Yesterday my short story destination was India as I read three stories from The Lotus Singers edited by Trevor Carolan. This volume anthologizes eighteen stories by different authors from South Asia, and it just so happened that the first three were by Indian authors. Reading these stories I'm finding that they are the tiniest bit jarring to me culturally, though it is as interesting to see where similarities cross as where differences separate our cultures. Only one of the stories I read yesterday was written in a language other than English, since India (like many of the countries in the anthology) was once a colonial country. The editor has taken care to try and include authors writing in their indigenous languages, however.
In Neeru Nanda's "His Father's Funeral" a young boy begins to see the implications of becoming an adult. Shankar and his best friend Veer are walking in a funeral procession for Shankar's recently deceased father. Veer has already undertaken this painful rite of passage at the death of his mother. It's obvious that they are both still young boys as they talk and argue about their predicaments. Veer mentions Shankar will have to light the fire to burn the body as he is now the man of the family, which is the first of several unhappy realizations.
As someone already in the know about what comes next, and as friends will do, Veer teases Shankar about what his life will soon be like. His mother, now a widow, will not be able to marry again so Shankar will have to leave school and begin earning a wage. Veer proposes his father could marry Shankar's mother, but the situation is less than perfect as Veer's father beat his mother and sometimes beats Veer. The conversation quickly becomes an argument which leads to a fight, which brings in relatives of both families. When Shankar sees the concerns of the adults--not just those of money but also of caste, which complicates life, he realizes his loss isn't just of his father, but perhaps his own childhood innocence.
Neeru Nanda has been a freelance writer and editor of literary journals. During a visit to New York she attended a creative writing workshop at Columbia University which resulted in her first short story collection, If, where "His Father's Funeral" first appeared. Nanda's stories "are often rooted in her extensive travels and examine the impact of social privilege on local Indian life".
"Arjun" by Mahasweta Devi is a story that has much relevance in the global world we all live in now. A world where anything is for sale and little care or concern is often paid to our ecological environment. The arjun tree is a sacred tree to many indigenous people. They revere it and it is part of their culture. If a wish has been granted they pay homage to it. One tree remains--it seems to have been there forever, but now it is supposed to be cut down--like all the other trees in what was once a forest. The people forced to cut the trees down are those who had dwelled in their environs. They have no choice. If they refuse to cut the trees down they will go to jail, and if they do cut down the trees they will also go to jail. Their reward for cutting the trees down is money and liquor. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? But perhaps the power of this one lone sentinel is enough to withstand yet more exploitation.
Mahasweta Devi is one of India's most important writers. She has written more than 60 books and has received a number of awards for her works including India's highest literary award. "Devi is known for her writing about the lives of ordinary men and women, as well as for her firebrand activism on behalf of India's economically repressed Adivasi tribal people". A number of her books are listed on Amazon. This story was translated from Bangla by Mridula Nath Chakraborty.
I think Salil Chaturvedi's story "Nina Awaits Mrs. Kamath's Decision" is my favorite story so far. Chaturvedi, partially paralyzed, sailed a twenty-foot sloop from Mumbai to Goa in order to bring attention to accessibility issues for those who are disabled. He himself uses a wheelchair. The story is told through the eyes of Nina who is blind, but that doesn't mean she cannot see. University educated and holding a good job, she is still not seen as marriage material by Mrs. Kamath for her son Ramesh. Besides being blind she is also Christian, which is unacceptable--to say nothing of not being of the same caste. "No one gives a degree for raising children and running a house", which more valued by Mrs. Kamath than a Class-A job. So she and Ramesh wait for Mrs. Kamath's approval in order to marry, for despite the obstacles, which neither really feels, they are most importantly in love. What I enjoyed most about this story is the way Nina sees and deals with the world around her, which Chaturvedi conveys through sound--shlick, shlick...chuga, chuga, chuga..koel-koel-koel-koel...ting-ting-ting-ting. The shuffling of feet, the sound of a motorbike, birdsong and a prayer bell. It's almost uncanny how Nina knows what others are doing without ever seeing them, she knows when and how they move, so attuned is she. But also she is attuned to their prejudices as well, despite her many abilities. This was a beautifully written story.
Salil Chaturvedi blogs at Saliloquy, do check it out.
More stories next weekend. I'm very much enjoying these collections by the way.