Serious Men (2010)

Hardback

Language: English

Author: Manu Joseph

Social divide is something we Indians are very familiar with. Caste system & reservation has become the fief of our political masters who flash these cards only when our votes are needed. But it is something that affects many of us Indians in our daily lives from malicious stereotyping to outright slander and rejection. This work of fiction is the story of Ayyan Mani, a dalit who lives in a one room apartment in one of the many Chawls of Mumbai with his wife and son.

Mani is the personal assistant to the director of the Institute of Theory & Research, a research institute supposedly dominated by Brahmin scientists. Mani’s boss is a world famous physicist who nearly won the physics Nobel and who had a very famous run in with the Pope. Although he is aging he maintains a firm grip over the institutes functioning and is working on his pet project of proving the presence of alien microbes in the upper atmosphere and his autocratic ways are resented by a good section of people in the institute which results in a power struggle.

On the other side, Mani who resented the domination of Brahmins starts feeding his 10 year old convent going son Adi with intelligent questions to ask his teachers so that he can be labeled a genius. The modus operendi is to get the boy ask these questions to his teachers at random like questions on Arithmetic progression or about acceleration due to gravity.

Mani also pays one of the reporters of a small time newspaper to insert an article saying that Adi has won a science contest conducted by the Swiss science foundation. Step by step he succeeds in his mission of getting the world term his son a genius. He uses the feud between the two Brahmin leaders of the institute to further his ambition of showcasing his son’s genius.

This is a work of satire that gives us a glimpse of the social divides in India on the basis of caste. And how one can manipulate the situation to his or her own advantage.

Amazingly real and relatable and a good read.

The Immortals of Meluha (2010)

Paperback

Language: English

Author: Amish Tripathi

This is the first of the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi. The author has taken Hindu mythology and has fictionalized it a bit to give a good novel.

The story is about the fight between the Meluhan Suryavanshi’s and the Chandravanshi’s who have joined force with the Naga’s to defeat the Meluhan’s. The king of Meluha invites various tribes to his country (Expat workers ?!!), one of them is a tribe from Tibet of which the leader is Shiva.

From the serene personality shown in the backdrop of Mount Kailash with his trishul, damaru & a snake coiled around his deep blue coloured neck we have seen in calendars, books and in our pooja rooms, we see a completely different Shiva here. A chillum bearing, marijuana smoking warrior and a lovable leader of a tribe.

Although the characterization takes a while to settle in you, it doesn’t disturb you. By the end of the first few pages the author manages to pull the readers into the fictional web he spins. Mahadev becomes a post occupied by great leaders, Somras makes Shiva’s throat go blue, Sati who becomes Shiva’s wife is a widow who remarries him.

There are places where you feel a slight reduction in the intensity with which the book moves. But by and large the author manages to keep the reader glued to the pages. And more importantly you start thinking about the second book by the time you finish this one.

A very good read

Vanavasam (1965 ?)

Language: Tamil

Author: Kannadasan

Kannadasan, Kaviarasar or King of Poets for many of us Tamils was and is still one of the best contemporary Tamil poets the world has seen. Vanavasam is the first part of his two part autobiography. This culminates with him leaving the DMK (a political party from Tamil Nadu), disillusioned by the internal politics and personality clashes.

In the interim there are some grim moments which force the King of poets to discontinue studies, flee his home in search of greener pastures, finding his foot, stepping on the first step to the gateway of recognition, friendships, courtships, controversies, heartbreaks – emotional & economic and realization.

It is a fabulous rollercoaster ride through his life in second person. For there is no I in this book, there is a he. There are times when you feel the details are overdone, like the woman he loves from Mylapore episode and like where characterless, promiscuous politicians make an appearance. You like a true blue voyeur want more but there isn’t any more detail.

Overall I would say this is probably one autobiography from where you can’t take much out. The author himself says that in the start. That one can’t take much out as the moral of the story but can understand the things that need to be avoided to be a better human being.

For those who have an interest in Kannadasan this book is a primer, for it gives details of where, when and how he made it big and the circumstances surrounding that. The circumstances interest the reader more because they involve the politicians and famous people who have ruled page 3 and also our lives (literally and figuratively) .

This one is a good book to read if you satisfy one primary condition and two secondary conditions. (1) is the primary which I’m not sure everyone would satisfy but (2) & (3) is something most of us are.

1. If you can read and understand simple Tamil
2. If you are a voyeur (If you say you aren’t, sorry you shouldn’t be reading this blog. For you are not a human !!)
3. If you like literature of any kind

A very good read.

I love Kannadasan, but I still believe there is something that stops me from marking this a Super read. That said this one is really, really worthwhile, buy it and read it if you can read Tamil.

PS: In the foreward to the 1981 edition the author says that this book was sold for INR 4 in 1962