Incidents such as these are generously sprinkled throughout Minakshi Chaudhry’s latest offering, More Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills. A collection of 16 stories about the supernatural, which have their origins in local folklore, as well as, from Shimla’s days as the summer capital of the British. It appears that the supposedly haunted foothills of the Himalayas present an ideal backdrop for sinister happenings; as also the endless source that whets the author’s insatiable appetite for the spirit world. A believer of ghosts herself, as stated at the onset in the preface, Chaudhry has dedicated this book to the ghosts, spirits and chudails of the Shimla Hills!

The fictionalised narrative, based on facts and experiences shared by real people, also showcases the cultural and religious life of hill folk; with many a generation growing up on a steady diet of phantoms, ghosts and apparitions. The spirits in question are mostly of the endearing and benevolent variety; harmlessly going about their ghostly business. Like the horse riding one; it makes its innocuous rounds on the road from Sanjauli to the local medical college, come midnight. Nobody has ever seen the rider, or the horse, yet people vouch for the clear sound of hooves. Similarly, there is the athletic one, a phantom cyclist who has taken a shine to skating at night; while a prankster likes to knock at car windows near the Charabra helipad. They, too, have only been heard.

In Sister Shanti and the English Nurse, the latter is said to be the saviour of the newborn. Wearing a belted frock, long white socks with black shoes and a starched cap, she glides around the children’s ward; saving the lives of babies in imminent danger by merely raising a right royal scare. In Viceregal Lodge, the author shares how utter chaos reigned at the time of building British India’s most flamboyant edifice. Newly built retaining walls and structures would disintegrate overnight; till prayers were offered to appease the spirit of the sadhu who once lived on Observatory Hill.

The most touching of them all, however, is the true loyalist in The Muslim Ghost. Following Partition in 1947, this endearing fellow is said to have accompanied a family back to its ancestral village near the Old Hindustan Tibet Road, in order to safeguard the treasure his owner had been gifted. He longed to go back to Lahore but could not as he was devoted to the family. His unhappiness manifested in playing pranks on villagers, chasing wedding processions and scaring children. It seems at one time the Hindu ghosts objected to his very presence but gave in when he promised to behave. The book also includes a few stories about the violence wrought by those who stayed back long after they died; about the horror of their victims; and about the fear of the unknown. You may believe in the secrets of the spirit world or not, get ready to be spooked!

This review can also be read at Cutting Loose.

What is the origin of the fear that a monster lies beneath the surface of Lake Pangong? Who was the Englishman who carved out his own kingdom in the Himalayas? What gourmet dish was created by a ruler to feed his famished subjects? Hugh and Colleen Gantzer, while describing their experiences in a gently evocative style, have unraveled many such fascinating realities that have endured within India.

They begin their travel quest at 18,380 feet. While at Khardung La, reportedly the highest motorable road in the world, a suggestion from a fellow traveller finds them stopping by at his village beyond the pass. That experience sets them off on an enchanting trip to explore and unveil the many, intriguing facets of North India. Woven along with the physical and topographical descriptions, are narratives of the people and their customs. The first few chapters of the book capture the essence of Ladakh, Kullu and Uttarkhand, sharing insights and anecdotes about little known tribes. One of which claims Aryan roots, is reportedly descended from Alexander of Macedonia’s army, and resides in the remote village of Dah in Jammu & Kashmir. The Thaaru tribe of feminists from Terai cooks their husbands’ meals and kicks them towards them instead of serving them. Folklore suggests this originated from high-born women marrying their guards on the condition of forever being their superior.

Many mysterious monasteries, and as many high altitude passes later, their journey takes on the guise of a spiritual pilgrimage while they join other devotees in exploring Yamnotri and Gangotri, sources of the world’s two most sacred rivers, the Yamuna and the Ganga, respectively. From here they head to the less verdant ranges of Eastern Garhwal to experience yet more divinity associated with the peaks of Kedarnath and Badrinath; the former said to be the throne of Lord Shiva and the latter that of Lord Vishnu. They also visit Mana, the last Garhwali village on the Indian side of the border with Tibet. They found its cheerful residents contradicting that claim, alluding instead to it being the first village of Aryavrata, the land of the Aryans.

