#Ghachar Ghochar

[foundfamilynonsense]

You know what I hate? When readers claim there’s an ambivalent ending of a book because the author doesn’t force feed it to you.

Except sometimes the author 100% does force feed it to them and they still can’t grasp it.

I’m referring mostly to the death of characters. For example there are heated debates about whether or not Winston dies soon after the end of the 1984. As if it is not painfully obvious that’s what happens. Earlier in the book we hear about a group of men who were executed by Big Brother. It’s said they were arrested and pled guilty to a bunch of horrible crimes and were released (exactly what happened when Winston was captured). They were seen in the chestnut cafe (y’know the same one Winston frequents after being released) where a song comes on (the same one that comes on at the end of the book) and all three men are seen looking at Big Brother’s picture and crying (like Winston does when he discovers he loves Big Brother).

But even if you forget that detail there’s still the knowledge that Winston was told “we’re not going to kill you until you love Big Brother” and the last line of the book was that Winston loved Big Brother.

There’s a similar issue with possibly my favorite book of all time: Ghachar Ghochar

The last line of the book is literally someone (who has been built up as this all knowing guy) walking up to the narrator and saying something along the lines of “sir you should wash your hands, you have blood on them.” The character is referring to the actual blood from the broken glass but come on people. That mixed with the huge conversation his family had about how to kill someone the proper way. And yet when we read it in class even my professor was asking what people thought happened to the wife. Saying it was up to interpretation and there were many possible answers.

No! Just because we don’t see the light leave their eyes in scene does not mean they could be alive!!! Writers should be able to trust their readers. And readers shouldn’t be constantly worried that writers are trying to fake them out.

And you know what? I blame popular movies these days. Not to be a crank academic but like. If you see a building blow up with someone inside they should just be dead okay? I shouldn’t have to think “yeah but the writers are just trying to scare us they didn’t actually kill that character off.” But I have to think these things because now we have Loki back from the dead for the fifth or sixth time and Boba Fett got swallowed by a monster in the eighties and yet here he is with his own show.

Writers should be able to kill people off screen and not have people going “well we don’t know”

But they can’t do that because shitty companies like Disney feel the need to squeeze money out of every character while still trying to have actual stakes. So they only sort of die. They got away from the explosion just in time, or they’re just in a coma (stranger things), or they crawled out of the monster’s stomach after everyone left or it’s their clone with that person’s consciousness (Star Wars) or it’s another timeline’s version of them or he was legally dead for three days but was brought back or the heart monitor was tampered with to fake his death (marvel). This is actually terrible, terrible writing okay? Occasionally a death fake out can work but nine times out of ten it’s just stupid. Because now we have people saying “we don’t know for sure he’s dead because we never see the body and even then who knows”

Anita in Ghachar Ghochar is dead. So is Winston Smith in 1984. Both writers actively killed these characters. They did not leave it “up to interpretation” just because they didn’t show the blood spill from their head.

#I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about how people want to bring mace windu back #or have him survive the fall #and I love #love #love mace windu #but what a stupid idea I’m sorry #of course if it were up to me palpatine boba fett echo ahsoka and every other Star Wars character killed only to have actually survived #would be dead the first time #I like boba fett #I like echo #I like ahsoka #and I like palpatine as a villain #but bringing a character back to life is the fastest way to get me to hate them #unless you kill them with the express purpose to have them go through a resurrection arc (Jon snow for example) #then you just shouldn’t kill them at all #don’t kill a character if you’re not prepared to never use them again okay #1984 #Ghachar Ghochar #anti marvel #anti Loki #anti book of boba fett #boba fett #star wars #stranger things

[somerabbitholes]

I’m in a reading slump. Can you please suggest some light reading to push me out of it? :)

here you go.

also a few more additions since then —

beartown trilogy by fredrik backman: it’s about a town devoted to ice hockey, and a really really really well-done story of where it takes the community

against everything by mark greif: essays on a whole bunch of things including the commodification of food, exercise and sex among other things; really quite thoughtfully done. the book sort of lingers in the background: i started it sometime last year and i pick it up when i feel like it after weeks and months

the dangers of smoking in bed by mariana enriquez: a little heavier than what you'd normally seek out in light reading, but it's good nonetheless. a collection of gothic horror, all set in buenos aires, all revolving around women; i found the book very darkly fascinating

ghachar ghochar by vivek shanbag: about a family that becomes rich very suddenly, and what that does to the family fabric, their sense of self and morality; it's a quick read

