The Courtesan's Keeper - A.N.D Haksar

This is the new English translation of a 11th century master piece of Kshemendra, called Samaya Matrika. Unlike the usual religious, spiritual or the divine stories, here is a social satire from one of the eminent writers of that time. Spread across 8 chapters, Kshemendra, brings out the fragmented Kashmir social life and its moral degradation through this interesting book.

A young courtesan Kalavati is upset and is dampened spirit over her unsuccessful life as a courtesan. Her friend and agent, the barber suggests , that she need a keeper to support her to guide her and to enrich her with wisdom and the tricks of the trade. Old Kankali, about whose life and adventure he narrates in detail, would be the ideal guide for her in this endeavor. The keeper Kankali, takes charge and teaches Kalavati the ways of the world in a courtesan's life and guide her through the events until she seduces a wealthy son of a merchant, and taking away his processions.
The book is spread across eight chapters, describing the life of Kankali , Kankali's advice to Kalavati on ways of passion and the way to identify your pray and the way to discard him after you have gained the wealth of that person. Through the life of Kankali and the young courtesan, the writer exposes the fragile social order and the moral, political and social corruption of values during that time in Kashmir.

A.N.D Bhaskar is a well-known scholar in Sanskrit, and have contributed significantly to the Sanskrit Literature with various translations. The book has been translated superbly, to the audience of this time. One must also understand the difference in style and the use of language during 11th Century and the complicated Sanskit words and phrases; considering that, I found this book with good translation, supported with the introduction and insight to the original writer Kshemendra and his times both in socially and in literature.

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The Courtesan's Keeper: A Satire From Ancient KashmirKshemendra ( Samaya Matrika ) translated by A.N.D.Haksar
Rupa Publications
80 Pages
Rs150/-
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Furhter read: A Cashmirian Sanscritist

The sound of Butterflies -Rachael King

Thomas, a young lepidopterist, returned from Amazon abruptly from his collecting expedition. But it isn't the same Thomas who left his young wife in their small town Richmond in the UK , returned. The changes are not only physical, but more concerning as he has turned mute. He does not talk to anyone. As his wife Sophie, trying to get him back to the normal way of life, by exploring the events occurred during his time in Amazon, through the reading of his journals, the story unveils of the cruelty, the greed and the slavery under the dreaded rubber baron in the Amazon jungles.

Thomas , an amateur collector of butterflies, was selected to join a group of 4 scientists in an expedition to the Amazon, sponsored by Santos, a rubber baron in Brazil. As they reach and enthusiastically set out to collect specimens in the dense jungles fighting the insects bites, the heat and the tough conditions, they also started seeing the harsh realities of fear, submission and servility of the people to the land owner. The accidental fire of the huts, the death of the Captain and other cruelties of the rubber mafia is a startling knowledge to Thomas. The collection of samples and shipment of consignment to London has continued despite the difficult conditions and recurring illness. The whole affair has taken a turn on Thomas's life after their meeting with the sponsor Santos in his palace. After being drugged, and his misadventure under its spell with Santos wife, Thomas has become vary of Santos and his men. The situation worsens resulting the death of Santos's wife and one of his colleague, and a forceful return of Thomas to his home country.

Thomas is fighting two battles. One of his own guilt and shame of betraying his wife. The other of the shock and the forced muteness out of fear resulted from his experience. On the other hand, Sophie is fighting her battle with her past (and her father) and her temptation to seek revenge. Well , as expected everything ends well.

This is the first novel published by this New Zealand writer and for that it is a good work. Set in the early 20th century, when it was a fashion to explore nature and species from all over the world and to discover something new, Thomas was also duped by a rumour of a asymmetrical butterfly and spend his energy and focus to find it and document it for the world ( he goes to an extent of naming the to be found butterfly after his wife). The prose is good and is structurally perfect and simple to read. A good work of fiction, but not for a serious literature reader.
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The Sound of Butterflies
Rachael KingPicador
354 Pages
Rs 285
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Further read : Listener Review

The soccer War- Ryszard Kapuscinski

"May be he will make it" , one of the soldiers ventured.
"No way" , the orderly replied, holding a bottle of Glucose.
There was a gloomy silence.
"Doesn't anybody know him?" one of the soldier asked eventually.
The wounded man's heart was working at maximum effort; we felt its feverish thumping.
"No body". Another soldier answered.
A truck was climbing the road, its motor was complaining. Four soldiers were digging a hole down the woods.
"Is he ours or theirs?" a soldier sitting by the stretcher asked.
"Nobody knows' said the orderly after a moments quiet.
"He is his mother's" a soldier standing nearby said.
"He's God's now" added another after a pause.
"Life is so strong" a soldier leaning on his rifle said in astonishment. "It's still there, still there"
Everybody was absorbed, silent, concentrating on the sight of the wounded man. He was drawing breath more slowly now, and his head tilted back. In the end-it was a while yet- somebody said: "He's gone, All he was is gone".
They stayed there for some time..when they saw nothing else would happen, they began walking away...
We drove on...

..and our response to the news from all over the world is no different. We see, read the conflicts all over the world with the same indifference as if these are happening in a separate planet. What is also important to know is that there is life and truth, beyond what is seen on the television or read in the news papers. There are stories of suffering ( not glorified by the cameraman for the world), the sacrifices , the pain, the loss of beloved, the struggle , the exploitation ...carried with them for generations.

Ryszard Kapuscinski , renown journalist and writer from Poland, spend large part of his life in the countries in turmoil, constantly changing guard, across Africa, Asia and Latin America telling the world about the happening in those part of the globe. As per the credits given in the book, he has witnessed ( being there ) , 27 coups of power and was caught and sentenced to death at least four times, during his illustrated career as a journalist.

In this book, published in 1979, he recollects some of those moments with his clear insight and the compassion for the victims and the victors. This is a collection of reportage, journals , his notes and personal entries with no specific order or chronology. From Ghana , Congo, Algeria , Sudan , Nigeria in Africa to the famous 72 hours "Soccer war" between El Salvsador and Honduras, he gives us the sort of non-journalistic view of the conflicts with its visible truth and the the background.

"Then Kwame Nkrumah spoke about freedom. Ghana must be independent, and independence is something that has to be fought for. But there are three roads. The road of revolution. This, the speaker rejected. The road of closed-door pacts. This, too, the speaker rejected. And then there is the fight for freedom by peaceful means. The battle cry of that struggle was proclaimed then, right here in west end square."

The story of every dictator is the same. It did start with a very good intention of uplifting the people of his country . Most of them are highly educated and wanted to make a change in their country. However, they all end up at the wrong side trying to control their destiny by the use of force. They are all alone, and are under constant fear of loosing their crown to another. The distrust begin here. This turns to imprisonment and torture of everyone he suspects. The energy and focus is on retaining the "chair" than to deliver to its people.

He also has his insight to the problems of these countries. Most of them has suffered the colonial rule for long periods. They all were subjected to humiliation, torture and exploitation of manpower and natural resources by the ruled "whites", there in began their hate to people with white skin. At many places, he has witnessed the white men being the target of the anger of the public. He himself was subjected to it many times, and he recall them as the anger of the generations who suffered at the hands of colonialists are pouring out, despite being the fact that his country ( Poland) itself was one who suffered the most in the first half of the 20th century.

"The awakened Africa needs great names. As symbols, as cement, as compensation. For centuries th history of the continent has been anonymous. In the course of 300 years, traders shipped millions of slaves out of here. Who can name even one of the victims ? Foe centuries they fought the white invasions. Who can name one of the warriors ? Whose name recall the suffering of the black generations, whose name speak of the bravery of exterminated tribes ? Asia had confucius and Budha, Europe Shakespeare and Nepolean. No names that the world know emerges from the African past. Mere: no name that Africa itself would know."

