The White South and Moby Dick

I recently read (again) The White South by Hammond Innes and would recommend it to fans of Moby Dick. There are some parallels and some differences. The story is mostly a first person narrative of a somewhat naïve sailor who impulsively joins up a fleet of ships focused on whaling. Soon his (and that of his crew's) fate is overwhelmed by forceful personalities and unforgiving nature, leading inexorably to disaster. Like Moby Dick, the narrative is enjoyable for its attention to maritime terms, the business of whaling and extraction of oil (but less squeezing and more motorised saws). The Southern Ocean with ice floes and bergs is described vividly and fulfils the stark potential of terror that Melville attributes to the color White. If you are not familiar with what I am referring to, I recommend you read Chapter 42: The Whiteness of the Whale of Moby Dick- an enjoyable chapter dedicated to explaining why the Whale is all the more terrifying because of its white hue. 

The book is definitely not in the same literary class as Moby Dick. The plot is not about a whale or even the whale...the foe is human, and is nowhere close to Ahab in complexity. The whale is a mute backdrop to the story, the hunt is mechanized, with spring loaded harpoon guns replacing cannibal savants. The animals are slaughtered and chopped up in an arrogant and indomitable "factory ship"...a fait accompli for any Moby Dicks out there. But Nature is the leviathan here, and delivers poetic justice with its own savage machinery, and that fascinating battle between man and Nature is still what will grab a MD fan's attention with this book.

Rebels against the Raj

 I just completed "Rebels against the Raj" by Ramachandra Guha. It dives deep into the lives of 7 foreigners who come to India and fought against the British Raj. These are true romantics and incredible adventurers, dabbling in the great laboratory of human values that was the Indian freedom movement. Thier lives were inevitably intertwined with the chief curator of that lab- Mahatma Gandhi. All of them were imprisoned or exiled, some for years, and yet continued to be Indian in spirit, dress language and deed, till their death. British, Irish, American, Men, Women..they came in all shades but were united in thier love for India.

Consider Madeline Slade or Mira Behn. As a young lady she chanced upon a booklet about Gandhi, whom she had never heard of. Right after reading it, she decided that she needs to be his service, and made that into reality a year later. She took a vow of celibacy, was imprisoned a couple of times, fell in unrequited love with Hari Singh (a Gandhian revolutionary), wrote about and pioneered many principles of ecological living. A few years after Gandhi's death she relocated back to Europe and lived in the land of Beethoven, her other idol, and worked with Attenborough to bring about the movie Gandhi. She lived by her Bapu's principles till the end of her life, maintained by a grateful Indian government. What an extraordinary life!

The other rebels in the book all stayed back in India after independence, making contributions till thier death in their adopted land. 

Written in typical Guha style, the book is eminently readable: full of absorbing details that emerge from detailed research, but not losing the personal touch. For example, he highlights how Meera wrote a book about Beethoven that was never published in Europe despite her efforts...the manuscript was found in her papers after her death in 1982. But the book was finally published in 1999: in India, by the Khadi Friends Forum. "An act of grace" as Guha puts it- They fulfilled her wishes in honour of her (Meera like) devotion to Gandhi and India. What a poignant detail!

The Independence movement was extraordinary in one unique aspect: in a short span, it thrust forth some of the best humans ever born-who set the world some high standards to live by. This book is worth reading to know more about some of those exemplars and be inspired to live better. 

But Guha puts it best at the conclusion of his book:

"These individuals came to India at different points of time, from widely varying backgrounds and with widely varying motivations. Once here, they lived in different parts of the country, and pursued different callings and obsessions. What unites them was, first, the courage and fearlessness they displayed in their personal lives; second, the depth and duration of their commitment to their new homeland; and third, the contemporaneity, indeed, timelessness, of what they lived and struggled for. So many years after the last of these rebels passed on, what they did and what they said still speaks to Indians today. 

If only we could listen."

What does Tagore mean to you?