In the latter half of the book, the Gantzers take reluctant leave of Himalayan legends, moving on to the dusty plains of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, before culminating their adventure at Delhi’s bustling Chandni Chowk. From the trading township of Mirzapur, to the fragrances of Lucknow, to the pastures of Lord Krishna at Braj, and finally to Chitrakoot, temporary home to the exiled Lord Ram, Sita and Laksman, the authors continue to seek the little known worlds of ancient legends. The Alluring North may not lend itself to cover-to-cover continuous reading, but it sure whets your wanderlust. Keep it handy, because you never know when the urge to reach for it may strike.

This review can also be read at Cutting Loose.

It results in a child who grows up unaware of his lineage. Till one day, like Oedipus, he discovers the truth and embarks on a journey seeking his roots. There are no records, no documents, no witnesses, no evidence. Only stray bits of information and semi-reliable clues with the help of which he pieces together the almost incredible tale of his mother’s elopement and its tragic aftermath. Named after the spot on the Ridge in Shimla where the young lovers purportedly eloped from, Scandal Point is a fictionalized account of what may have transpired in their lives as a consequence of that action.

If the premise sounds familiar to the reader, it is because most anybody who has ever visited or lived in Shimla, is acquainted with the much-mouthed, albeit uncorroborated, anecdote about Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala allegedly whisking away the Viceroy’s daughter in a similar fashion. Following a subsequent ban against his presence in the hill station, story goes, he built himself a grand vacation palace at Chail, right across from miffed colonial noses. The author refutes this detail as archival material suggests otherwise; maintaining that he would have been but a year old at the time of said incident. At the same time, it is on record that his father Rajendra Singh had an English wife who bore him a son. What continues to mystify is the reason that led to the eventual disappearance of mother and child- for good- from the annals of history.

It is this point in time that serves as the springboard for Jaidka’s creative leap. She keeps the mother and son alive in her historical fiction, threading together a fanciful tale of political compulsions, palace intrigue, love, jealousy and murder. Much of the novel is narrated in the flashback and through the young protagonist’s perusal of his mother’s diary. A cryptic plea by his mother on her deathbed in Lahore finds the nineteen-year old Kartar Singh setting out to join the dots and learn the truth about his ancestry. Incredulous and confused, he carries out her dying instructions by arriving in Amritsar, unannounced, at the doorstep of Sardar Attar Singh. In response to his desperate questions, Attar Singh hands him some official looking papers, a notebook and a jewel, along with more astonishing details about his life. With his entire world turned on its head, he then seeks an audience, and answers, from the ruler of Kapurthala; where his life takes yet another dramatic turn.

The novel is a quick and easy read as Jaidka skillfully weaves together fact and fiction throughout the pacy narrative. She succeeds in keeping the reader guessing about the fine line, having lifted some of the characters and events in Scandal Point from official records; though some embellishments have very evidently been provided through word of mouth. However, deeper research into patrician lifestyles, and perhaps tighter editing, could have helped in the few, albeit wholly avoidable, errors. It would have revealed, for one, that Aitcheson College, contrary to what the name suggests is in fact a school. Creative license notwithstanding, the historical placing of characters in a novel disallows the usage of plebian-speak. “Kakaji, tussi great ho”, uttered by the Cambridge-educated ruler, on setting eyes on his newborn son, is a particularly jarring instance. All the same, it is an eminently readable novel, especially for those hoping to demystify colonial Shimla’s most scandalous moment.

This review can also be read at Cutting Loose.

Beyond the Border, based on two journeys that writer-academic Yoginder Sikand undertook to Pakistan, is a strikingly unconventional account of what life is like for ‘ordinary’ Pakistanis. The Pakistan he discovers only remotely resembles the stereotypical Muslim nation of the collective Indian imagination. From Shiela, the daughter of a feudal lord, named after her mother’s Indian best friend to a rundown, local eatery owner who offers the author free food because Sikand is the first Indian to visit his stall, encounters with Pakistanis from all walks of life reflects a very different image—that of a Pakistan as diverse, paradoxical and rich in narrative as India.

