers. I picked it from from the Mumbai airport and it was easily one of my best buys for 2013. Author Barnaby Rogerson collects numerical gems from around the world, across all possible subjects to compile this fantastic go-to book about numbers.

When William Dalrymple testifies for it as a book that is 'Dangerously addictive, wonderfully witty and crazily wide-ranging and erudite,' he doesn't lie. The Book of Numbers totally hijacked my time and made me put down another book I had just started. It doesn't help that I am a student of mythology and feel compelled to devour any information that is related to the subject. But this book has numerical references from not only mythology, but also literature, religion, popular culture, politics, sports, cinema, superstition and more!

The author starts with the largest numbers and goes down to zero, presenting fascinating insights into the culture of many a place through the stories about numbers. It is quite the perspective changer, when one reads about the the vastly different associations a number has in different cultures. A number that is considered unlucky in Europe, for example, might be thought of as auspicious in China. The book is full of eye-opening facts and a treasure trove of number-facts.

A work that is surely the outcome of painstaking research, The Book of Numbers is a worthy addition to your bookshelf, whatever your area of interest. Its crisp style and easy indexing makes the book a handy little guide. And with the little glimpses it offers into an array of interesting subjects, it will lead the reader on to greater discoveries.

Buy it.

Behenji - A Political Biography of Mayawati by Ajoy Bose: Impressions

A book like this would never have found its way to my book shelf had my father-in-law not been clearing up his, and relieving it of some unworthy weight. Not that this book is unworthy, but it is definitely not a keepsake. It is no more than what it claims to be – a forthright political biography of Mayawati. Why I chose to read it? Because, doesn’t this juggernaut of a woman make one curious?

So Ajoy Bose, a seasoned journalist, ventures to write about the political life of this firebrand Dalit leader whose political overtures have generated frenetic media coverage over the past decade. Bose mentions in his introduction how the book took a long time coming, and how his friends and associates had scoffed at the idea of a book on Mayawati, who was looked down upon at the beginning of her career. But the book came to fruition around the time of Mayawati’s meteoric rise as a politician, and the author’s doubters shut up as did the politician’s detractors.

Bose begins his account with Mayawati’s humble beginnings in a Delhi slum – a shy, young girl from the lowly Chamar caste, whose greatest aspiration in life is to become an IAS officer. She believes, like all those belonging to the educated lower caste, that an IAS is the only way to social salvation. Though not brilliant, Mayawati chases the IAS dream with sheer hard work and determination. She is a young government school teacher with a law degree studying for her IAS exams on a winter night, when her life changes forever with the entry of her to-be mentor, Kanshi Ram.

                                                                                                            

After offering some background, Bose introduces us to the BAMCEF founder Kanshi Ram. He describes Ram as part ambitious leader and part visionary, who with his ability to forge alliances, moves rapidly up to power ladder. Ram sees in Mayawati an unlikely Dalit leader and thus begins that fiery relationship between mentor-protégé, which was the subject of much speculation.

The author documents the birth of the BSP, its political travails through the 90s, its many contradictory coalitions with political parties in a bid for power, and its coming of age as a major player in national politics. He records the BSP’s, especially Mayawati’s tussle with the Kalyan Singhs and Mulayam Singhs of UP’s Jungle Raj, the politician’s sometimes cunning and often brazen political ways, her astounding canvassing skills, and her single minded persuasion of the throne of UP. He mentions many an episode that showcase Mayawati’s exemplary courage as a Dalit and more so a woman in the oft-cruel male dominion of politics. While Bose tries hard to maintain his objective, journalistic stance, it is clear to see that he admires the woman. But that couldn’t get clearer than from the fact that he chose to write her biography. And that too at a time, when she wasn’t heralded as the country’s next possible prime minister.   

Despite her obscene display of wealth and power, it is hard not to admire Mayawati’s guts of steel. It is hard not to notice that even after Kanshi Ram passed away, she has borne the Dalit cause with vigour. It is harder still to not applaud her inverting of the caste pyramid by offering ‘protection’ to the Brahmins. Love her or hate her, the story of the making of Behenji is truly a remarkable one. 

