Karma and other stories (Rishi Reddi 2007)
Picked up this book the other day, another writer with Indian roots. The author is not an Indian living in India writing about Indian stuff but rather she is an American with Indian roots who spent most of living times in the confused land of opportunity.
I guess from the contents of the books that many Indians who migrated to the land of plenty ended up being confused. Confused, that they are viewed upon as outsiders in the land that their intellectual eyes opened and also as outsiders in the land that their parents speak so highly of. Confused too, as they wonder what drove droves of its citizens from a country which had all, the civilization, the bond with nature, have analysed and have stories of good virtues, conduct, culture and governance. How come a culture so highly developed failed their subjects?
This book does not give all answers to the above. It only stimulates your mind and thinks. The answers for these lie in twilight zone that borders the intricate shades of grey.
This book is written by a lawyer with inner burning desire to write a book since the age of 9. I guess she must have immersed herself in books and fantasy land after being a single child and the odd one out in the mid west of USA where she grew, among other places.
The collection of stories tells stories without being judgmental, neither hailing nor downplaying either cultures. It picks a time in the life of someone who had landed in US by choice or otherwise.
Justice Shiva Ram Murthy
A retired judge stays with his son in America. His usual hangout is with another middle aged Indian in a particular Indian restaurant. On the blessed day of Christmas, as their usual hangout was closed, they land up in a Mexican restaurant. After being entertained by a rude young punk and served beef when they were vegetarian, our learned retired judge was contemplating taking the establishment to courts. The whole fiasco was settled amicably with a simple apology from the restaurant.
Lakshmi and the librarian
A mid 40s homemaker befriends a mysterious librarian who finds passion in his books. Lakshmi, the protagonist, fearing the roving eyes of fellow Indians, finally picks up courage to coax the librarian who was dealing with a personal dilemma.
The valididity of love
Two strong minded desi girls, 20 something, whose priorities are different from people of one generation before their time, have to deal with the question of marriage, morality and chastity.
Bangles
A widow comes to America to stay with her son. She cannot fit into the family dynamics. She try to inculcate her kind of upbringing of her grandchildren with disastrous outcomes.
Karma
Two brothers who use to live together part ways. One is a successful physician while the other move from job to job as he cannot fit into the system. Back in India, he is a professor but managed to obtain a Green Card with disastrous outcome.
His wife starts job as a packing lady in a grocer. On his way to the employment office, he is side tacked to help an injured migratory bird. He goes out to help more injured birds as he thinks it is his karma to help them after injuring a bird in his childhood.
Devadasi
A 16 year old Desi girl, American in her thinking, and an American boy as boyfriend to complement has only the ability to dance the Bharatnatyam as her link to her Indianess, cuts a deal with her parents to learn the dance from a Master in Hyderabad if she were to follow her parents for a wedding in India. It was a time of religious unrest and she is humbled by the kind gesture of a Moslem boy when she is caught in a crossfire. An interesting discovery for me... while mostly told that the temple dancers were labelled as being married to temple deities and had to quench the desires of the priests, here we are told that it is untrue. The dancers, actually were quite powerful, having direct communications with royalties and people of power. The disgruntled individuals, unable to achieve their agenda spread lies.
Lord Krishna
A familiar story of coming of age and grappling with your beliefs and being ridiculed by the ignorant majority. Here, a teenage Hindu boy, becomes the butt of joke in a predominantly ignorant Christian Bible belt society. He is ashamed of his heritage and is thinking changing his name to suit to the society.
A good light read to illustrate that it is not necessarily 'no place like home' but rather 'any place can be home' if you make it!
Picked up this book the other day, another writer with Indian roots. The author is not an Indian living in India writing about Indian stuff but rather she is an American with Indian roots who spent most of living times in the confused land of opportunity.I guess from the contents of the books that many Indians who migrated to the land of plenty ended up being confused. Confused, that they are viewed upon as outsiders in the land that their intellectual eyes opened and also as outsiders in the land that their parents speak so highly of. Confused too, as they wonder what drove droves of its citizens from a country which had all, the civilization, the bond with nature, have analysed and have stories of good virtues, conduct, culture and governance. How come a culture so highly developed failed their subjects?
This book does not give all answers to the above. It only stimulates your mind and thinks. The answers for these lie in twilight zone that borders the intricate shades of grey.
This book is written by a lawyer with inner burning desire to write a book since the age of 9. I guess she must have immersed herself in books and fantasy land after being a single child and the odd one out in the mid west of USA where she grew, among other places.
The collection of stories tells stories without being judgmental, neither hailing nor downplaying either cultures. It picks a time in the life of someone who had landed in US by choice or otherwise.
Justice Shiva Ram Murthy
A retired judge stays with his son in America. His usual hangout is with another middle aged Indian in a particular Indian restaurant. On the blessed day of Christmas, as their usual hangout was closed, they land up in a Mexican restaurant. After being entertained by a rude young punk and served beef when they were vegetarian, our learned retired judge was contemplating taking the establishment to courts. The whole fiasco was settled amicably with a simple apology from the restaurant.
Lakshmi and the librarian
A mid 40s homemaker befriends a mysterious librarian who finds passion in his books. Lakshmi, the protagonist, fearing the roving eyes of fellow Indians, finally picks up courage to coax the librarian who was dealing with a personal dilemma.
The valididity of love
Two strong minded desi girls, 20 something, whose priorities are different from people of one generation before their time, have to deal with the question of marriage, morality and chastity.
Bangles
A widow comes to America to stay with her son. She cannot fit into the family dynamics. She try to inculcate her kind of upbringing of her grandchildren with disastrous outcomes.
Karma
Two brothers who use to live together part ways. One is a successful physician while the other move from job to job as he cannot fit into the system. Back in India, he is a professor but managed to obtain a Green Card with disastrous outcome.
His wife starts job as a packing lady in a grocer. On his way to the employment office, he is side tacked to help an injured migratory bird. He goes out to help more injured birds as he thinks it is his karma to help them after injuring a bird in his childhood.
Devadasi
A 16 year old Desi girl, American in her thinking, and an American boy as boyfriend to complement has only the ability to dance the Bharatnatyam as her link to her Indianess, cuts a deal with her parents to learn the dance from a Master in Hyderabad if she were to follow her parents for a wedding in India. It was a time of religious unrest and she is humbled by the kind gesture of a Moslem boy when she is caught in a crossfire. An interesting discovery for me... while mostly told that the temple dancers were labelled as being married to temple deities and had to quench the desires of the priests, here we are told that it is untrue. The dancers, actually were quite powerful, having direct communications with royalties and people of power. The disgruntled individuals, unable to achieve their agenda spread lies.
Lord Krishna
A familiar story of coming of age and grappling with your beliefs and being ridiculed by the ignorant majority. Here, a teenage Hindu boy, becomes the butt of joke in a predominantly ignorant Christian Bible belt society. He is ashamed of his heritage and is thinking changing his name to suit to the society.
A good light read to illustrate that it is not necessarily 'no place like home' but rather 'any place can be home' if you make it!
Comments
Post a Comment