Freedom at Midnight: A Book Review

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge… At the stroke of the midnight hour, while the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance."

Jawaharlal Nehru, to the Indian Constituent Assembly, New Delhi, August 14, 1947

              Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre chronicles the exhilarating events leading to India’s independence. It depicts the end of the Empire of the British Raj on the Indian subcontinent and the embodiment of the movement started long years by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The book comes as a package of subtleties about history, religion, geography, politics and ethics. The history of any country forms the base of its present condition. Comprehending the history of a nation is very essential in the understanding of the nation itself. The events in the book do not appear as mere data or a summary of facts and figures, but a mystifying story. Prominently, the authors do not hold a prejudiced outlook at any point even while dealing about an issue as delicate as religious tolerance. The authors rather have rational and holistic approach towards the freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi’s way of life comes out as a beautiful painting with exceptionally sinewy strokes of colors. It is one of the few books by Non-Indians about Indian history which is extremely well researched and compiled.

            Described in a series of vignettes, this informative and entertaining book begins with the portrayal of the city of London in 1947 and the rigorous economic setback the nation experienced at that time. It discusses the appointment of Lord Louis Mountbatten as the last Viceroy of British India. Hand-picked for a job he did not want, Mountbatten was set out to liquidate the British rule over the boisterous country under peaceful terms and with due process and dignity. Although he did not accomplish all that he set out to do, the book makes it clear that he was more successful than anyone might have thought possible.

              The Book jumps back and forth throughout the long account of Britain's adventure and involvement in India. While some might find this a bit disordered and difficult to follow, the book never stops being entertaining to the reader. It offers up personal glimpses of the key players involved and some strange sides across the country. The book successfully gives an accurate interpretation of two very powerful religions that existed in India at that time- Islam and Hinduism. Aspects of faith in God, Marriages, lifestyles, different ways and places of worship, social status, turmoils, the strengths and weaknesses of the two religions and the final partition of India on the basis of religion- all have been skillfully dealt with by the authors.

               A striking feature of this Book is the job the authors have done in describing every character and event on a detailed note. It gives detailed information about specific social and political circumstances of that time. The research compilation and the interactions done to bring out the book are very evident in every sentence. The simplicity of language and the effective style of narration stimulate the reader to crave for the next section. The apposite vocabulary, like the shots of a skilled photographer, gives the perfect picture of events dating back to the era of Indian independence. The extravagant lifestyle of the Indian maharajahs, the vices of the Nawabs, the upbringing of contradicting personalities of Gandhi and Jinnah and other political leaders of that time, the gory killings in Punjab and the peace in Bengal, the assassination of the father of the nation- all are discussed in depth, taking the us back in time through the vivid descriptions that give the reader a thrilling experience.    

              The most celebrated novel on the Indian Freedom Struggle was not free from the pangs of criticism. The book was construed as flawed by many critics in the context that it attempts to cover too broad a subject without enough attention to some of the pertinent details. There is said to be some credibility to this claim as much of what is presented at places in the book will leave an interested reader seeking for some added detail. He may have to refer to the extensive bibliography to find it. But, the authors do an excellent job of provoking such curiosity. As a concrete historical analysis, the explanation of the politics and intrigue which manifests itself in the ongoing controversy over Kashmir is barely adequate. But, on the other hand, as a condensation of a drama which was played out over a period of several hundred years, it provides an amazing account of the happenings.

Author: Prashant Ramdas, V Semester, Gnlu

I too had a dream

Verghese Kurien as narrated to Gouri Salvi

Roli books, 2005

Rs.295

‘I too had a dream’, is Verghese Kurien’s autobiography. For those of us who don’t know who Dr. Kurien is, he is the man behind the Amul brand, the man who changed India form a country with one of the lowest per capita consumption of milk to the largest milk producer in the world. His is an experience that is unique, of changing every stumbling block to an asset. What makes this an interesting read is that, his foray into dairy cooperative was entirely accidental. The transformation from a carefree fun loving foreign educated youngster to heading one of the biggest food marketing cooperatives in the world working with farmers is particularly interesting.

He was granted a GoI scholarship to study in the USA, however he was sent there to study dairy engineering because the Indian government thought it required dairy engineers. This took him to Michigan State University. Since, he had no interest in dairy engineering whatsoever, he continued studying metallurgy and only did a course in dairy engineering to meet the criteria for dairy engineering. Upon coming back to India, he was posted in the small town of Anand in Gujarat. He was extremely unhappy and was bound to work for the government as he had availed of the government scholarship. The place was a cultural shock for him in every possible way. Part of the research dairy he worked in was occupied by a milk cooperative headed by Tribhuvandas Patel. Cooperatives were rare in the late 1940’s, almost an experiment of sorts. In his spare time, he helped the cooperative with simple tasks. In the mean time, he sent his letter of resignation to the ministry of agriculture every month. Finally after eight months of this constant prodding on his part, his resignation was accepted. This is when his journey began. When Tribhuvandas got to know about Kurien’s resignation, he requested him to help the cooperative set up the new dairy equipment they purchased at his behest. While setting up the equipment for the dairy plant, he realized that this was his calling in life and not life in a big city.