It is Tagore's 82nd death anniversary this year, and someone asked what he means to non-Bengalis. I am not a Bengali but am a fan of Tagore. Apart from an excellent anthology of his works that I would recommend to anyone, I have read several short stories, The Geetanjali, and most recently completed 'Gora'.

The first thing that strikes you is his self awareness and confidence as an artist. He knew his abilities, and tasked himself to set a high standard that matched his reputation. He was not one to rest on his laurels, which meant that he constantly strove (and succeeded) in achieving new heights of creativity. This is evident in his later works where he wondered about the longevity of his legacy...a rare master who was masterful and vulnerable.

The second thing that strikes you is his empathy. I challenge you to read the Kabuliwala without getting a prickle of tears at the end, when the father of the bride sees a fellow father in the unfortunate Kabuliwala. Also consider this passage about a father's love for his unruly daughter from "Gora"(the book is set in late 1800s in orthodox Calcutta):

"Paresh Babu had for this capricious and unruly daughter of his even more affection than for the rest of his children, and his regard for her fearless truthfulness was all the greater because it so often got her into trouble with the rest of the family. Lolita's faults were obvious enough, and he could see how they prevented this special quality of hers from being appreciated. He was therefore all the more careful to keep it under his fostering care, lest in the process of bringing her waywardness under control her inner nobility should also be crushed.

The beauty of his other daughters was readily acknowledged by all who saw them, for their features were regular and their complexion fair. But Lolita was darker and her more complex face admitted of differences of opinion. For this reason Mistress Baroda had always expressed to her husband her anxiety about finding a suitable husband for her. But the beauty which Paresh Babu saw in her face was not that of complexion or features, but of the soul which there found its expression, not just the pleasantness of a faultless shape but the firmness of strength, the brightness of independence- characteristics which attract a chosen few, but repel most others."

This passage also highlights Tagore's mastery in portraying compelling and endearingly flawed characters. Hence his novels are classics in the vein of Dickens or Vikram Seth.

Another thing that I like is his youthfulness. If Geetanjali was impressive for its wonderful portrayal of nature and divinity, his best poetry and songs are those written from a young man's perspective...a romantic and carefree view of life and love. He was not a fuddy duddy, orthodox person despite his serious works. Even works that he wrote late in life had a youthful perspective. To him, life was full of wonder, curiosity, humour, vitality...if he lived in modern times, he would have experimented with rock guitars, I am sure!

And let us not forget, he was the one who christened Gandhi as the Mahatma...a recognition of a kindred maverick spirit.

Finally, his versatility is astounding. Plays, songs, poems, novels, music, art... there was no limit to his creativity.

So Tagore, son of Bengal, is a national and international treasure. I hope the next generation of readers get to enjoy his legacy as much as I have.

Ramrao - A book about the Indian farmer

Ramrao

I recently completed this book "Ramrao" by  rural affairs reporter and writer, Jaideep Hardikar. It is about the hardships of the Indian farmers, with a focus on their unabating suicides in Vidharbha. It is also the personal story of Ramrao, one such farmer, who attempted suicide but survived, and went on to live a life of gratitude for his second chance, even if the problems that  led to that act continue to beset him. 

It is a poignant book, that humanizes those numbers we see in the newspapers. Consider this suicide note from one such farmer that Hardikar quotes at the start of the book:

Me aagala vegala, mahi nyarich jindagani; 

mahye maran bhi aahe, jase avakali paani.

"I am unique; my life an uncommon odyssey;

My death will also be like untimely rain."

The story is also about village life, and the courage of the women who survive and prevail over the same troubles that took the lives of the men in their families, and the burden young women and men carry with the Hobson's choices they face: a degraded, laborious life in the city; or the endless misery of rainfed farming. "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them.", said Thoreau - that seems to apply to the Indian farmer. 

Thus it is a book worth reading because you understand them more, and respect them more, for the valiant lives they lead in the face of great adversity. The prose is simple, sympathetic and calm, enabling the reader to weather a difficult subject. 

Since we come from a farming family and have ex-farmers in our midst, I am sure this will appeal even more to us.