#anonymous #answered #book recs #slump reading

[thedraught]

my year in reading | 2020

Marking the passing of the years has a mystical and at the same time mundane quality to me. But time is passing and to reflect upon this linearity we all are bound to does always seem more magical than anything. So, as every year, I am embracing the turning of the years and look forward to a fresh start.

The end of an old year and the beginning of a new one is always an exciting time for someone as keen on semiotics and symbolism as I am. A thin membrane, much as on Halloween, that allows us to pass through to new endeavours, if we wish to see it that way.

And I do. I don’t scoff at New Year’s Resolutions and while I know that one can resolve to change and integrate new habits at any time of the year, any Tuesday in March or Saturday in June, this brief liminal space between two years is a magical one. Anything we ascribe value to automatically becomes valuable, as it is with birthdays, full moons or anniversaries of any kind.

I would rather be someone to see the magic in these things and give them meaning beyond that which is considered “real”, “plausible”, or “rational”, than turn away and let a moment that could be something special slip away unnoticed, without giving it the chance to attach itself to something.

January began atop the Himalayan mountains for me this year, freezing down to the bone in a tent. I did carry a book with me on this trip - The Snow Leopard, quite fittingly - though I did not turn one single page (difficult in 3 pairs of gloves) and have not finished it since. So, as has been my custom these past years, I began 2020 with The Secret History, a book that could never disappoint, unlike The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, that I had eagerly awaited for more than a year. You win and you lose sometimes.

In February I succumbed to reading two quite popular crime novels - The Woman in the Window and The Girl on the Train - the latter of which was a gift from an Indian friend. Sadly, I wasn’t overly excited about either of them - maybe I have outgrown crime fiction for now? I also read and loved, as always, the fifth book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series - Come Tumbling Down. 

My reading month was otherwise also filled with classics such as Animal Farm, The Turn of the Screw and In Cold Blood (I have apparently not lost any interest in true crime fiction), and I also watched the Greta Gerwig adaptation of Little Women twice at the cinema. But February also saw me returning to Germany, leaving my time in India behind, prompting me to read Vivek Shanbagh’s Ghachar Ghochar and Amitav’s Ghosh Gun Island immediately upon my return. 

Gun Island especially was a magical book, in some ways reminiscent of A.S. Byatt’s Possession and I absolutely adored it. I listened to Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House while sorting through all my belongings, freshly picked up from Mainz, and I quite enjoyed it. The story itself maybe not so much as the impression left behind by the tangible aliveness of the house itself. With Faber and Faber, finally, I got a sneak preview of the rather unknown Celia Fremlin and her Ghostly Stories, of which I definitely need to read more.

March was the month that would dictate the beginning of the rest of the year, when the first lockdown came upon us. R came back from India, and we managed to see each other before boarders closed. And my cousin A came to stay with us for two weeks from Milan - which would turn into almost 3 months.

Most of the month I spent ploughing through Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, a truly eye-opening exploration and a gloriously interesting study. Luckily my sleep patterns are already quite healthy but I feel like this book could turn some people’s minds around. I also read Jane Austen’s Emma (amazingly fun and vibrant!) and continued my slow but steady reading of Agatha Christie’s collection with 4:50 from Paddington.

“April is the cruellest month,” as T. S. Eliot teaches us, and fittingly, I read the horrifying A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, a touching but troublesome book that had me cry a little on the balcony. I also finished three more Agatha Christie novels and started a virtual bookclub with J and C for which I read Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch and Les Fiancés de l’Hiver by Claire Dabos, which I truly loved.

In May I began tutoring, visited R in Leuven and read two disappointments: The Wych Elm by Tana French and The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld.