He is one of the pioneers of the cooperative movement in India. He was one of the few people who realized very early, the, potential of the cooperatives to empower the poorest sections of our society. His struggles against the bureaucracy, politicians and other vested interests to make the cooperatives a success, are truly admirable. His straightforwardness and persistence in difficult situations often brings him in direct confrontation with some powerful people. He is extremely candid about his confrontations in the book. He doesn’t shy away from being critical of anyone. He talks at length about his legendary confrontations with Dara Khuraody and even his daring outburst at Jagjivan Ram, who was a minister at that time. He stood by his principles and this won him some enemies but also many admirers who respected what he stood for. Inspite of the crippling bureaucracy, he has attributed his success to a large number of bureaucrats and politicians, who saw the potential of the cooperatives.

He also discusses some of the most unique experiments he tried in India. One of the most interesting and ambitious idea, was the mother dairy milk booths. This was an idea that met with stiff resistance from all quarters. The vending machines were manufactured in India for the first time, since, the Government refused to allow import of the bulk vending machines. Inspite of all the apprehension and doubt, the milk booths were a great success and it introduced a ground breaking method for marketing milk in India. Also the foray into other areas like cooking oil through his unique, unconventional approach makes for an interesting read.

He attributes the success of the cooperatives to the ownership of the dairy being in the hands of farmers as opposed to the government operated milk schemes in various places, which were a complete failure. Inspite of the success of the milk cooperative at Kaira district, when Kurien wanted to replicate the model in other states, he met with stiff resistance, especially from the bureaucracy. This was despite the fact that he was directed to do the same by the Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. This is when the idea for operation flood germinated. He used food aid to increase the milk production in the country. In a rather unconventional yet convincing speech before the delegates at the world food programme, Mr. Kurien convinced the EEC to donate surplus of butter-oil and milk-powder to India. This would be sold in India at the same rate as the local products so that the milk supply in India could be stabilized. Food aid is a double edged sword indeed as he puts it. He has also been instrumental in building some World renowned institutions in India like NDDB and IRMA.

Despite his contributions, he was given recognition in his own country only after he was given international recognition. In the 1980’s, there was a series of books and articles in the Indian media that attacked operation flood and Dr. Kurien in particular. Inspite of the tangible benefits that operation flood had brought to millions, his contribution was questioned. Due to all this criticism, an inquiry committee was set up by Indira Gandhi to study whether operation flood was indeed a success or not. When the committee submitted its report, it stated in no uncertain terms that operation flood was a success and the contributions made by it were invaluable. This put an end to all the doubts about the success and intention of operation flood in media.

The book is an interesting read for people who want to know about the development of the dairy cooperative movement in India. It is also a good example of how empowerment at grassroots can create sustainable sources of income for marginal sections of the society. It also gives an insight on the working of the bureaucracy in our country and the deep seated problems they suffer from. There are many interesting anecdotes. A particularly interesting anecdote is regarding the committee that was set up to file a report on whether cow slaughter should be banned. The committee met every month in Delhi for ten years and could never reach any consensus. It also had a rather eclectic mix of people, from a former justice of the Supreme Court to the Shankaracharya of Puri. The committee was abruptly dissolved after ten years without filing any report!

At places the book is a little dry for the lay reader because of the technical aspects he talks about, but overall it is a great book. Clichéd at it might sound, but it is a very inspiring read. The story is of a man whose contribution to the dairy industry remains unparalleled in India and in the process of reviving the dairy industry he created a stable source of income for some of the most vulnerable sections of our society. His keen observations and extremely witty replies to often difficult questions, make the book an interesting read.

Book review by: 

Bharati Sekar

Sem – IX, Sec – A

Reg No. - 05A033

Stephen Davis: Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend

                    What is it about rock musicians that make them stand apart from the World and all of them have millions of fans around the World and most of the rock bands always have a sold out concert even if the bands have split or someone has died. Rock music, on the whole is all about realistic songs, deadly guitars and fantastic work of art. Jim Morrison was the lead singer cum composer of the most amazing rock band of the mid 60’s and early 70’s – The Doors. The reviewed book is a complete biography on the world’s craziest, wackiest, looniest yet most influential rock musicians and poets of the time. Stephen Davis, unmasks Morrison’s constructed personas of the Lizard King and Mr. Mojo Risin to reveal a man of fierce intelligence whose own destructive tendencies both fueled his creative ambitions and brought about his downfall.