The conflict is not only at the political , military or social level. There are huge issue of identity crisis in these worlds. While they wanted to embrace the western or developed world in their living , there is another constant thirst to retain their national and regional identities. "When Nkrumah travels to Europe, he demonstratively puts his African costume on. When Lumumba travels to an African village, he demonstratively puts on European dress."

Most of the articles here are written during the 50s and 60s of last century. There are no self proclaiming statements, there are no finger pointing nor any judgemental sentences. This has come out as one of the very absorbing and thought provoking book. Even the silly matters which can evoke laughter in the reader ( especially the child- support bill of Tanganyika ), it has the underlying pain of a population glaring at you.

The Tanganyika Government had a parliamentary debate on Child-support for illegitimate children. One of the study turned out that more than half of the women in that country ( from the sampling) had from one to six illegitimate children and most of them do not receive any support from the father of the children. Hence, the government was proposing a child-support bill. The debate supposed to be "the stormiest debate in the history of Independent Tanganyika's Legislative Chamber". The outcome of this was nearly 95 per cent came out against the government. What was interesting was the debate itself, which was covered in detail, and has some interesting takes. One such was by the delegate Mtaki, who quote none other than... "experts in this field, such as Karl Marx, teach us that prostitution is capitalism".

His personal notes also carry the glimpses of a good writer. Writing about the old Indian in the Mexican desert who told him "Son, I am the river and I cant cross myself".. or about the inner struggle of Mario Terana, who shot and killed Che Guevara. and lived next couple of days in fear and restlessness before shooting himself were all carry those qualities.

An outstanding book, sadly even after 30 years of publishing , nearly 50 years of these incidents, the world hasn't changed a bit.
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The Soccer War

Ryszard Kapuscinski ( translated by William Brand )

Vintage international

234 Pages

Rs 330/-
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Links : Guardian Obituary , NY Times

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi , takes us through her growing up years in Iran, during the revolution, the war with Iraq and the post war building of an Islamic state of Iran. Originally published as two parts, this book consolidates both into one. The first part is her early childhood until her journey out of the country to Austria for studies. The second part is her Austrian years and her return to the new Iran, her life and friends , marriages until her second ( and final) leaving of Iran to France.

Satrapi, looks back at the years of revolution and the war, she remember as a young girl living with her 'leftists' parents. He recalls many of her relatives, fathers and brothers of her friends being in jail and even takes a bit of pride in the facts. He parents are also participate in demonstrations, and the discussion at home are also leads her to believe in the fight for justice. A rebel, is already born. The crackdowns by the fundamentalists made the life of her ( veils , parties ) difficult and her parents decides to sent her away from Tehran until the war is over. Thus starts her new life in Austria, as a student.

Life in Austria is different. Often fighting with the Convent Matrons and the land ladies, she end up out in the open. She had to spend her time and night with the homeless people. Despair and homesick, she wanted to comeback to Iran to her parents. Her time in Austria also made profound effect in her life. The "empty roads" , gay room mates, her boyfriend who discovers that he is also a gay, different family life and bonding, loneliness ..

But the days after return was also not great. After the initial happiness and attention, the real Iran under the regime has opened up in front of her. Slowly the disappointment sets in. While she enrols in an arts college and befriends and marry her boyfriend, the isolation from this world ( with the family, friends and partner) is obvious , ending up in her leaving of Iran again.

Graphics books have the ability to communicate with mere sketches and minimum words. She uses them to a great effect in this book. The drawings are in Black & White , simple without any surroundings and features. Many long shots, fewer close ups and very clear and non complex. This book has been now made into a motion picture.
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Persepolis - The Story of a Childhood and The Story of a Return

Marjane Satrapi ( written & illustrated)

Translated by Mattias Ripa ( first part) & Blake Ferris ( second part)

343 Pages
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Links : Powells Interview , Bookslut Interview, Complete Review

General Chathans - VKN

Its been a long time since I read a Malayalam book. Wanted one that can lighten my mood, and there is none other than VKN , I can look forward to. I have read this book 15 or years ago and it still gives me the same excitement. General Chathans is originally written and published in 1972, soon after the War with Pakistan , which also saw the separation of Bangladesh into a new country.

The story starts with Chathans, a local leader of the ruling left party in his small village ( padinhattukara). His raise to fame starts with the acquisition of the public land and building huts for the farm labourers , which will be inaugurated by the Minister. While there are rebellion in the local camp, on the naming of the new settlement and Chathans has to concede to the demand of the rival factions, he does use this chance to get what is needed from the minister. With some smart manipulations and black mailing ( the minister with his alleged "un-natural" sexual preferences) , and with the help of the powerful Ittoop , the publisher, he manages to get one of the previously un-published poems, the prestigious State Literary Award on his name. He was also able to get this included in the state syllabus for the high school students, thus ensuring business for the publishing house. It does not end here, as he now wants to get the Central Literary Award and the Jnanpith for his book. His political clout and his popularity in the central Kerala, makes him an important ally for the ruling Nationalist Party at the Centre. The elections are imminent and for them to return to power, they would need at least 10 seats from Kerala, which would be possible only with the support of Chathans. It is for this, the 'middle-man' takes him to Delhi and arrange his meeting with the Union Defence Minister. India is at war, and the deputy chief of the Armed Forces is on leave. There is a dire need of someone to lead the forces successfully against the Pakistan at the West front and China from the North. Chathans volunteer to take the role, considering the need of the country, willing to sacrifice his personal life and pleasures. With his natural wisdom and drive and by leading the forces from front, he manages to destroy the enemy tanks, smashing all the F-14 of the competition ( thus winning friends from the west , who wanted him to repeat this every year , so that their sales get a boost) and advancing into the enemy territory. He manages to win the war single handedly, thus getting all the accolades, to the displeasure of the Chief of the Army. The novel ends after General Chathans takes control of the country as its leader.

VKN is noted for his wizardry with the language. This book is no exception. His effective uses of Tamil, Hindi, English , Telugu phrases with his in-imitable translations are outstanding. Outrageously humorous, witty to a level of insult, this political and literary satire is a phenomenal work.
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General Chathans
V K N
DC Books
150 Pages
Rs 70/-
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Allah is not Obliged - Ahmadou Kourouma

The full, final and completely complete title of my bullshit story is: Allah is not obliged to be fair about all the things he does here on earth. Okay. Right. I better start by explaining some stuff.

First off, Number one . . . My name is Birahima and I'm a little nigger. Not 'cos I'm black and I'm a kid. I'm a little nigger because I can't talk French for shit. That's how things are. You might be a grown-up, or old, you might be Arab, or Chinese, or white, or Russian — or even American — if you talk bad French, it's called parler petit nègre — little nigger talking — so that makes you a little nigger too. That's the rules of French for you."
thus, starts this magnificent novel by this Ivory Cost writer, about the war ravaged Western Africa.

Birahima, "the fearless , blameless street kid" , narrates his experience during his journey through the war affected countries as a "child soldier , small soldier, soldier-kid", under multiple warloads , in his raw, foul mouthed , unsympathetic narrative, using various dictionaries for help (Larousse, a Petit Robert, a Glossary of French Lexical Particularities in Black Africa and a Harrap's, picked up towards the end of his travel).

After the death of his mother, who as he describes, "moved on her arse like a caterpillar", after her leg is amputated ( because her soul was savouring on her on body) , "the fearless blameless street kid" has to leave his home and go in search of his aunt who presumably lives in Liberia. The once sorcerer ( gri-gri) , criminal, money multiplier Yacouba, "the crippled crook" agrees to take him there. As is the case with in any journey through Liberia, the truck they were travelling was also intercepted by the Child Soldiers of a Liberian warload and he end up as a child soldier in their camp. Few desertions and in certain cases the deaths of the chiefs, make him and Yacouba to travel across the countries of Liberia,Ivory Cost and Sierra Leone in search of his aunt, associating with various factions as a child soldier in the process.