Even another true crime read in June, His Bloody Project, did not convince me, whereas Anita Brookner’s Look At Me sparked memories of Shirley Jackson and was thoroughly enjoyed. I listened to Frederik Bakman’s Bear Town and Us Against You at breathtaking speed, while embroidering a sweater - my best handiwork project yet. I also finished A.S. Byatt’s beautiful The Children’s Book - a magical tale, and stunningly written. A left me in June, and I missed her companionship dearly.

I worked a lot in July, and finally visited C and J ! Embroidering and just simply seeing each other again. I finished Gillespie and I, which turned out to be different to what I imagined - delightful ! I was disappointed in July by The Essex Serpent, reread A Little Princess, Die Unendliche Geschichte and Digital Minimalism. 

I continued with my reading of Austen with Sense and Sensibility and listened to the wonderful The Fellowship of the Ring, which made work hours so much sweeter. Finally, I finished off the month with the final Austen - Mansfield Park, which I loved.

In August, the month of my birth, I finished The Lord of the Rings trilogy once more as well as Mythos by Stephen Fry. But more importantly, August called for freedom from working, finding an apartment in Maastricht and seeing H and J in Berlin to celebrate my birthday - with books of course.

September was a quiet reading month, what with settling in the house, at uni and making new friends. I got a sewing machine, went to Munich for an India reunion and revelled in the beautiful autumn days in the city.

I still read Bunny, The House Without Windows and Hex, amongst various reads for uni. Dinners on the balcony and an exorbitant amount of Federweißer with my roommates rounded off the month, despite the low book count.

The month of Halloween, October, called for a sixth reread of The Secret History, a New Zealand read of The Rehearsal, as well as Rest and be Thankful (disappointing somehow) and The Supper Club (surprisingly delightful). I sewed and knitted and did presentations and wrote paper proposals. I also fell up the stairs and hurt my ankle pretty badly.

The most vivid memory I have of November is that of our silent dinner. I also read two more Agatha Christies, reread Daphne DuMaurier’s classic Rebecca and Ali Smith’s Artful, and loved Public Library, also by Smith. I got tested for Corona (negatively!), began Ashtanga yoga and finished Crossing the Water - a brilliant poetry collection of Sylvia Plath.

December began with a classic, Bonjour Tristesse, and culminated with My Best Friend’s Exorcism, as well as The Stranger Beside Me. Both books I had been meaning to read for years and they exceeded my expectations. Uni stressed me slightly, pending holidays as well and as lockdown 2.0 was announced my reading brain switched itself off.

Christmas was still a joy, with the family (minus Oma) coming together, R. visiting briefly and many a book under the Christmas tree. I started reading Susan Sontag’s journals - but I will carry their brilliance into the New Year. I finished off the year sewing costumes for our medieval-plague themed NYE, J and me celebrating together, since Covid plagued us once more and prevented C from coming. But we will enter the New Year singing Total Eclipse of the Heart as always and I take with me all the positive energy I have been carrying with me for a while now.

This is also the first year that I won’t achieve my reading goal - which I set at 80 books for 2020. Instead I am finishing with a still solid 67. Overall, despite all that has been going on in the world, I cannot complain about my 2020. But let’s still hope for the best (and prepare for the worst).

#year in reading #year in books

[extractandrecite]

“If women don’t support other women, who will?”

— Vivek Shanbhag, Ghachar Ghochar

#quote #literature #lit #quotes #Vivek Shanbhag #Ghachar Ghochar #book quote #book quotes #cita #citação

[ma-pi-ma]

Non desideravamo ciò che non potevamo permetterci. Dove non c’è scelta, non c’è delusione.

Ghachar Ghochar

#ghachar ghochar

[vgowda]

ವಿಲಕ್ಷಣ ದೂರಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರೆಯುತ್ತ...

ಬದಲಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಅಮಾಯಕ ಮತ್ತು ಅತಿ ಕ್ರೂರ ಮುಖಗಳೆರಡನ್ನೂ ತಮ್ಮ ಕಥೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಡಿಸಿಡುತ್ತ ಬಂದವರು ವಿವೇಕ ಶಾನಭಾಗರು. ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಾಲದ ತಲ್ಲಣಗಳಂತೆ ಕಾಣುವ ಅನೇಕ ಧ್ವನಿಗಳು ಅವರ ಕಥೆಗಳ ಕೇಂದ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಳಿಯ ಹಾಗೆ ವರ್ತಿಸುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತವೆ. ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್ ಮತ್ತು ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಇತರ 12 ಭಾಷೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಅನುವಾದಗೊಂಡಿರುವ ಅವರ ಕಥಾಸಂಕಲನ 'ಘಾಚರ್ ಘೋಚರ್' ಕೂಡ ಮತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಕಾಣಿಸುವುದು ಆಕ್ರಮಣಶೀಲತೆ, ಆರ್ಥಿಕತೆ, ಭಾವನಾತ್ಮಕತೆಗಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ವ್ಯಾವಹಾರಿಕ ಬಂಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಳಗೊಳ್ಳುವ ಸಂಬಂಧಗಳು, ಕಳಕಳಿಯಂತೆ ತೋರುವ ಚಲನೆಯ ಹಿಂದೆಯೂ ನಿಗೂಢ ಪ್ರೇರೇಪಣೆಯಂತಿರುವ ಹಿಡಿತ ಸಾಧಿಸಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಹುಮ್ಮಸ್ಸು ಮತ್ತು ಇವೆಲ್ಲದರ ಮೂಲಕ ಉಂಟಾಗುವ ಒಂದು ತಲ್ಲಣವನ್ನೇ ಆಗಿದೆ.

ಇವತ್ತಿನ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶ ಕ್ರೌರ್ಯದಿಂದ ಮುಕ್ತವಾಗಿರುವುದು ಬಹುಶಃ ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ. ಅಥವಾ ಬದುಕು ಯಾವತ್ತೂ ಕ್ರೌರ್ಯದಿಂದ ಮುಕ್ತವಾಗಿರಲೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಅದು ವ್ಯಕ್ತವಾಗುವ ಪಾತಳಿಗಳು ಮಾತ್ರ ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ. ಇಂಥ ಕಟುಸತ್ಯವೇ 'ಘಾಚರ್ ಘೋಚರ್'ನ ಪ್ರತಿ ವಿವರದಲ್ಲೂ ಕಾಡುವ ಆಳದ ಸಿಕ್ಕುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅಡಗಿ ಕೂತಂತಿದೆ. ನಾವು ಬದುಕುತ್ತಿರುವ ಯಾವುದೇ ಒಂದು ಕಾಲಘಟ್ಟದ ಸಂದರ್ಭವನ್ನು ಹೀಗೇ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಲಿಕ್ಕಾಗದ, ಇತಿಹಾಸದ ದಾಖಲೆಗಳ ಆಚೆಗೂ ಆಕಾರವೊಂದಿದೆ ಎಂಬ ಹೊಳಹನ್ನು ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸುವ ಪರಿಭಾಷೆಯಂತೆ ವಿವೇಕರು 'ಘಾಚರ್ ಘೋಚರ್' ಪದವನ್ನು ತಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಇಡೀ ಕಥೆಯೇ ಆ ಪರಿಭಾಷೆಯ ನಿರೂಪವೇನೊ ಎಂಬಂತೆ ಸಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.

'ಘಾಚರ್ ಘೋಚರ್'ನ ವಿನ್ಯಾಸವೇ, ಪೂರ್ತಿಯಾಗಿ ಕಾಣಿಸದಂತೆ ಗೋಜಲು ಗೋಜಲಾಗಿರುವ ವರ್ತಮಾನದ ವಿಲಕ್ಷಣ ಚಹರೆಗಳನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಗ್ರಹಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತಂದು, ಇಲ್ಲಿಂದಲೇ ಶುರುವಾಗುವ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಚರಿತ್ರೆಯ ಧಾವಂತವನ್ನು, ದುಗುಡಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡುವುದಾಗಿದೆ. ಸ್ಮೃತಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ತೆರೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಇಡೀ ಕಥೆಗೆ ಕ್ಯಾನ್ವಾಸ್ ಎಂಬಂತೆ ಒದಗಿರುವುದು ಒಂದು ಸಾಕ್ಷಿಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಯೆನ್ನಿಸುವಂಥ ಆಂತರಂಗಿಕ ಪ���ರಭೆಯುಳ್ಳ ಕಾಫೀ ಹೌಸ್. ಅಲ್ಲೊಬ್ಬ ಅನುಭಾವಿಯಂಥ, ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಉದಾರತೆಯಿಂದಲೇ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸುವ ಸರಳತೆಯಲ್ಲೇ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಸಹಯೋಗದ ನಿರಾಳ ಪರಿಮಳವನ್ನು ಕಲ್ಪಿಸಬಲ್ಲಂಥ ವಿನ್ಸೆಂಟ್.