                The book gives us a panoramic look, starting from Jim’s strict father who wanted his son to join the Navy but instead his rebellious son joined a film School in UCLA and graduates from being an amateur film maker to being a member of one of the most leading rock bands in history of music. Davis has assembled a vivid portrait of a misunderstood genius, tracing the arc of Morrison's life from his troubled youth to his international stardom, when his drug and alcohol binges, tumultuous relationships, and fractious personal relationships reached a frenzied peak. In Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend, author Stephen Davis speculates on the sensational aspects of Morrison’s life that have transfixed many a youthful fans.

                Even Morrison’s own death is attributed to the corrosive relationship which he shared with Pamela Courson, who may have turned Morrison to heroin rather than the cocaine and alcohol that he routinely imbibed in suicidal quantities. Such transparent attempts to absolve Morrison of personal accountability, ironically, rob Morrison of free will, a characteristic that would seem a necessary component for a determined revolutionary. The rock star, died in a bath in 1971, probably of a heroin overdose. His tragic and sordid death, imagined by some as a kind of self-sacrifice, has granted him heroic status and a saintly aura.

                         Finally, there, was much more to Morrison as a historical figure. Morrison and the Doors produced songs like The End, When the Music’s Over, Light My Fire, You’re Lost Little Girl, and others that were a startling and sometimes ominous counterpoint to the prevailing optimism of the pop world in the 1960’s. Davis presents merely a limited conception of Morrison as a man driven by glamorous internal demons rather than as a possible prism through which to examine an era that was, like Morrison, full of promise but ultimately pessimistic.

 Surajit Bhaduri, Student, III Year, GNLU

Book review:  A Case of Exploding Mangoes

               Indian authors like, Amitava Ghosh and Arundhati Roy, have already made it, to the bestselling lists and won several accolades in the field of English literature. The other side of the border is also showing its presence in the same with Mohammed Hanif penning his novel, which is simple yet so complex in plot, stagnant yet so dynamic and much unlike the day to day novels, that we get to read in life. Pakistan in itself is a land of mysteries to most of the western countries. Still, Mohammed Hanif, makes a bold move to make honest confessions about a country and the life which remains mysterious to most of us. As a novel, “A Case of Exploding Mangoes”, is gripping and to say in one word “unputdownable”. This book deals with the last few months in the life of General Zia ul Haq. Mohammed Hanif, in this book brings out the true journalist within him. He explores the mysterious life of the late general and gives an insight into the plane crash which took away the life of this mysterious man.

                   This book suggests that the Late General got a warning that his life was about to come to an end two months before the day the incident happened. One morning his fingers stopped at a stanza of the Koran and he could not translate the verse. The author links this incident with the chain of incidents that happened and finally the fateful day on which the incident took place. Zia’s fate is one of Pakistan’s two great political mysteries, the other one being the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. On Aug. 17th, 1988, after inspecting a tank demonstration in Punjab, Zia, boarded a C-130 Hercules— “Pak One” — to fly back to Islamabad. Shortly after takeoff, the C-130 began to fly erratically, alternately dipping and rising: a flight phenomenon known to aviation experts as “phugoid.” The plane crashed soon after, killing all on board.

                  “A Case of Exploding Mangoes,” is set in the months before and the days after the crash. Far from coming to a conclusion about the cause of Zia's death, Hanif gleefully thickens the stew of conspiracy theories, introducing at least six other possible suspects, including a blind woman under sentence of death, a Marxist-Maoist street cleaner, a snake, a crow, an army of tapeworms and a junior trainee officer in the Pakistani Air Force named, Ali Shigri, who is also the novel’s main narrator. As the novel begins its countdown to Zia’s death, Shigri’s story of maltreatment alternates with events within the President’s inner circle. Zia himself, a bumbling figure of almost comic-book ineptitude, has had premonitions about his demise, and is locked away behind rings of guards, feverishly consulting the Koran as to his fate. Hanif constantly keeps makes snide remarks about the military institutions throughout his novel. The novel also deals with dark humour and sarcasms which in effect brings out the personality of Hanif.

               What keeps the reader engaged is neither Hanif's humor nor his characters, but his scope, as the book vivisects an alien and topical military dictatorship.A playwright at heart, Hanif ensures that, in the end, all plots are tied into a neat knot. “A Case of Exploding Mangoes” is cleverly choreographed. The reader is amused, skipping right along, untill, suddenly, the emotional arc finishes and ... then, nothing. It doesn’t affect. The reader looks up and realizes that he doesn't feel because he’s not sure if he believes in the situations, or, more problematically, in the characters themselves.