Even though it brings strong memories of other memoirs of child soldier ( like "A Long Way Gone" by Ismael Beah ), the difference here is in the narrative and the fictional writing qualities. While the writer uses the child soldier as the central character and the protagonist , we often listens to a strong political and social writer taking over the narration. That is also a draw back of the book, where many a times, the writing takes a turn, which to me is in-comprehensible to a 12 year old boy.

The real ( various war-leaders of Liberia , Sierra Leone and other heads of states) and the fictional characters comes alive in his story. The reality and the fiction are very closely interlinked. Very political, tragic novel about the human crisis in Africa. The the author does not mince any words, literally abusing the war lords, the international agencies, the peace keeping force and the people with all his strong conviction. He describe peace keeping forces as " when a country is allowed to send soldiers into another country to kill innocent victims in their own country, in their own villages, in their own huts, sitting on their own mats."

"The peace keeping forces didn't keep the peace, they don't take any unnecessary risks. They weren't bothered about details, they just fired at random, they fired shells at the people doing the attacking and at the people being attacked. They bombed right into the crowd , into the chaos. In a single day , they produced loads of innocent victims, more victims than a whole week of rival factions just fighting with each other."

While the economics could be the real motive behind the tribal war, what is at hand is a humanitarian crisis. "All the villages along the way were deserted, one hundred percent deserted. That's the way it goes in a tribal war ; everyone abandons the villages where humans live and go and live in the forests where the wild beasts live. Wild beasts have a better life that people."

The story also takes us through the multiple individuals whom the boy meets and interacts, which also gives you an insight to the people involved and affected by the on going war. As on of the boy reasons him being a child soldier :
"Next morning when there was no more noise , the children dared to go back to the family huts, to find out his fathers throat cut, his brothers throat cut, his mother and sister raped and their heads bashed in. All your relatives, close and distant , dead. And when you have got no one left on earth, no father , no mother, no brother, no sister, and you are really young, just a little kid, living in some fucked-up country where everyone is cutting everyone's throat, what do you do ?
You become a child-soldier of course, a small soldier, a child-soldier so you can have lots to eat and cut some throats yourself; that's all your only option."

Fascinating novel by this Ivory Cost writer. Interesting use of languages and style, at times getting into a political commentary ( where the author takes over from the kid who is narrating) , some nice poetic repetitive use of phrases ( you see this in many places) makes it a good read. While it makes a strong political and humanitarian crisis statement, here is also a superb writer using a non-standard language and mixing the local words ( for which he gives us the translation, mostly for local abuses) and with few amusing use of repetitive phrases and sentences.
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Allah is not Obliged
Ahmadou Kourouma ( Translated by Frank Wynne)
Anchor Books
215 Pages
Rs 455
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Further Read : wordswithoutborders , Guardian

Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates

This book has kindled my interest of many after the adaptation of the work into a movie ( about which my friend Sri made a nice note here) and the recent discussion of this book in this forum. This book was originally published in 1961 and gained acceptance after his death in 1992 as a re-discovered classic.

The usual sub-urban life, married young couple with 2 kids, a steady job, a home and the regular monotonous life , with occasional visits by local friends. A typical middle class urban life. The post world war American life, crippled with issues of personal security and the quest to try shake out the set pattern of life , the inability to carry on with your plans are all the same anywhere in the world.

Frank in his late twenties and April Wheeler, are nothing exceptional from the usual 1950s middle class America. The same usual life, the silly quarrels, the hopes for a better future and the plans to escape from this rigid life to explore pastures in Europe.

The plots and the synopsis can be read here.

Frank does not particularly enjoys his job. He does not even know what is his real job there. As he answers his wife on the job after he is appointed,
"The sales what?" "Promotion? I don't get it. What does that mean , you are supposed to do?"
"Who the hell knows? They explained it to me for half an hour and still I dont know, and I dont think they do either".
April is home looking after the kids and preparing for Franks return in the evening.

Unlike others, they are not waiting for things to happen on its own. April, takes the initiatives and plans for their future in Paris. She does all the ground work, letting kids know, enquire with the travel agents, buying elementary French for herself and advanced French for Frank , discussing the possible selling of the house with Mrs.Givings, make appropriate announcement to the friends..and all. Frank on the other hand allows her to take control over these , contemplating his own move in office with his imminent leaving of the job.

Well, an unwanted pregnancy puts a halt to all the preparations. While April wanted to abort this, the more catholic Frank dissuades her from it. They now have to re-track all the preparations. This, with the new found importance of Frank in Office, has made things to deteriorate between them till the point of total break down. the only was April see to come of it is to execute her plan to abort the kid. The attempt ends her up in the hospital where she succumb to the bleeding.

What makes this different is its closeness to reality. There is no pretence , no over-hyped characterisation ( even the madman John is well within the realistic limits). There is no good or bad people , there are only real people. While it looked more like a personal tragedy of the Wheelers family, as the author puts it, it is the tragedy of every single human being. "If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy."

A very realistic novel supported with extremely polished and attractive prose, makes it a good read. There aren't any outstanding passages, or incidents for people to keep quoting as in the case of other great novels. But this has some sublime beauty , that keeps you glued. While I agree with others in their judgement as a fantastic book, it might not appear in my 'top 25' books selection.

On a lighter note , what I found startling, is this description, which has lot of my personal attributes. " Shep Campbell gained a reputation as a snob. He antagonised Milly, and frightened her, for he had become a moody listener to classical music and a sulking reader of literary quarterlies."

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Revelutionary Road

Richard Yates
Vintage Classics
337 Pages
Rs 315
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Suggested Read : NY Times Review, Guardian Review, Boston Review

Land of Five Rivers - Khushwant Singh

Edited and Translated by Khushwant Singh: A compilation of 21 short stories from Punjab. Stories written over a preiod spanning 40s and 70s, includes stories by some prominent writers such as Sadat Hasan Manto, Amrita Pritam ( winner of Jnanpith award) , K A Abbas, Yashpal and Khushwant Singh.

Punjab to me is a very interesting place. Spread across 2 countries ( India and Pakistan) , with 3 languages spoken - Urdu , Punjabi and Hindi ( to a lesser extent) , and population split into 3 religion ( Hindu , Muslim and Sikh) is one of the most suffered region during the painful separation of India and Pakistan. Not surprisingly, many of the stories in this book with this as the main theme. And it is around this, many of the writings from Punjab has nourished.

The book starts with the popular story by Sadat Hasan Manto ( Toba Tek Singh , translated as 'exchange of lunatics' in this book) , which is about the plan of the newly formed governments of India and Pakistan to exchange lunatics held in the asylums, to the respective countries based on the division which set two countries separate. An outstanding story, talks of the plight of the common man in the hand of lunatics, in a very powerful way.
"On one side, behind barbed wire, stood together the lunatics of India and on the other side, behind more barbed wire, stood the lunatics of Pakistan. In between, on a bit of earth which had no name, lay Toba Tek Singh. "

There are few noteworthy stories, especially Lajwanti by Rajinder Singh Bedi, Death of Shaikh Burhanuddin by K A Abbas, One Passenger, Ho! by Santokh Singh Dhir.

As in a case of any compilation, this too have some superb , some mediocre stories. While this might not have covered the entire spectrum of writers fro mPunjab, it did give the glimpses of the section of the post independent Punjabi writers.

Contrary to the usual translation from Indian Language to English, which I always found a bit low in standard, this book was translated brilliantly and does not leave a taste of the local language to the reader. Most of the writings are around the partition and the struggle, hatred , violence, loss, bravery and compassion of common man it does come out quite visibly as a non - articulative and natural style of writing. While it does not have the contemporary writers in its list, it is an important collection to for the rest of India and the world to have a peep into the Punjabi literature.
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Land of Five Rivers
Selected and Translated by Khushwant Singh
Orient Paperbacks
199 Pages
Rs 175
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Illicit - Moisés Naím

The world of illicit trade is known for centuries and it is not new to us. We are living in a world of so called "Black Economy". One of the arguments floating around here that despite the global financial meltdown, India is largely isolated ( barring the IT sector with huge dependency on the US) because 70-75% of all the transactions in India are on Cash. While I am not certain about the figures, I do presume that many a transaction in India are done on hard cash.