ನಿಜವೇನೆಂದರೆ, ಕಥೆ ವಿನ್ಸೆಂಟ್ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಶುರುವಾದರೂ ಅವನು ಆ ಕಥೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಇಲ್ಲದವನು ಎಂಬುದು. ನಿಜವೇನೆಂದರೆ, "ಬಿಟ್ಬಿಡಿ ಸಾರ್" ಎಂಬ ಒಂದೇ ಒಂದು ಮಾತಿನಿಂದಲೇ, ಇನ್ನೊಬ್ಬರೊಳಗಿನ ಅದೆಂಥ ತಳಮಳವನ್ನೇ ಆದರೂ ನಿವಾರಿಸಿಬಿಡಬಲ್ಲ, "ಒಂದು ಕಥೆಗೆ ಹಲವು ಮಗ್ಗಲುಗಳಿರುತ್ತವೆ" ಎಂದು ಘಟನೆಯೊಂದನ್ನು ಅದರ ಕಾಣದ ಆಯಾಮಗಳನ್ನು ಕಂಡರಿತವನಂತೆ ಇನ್ನೊಬ್ಬರ ಮನಸ್ಸೊಳಗೆ ವಿಸ್ತರಿಸಬಲ್ಲ ವಿನ್ಸೆಂಟ್, ಯಾರದೇ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನೂ ಕಾಣುವಂಥವನು ಮತ್ತು ಯಾರದೇ ಕಥೆಯೊಳಗೂ ಇರುವಂಥವನು ಎಂಬುದು. ಹೀಗೆ ಅವನನ್ನು ಅವನದಲ್ಲದ ಕಥೆಯ ಬಹುದೊಡ್ಡ ರೂಪಕವಾಗಿಸಿರುವಲ್ಲಿಂದಲೇ ಈ ಕಥೆಗೆ ಅಸಾಧಾರಣ ವಿಸ್ತಾರವೊಂದು ದಕ್ಕಿಬಿಡುತ್ತದೆ.