Barnic Ghose, IIIrd Semester

A TIDE TO REMEMBER

BOOK REVIEW OF AMITAV GHOSH NOVEL: THE HUNGRY TIDE

                   After the masterpiece Glass Palace, Amitav Ghosh, works on the mystic delta of the Sunderbans. This work has all the characteristics of Ghosh starting from the exhaustive research work and delving into the depths of the most complex relationships existing in the life of an individual. He takes his readers to the areas of Sunderban, which are unknown to the common urban man. The setting of the novel is in such an environment which is still in the wild state of affairs, a conglomeration of complex ethnic cultures, and a place where men have to cope with nature to survive. In fact, the theory of the survival of the fittest, is still applicable in this environ. Ghosh refers to the practices and cultures prevalent in the region, including the worship of a Goddess, by the name of bonbibi, whom the villagers are supposed to worship, before they go out to collect the honey from the jungle. The novel has three important characters, Kanai Dutt, Piya Roy and a mysterious man by the name of Fokir.

                         The novel talks about the internal struggles which man has to face in a completely different environment. Our personality does change with respect to the change in the surrounding environment. Amitav Ghosh has in fact tried to view the darker side of the moon. We change. He has managed to prove the theory that human nature is the most volatile, most vulnerable of all entities. We do face an identity crisis when we are suddenly thrown into a system, in which we do not belong to. This is the main theme of the novel, a constant and at times vicious struggle to establish one’s identity in the wilderness. We witness the odyssey which the three characters undertake as it changes their lives forever.

                                       Another typical characteristic of Ghosh, is evident from this piece of work. He describes the past histories of the protagonists and how destiny brings two people separated in cultures, practices, beliefs, ideas, and with different outlooks to life together. The character of Fokir is the most interesting. Though, an illiterate boy, from a remote Sunderban, he probably has more knowledge of the tidal country than most of the learned scholars. Ghosh tries to blend cultures in this book with the help of a pan-Indian phenomenon, spices. He states that Fokir mixes all types of spices using his magical fingers and a dish is prepared which is delicious. With this allegory, Ghosh tries to stress on the fact that all the Indian cultures are like spices which in the cooking bowl, known as India, gives rise to a pan-Indian culture. We find a strange similarity in this piece of the novel with that of Dominique Lappiere’s “City of Joy”. In that novel, we witness, the author talking about the sound of conch-shells in the evenings which unite India. 

                 We can even witness that the principle urban characters in the play, taking life as a simple combination like black and white. In the mighty Sunderbans, the equation changes. A place, where, even the landmasses are not definite during the time of the jowar(high tide), life over there is nothing but shades of a palid grey.

                    The book becomes a bit dragging at times due to the detailed description of the Sunderban belt and the extreme technical details of the Irrawady dolphins which Piya came to research about. Ghosh yet again shows his uncanny ability of addressing the most complex emotions of a human mind in a startlingly simple manner. We find the raw and wild brilliance of Fokir, the pride and arrogance of Kanai and the enthusiasm of Piya blend together to depict a universal human philosophy.

                 There is no particular answer to any question raised in the theme of this novel. Everything is a rhetoric, where a scholar has to play a devil’s advocate to support the various viewpoints. The theme in this novel, is all pervading and appeals to the general phenomena happening everywhere in this world. Ghosh through this novel, brings out the pathos of human life and signifies, how nature can be a better teacher than nurturing.

                 The Sunderban delta is known to be a dangerous place with ferocious elements like stealthy tigers and hungry crocodiles but Ghosh portrays the ever present struggle for the survival of the fittest and that is the essence of the character Fokir. With some minor drawbacks like a dragging description, Ghosh’s novel is a must read for everyone. It fills even a stoic heart with emotions, it brings even a gadget lover, fall in love with the lady known as nature. It even converts a person who has never visited Sunderban to dream about the mystic delta and makes a person imagine, think and wander about the land of the “jowar” (high tide) and “bhata” (low tide).

 Barnik Ghosh

II Semester,GNLU

THE WORLD IS FLAT — A Brief History of the Globalized World in the 21st Century

          The award-winning New York Times foreign affairs columnist, offers the readers a savoring of all that is happening in the 21st century world. The events that truly shaped the history of the 20th centuary, from the technological advancements in china and India, to the dramatic and drastic change brought about in the course of earth by the master plan, which resulted in two airplanes being flown into the twin towers, the war on Iraq to the new current of globalization, has truly resulted in the “flattening” of the globe. Freidman elucidates, as to how foreign policies, politics, governance, economies of the nations of the world have all abetted in flattening the world.