Recommended and forwarded by my uncle, this book, by Moises Naim, former Minister of Trade of Venezuela, World Bank Executive Director, is bringing back our attention to the alarming issue of illicit Trade, which had been there since the day regulations are in place, and the extra ordinary proportion it had grown itself into, beyond the comprehension and control of the governments and the law enforcement authorities around the world. While every facts and numbers projected here are alarming, what is a greater concern is the inability of those in control to do anything about it.

In the initial chapters, he gets into the details of the various illicit trade such as Arm and ammunition, Drugs and Narcotics, Terrorism, Counterfeit Currency , Money Laundering, Intellectual Property violation, Prostitution and Human Trafficking, animal & timber, citing examples, giving facts and data from all over the globe. While they all look isolated and with independent identity and execution, most of these trades are interlinked and the operators are usually involved more than one trade at all times.

Why are they so difficult to identify , isolate and control ? Naim, gives us few reasons.
a) There is very finite divide between licit and illicit trade. Unlike the earlier days, these are not black and white any more.
b) The practitioners of these trades have both licit and illicit transactions and they hide behind the licit trade in front of the authorities. Eg, the same Nike factory in China, does involve in low quality low value fake shoes , usually operated in a night shift.
c) They have infiltrated themselves into the low enforcement agencies, governments and the trade bodies, thus controlling the outcome of the actions. In many countries, high ranking officials and ministers are involved in such business.
d) Many government themselves are involved / supportive of these business ( eg , North Korea / Afghanistan in drugs, China in human body parts , US and few European countries in Arms , Many of the erstwhile USSR countries in Nuclear and other arms / rockets)
and so on..

The change in the global trade after 1990s and the new onslaught of globalisation and technological advancement have made this trade more lucrative. These trade are now more globalised than ever before, often supported by the state of the art commincation tools, encryption methods and de-centralised operations.

While there are efforts and actions against these people, by nature of their operations, they are able to shut their operations in one location and start at another with ease and with speed, that are not matched by the governments. The sources are multiple ( for each of these business) , the middlemen are at far flung places with no direct connection with the traders, the users and the suppliers; traders are all across the world ; transit points are constantly shifted and the users are across continents. Hence a system to control and monitor all these are beyond the current capabilities of the Governments.

What makes them so elusive and better equipped than the governments ? It is the way they operate. Speed and trust are the key. Each operation is in nimble and isolated with no more informed than the in and out contact. The producers does not know the user. The hierarchy is defined and never questioned. They are so de centralised, even if one of the transit point/hub or the source is tracked and closed, the business is not affected.
Why are the governments failing ? For multiple reasons. Government bodies are controlled by processes and guidelines. There is also an element of bureaucracy in the government functions which make it slow in response. The counter / restrictive activities against these trades need an international action, by virtue of their behaviour. This is one hard nut to crack. Each country have their on priorities and views on multiple aspects and to have a common ground of operation is eluding for a long time now. Importantly, within a country various agencies ( anti-terror cell , narcotic bureau , IP right protection , immigration ) operate within their boundaries and there are no combined effort to comeout with a unified plan.

However, there are efforts by individuals and NGOs in exposing, creating awareness, preventing the trade and use all over the world. In many instances, they are more effective than the government agencies. Many individuals, mostly from the press community , have been victims of the wrath from the cartel. It will be interesting to note that many of these cartels / businesses do have their own front end NGOs and Media coverage to camouflage their real intentions.

As an individual, what can we do ? You dont need a study to tell you that more than 90% of the populations in the world ( more so in the developing world) are at some point of their time, have been the beneficiaries of one of such trade. I can remember the Burma bazaars, the street side book sellers, the pirated and downloaded movies, fake T-shirts and watches. While the governments are trying to prevent the production and distribution network, there aren't many actions done at the users level. Few actions like reducing trade barrier, penalising the users along with the practitioners ( like in prostitution, narcotics) etc have helped to a small extent, we need to have a larger scope of work in creating awareness among larger population.

According to Naim, the new world conflicts are not going to be between religion, ethnic, rich versus Poor lines. He says, it is going to be between "Geo-political Bright Sopts Vs Black holes". Those countries, regions with the lack of law and order where the production and distribution of such trade/products flourish , with those regions where there are growing demand for the output of such trades. The conflict around the world is likely to be on these areas.

Very informative book with a lot of insight to the illicit trade and its propagation, the effects and the actions , and its future in the world as a whole. Moises Naim, captures one's interest and attention to the details and makes it a fantastic read. The outcome is alarming, to the world economic and political scene, and re-iterates the necessity for a new global co-operation among the member countries.
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Illicit - How Smugglers, Traffickers and Copycats are hijacking the global economy
Moisés Naím
Arrow Books
340 Pages
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Further Read : Popmatters , Foreign Affairs

in

Balthasar's Odyssey - Amin Maalouf

Year 1666 is speculated as the "year of the beast". Jews, Christians and Muslims have their own theories and fears about the imminent end of the world. However, one of the answer seems to be in the mysterious book titled " The hundredth name", which legends says reveals the name of the GOD unknown to people, that can save the humankind from the imminent apocalypse. Balthasar Embriaso, 40 year old widower of Genovan origin, a curios and books dealer at Lavantine town of Gibelet, takes us through a journey for over an year in pursuit of the book. Balthasar, had the book for a brief period before being forced to sell the same to the emissary of the King of France. Though Balthasar doubts the authenticity of the book, every one who laid hand on this book , seems to have gone through some mysterious fates. Idriss, the old man who handed over the book to him, was found dead the next day. The emissary who took the book to Constantinople with him was ship-wrecked. But that did not stop him from chasing the book. The eventful journey, thus begun from Gibelet , to Tripoli , Allepo, Constantinople, Genova , Lisbon, London and France before he come back to Genova.

Balthasar document his experiences and his feelings in his note books ( 4 journals abandoned at various places) and through this he narrates the happening of the eventful year. He befriends various people during his journey and these form the various sub-plots of the book. There are Jews, captains of the ship, a prince from Persia , a Genovan aristocrat, a lady shop owner in London , each with their on views and idea adding to the story of the end of the world.

Martha, a village lady from Gibelet, whose husband is at large since their wedding joins them in the journey. Balthasar, being forced to introduce her as his wife ( a clever ploy by his nephews?) , slowly gets attracted to her. His effort to end her misery by obtaining the document which sets her free to marry him takes a beating after they find her husband. He is crest fallen and was deported to Genova leaving the nephews and his assistant at Smyrna. His efforts to locate the book materialises at London, but every time he opens the book to read, his health deteriorates and he become temporarily blind. The misfortune did not end, as London is now under fire. As the city streets are burning, Balthasar escapes from London, and comes back to Genovo, towards the end of the year. Though the World did not end, 1667 brings a new beginning to the life of Balthasar after an eventful year. He will start a new life in his ancestral city.

The novel is about his quest to retrieve the book, as he travels from place to places on the Mediterranean cost and to places as far as London and France, over a period of 16 months. Interesting read, with many sub-stories and incidents to spice up the journey. There are many characters portrayed in this book, who come in with their own religious views ( some extreme and some moderate and intelligent) and vanishes without any trace. There are other important characters, like his nephews and Martha, who too are given a very odd treatment in the book. Barring that, he maintain the interest of the reader through out the journey. Notwithstanding , few narrative shortcoming, this book is very good and a captivating read.
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Balthasar's Odyssey
Amin Maalouf ( translated by Barbara Bray)
Vintage Books
391 Pages
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Further read : NY Times , Guardian

Death Etc. - Harold Pinter

Death Etc. , is a collections of his previously unpublished works. Contains few of his speeches, few short plays and few poems. His speeches and an open letter to The Prime Minister are very open and clear in his criticism against the US and British governments and the war in Iraq.

