Yatrik - A review

So I read Yatrik by Arnab Ray. Highly awaited, his third novel does not disappoint. Reading it brought about a tumult of emotion. Poignant and insightful with an underlying thread of dry humor. You know the kind that says "Life is what happens when you are busy planning other things".

The story is about Anushtup Chatterjee who wakes up to realize he is dead. I quiet like stories where the "end" is the "beginning". Not all authors can do this convincingly. Starting the book with the end result and working your way back to the details of the story. The opening pages of the book are my favorite with Anushtup being told he has died and the vivid description of the darkness and stillness of the surroundings. Eerie and strangely calming. Arnab does a fantastic job of portraying middle class India. Anushtup is easy to relate to and shows this perfect balance of idealism and human flaws that makes him three dimensional.The book explores themes of family, ambition, Kolkata and death. By starting the story with death, Arnab deals with a core fear that resides in all of us. The fear of dying. The fear of anonymity. The fear of mediocrity.

The story flows with ease exploring Anushtup's life, his choices and the reasons his life didn't turn out the way he had hoped for. His troubled relationship with his parents ( the foundation), his sense of identity through educational accomplishments ( the middle) and his dissatisfaction with the cards that life has dealt him (the end). Why is it so common for people to feel this sense of entitlement from life? This particular emotion was a bit too close for comfort. The lassitude from the seemingly unfair treatment of life. This false sense of entitlement led Anushtup to tempt fate maybe? 

Themes of Karma run strong throughout but also depict the interconnected maze of actions. It is not your actions alone that affect life but also the actions and choices of others. And sometimes one has no control over this power others seem to hold over your life's outcomes. Anushtup's struggles though sad, do convey a sense of justice and peace. It is what it is. Arnab's writing style ensures the book is thought provoking like a little nudge yet not depressing, for the protagonist has died after all, having  lived an unsuccessful life by middle class Indian standards. There is a lot of Bengali cultural references (for obvious reasons) but I did not find that annoying because there is a universal Desi element that ties it all together. 

Notable mentions from the book are the author's opening lines, the description of the middle class psyche on job security ( a desk job however demeaning is better than a service job), the concept of forgiveness and empathy expressed by Sumit Datta ( read the book to find out who he is). The ending seemed slightly rushed but was a satisfactory finish.Reading the book is indeed a "Yatra". A short and deeply engrossing one.

P.S. Why the name Anushtup? I confess, non-Bengali me had difficulty keeping the name straight.

A Trip through Saurashtra - Part I

Lord Krishna and the Yadu clan truly left their mark on Dwaraka. The cows were everywhere. Big and small. Young and old. Some cared for and others roaming the streets eating the temple garbage.

We have a unique psychology. We revere the cows so much that we will not kill them for meat and yet we are so heartless that we will not do anything to ensure they live a good life. Cows, like the people in India are highly neglected. I digress though...this post is meant to be a memoir of my recent travels in Gujarat.

What an eye opening experience. Gujarat has so much to offer with its rich food, handlooms and historical sites. Yet, all I could credit Modi with, is a little bit of infrastructure in Ahmedabad and a few industries on the highways. The roads were in good condition and scattered with industries both by Reliance and Modi. But there was poverty everywhere. Saurashtra has always been economically backward. The land barren and the people poor. While the rest of Gujarat seems to have progressed, Saurashtra has little to its credit.

My trip started with a visit to Lothal, the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization. Being a history student, I instantly romanticized this site. I could imagine the Harappan people building citadels, making pots and intricate beads that would make any jeweler in Bombay jealous. The museum was filled with artifacts thousands of years old and yet, it was no different from any of the other museums in India. Old and neglected. We drove on to Jamnagar. A nice little town that seemed to be booming due to the Reliance industries close by. We visited a very famous Hanuman temple where the Ram bhajan is recited non-stop. Apparently, it made it to the Guinness Book of world records.

I think the highlight of the trip as far as the family was concerned was the visit to the historic Dwaraka and the two jyotirlingas in Somnath and Nageswar. I must say our visit to these sites was truly a blessing. There is an old saying that one has to struggle to see (darshan) God. Struggle we did. Scores of people in unruly lines, hot pavements and children shouting. I had my very own "Swades" experience in Dwaraka. We had to cross the back waters on a rickety little boat that was over capacity. The dock was a concrete slab with steps and the "Captain" of the ship, just a laborer making money over the holidays. I looked at Mom and questioned "is it worth it?" while I could see my Dad drag us all to the dock. We have to make our own way if you want to see "beyt dwaraka" he shouted! One hand holding my Mother and the other, my mother-in-law we struggled to make way to the boat. We managed to embark and survived the ride to the other side.

L to R: Mother-in-law, Mother and I in the boat

More cows awaited us. And the remains of Lord Krishna's kingdom. I had just finished reading Devdutt Patnaik's Jaya and excerpts from the book came flooding back. What a unique and complex character Lord Krishna was. 

The lines of history and mythology were a blur. All I knew was that I had survived this horrendous boat ride.