                Freidman’s thoughts on globalization are equally reflected in other works of his, including one of his most popular works, “The Lexus  and the Olive Tree.” The weak would fall further behind,that is what Freidman claims. However, some nations have benefited more from globalization and have certainly secured an unyielding and a brawny position in the global economy. When service sector secured India, manufacturing sector saved china. This is indeed is the first book by a major foreign affairs thinker that talks about the world-changing effects of supply chains.

              Friedman’s first major work on his thoughts on globalization can be found in his 1999 book, “The Lexus and the Olive Tree”. The “World is Flat” is a work that can mostly be said to be a series of anecdotes which contributed to Freidman’s pour out on how the future of the world is scheduled. The book is for all intents and purposes, a blueprint of the structure and link of everything in the so called “globalized” world. If anything, this tome, teeming with tantalizing thoughts, should serve as a wakeup call for conceit everywhere and that substitution and replacement is after all not that hard like yesteryears. According to the author, those who lay outside the “flat world”, are surely damned.

               If the world indeed is flat, then how did it end up so. Friedman claims that certain events conspired for the same to happen. The Collapse of communism in eastern Europe, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the destruction of the World Trade Centre, along with the invincibility if the United States, out-sourcing, in-sourcing,  revolutionary innovation in  the field of science, expansions in the financial markets, and sudden growth & development in world trade, “googling”, fundamental changes made in the ideologies in the foreign policy making of many of the nations of the “civilized world”, etc, paved the way for a transformational ethos.

                     The metaphor of the “flattened  world”, used by Friedman to describe the next phase of globalization, is nifty. It is derivative of a discussion with Nandan Nikalani (the former CEO of Infosis) where-in, he avowed as to how he thought the world’s economic playing field is being leveled, ingeniously. Even so (in chapter12) freedman recognizes the reality that the glass is also half empty and that the world is not so flat after all !! There are indeed certain varied factors which are not helping the world in getting itself flattened. What ever criticisms have been laid against the flatman, the indubitable truth is that more or less the kind of universal appeal, his works and thoughts and ideologies have, is evident from the considerable commercial success that his works have seen. “The World Is Flat”, was proudly perched on the New York Times Best Seller list, from it’s publication in April 2005 until May 2007.

                   According to Bill Gates, the meaning of this renovation is the prime facie change in the way we are now taught to look and face the real world in a globalized system of affairs. Thirty years ago, Mr.Gates said, “if you had to choose between being born a genius in Mumbai or Shanghai and an average person in Poughkeepsie, you would have chosen Poughkeepsie because your chances of living a prosperous and fulfilled life were much greater there. Now, Gates would say, “I would rather be a genius born in China, than an average guy born in Poughkeepsie.” Yes, it is an obtrusive fact that the affairs in “State of Nature” that exist today, has truly been altered beyond recognition as the world has surely flattened beyond recognition.                                                              

                                                   Submitted by: SNEHA.C.RAJAN ( 2ND Year, GNLU )

War and Media: A Review

              The title “War and Media” itself suggests itself to be an interesting read especially when it comes to people who are fascinated by the medium of war and the heart rendering occurrences during that time which have failed to reach the common mass. War can be related to a “Political Contest model” in which the coverage by the Media, of the conflict, wherein two actors are involved. The first being the state actor  which is more powerful and whose voice and opinion is easily ingrained into the minds of the people. Its ideologies and views are well understood by the masses as they are propagated in such a way as to be acceptable to the common man. The import does not need the help of the Media to popularize its Opinion. The other is the non state actor, that is the terrorist group or the insurgent group, which is in dire need of propaganda so that the Public Opinion is brought in their favour. This radical group doesn’t have the necessary access to Media, because of which the propaganda value of the Media becomes important for the non state actor. This book, penned down by Daya Kishan Thussu and Des Freedman, is a compilation of various articles and talks about not “Just Wars” led and fought by the U.S, but also of the countless invisible wars that are going on in the World. They are rarely given any importance by the International Media.

         This book gives us excerpts on the Wars which have claimed millions of lives and yet haven’t had their share in the international Media market. We live in a make-believe world ( A Simulation), where War is a glorified subject. It is a colorful term which provides all the emotion packed drama to us living the life of couch-potatoes. Media has always been a commercial business, more so after, CNN started showing War clippings in the early nineties after the panama issue followed by the “Operation Desert Storm ” better known as the Gulf War-I. CNN was a second rate Cable News operator which used to give secondary news and as a part of strategy started portraying War clips, instead of advertisements. Such was the boost in the TRP ’s, that they allotted a separate slot for the War coverage and then there was no turning back for the CNN War effort. We all see where CNN is right now.