Almost all of the poems in this book are on the Iraq war (first and second), and he uses very blunt and hard hitting language. These are political poems and thus aren't of any great poetic values.
Few samples;
Well, there was no problem.
All the democracies
(all the democracies)
were behind us.
So we had to kill some people.
S what ?
Lefties get killed.
..
Just kill them.
Well,my wife wanted peace.
And so did my little children.
So we killed all the lefties
to bring peace for our little children.
(from The old days )

Hallelujah!
It works.
We blew the shit out of them.
....
Praise the lord for all good things.
We blew them into fucking shit.
They are eating it.(from American Football)

*
There are few plays, which are pretty interesting. The common theme in all of them are on the atrocities committed by those in power and the helplessness of the common man. Naturally, its the 'power' does all the speaking, and the victim is 'silenced' in most of the time, barring few feeble one liners of submission.

Its a good read if your political views are in line with that of the writer. Otherwise, its another rhetoric against the war on terror. But it does, confirm to his style of writing and his convictions.

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Death Etc

Harold Pinter

Grove Press , New York

125 Pages

Rs 380
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Further read : Timeout review

The Crossroads - Niccolò Ammaniti

Niccolo Ammaniti, in his latest book "The Cross Roads" , portray a disturbing picture of the present day Italy. Heralded as the new voice of Italian Literature, this is the third book being translated to English, and the first book that I have read, of this writer.

Rino Zena, lives with his son Christiano, does odd jobs at a construction site and is an alcoholic with inflammable temperament. His other friends Danilo Apera , a middle aged divorcee ( wife leaves him after the tragic death of their daughter-chocking on a shampoo bottle cap) and Corrado Rumitz ( called as Quattro Formaggi after his favourite food), crippled after a huge electric shock, where he is almost electrocuted . The three some are contemplating a plan to rob a bank and to live a life of their dreams.

The story converge on one dreadful night. "It had only taken one night and everything has changed", Quattro Formaggi remembers the eventful night. Their meticulous planning of the act of robbery takes a setback as the region is flooded and the storm that hit the region has taken every thing out of control. The river is flooded, trees are uprooted, roads empty and the rain is relentless. Ideally, or in a filmy style , this is the best day for such an act. As Danilo waits for Quattro Formaggi, and Rino having second thought on the whole plan waiting for his companions to come over, preparing his excuse to differ the action, there is a gruesome murder takes place at the woods. Quattro Formaggi, driven by the image of Ramona, an actor from the American porn movie, attempts rape on Fabiana Ponticelli, a beautiful girl high on drugs and alcohol returning home from her friend's house. His inability to carry out his wishes ( as he visualised as in the porn flick) and the shame of his impotency gets him to commit the murder breaking her skull with a stone. Frightened and shocked by his act, he calls Rino for help. Blame it on the fate, Rino suffers brain haemorrhage while attempting to clear the body, collapsing at the same site, however manages to call his son just before getting into coma. Quattro Formaggi, fled the scene, worried, but quite relieved. Christiano, Rino's 13 yr old son manages to take his father home and calls for medical help, while managing to keep the dead body disposed in the swollen river. The Danilo, in the meantime grow desperate over the delay, sets of to do the robbery on his own, meeting a horrible death by crashing his vehicle to the wall.

The situation is now tense. The only person who can explain the story apart from the murderer is Rino, who is in coma in the hospital bed. Christiano thinks its his father who has committed the crime. The only person he can go to is Danilo, who is not taking his calls. There is also a Social Worker, who is working on Christiano's well being. He too goes through an eventful night. After an illicit affair with his friends wife, he hits an African migrant worker on his way back, almost killing him. His quick pact with God, seems to show result as the person lying on the road shows signs of recovery and miraculously gets up and escapes to the unknown.

While the story is about the adultery, rape, murder and cruelty, I guess , Ammaniti is trying to portray something beyond this. To me the highlight is the alienation of the individual from the society and the fragile family life. Each of the characters suffer from the rejection of their beloved. Rino is staying with his son, Danilo's wife is deserted him and stays with the owner of the shop where she works, Quattro Formaggi has his own frustration, and take refuge on porn movies. There is also the attractions to be rich, for those fancy cars , spending in shopping malls, as done by the rich. Christiano, in one spur-of-the-moment, takes a knife and flattens the bike tyre of one of the rich kids, an action he does not find any valid reasons for doing so. He accepts the repercussions without any ill feeling.

Having said that, the novel spent and focussed too many pages on the events of the night. The overall appeal of the book with respect to the build up take a back seat and the event and its descriptive nature seems to take control. "It wasn't me. It was God. I didn't want to do it, truly I didn't...It was God who made me do those things. It's nothing to do with me." as Quattro Formaggi, confesses to himself towards the end, the novel seems take its own course, as if driven be an external force. I read elsewhere that the book's Italian title is "Come Dio Commanda " roughly translated as ,"As God Commands". May be that explains it. However, there are elements of warmth and comradery among the tough, abrasive behaviour which the characters exhibit. Rino's only purpose of living is to provide better future for his son. He comes about as a loving father at heart. So is Danilo, living on the hope that one day he will be able to open a lingerie show room for his wife, and will live with her again.

Very contemporary book, depicting the current state of affairs in the modern Italy. Very detailed and very visual writing of events, mixed with sly humour, with subtle underlying soft emotions of the characters who project a rough exterior. An easy fast paced read, with very lively characters ( including those with passive participation), makes this book a good read. That makes the book different from the other so called 'thrillers'.
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The Crossroads

Niccolò Ammaniti ( Translated by Jonathan Hunt)
Canongate Books

406 Pages
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Further reads : FT , Guardian , Lizzy

Esther's Inheritance - Sándor Márai

"Lajos is coming back !" , Esther shouted to Nunu, the old help , who is nursing the plants in the garden. She received a telegram from Lajos, the "only man she has ever loved", announcing his return after twenty years.
"We will arrive in a car, ther will be five of us" the telegram continued."We'll stay till the evening".

Lajos, was introduced to the family by Esther's brother Laci, who were friends and classmates. Soon, the entire family had fallen for his charm, despite his habits of treachery. Esther was the only person resisted his influence for some time, before falling in love with him. However, the turn of the events saw, Lajos marrying, her sister Wilma for reasons not known to her ("maybe because she was prettier, maybe because that day the wind happened to be blowing from the east") . The marriage was short lived, when Wilma died after the birth of the daughter. Soon after, Esther leave that house and come back to stay in her ancestral house along with Nunu.

Anticipation and preparation for his visit is on. Laci, Endre and Tibor( other friends and associates), all of them are victims of his dubious game earlier. Lajos, and everyone who are associated with him, life became a dangerous, exciting adventure.

"he was indebted to everyone in some way, with money, with promises, with oaths! He is coming back to face the past.."

Esther is very clear of his intentions and was prepared for the same. Even though she suspect she might be sounding happy to others after the news of his arrival, she checks her actions and keep her composure. "I knew Lajos had come because he had no choice, and that we were welcoming him because he had no choice, and the whole thing was terrifying, as unpleasant, and as unavoidable for him as it was for us."