The Best of Quest: Impressions

I did get lucky the fourth time and how! After three disappointing books, the universe conspired to bring me the Best of Quest through Blogadda’s book review program, and I haven’t stopped reveling in the 660 odd pages of sheer brilliance in the last 10 days. I knew when I applied to review it, that if I got the book, I’d be laying my hands on a minor treasure. Perhaps these parallels are not apt, but when researching Quest, I was most strongly reminded of Tehelka and Open, the magazine – two extraordinary periodicals of our times.  It has everything, from articles on political reform, history, the arts, psychology and education to a most wonderful section of poetry to a fantastic collection of short stories. Not to forget the enigma attached to it because of a mysterious CIA connection!

Because the book is an anthology, I decided to be random with my reading. The introduction had one of the editors talking about the erstwhile editor of Quest, Dilip Chitre, who was also apparently the mysterious columnist, D. I was immediately drawn to the last sections, where Mr. Chitre himself makes the admission, and also talks about his life and times and contemporaries at Quest. I, then, scurried to gobble up a few pieces written by D. While most were amusing, witty and even incisive, my favourite was the very tongue-in-cheek ‘Marriage & Morals: Updating the Pavitra Prostitute’. True that Chitre had to hide behind a pseudonym (a lone acronym really) to mention the unmentionables in a not-so-grown-up nation, but his take on issues such as sex, religion and women are refreshingly real. Writing as Dilip Chitre, he is a little more serious, a little more guarded, albeit equally insightful. His piece ‘Aspects of Pornophobia’, for example, deals with a hush-hush matter in a matter-of-fact manner.

The introductions and endnotes also pointed me towards another one of the enigmatic editors of Quest, Nissim Ezekiel. The In Memoriam section, comprising letters of people reminiscing about Nissim, the person and the poet, is heartwarming. Some of his poems in the poetry section, ‘Poet, Lover, Birdwatcher’ being my favourite, show just why the man earned the place that he did in the line of Indian poets.

Then there are many more pieces of social, political and cultural commentary by several authors, but I will remember very distinctly the following pieces because they are as relevant today as they were in the 70s India:

1.  ‘The Persistence of the Caste System: Vested Interests in Backwardness’ by Subhash Chandra Mehta – We all know too well what the race to be backward is all about, and what its consequences are.

2. ‘Am I a Muslim? Islam and Bangladesh’ by Mahbubul Hok – A bold piece by any measure questioning the validity of Islamic states and practices.

3. ‘Autobiography of Violence’ by Mihir Sinha – Though set in Calcutta, this account of how violence has seeped into our collective minds and lives is true of all of India.

4. ‘The Married Woman and Our Sex Morality’ by Sudhir Chandra – A piece way ahead of its times (even so now), discussing the possibilities of polygamy/polyandry within marriage and its acceptance.

And finally,

5. ‘The Coffee-Brown Boy looks at the Black Boy’ by J.S. Saxena – An insightful article exploring the deep racial biases that pervade nearly all humanity.

Some other articles/essays also found favour with me, because I have personal inclinations towards the topics. Among them are the point and counterpoint essays by Jyotirmoy Datta and P. Lal respectively on Indian English writing, ‘Konarak’ by Marie Seton – a detailed analysis of the erotic art of Konarak, ‘Sadhus and Hippies’ by Roderick Neill – where he is mainly showing off his knowledge of the holy men in India but pretends to draw a comparison between those mentioned in the title, ‘ An Interview with V.S. Naipaul’ by Adrian Rowe-Evans – A wondrous journey into the career and mind of the writer that is Sir V.S. Naipaul and ‘The City as Antagonist: Three Recent Films’ by Saleem Peeradina – the most detailed and ruthless film reviews I ever saw.

And while I did cheat through the Essays and Opinions section, often skipping a paragraph or two when the gravity of it all got too much for my frivolous mind, I was most agog when it came to the poetry and fiction sections. I lapped up every last turn of phrase, every dainty word, down to the last comma. And while most pieces were indeed masterpieces, I’d easily hand over the ‘Most haunting piece’ awards to the poem, ‘3 Cups of Tea’ by Arun Kolatkar and the short stories ‘The Discovery of Telenapota’ by Premendra Mitra and ‘The Moon Had to be Mended’ by Kiran Nagarkar.  Other memorable works in this compilation are ‘The Accompanist’ by Anita Desai, ‘Sword and Abyss’ by Keki N. Daruwalla, ‘Tangents’ by Abraham Eraly, ‘Love’ by Adil Jussawala and ‘Madurai: Two Movements’ by A.K. Ramanujan.

There is so much more meat, so much covered ground and so many perspectives for those who will care to plunge themselves into The Best of Quest.

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