Beyond the Border is not merely a quirky travelogue; it is as much a perceptive account of the Pakistani side of the story, as also the author’s tale of exploration and self-discovery. In pursuit of a more balanced view than his grandparents’ less than charitable Muslim sentiments, Sikand arrives in Pakistan to find out the real version for himself. Beginning with his bus ride from Delhi to Lahore, Multan, Hyderabad (Sindh), Mohenjo Daro and Islamabad, he travels across Pakistan, to sprawling cities, small towns and isolated hamlets deep in the countryside. Kasur, Gujranwala, Tando Allah Yar, Sehwan, Bhit Shah, Uderolal: nostalgic names, all, from a shared past steeped in rich Sufi traditions. The author found himself interacting with ‘wine-bibbing Islamists’, Leftist human rights’ activists, maulvis and madrasa teachers, journalists and peasants, amongst others. His keen interest in social science held him in Sindh (where the majority of Pakistan’s three million Hindus live) longer than intended, inter-facing with Dalit bonded labourers, Sindhi nationalists, Baluchi landlords and Bania shopkeepers.

The author enjoys warm, unconditional hospitality throughout his trip. By his own admission, he returned to India with most of his travel budget untouched, as Pakistanis refused to let him spend. While there is an occasional show of hostility towards his identity, the general experience is to the contrary. The many teary farewells he shares in the book are evidence of the love and bonding that is easily forged, and rekindled, between ordinary folk – brethren, if you will – regardless of geographical, political and ideological borders. A departure from the customary rhetoric in Indian and Pakistani accounts of each other, this fiercely honest narrative of Sikand’s visit seeks to dispel the myths that have filtered into the Indian psyche about Pakistan being the terrible other.

Neither syrupy, nor brutal, in fact, Sikand’s insight into Islamist cultures and descriptive skills unravel an informative portrayal of Pakistan that is both fair and forthright. In stark contrast to his maternal grandmother’s hatred of her Muslim tormentors, consequent to wading through rivers of blood during the riots of 1947, he acknowledges that Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs all suffered immeasurably during Partition. For in Pakistan, he heard similar stories. Recalling one such account, of a man whose grandparents were slaughtered by Sikhs, he writes, “His was the other side of the Partition story that was rarely heard in India. Most Indians did not even know of it. Needless to say, the Indian side of the horrific story was also hardly recounted or even recognized in Pakistan.” This book is truly that rare commentary, as told by an Indian in Pakistan, on the goings-on beyond the border in a place that, for many from the region, is still the land of their ancestors. A must-read.

Note: This review can also be read at Cutting Loose.

Before beginning the review, I have to say that this is my very first travel journal. I have read travel anecdotes and accounts on blogs all over the Internet, but I had not read such an extensive journal till date.

My first reaction after reading this book was simple awe and a decided kinship! It is amazing that this author can pack up her bags and leave to the most favored destinations of the world trusting a shoestring budget and a bunch of relatives & friends. I am yet to go alone on a trip anywhere! And she managed most of Europe on her own. She is living my dream and I have to applaud her for this.

I started this book not knowing what to expect, but the author has managed to move me with detailed accounts of all her destinations. She has devoted a chapter each to significant places of visit. Mostly following a pattern, she begins by introducing her hosts in that place, all of them old friends or relatives. She then briefly describes her accommodation conditions and then launches into an extensive narration of the history, nuances, culture, people and cuisine of each of the places. And being a self professed foodie, she describes the culinary delights of the place with mouth watering descriptions! She effectively captures the core attraction of the place through her experience of it and feelings towards it.

As much as the book is about Europe, it is also about the author. Her personality and preferences shine through her words. Without being too narcissistic, she manages to balance the information and her own personal feelings towards these destinations. We gather from her journal that she is a seasoned traveller and not a mere tourist. It is not her job to go to catalogued places and take pictures , live in expensive resorts and wind up a trip. She is determined to soak in the experience of a particular place. By meeting its people, by eating the signature dishes, participating in the local events and in general by enjoying herself thoroughly!
The journey through Europe for Puneet starts by the discovery of a ticket that was gifted to her long time ago. Some rummaging around found her a couple of relatives in Germany and UK. So she gathers her essentials, scrapes some money together and sets off on the trip. With her determination to not delegate herself to being a tourist, our happy traveller sets a few ground rules for herself. She does break a few of them but under pressing circumstances. Her wit and humour are a part of her writing too. She also manages to sufficiently convey her sympathy when she visits places with unfortunate history like the house where Anne Frank’s family hid from the Gestapo. She parties hard and fully exploits the delights of places like Amsterdam. She finds the best of eateries in Paris, bicycles through the plains of Sweden and even manages to travel on a train in Paris without a ticket! Though not many misadventures, except a near escape from a customs officer and a bad movie experience, her other happenings are thrilling enough for somebody who truly would love to go to Europe!