Lajos, is a big show man. He makes his appearance dramatic and the rest of the day is staged to a preplanned design. " People don't turn away from Lajos, because his little shows are full of surprises that he himself enjoys but does not prepare. Even now, in the very moment of his arrival, he was directing, presenting, and speechifying with transparent pleasure. "

It was after the lunch when the much anticipated meeting takes place. Lajos has meticulously planned the whole thing. He sent his daughter first, before appearing by himself in front of Esther. He apologises, admits his lies and broken promises, pleads guilty, blame her for not being courageous enough, wants her to be his moral compass.. Esther plays along, but makes him aware that she is not falling to his games , as she says:

" There are times I think you're an absolute genius..the genius of lies. All the time I know you are lying, that you have always lied, right from the first moment. Your life has been one long lie. I dont even believe in your death: that will be a lie too. Oh yes, you are a genius all right."

But the visit has to have a purpose , " I have a demand. You must come away with me, with us." Was it as simple ? No.

Written in 1939, this is the fourth book to be made available in English by this awesome Hungarian author. For those who have read the earlier works, this is similar to Embers and Casanova in Bolzano. Those dramatic set up, return of a long lost lover, friend or acquaintance, the lengthy verbal dual, the unexpected ending all there. As this article talks about, for Sandor Marai, the novel is a stage, each characters are performers fulfilling their role as a theatre artist.

There was no suspense maintained here. It was made clear at the beginning of the novel that "he came and robbed me". There was no clear reason for the actions of the participants. They are all seems to be playing along to complete the pre-determined out come.

As said earlier, a strong resemblance to the Embers and Casanova in style of writing ( "The rebel" was a bit different from a narrative style) and similar construction. Though not as great when compared to Embers, I liked this novel as well.

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Esthers's Inheritance
Sandor Marai ( Translated from Hungarian by George Szirtes )
Picador
148 Pages
Rs 673.20
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Further read : Complete Review , L A Times

Hardboiled & Hardluck - Banana Yoshimoto

Few years back, I have read "Kitchen" by Banana Yoshimoto. Happened to notice this short book in one of the local sales and have picked it up as she is considered one of the new faces of Japanese Literature.

Two short novellas compiled into a small book. Hardboiled, A 'ghost' story , where the nameless protagonist experiences the presence of her now deceased room mate and girlfriend, on her first death anniversary in her dreams, and a face to face interaction with a ghost in the ill fated hotel room on the same night. The narrator find herself walking on the mountain roads, where she realises the spot when she had dropped her girlfriend a year back, on her request, post her decision to move out of the common house to stay on her own. As she realises that this day is the death anniversary of her friend, the various events happening to her on that day , including her trip to the mountain roads and the local inn where she stays that night, gets clearer to her. The story ends after the eventful night where she goes through the nightmares and returns back. It is an interesting subject for a story, it did not appeal to me much at the end.

In hardluck , again the protagonist, coming to terms with her sisters medical conditions ( she is in coma with brain dead, life being extended with the supporting devices). Her sister has been engaged to a young man, who on knowing the current status, refuses to come and visit his fiancee in the hospital and leave the town to stay with his parents. However, his elder brother, takes interest in this case and visits the hospital regularly to the initial displeasure of the family of the sick person. Our lady, the protagonist, develop a stronger sense of companionship with the new man, while keeping guard to her sister in hospital in her last days as her family comes to terms with the eventuality of the death. As it happens in every disaster, there is an increased level of closeness among the survivors. Slightly better story compared to the first with certain emotional and relationship undertones.

In both the stories, the central character is a nameless young woman, who is coming to terms with the loss of something close to her. Both the stories are grim, of internal disarray and coping with the personal tragedies. Death is the common factor in both, in one she is trying to get over with loss of her close friend, while in the other she is trying to overcome the imminent death of her sister and confidante with the external support.

Reading two books might not give me the authority to judge her calibre as a writer. However, I should say, I have found them pretty ordinary.
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Hardboiled & Hardluck

Banana Yoshimoto ( translated by Michael Emmerich )

148 pages

Purchased in a sale for Rs30 !
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Read more: Interview with the translator

Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller

Couldn't get a more appropriate book for a sales guy at the end of his financial year. Drained of energy and waiting for this year to get over, to start again with clean sheets. Death of a Sales man is one of the most sold plays of Arthur Miller, released in 1949. What is surprising is that the relevance of the book at the current times.

The story and synopsis can be read here and I'm not getting into it.

There are multiple angle to this play. At one level , it is the sales man and his relationship with his employer. Despite serving him for 35 years, he is not wanted in that organisation. The same person who build their business empire in New England from scratch, was now fired for non-performance. For the sales guy, the customers with whom he has build a rapport and business are all retired or replaced by newer younger people, nullifying his influence. The old hand at the business is no more and his son who runs the company now, do not value the heritage and the people who build the company.

The other side is the strained relation between the father and son. Willy is blamed (or he takes the blame) for the failure of Biff to graduate after he flunked Maths. Biffs exposure to fathers illicit relationship with a lady in Boston, and his anger and disappointment has lead to his later failure in life. Even at 34 he is unable to settle in any job or place.

Linda, Willy's wife fit in at the perfect house-wife role. All understanding , always supportive to her husband, never complaining and always encouraging. Even when she realises that Willy's frequent car accidents are not mere lack of concentration, but a planned attempt, she does not loose her composure with him.

Willy himself is under hallucinations and day dreams. He move in and out of worlds of real and imaginary, often criticising himself on his inability to live a life like that of his now dead brother ( who comes in his dreams very often). His attempt to resurge his career is turned futile, his hopes on his sons to be own their own and support the aging parents fails , leading him to despair , eventually leading to his death.

Though written about the period 1928 and 1942, the plot is still the same. The middle class life run on mortgage payments and by the time you finished your payment, you have to start all over again. And I don't think it can end any better..

"Forgive me, dear. I can't cry. I don't know what it is, but I cant cry. I don't understand it. Why did you ever do that ? It seems to me that you're just on another trip. I keep expecting you...I search and search and search, and I cant understand it, Willy. I made the last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there'll be nobody home. We're free and clear. We're free.. We're free..We're free."
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Death of a Salesman
Arthur MillerUBS Publishers Distributors Pvt Ltd
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Petal of Blood - Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

"Today, children, I am going to tell you about about the history of Mr.Blackman in three sentences. In the beginning he had the land and the mind and the soul together. On the second day, they took the body away to barter it for silver coins. On the third day, seeing that he was still fighting back, they brought priests and educators to bind his mind and soul so that these foreigners could more easily take his land and its produce."

Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o , tells us the story of Kenya, on a larger scale the story of Africa , or the story of every country being ruled by colonial power for the major part of second half of last millennium.
Munira, arrives at the small village of Ilmorog far away from the cities, inhabited by elders and kids, to set up and run the primary school. All the previous teachers who arrived there did not last a week. He too was welcomed by the villagers with a "mountainous shit-dune" in the school compound. Slowly he gets the acceptance of the locals and starts his effort to teach the children. The other non-native of the place is the one-legged Abdulla, who runs the lone petty shop in the village, supported by Joseph, the orphan he rescued during his journey. All the men and women of the village are taken to the towns to work in the new enterprises, farms and factories run by wealthy individuals and foreign collaborators. To this set up, comes the beautiful Wanja, to stay with her grand mother, the powerful , old leader of the village, whose husband was hanged by the Colonist for opposing and fighting them. Soon, Karega joins Munira in the Village, who like Munira is from the Siriana school and have been expelled after a students strike, repeating the history of Munira. The foursome , now the integral part of the village become their voice, light and their hope.

Why are they here ? What brought these four to this place which receives no visitors. A place, where the inhabitants wants to escape and never returns. A place where the member of the constituent assembly comes with promises just before the election. Each of them are trying to escape from their past. To take refuge in a place far away from the world , away from those tormenting memories. Each of them have a past unknown to others. A past of resistance, rejection, failure, humiliation and torture. Of disappointment, a past of shattered dreams and hopes. Each of them had gone suffered the loss of people close to them, people who are interlinked, related to each other.