                 The book has a great opening with the introduction by the editors which grasps the interest of the reader. Not only this, it is followed by a very barefaced article by Aijaz Ahmad that shows the U.S. Unilateralism in the World Politics and especially War. It is an extremely well written article, which brings to the fore front, the despotism shown by the U.S. and its current President George Bush’s antics. It shows the reason for the Muslim world to be against the most powerful country of the world and the ignorance of  it’s President regarding Islam as a religion and the Muslim community at large. It talks of that point of view otherwise not being written by many.

                 The articles not only emphasize the work done by the U.S. news bureaus but also on the work of uncensored news networks like the Al Jazeera, which overpowered military Public Relations effort. Owing to this, the U.S. implemented the Embedded Media Program, as it would be this Media coverage, which would shape the Public perception of the Iraq War, 2003. This program has been welcomed by all, for it has brought out facts to the light, without any fear as the journalists are protected by the Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ).

          However, articles emphasizing on understanding, take away the essence of the book as it brings emotions in the picture as opposed to the facts of the War scenario which the other write ups do full justice to. It makes the reading more stereotypical rather than informative. The book, as a whole, is very enlightening one, throwing light more on the World perception of the War, rather than the U.S. perception of it. This is an innate strength of the work. It doesn’t portray the artificial reality (Simulacra) which is created by the Media, or by its correspondents to make the cause of War more popular in the favour of the government of the day. This was conjured up befittingly during both the Gulf Wars, but rather stresses more on the harsh realities which portray the U.S. in a very formidable position and make us sit back and think twice before following the U.S. if it is following the right path. All this might ultimately result in the complete annihilation of the human race with an all pervasive U S Hegemony.

Submission: Sneh Mehta, Gnlu Student, Ist Year   

Wuthering Heights: The Tale of Betrayal and The severity of Human Character

                  Wuthering Heights is a novel par excellence with epiphenomenal proportions. The narrative is in the “Third person” at times with the anchorperson being Mr. Lockwood whose visitation into Thrushcross Grange opens up opportunities for a tale of Love and attrition to unfold in the stormy environs of Wuthering Heights. Mr. Lockwood is the lynchpin of the engrossing narrative with “Heathcliff” being the surrogate for Emily Bronte, to serve as the Storm and vile element in the text. “Heathcliff”, happens to arrive into the hearth of Wuthering Heights as a “waif” who learns unsuccessfully to metamorphose himself into a civilized Male protagonist of the storyline.

                Wuthering Heights is an epically sequestered perch of an agri-Victorian house which is an old building and is frequently exposed to the gut-wrenching storms and wayward winds of the Hilltop pedestalled amidst a cornucopia of marshlands and moores which serve as ideal getaways for the Lover from the Thrushcross Grange. This is another spellbinding motif from the good Old Victorian landscapes of the times. A grey shroud of wintery winds always engulfs the two abodes being symptomatic of the two opposite ends of the human civilization. Wuthering Heights epitomizes the rawness and the crudity of a Hobessian man while the Grange at the foothills, serves to reflect the  civilized decorum of a modern day British fief, in its quintessential form.

              The novel is valued in the realm of British Literature as it happens to be the only work of Literature from the pen of Emily Bronte who never wrote a second work of such epic spectrum to enthrall the audiences with its linguistic quality. The language bears a quaint and rich strain of British Engish, which still keeps on adding it’s connoisseurs in large numbers. “Heathcliff” comes across as the “Id” imagery in the form of a personage, who is all the times, subsumed in his narcissist ego which needs frequent massaging if the lovers in both the generations, one in tandem with him and the one next to him,  have to survive and flower in his Garthian lap. In his, jilted Love story, Catherine the senior, the daughter of Heathcliff’s master, does not accept him as a life partner and since then “Heathcliff,” leads the life of a social recluse and a die hard misanthrope who balks at the first sight and sound of human contact, whenever the light hearted characters of the narrative make contact with him.