'ಘಾಚರ್ ಘೋಚರ್' ಒಂದು ಕೂಡುಕುಟುಂಬದ ಕಥೆ. 'ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯತೆಯನ್ನು ಬಯಕೆಯಂತೆ ತೋರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ' ಶಕ್ತಿಯಿರುವ ಕುಟುಂಬ ಅದು. ಆರು ಮಂದಿಯ ಆ ಕುಟುಂಬದಲ್ಲಿ ಅನಿತಾ ಒಬ್ಬಳ ಹೊರತಾಗಿ ಇತರ ಐವರ ನಡುವೆ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಕೊಂಡಿಯೊಂದಿದೆ. ದುಡ್ಡೇ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಆಗಿದೆ. ಅದು, ದುಡಿಯಬೇಕಾದ ಮಗನ ದುಡಿಯುವ ಮನೋಭಾವವನ್ನೇ ಕಸಿದಿದೆ; ಮದುವೆಯಾಗಿ ತನ್ನದೇ ಬಾಳು ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಎಲ್ಲ ಅವಕಾಶವಿದ್ದ ಮಗಳನ್ನು ಅಹಂಕಾರಿಯನ್ನಾಗಿಸಿ, ಆಕೆ ವಿನಾಕಾರಣವಾಗಿ ದಾಂಪತ್ಯವನ್ನು ಮುರಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿದೆ; ಒಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಮನೆಗಾಗಿ ಇರುವೆಗಳ ಜೊತೆ ಸತತ ಹೋರಾಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಣಗಿದ್ದ ಅಮ್ಮ ಈಗ ಒಳಗೊಳಗೇ ಬರೀ ವಾರಸುದಾರಿಕೆಯ ಆಸೆಗೆ ಬೀಳುವುದಕ್ಕೂ ಕಾರಣವಾಗಿದೆ. ಅದೆಲ್ಲಕ್ಕೂ ಗೊತ್ತಿದ್ದೊ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲದೆಯೊ ಪೋಷಕನಂತಿರುವವನು ಆ ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಆಧಾರವಾಗಿರುವ ದುಡಿಯುವ ಚಟದ ಚಿಕ್ಕಪ್ಪ. ಒಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೇಲ್ಸ್ ಮನ್ ಆಗಿ ಸಣ್ಣ ಸಂಬಳದಲ್ಲೇ ಸಂಸಾರ ನಿಭಾಯಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಅಪ್ಪ ಕೂಡ ಈಗ ತನ್ನ ತಮ್ಮನ ಬಿಸಿನೆಸ್ಸಿನ ಭಾಗವೇ ಆಗಿಹೋಗಿದ್ದಾನೆ. ಅವನಿಗೆ ಅಂಥ ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಮೋಹವಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಆತ ತೀರಾ ನಿರ್ಮೋಹಿಯಾಗದ ಹಾಗೆ ಆ ಇಡೀ ಕುಟುಂಬ ತುಂಬ ಕಾಳಜಿ ವಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಇನ್ನೂ ಉಯಿಲು ಬರೆದಿರದ ಅಪ್ಪ ಯಾವತ್ತಾದರೂ ಒಂದಿನ ತಲೆಕೆಟ್ಟು ತನ್ನ ಭಾಗದ ಆಸ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಯಾರಿಗಾದರೂ ದಾನ ಮಾಡಿಬಿಟ್ಟಾನು ಎಂಬ ಆತಂಕದಿಂದ ಅಂಥ ಕಾಳಜಿ. ಗುಪ್ತಗಾಮಿನಿಯಂತೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ತಣ್ಣಗೆಂದರೆ ತಣ್ಣಗೆ ಕ್ರೌರ್ಯ ಹರಿದಾಡಿಕೊಂಡಿದೆ.

ಆ ಇಡೀ ಕುಟುಂಬದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕವಾಗಿ ನಿಂತುಬಿಡುವವಳು ಅನಿತಾ. ಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿನ ನಿರೂಪಕನ ಹೆಂಡತಿ. ಯಾವ ದಿಕ್ಕಿನಿಂದ ನೋಡಿದರೂ ಅಲ್ಲಗಳೆಯಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗದ ಹಾಗೆ ಆಕೆ ನೈತಿಕತೆಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಯನ್ನೆತ್ತಿ ಎಲ್ಲರನ್ನೂ ವಿಹ್ವಲಗೊಳಿಸಿಬಿಡುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಅಮ್ಮನಿಗೆ, ನಿರೂಪಕನಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಂಸಾರ ಮುರಿದುಕೊಂಡು ಮನೆಗೇ ಬಂದು ಕೂತಿರುವ ಅವನ ಅಕ್ಕ ಮಾಲತಿಗೆ ಅನಿತಾ ಎಂದರೆ ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ತಳಮಳ. ಮತ್ತು ಅದೇ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದಲೇ ನಿರೂಪಕನಿಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಇಡೀ ಗೋಜಲು ಆ ಮೂವರು ಹೆಂಗಸರ ವಿಷಯದೊಂದಿಗೆ ತೊಡರಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿರುವ ಭಾಸವಿದೆ. ಮೂವರೂ ಇಡೀ ದಿನ ತಮ್ಮ ನಾಲಿಗೆಯನ್ನು ಗುಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಮಸೆಯುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತಾರೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಅವನಿಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆ. ಅವನು ಅನಿತಾಳ ವಾದವನ್ನು ಅಲ್ಲಗಳೆಯಲಾರ. ಆದರೆ ಎಂಥದೇ ಸಂದರ್ಭ ಬಂದರೂ ಚಿಕ್ಕಪ್ಪನನ್ನು ಕಾಪಾಡಬೇಕೆಂಬುದನ್ನು ಅವಳಿಗೆ ಮನವರಿಕೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಡುವುದು ಹೇಗೆಂದು ಅವನಿಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. "ಅದನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಅವಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಜೊತೆ ಆ ದಿನಗಳನ್ನು ಕಳೆಯಬೇಕಿತ್ತು. ಇಡಿಯ ಕುಟುಂಬವೇ ಒಂದು ದೇಹದ ಹಾಗೆ, ಒಟ್ಟಾಗಿ, ಬಿಗಿದ ತಂತಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ನಡೆದಂತೆ ಬದುಕಿದ ದಿನಗಳವು. ಆ ಅನುಭವ ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ಈಗ ಬರೇ ತತ್ವದ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ ಮುಂದೆ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ" ಎಂದು ತನ್ನಷ್ಟಕ್ಕೇ ಹಲುಬುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅವಳ ತಕರಾರುಗಳೆಲ್ಲವೂ ಆತ್ಮಹತ್ಯಾಕಾರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಇಡೀ ಕುಟುಂಬವನ್ನೇ ನಾಶಮಾಡಿಬಿಡುವಂಥವು ಅನ್ನಿಸಿಬಿಡುತ್ತದೆ.