The fate and fortune of Ilmorog is all set for a change. The village has been stuck with drought and famine. Their farms are dry and have not yielded any crops this year, to feed them all. The reserves are depleting, the cattle are skinny and dying. It hasn't been rained for months. The offers to gods and the sacrifices of their beloved sheep have not satisfied the supreme. Does the bad omen come through the Donkey of Abdulla ? The village elders have decided to sacrifice the donkey, against Abdulla's pleas. This is when the intelligent among them ( of course , the Teachers an Wanja) suggest that they send a delegation to the City, and meet their MP and request help. They have been supporting and voting him to power every time, and it is time he reciprocate and help them. Thus starts the long journey. A journey that bond them, but help them to understand each other better. Abdulla , Karega, Wanja and Munira re-live their past life to each other during this journey.

The trip to Nairobi did not end all that well. MP while addressing sensed a rebellion of his people. Was it triggered by his opponents ? Who are these four outsiders ? Why are they so worried about the people of Ilmorog ? Why will some one go to such goddamned place ? Naturally, all the four leaders(?) end up in police station, only to be released with an intervention of a progressive lawyer.

The journey did not yield any results. There was no help from the government, but the rain gods were sympathetic. It rained , and rained so hard bringing a new life to the province. Crops were good, agriculture produce was the best in the recent years. Along with this came the progress of the village. Government set up a Police station and the Christian missionary set up the first of its prayer hall. Then came the Trans-Africa road construction along with workers. People started pouring in and soon Ilmorog has more outsiders than the native. Karega is expelled fro the job and leaves the town.The business ( making the local brand of alcohol Theng 'Eta ) of Abdulla prospered, now joined by Wanja. The all open fields were slowly being occupied and converted to individual properties. Slowly, people started loosing their own properties. Lured by the African Development Bank, to take loans for business and agriculture, the uneducated people were made to sign documents only to loose the property to the Bank on non-payment of dues. Abdulla and Wanja lost their business and the right to produce the Theng Eta , which are now being controlled by 3 directors Chui , Kimeria and Meizo ( same people who were once the reason or part of their destruction in their early life).

The novel starts with the interrogation of the four suspects in the murder of the directors. They were burnt alive in the house of Wanja, where she now run a profitable business of flesh trade. The story is being described as narrated and re-collected by Munira over the past 12 years.

This is the Kenya after the Independance ; the colonial power ( " Christianity, commerce, civilization.; the Bible, the Coin, the Gun: Holy trinity " ) has been replaced by the indigenous 'colonist'( those who worked for the European Rulers and on their departure became the owners of the property). The strong sense of betrayal among the native Kenyans as the entire resources are controlled by few individuals. The leaders are engaging in pitting one tribe against other and celebrating the new found richness.
"Big shots from the different communities sat together and talked only in their own mother tongues... Every group talked about the danger of other groups. They were grabbing everything.. they have taken all the white highlands. Then about a month ago the groups from other communities suddenly stopped coming to the place. So the cars were fewer. Now the talk changed a little. We shall fight: we have fought before....the other communities want to reap where they never planted."

"Educators, men of letters, intellectuals; these are only voices - not neutral , disembodied voices - but belonging to bodies of persons, of groups, of interest. You, who will see the truth about words emitted by a voice, look first for the body behind the voice. The voice merely rationalizes the needs, whims, caprices, of its owner, the master. Better therefore to know the master in whose service the intellect is and you'll be able to properly evaluate the import and the imagery of utterances. .. If you would learn look about you: choose your side".

Very powerful and political story in the backdrop of a small time Kenyan Village Ilmorog, which transforms itself to a tourist town. Every inhabitants of the place have lost their land and people due to some manipulations of the few powerful individuals. Was it the new Kenya they all have fought for ?

Very deep , engaging and hard-hitting novel about Kenya ( and African continent in general) post independence and of its disappointments. Of the exploitation of the people by the rulers , the corruption and treachery. At first at the hands of the Europeans : "God save the queen, they sang after every massacre and then went to church for blessings and cleansing: it had always fallen to the priest to ordain human sacrifice to appease every dominant God in history". Then at the hands of the new rich and powerful political and business leaders.

Ilmorog represents the post independence transition of Kenya. it represents the ordeal of the common man. It give us a bleak view of the what the realities of the freedoms were, and how soon the hopes of the people were shattered. Ilmorog is a metaphor of modern Kenya, faced with harsh realities. But the author definitely displays his anger, however does not provide us with any positive of bright outlook of the future. He make some strong statements here (he was arrested and jailed in Kenya in 1978, post this novel - not sure if there are any connections with this book).

Beneath all these strong political views, lies a beautiful story supported with a sublime narrative.

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Petal of Blood

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
408 Pages
Rs 435
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Further read: Study , Biography ,
PS :
"Where have you been?" she asks him, trying to remove the KAR hat pin-folded on one side from his head.
"Burma....India....Japan... lands far away, soldier fighting for the king."
"Whom were you fighting?"
"Italians, Germans, Japanese."
"You had a quarrel with them ? Oh, you must have been angry."
"Nop."
"Why then were you fighting them?"
"A soldier does not ask questions... he obeys orders and dies, dies fighting for the king."
"Which king ? Does he also fight ?"
"Oh, stop it, little girl. You ask too many questions."
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It happened in India - Kishore Biyani

I think it was towards the end of 2006. I was on my way to Office and an unexpected traffic jam on the Hosur Road, at the Madiwala Checkpost junction caused all my days plan in a spin. The nerve-centre of the jam was the BIG BAZAAR store situated next to the Forum Mall, which I understood later, have launched another innovative campaign of theirs called 'subse sasta din' or so. The crowd was uncontrollable and spilling over to already heavily trafficked Hosur Road. The visual and print media covered this with lot of enthusiasm and I heard the scenes were as bad if not worse in other centres across the country.

As I was reading again of these incidents in Kishore Biyani's book, it revealed a whole lot of new concepts successfully deployed by his team over the years, which I have seen and dismissed as any other campaigns.

Retail is the catchword these days. With the increase in the income and the all too powerful middle class consumer rise, the avenues to spent have to grow in a similar manner. The growth of organised retail in India has to be discussed along with these lines. Though there are many early entrants in this field, supported and funded by big industrial houses in country, the result , barring in the textile sector (to an extend) hasn't been all that great. Many traditional so called 'departmental store' chains have struggled in scaling up their operations and/or in measuring up to the new bourgeoisie communities demand and aspirations. Many of them have had an early death and few remained, to my understanding, are still struggling for existence. The history of the global players too haven't been all that lucrative.

There are few who remain competitive and prosperous in this environment. Future group is definitely one of them with their 'Pantaloon', 'Big Bazaar' and 'Central' stores. This books is the story of this empire from its early days of conception to the behemoth it is today. Kishore Biyani takes us through his experience of building one of the largest retail empire in India, from near bankruptcy and rejection to be one of the role models of the industry. Being a trader and an in born talent, there is no doubt about his penchant towards business. I was particularly interested in his words on the concept of Big Bazaar, which he attributes to the 'Saravana Stores' in Chennai. The created chaos of the stores, the various campaigns being run by the organisation, the early identification of the demographic split of the customers he planned to target and attract , the meticulous planning of location and the goods to be carried in each stores - all of which are quite impressive. Two things stand out in the whole affair; one his knack in getting the pulse of the buying behaviour of his customers, and the speed and accuracy of execution.

Well, this is not a business study ; we are discussing the book here ! Written and announced as an autobiography, it is more of the story of Future Group and the retail business in general, less on the person by himself. It also carries the testimonials and remarks by his associates, employees, contractors and investors, in the expected lines (!). While not commenting on the business side and the personal side of the book, it is an interesting insight to the changing retail scene and the buying behaviour of the people during one of the most eventful period of India growth story.