                  The persistence of an imagery in the form of Cathy’s dream is a lingering and haunting presence in the text. The constant scratching on the window pane by a young girl (Cathy, the Senior), who died with the thorn of unrequited love in her heart, is a poignant reminder of all that is dark and grotesque about the tale. The Author takes the reader for a ride, across the meandering meadows and hill slopes, where two generations of camaraderie flourish amidst the seething hatred of “Heathcliff,” who leaves no stones unturned to derail the sentimental and positive denouement of a relationship which develops amidst the storm and hub of pastoral life. Some observations on the novel classify it as an “Ideal Pastoral” which is magnificently executed by the sheer delight of its verse and panoramic insight. Nobody in the story is aware of the real name or the place of birth, of this Freudian character and he gloats over his newfound power when he succeeds in his objective of becoming the Family and Property headman of his master’s family where he once arrived incognito. The elevation of the little “waif” into a full-fledged mandarin of Wuthering Heights, is what pervades the whole narrative thick and strong. Wuthering Heights is a work of Art which leaves the reader craving for more and more in the classical sense of the term.     

                                                                                                           Manan Dwivedi,

                                                                                                           Gnlu, Faculty Denizen

The Alchemist

       Segment One. Some excerpts from the work follow. “My heart is scared of suffering.” “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself, and no heart has suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with god and with eternity.” “But, his heart was never quiet, even if all the surroundings were silent.” “Why do we have to listen to our hearts, my heart gets emotional, it becomes passionate and agitated? Well, it is good, your heart is alive and keep listening to it. Wherever your heart is, that is where you will find treasure.”            

             “My heart is a traitor and it does not want me to go on.”
“That is natural, it is afraid that in pursuing your dream, you might loose everything you have won” “Then why should I listen to my heart?” “Because you will never be able to keep it quiet, it will always be there inside you.” The book, “The Alchemist,” is an inspiring, emotional tale of a boy in search of his dream. This story of the boy and his quest for self-discovery is a metaphor for the elementary journey for truth that is a part of all human life.

         The novel tells the tale of a boy, who has a dream and the courage to follow. The young Spanish shepherd, Santiago, listens to the sign and travels to Egypt, where he learns many lessons and sees the greatness of the World and meets all kinds of exciting people. The Shepherd learns to trust his heart and communicate with it as a treasured friend. Following omens, etc, he meets an alchemist and this meeting opens up vistas of self-understanding and spiritual enlightenment.

       The novel is a simple parable that celebrates the richness of the human spirit and birth with optimism. The novel relates to us that everything is possible, if one really wants it to happen. Coehlo, also suggests that those who do not have the courage to follow their dreams, are doomed to a life of emptiness and unfulfillment. That also suggests that the fear of failure and suffering is the greatest obstacle to happiness. The Shepherd transforms from a soul with youthful idealism to a person with mature wisdom. The book is a vibrant, racy read and a highly enjoyable and validates the aspirations and dreams of youth. The Alchemist appears to Santiago, as an old king says, “When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true”. This is the core of the novel’s philosophy. The old king also says that the greatest lie in the World is that, sometimes, we loose the ability to control our lives and become the pawns of fate. In this symbolic fable, Choelo, states that we should not avoid our destinies, but try to follow our dreams, because, to find our mission on earth, we strive to find happiness and fulfillment.

    As an Inspirational fable, the novel appeals to everybody, because all of us like Santiago have dreams and would like to believe that dreams come true. The novel combines words of wisdom and philosophy very skillfully and is highly readable. “Every search begins with the beginner’s luck and every search ends with the victor being severely tested.” The Alchemist is an eminent read and it purports to make the “Luftmensch” alive.

Submission : Aditi Khosla, Ist  Year, Gnlu Denizen

A Review With a Difference

                The nineteenth century Russian authors have invariably tended to have an uncanny affinity to write and harangue about the metaphysics of life. It’s perhaps the seemingly turbulent history they’ve had, with the number of wars unaccounted for, yet and the conceited Czars gratifying their vested interests at the cost of the ‘proletariat’ (keeping the Russian spirit alive) that has prompted them to deliver such works. The likes of Tolstoy, Gogol, Chekov and Gorky have treaded the face of this earth only to churn out large volumes of metaphysics. Clearly in the frontrunner in this league is, Fyodor Dostoesvsky’s Brothers Karamazov, a daring work then, that’s set in an emerging socialist Russia.