I was a bit put off by some of the writing though. Though I do applaud her vocabulary, the book consisted of one too many unnecessary words. Also some of the complex sentences were not well formed and it is real hindrance to read a sentence multiple times, distracting the reader from the real intent of the book. Also, I was amused to find British influences in her writing. The trip really seems to have had an impact on her! Looking over other aspects of presentations, I have to say, the cover art of the book really did its job by capturing the mood.

All in all the book is an excellent ride through Europe. I thoroughly envy the author for her spirit and independence. Still I hope she goes to more places and documents more of her travels for me to read!

My Rating 4/5

 

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Mathew Vincent Menacherry’s debut novel, Arrack in the Afternoon, is the story about Varghese, a failed and drunken poet, who in a rare moment of sobriety decides to end his life. But, miraculously escapes from under the wheels of the truck he throws himself at. Karan, a conniving con man (read marketing guru) spots huge potential in the act and takes Varghese under his wings. Thence begins the fun.
Through unscrupulous media manipulations and carefully orchestrated PR stunts, Karan cultivates Verghese into Vargi Baba, a celebrity god man. The social climb is fast but steady and in no time, he grows to become a sensation in the city. In the process, though, he loses the simple pleasures he cherished in his mundane previous life: his socialist friend Pillachan, who still holds a torch to Communism; Patricia and the free booze at her bar; and reading his favourite authors.

Mathew leads us on a journey through the streets of Mumbai into the sleaze-laden celebrity culture replete with all the glitz and glamour that money can buy; into the pathetic lives of these vulnerable people and how their sadness and emptiness is camouflaged by worldly pleasures. He also recounts the protagonist’s love-hate relationship with Karan and how his bullying nature and abrasive language puts Verghese off. But he meekly suffers in silence, till the very end.

Arrack in the Afternoon is an attempt at exposing Mumbai’s omnipresent dirty underbelly that is tucked away behind money, fame, wealth and melancholy. The tale weaves through the debris and chaos that is modern-day Mumbai and also explores the phenomenon of instant stardom. The narrative is easy paced and humorous for the most part with some delightful moments of dark humour and pathos. The characters are so real, that they could very well be people you know. Varghese, as the reticent, intelligent and strong willed anti-hero is likeable and real. Karan plays the slimy fixer very well. Patricia, Varghese’s patient lover, and Sabu, the decent scribe, are well etched. There are several easily recognisable characters that are drawn from real life—gang-lords, socialites and politicians.

Even though I don’t know any larger-than-life types, I just couldn’t shrug off a consistent feeling of deja vu as I turned from one read-worthy page to another. Then, as the imagery conjured itself up, it seized me that the plot could well be an excellent one for celluloid. The author, a Mumbaikar for close to four decades and unabashedly smitten with the Hindi film industry, is unable to escape the influences. Nor the inferences. Hard-hitting intimate scenes, god men, politicians, exploitation, sleaze in the upper echelons of society: sure-shot ingredients for box-office success. Perhaps you want to look out for the film, too.

Read this and more reviews here.

Mending Souls is an account of how a polymer scientist from BITS, Pilani, as alumnus and faculty, metamorphosed into America’s very own Sikh poster boy. He has inspired millions of people to balance their material and spiritual worlds by following Guru Nanak’s message of Oneness. Meet Ratanjit Singh Sondhe: variously a speaker, author, consultant entrepreneur, radio and television personality. A versatile persona, indeed; one who has justly earned his internationally renowned moniker—Mr Stress Free.
Arriving in America to complete a doctorate, he changed plans midstream to try his hands at enterprise. Thus was born his first “daughter”, a familial tie used fondly, to refer to Poly Carb, his construction chemical firm. Having failed to make a mark in business through traditional management strategies, he took a long hard look at his modus operandi. Letting go of his entire team of experienced staff, he hired open-minded people willing to learn, take responsibility and multitask, simultaneously placing a tremendous effort in developing a value system for his company. The book lists out, and explains briefly, 25 integration habits that Ratanjit Sondhe has successfully introduced—and conformed to—in his personal, business and social life.