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It happened in India
Kishore Biyani ( with Dipayan Baishya)
Rupa PublicationsRs 99
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The caretaker - Harold Pinter

This is arguably, one of the most popular plays by the Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter. Originally written and produced in 1960, first major success as a play write.

Confined to a room and three characters, brothers Aston and Mick and an old homeless Davis. As we understand later, Aston rescues Davis from a Cafe before being beaten up and take him to his house. He allows Davis to spent the night in his room and later allows him to stay until suitable alternates have been made by the later. Mick the younger brother, arrives later to the scene and virtually makes things uneasy for the old man. It hasn't been a smooth relationship between the brothers as they hardly speak to each other. Davis is offered a role of a care taker by Mick , provided he is able to establish his identity and credentials.

As things turns out in a couple of weeks, Davis trying to establish himself in the house by playing between the brothers. His changed behaviour and mannerisms puts him into trouble with Aston , which leads to Aston asking him to leave the place. His attempts to garner support of Mick also fails. Davis tries his luck with Aston again, pleading to allow him stay, unsuccessfully.

Typical of Pinters plays, bit absurd, conflict among the members , the abrupt change of character are all in this small play. A tramp with his racial blurts ( his comment on the Indian neighbours and calling them 'blacks') and perennial greed, a mentally challenged young man ( as we understand from the communication between Aston and Davis, where he talk about his stint in the mental hospital and being subjected to electric shock treatment) and a self employed youth trying to establish his authority over his elder brother all makes the undertone of this quite interesting.

Short and fascinating read, and I am sure will reveal more in re-read, which I intent to do.
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The Caretaker
Harold Pinter78 Pages
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Further read : Literary Encyclopedia , Culture vulture

The Yacoubian Building - Alaa Al Aswani

Originally published in 2002 in Egypt, this book has been a best seller in that part of the world ever since. However, it took few years to get this translated into English, and was popular in the rest of the world as well.

Yacoubian Building, the novel based on the life and events of a cross section of people living and dying in this building in the downtown Cairo. According to the notes, this building still exists in Cairo to whom the description of the book relate ; however, the rest of the story and characters are fictional.

This is the story of the contemporary Cairo or Egypt , even though set in the time of the first Gulf war. The inhabitants of the building is from a cross section of the society. It has businessmen, ultra rich elites, old men, people of different origins, intellectuals, with different religious back ground, sales men. It also have loads of poor families settles on the terrace of the building in tents, sharing common amenities. They share the life on the terrace which is more colourful and real with their quarrel, their stories, their jealousy.

The novel traces the lives of these families in few distinct threads. An old bachelor Zaki, a Paris return elite, flirtatious and womaniser, in search of true love at the twilight of his life, a young boy Taha, son of a door keeper, who cherishes the dream of joining the police academy, passing the intermediate with exemplary result, to be rejected for being the son of a door keeper. He later turns himself into the hands of the religious fundamentals ; indoctrinated , trained and sent for a mission. His girlfriend Busayna , forced to work as a sales girl , exploited by the owner, keeps her family of mother and siblings from her earnings. Her conscience does not allow her to continue her love for Taha, manages to break their friendship. The opportunities and events lands her as a secretary of the old man, assigned by a task of stealing the house from him in the event of his death. She is determined , not to get carried away with sympathy for the old man and of her task at hand. As they get to know each other, she developed a liking towards the old man , eventually marrying him.

The parallel thread follows the life of the businessman Hagg Azzam , who wake up one day and realised that he has been having wet dreams and his potency is as active as in his old days , which he is not able to get satisfied with his wife. His friends and men of religious authority advises him to marry , as it is perfectly legal under the Islamic texts. His sons, finds him a young bride whose husband has not returned from the gulf. He has been missing without any trace for a while and the authorities have granted her the divorce. She had been put up in a separate apartment after the wedding, out of sight from his first wife, where he spent his afternoon, before returning home at night. With the help of bribe and powerful allies, he manages to get elected into the Egyptian House of Representatives, but soon realise that his business fortunes have to be shared by the Supreme leader of the country.

There is also an gay editor in chief , who frequent the gay joints and other places of similar nature while leading an intellectual public life. He falls to the beauty of a black Egyptian Army cadet, living his nights with him. As the military training comes to an end , he manages to fund a kiosk for him thus keeping him under his control and charm. Though he brings his wife and kid to live with him in his new place arranged by the Editor, he is not able to get himself free from the clutches of power and lust. The unfortunate death of their kid and the scream of his wife, forces him to abandon the kiosk and the company of the Editor, moving back to his town. The regular income and the money has dried and soon living has become difficult. This is when the desperate Editor traced him and offered him another job, with a plead to spent another night with him , after which he is free to choose his future. The passionate night turns itself to the unpleasant arguments resulting in the death of the editor.

This book is a tale of love, of desire, of lust , of power, of poverty , of corruption , of terrorism - all in one. It is the tale of distress, of exploitation of the poor , of the systematic failure of the authorities to bring development and hope to the vast majority of people. Yacoubian Building itself - Once grand a symbol of aristocracy - is now ruined carries the current state of the affairs of the country. It is also of people , forced to make the choices out of compulsion, against their conscience, later convince themselves with made up excuses.

Alaa Al Aswani, has managed to portray the current social spectrum of Egypt with some good writing. As a reader, I was left with this impression as Zaki says to Busayna, "You know, I feel as though I owned the Yacoubian Building. I'm the longest resident in it. I know the history of every individual and every square meter in the building. I've spent most of my life in it. I lived my best days in it and I feel as though it's a part of me. The day this building's demolished or something happens to it, that'll be the day I die."

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The Yacoubian Building

Alaa Al Aswani ( Translated by Humphrey Davies )

American Univ in Cairo Press

253 pages

Rs 295

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More Reads : Complete Review

Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began - Art Spiegelman

I have read many many books written and movies made on the horrors and sufferings of the people during WW II in the German concentration camps. Here is another one, however with a twist. Unlike the others I have read, this one is a graphics novel. This book is the second in the Maus- A Survivor's tale , and I haven't read the part 1. This book had also won the Pulitzer price for alternate fiction in 1992.

Written by Art Spiegelman, born to Polish parents, who survived the Auschwitz during the final stages of the German concentration camps, before migrating to Sweden ( where Artie was born) and later moving to the US. This book is his recollection of those days through his conversation with his ailing father ,Vladek.

The book has two parallel narratives. One, the current state of affairs of his father, after his wife ( second wife Mala) deserted him unable to withstand his whims, Art and his wife comes to visit him and to give him the necessary support. While being with his father , Art takes him through the memory lanes of Auschwitz, nudging him to re-tell those stories of horror and survival. As Vladek re-live those moments with his son, being separated with his wife at Auschwitz, surviving every day while, many of his prisoners dying all around him , while few others ending up as smoke in those dreaded chimneys.

The stories are not different from what we have red elsewhere , but the visual and the associated conversation has a very different effect. He also engaged in using the metaphorical approach in drawing people of each country. The Jews are mice, Germans are cats , French Frogs, Poles are drawn as pig, Americans as dog etc..

Even though he has survived the holocaust, the ghost of those horrors are with them through their lives, "I'd rather kill myself than live through ... everything Vladek went through. It's a miracle he survived." ... "In some ways he didn't survive,"...

Though the medium of expression is through graphics, it does have the same intensity and the irony that one experience while reading the regular fiction. Art Spiegelman have succeeded in bringing out those elements of the life in Aushwitz and the after effects of those through his portrayal of his father.

My thoughts are summed up in these words by his father, "Look at how many books have already been written about the holocaust. What's the point ?People haven't changed... may be they need a newer, bigger holocaust".

The book has its own funny moments , true to the graphics novel genre.. I, particularly liked this one..
"Samuel Becket once said: "Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness"
"yes"
"on the other hand, he SAID it"
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Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
Art Spiegelman
Pantheon Book , Newyork
136 Pages