                 The plot stands tough and sturdy like an oak tree classic. It refuses to shake but leaves the reader shaken. It’s been touted as the story of the murder of a father by one of his sons but it expounds everything other than the murder, seemingly because, that “everything” crushingly obliterates the story of the murder. Now the book can be a delight to a reader who only wants to satiate his reading desires as well as to the one who wants to do the same to his literary and philosophical desires. Taking up the former first, the father, Fyodor Karamazov is a conceited Russian landholder and usurer who is drenched to his skin and bone in debauchery. His first marriage results in the birth of Dmitry Karamazov, who looks after his father not sparing any of the ways possible. The second marriage bears two sons, Ivan Karamazov and Alexie Karamazov, the intellectual and the gentle respectively. The plot traces, among many things, a love triangle among Dmitry, Fyodor and Grushenka, a character with the tang of a slut who is desired by the father and the son, Alyosha’s inquisitive experience with the school kids and Capt Snegirev, and Dmitry’s sudden disillusionment with his fiancé Katerina and finally the trial of Dmitry for the murder of his father. All this jarring and grating along the way with Ivan’s philosophy of his rejection of the world and Zosima’s (the monk in the monastery under whose tutelage Alyosha is) beliefs of loving and nurturing all mankind, form the backbone of the tome. The most rewarding part for the reader, after bearing the lull of all philosophies, is the cracking trial of Dmitry Karamazov where two firebrand lawyers are pitted against each other. Each firing his statements like gunshots in a resonating courtroom that’s spilling with people.

             Now, comes a discreet personalized service to all those who insist on going the whole hog. The book exemplifies the burden of free-will in more ways than one. Ivan heatedly questions the purpose of man’s existence on earth, in a lengthy conversation with Alyosha chiming in intermittently with his naiveté. His discontent with the world as it is, is made evident when he dishes out the examples of children suffering for their innocent acts. Ivan’s tough questions are juxtaposed with Alyosha’s extreme love for mankind and his nonchalance towards the way the world is to derive a baffling mix of simple complexity and complex simplicity. And for those, who sense a quivering tone of cynicism, I say, care to read the book. It’s all yours for the taking. Get into the entrails of it and seek out the dynamics behind it.

Submission: Simon without Garfunkel, Gnlu Student Denizen

                                                          Painting Courtesy: Niharika, Gnlu, Student Denizen

  SONS AND LOVERS

BY

D.H.LAWRENCE

The psychological novel is a genre which began to gain increasing popularity as the twentieth century advanced. However, even before it became voguish to read, to be seen reading and to talk about such novels, D.H. Lawrence wrote them in the earlier decades of the twentieth century. This novel written in 1913, deals with a theme that we Indians are particularly familiar with i.e.“mother fixation”. Freud’s theories about various psychological complexes had just begun to catch the public fancy. ‘Oedipus Complex ‘and other such phenomena had begun to be bandied about in fashionable circles. Paul’s all-consuming devotion to his mother is explored in terms of this Oedipus Complex. Later research has confirmed that Lawrence was quite familiar with Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis.

The Oedipal urge, it seems not only flows from Paul to his mother but also from her to him. That perhaps explains her acute hatred for Miriam and later for Clara. Paul on his part is unable to establish a normal romantic relationship with these women. He does not realize that it is his repressed incestuous desire that is the real impediment in his relationships. This novel is semi-auto-biographical in more ways. It is set in a small working-class mining town called Bestwood modeled on Lawrence’s childhood coal-mining town of Eastwood. The story as it unfolds is about the life of Gertrude Morel a dainty, educated girl from a more privileged background. She meets William Morel, a coal-miner at a party and is intensely attracted to his vigorous zest for life. However life in a small mining town after marriage to William is rather oppressive. There are no avenues of intellectual expression open to her. She starts living her life through her sons. Her elder son William is the first recipient of her intense devotion. It appears as if she has transferred all her love to the eldest son. When he dies of a mysterious skin ailment, she is grief-stricken and falls ill.

              After a gradual recovery, Paul the younger son, becomes the center of her life and love. Paul’s devotion to his mother is also quite beyond the conventional mother-son love. Paul also nurtures an inexplicable hatred for his father. This is perhaps in keeping with Freud’s elucidation of the Oedipus Complex. In many ways Paul Morel’s life mirrors Lawrence’s own life. He too was unable to build relationships with the women he met. Frieda, the woman he finally meets and marries is much older and is already married to one of his professors.            

               I recommend this novel to my students for various reasons. Firstly, it is one of the most exceptional early explorations in Freudian psychoanalysis. Secondly, the uncanny brilliance with which he brings out the faults, foibles and weaknesses of human nature without being judgmental. Thirdly, Lawrence brings out details of a working class miners life, very evocatively. This is strongly reminiscent of ‘How green was my valley’ by Richard Llewellyn. Fourthly, Lawrence’s language is characterized by its intense luminescence and inherent sensuality. The reader cannot help but feel the palpable sexual undercurrent that pervades his discourse.

           I would specially recommend this book to young readers brought up on pop fiction to read it for the sheer robustness of its idiom and the felicity of its expression. Happy reading!      

Submission: Pratima Dube, Gnlu, Faculty Denizen

Gujarat National Law University
  E-4 GIDC, Electronics Estate, Sector 26, Gandhinagar - 382028 , Gujarat

Updated on 29-10-2007