The book details his unconventional applications, interpreting teachings of the Sikh Gurus, especially Guru Nanak, to create effective business strategies. Consequently, he turned Poly Carb into the multi-million-dollar entity that it was before being bought over by Dow Chemicals a few years ago. Maintaining high business standards meant he could simultaneously underscore the integrity that binds every Sikh to his faith. He sums it up succinctly for the reader, “As a Sikh I prized hard work, faith, integrity, resilience, and education. So did America.”

Author of Sikhs Unlimited, Khushwant Singh—not to be confused with his much revered, much reviled, much older namesake—spent a good four months profiling Ratanjit Sondhe in order to unravel the person behind the persona. In a recent interface, he revealed that his subject “operated with a very low ego, which made him an excellent communicator. Ego, I realised had nothing to do with self-pride. One could maintain self-respect by being humble”. He goes on to explain, “The reason he stands out from other motivational speakers is because he has a model to prove whereas the rest just have theories.”

While Mending Souls may not be able to instantly do as its title suggests, it will certainly provide the reader with 25 different perspectives to view his or her life from. Perhaps you will be the change yourself. Or, at the very least, espouse one habit at a time, as the author suggests; himself currently on ‘Habit Number Six’: practicing excellence rather than perfection.

Note: This review can also be read at Cutting Loose.

The first thought to enter my mind when handed Minal Hajratwala’s debut book for reviewing purposes was: not another angst-ridden diaspora story, please. However, when I got down to reading Leaving India: My Family’s Journey from Five Villages to Five Continents, it revealed itself to be an illuminating document about the fascinating history of Gujarati’s inhabiting different parts of the world. This nostalgic journey commences at Navsari, a small village in what we now know as Gujarat, returns back to the future, traversing variously, the Fiji Islands, Mauritious, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

The author’s quest—to find answers to the many questions she is faced with as the daughter of migrants—takes her back into time, to the beginning of the 20th century. Where do I come from? Why did we have to leave wherever home was? Did we gain any or lose some? Questions that intermittently resurface in the mind of every single migrant. Leaving India is Minal Hajratwala’s groundbreaking attempt at unravelling the answers, as she traverses the globe, discovering how her family came to be spread across five continents within the span of a century or thereabouts.

She notes: “Each time we leave, we must leave something of ourselves behind”. Oftentimes it was families as the males left for greener pastures. In Minal’s case, her great-grandfather left for Fiji, an uncle for South Africa and her parents for the US. She spent eight years tracing her family’s journeys trying to string together their story of migration.

Motiram Hajratwala arrived in Fiji in 1909 and set up a tailor’s shop a couple of years later. Soon after he sent for other male relatives and went on to become the proprietor of the largest department store owned by Indians. Ganda, her granduncle in South Africa, came up with the ‘bunny chow’—curry in a hollowed out bread loaf—during the apartheid-ridden days. It is even today a popular street food there. And her parents, educated professionals, left for the US in the sixties to fulfil their American dream.

Throughout the overarching narrative, the author manages to capture the political sentiment of the time; be it the segregation during the apartheid in South Africa, or the stringent immigration laws of the US. The personal stories of different members of her family are well told as she deftly weaves them into the prevalent political situation. Her own story is expectedly confused and questioning; akin to teenagers globally, yet dissimilar as she grows up in a culturally diverse environment.

Towards the end, she candidly writes about her experiments to discover her sexuality fully while in college. Her forays into same-sex relationships reveal to her that she finds them an interesting concept, although bisexuality was her eventual choice. Her need—and her endeavours—to be accepted by her family, alternate views et al, is also poignantly expressed. Leaving India is more than just the story of Gujarati immigrants. It is, indeed, a saga, narrated by a very talented storyteller.