ಅಪ್ಪ ಸೇಲ್ಸ್ ಮನ್ ಆಗಿಯೇ ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದರೆ ಮಾಲತಿಯ ಸಂಸಾರ ಹಾಳಾಗುತ್ತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲವೇನೊ ಎಂದು ಅವನು ಯೋಚಿಸುವ ಮಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತ ಸಂಕಟದ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಯೊಂದನ್ನು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸಿಬಿಟ್ಟಿದೆ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬದ ಸ್ಥಿತಿವಂತಿಕೆ. ಆದರೆ ಅದೊಂದು ಸಂಕಟದ ಹಾಗೆ ಯಾರಿಗೂ ಕಾಣಿಸುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬುದೇ ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಕ್ರೂರ ವಾಸ್ತವ.

ಆ ಹಿಮರೂಪಿ ಕ್ರೌರ್ಯ ಎಂಥದು ಅನ್ನುವುದು, ಚಿಕ್ಕಪ್ಪನನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿಕೊಂಡು ಸುಹಾಸಿನಿ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಣ್ಣುಮಗಳು ಬಂದಾಗಿನ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶವೊಂದರಲ್ಲೇ ಸ್ಫೋಟವಾಗಿಬಿಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಮದುವೆಯನ್ನೇ ಆಗಿರದ ಚಿಕ್ಕಪ್ಪ ಮನೆಯಾಚೆಗೆ ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡಿರಬಹುದಾದ ವ್ಯವಹಾರಗಳು ಆ ಕುಟುಂಬದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಶ್ನಾತೀತ. ಅಂಥವನನ್ನು ಕೇಳಿಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದವಳನ್ನು ಅಮ್ಮ, ಮಾಲತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಚಿಕ್ಕಪ್ಪ ನಡೆಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ರೀತಿ, ಅನಿತಾಳೇ ಹೇಳುವ ಹಾಗೆ ಮನೆಗೆ ಬಂದವರನ್ನು ನಡೆಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಾದ ರೀತಿಯಂತೆ ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ತನ್ನನ್ನು ತೀರಾ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೇಳಿಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದಿರಬಹುದಾದ ಅವಳನ್ನು ಚಿಕ್ಕಪ್ಪ ಎದುರುಗೊಳ್ಳುವುದೇ ಇಲ್ಲ; ಬದಲಾಗಿ ತಾನು ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ಹೇಳುವಂತೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿಬಿಡುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಚಿಕ್ಕಪ್ಪನಿಗೆ ಇಷ್ಟವೆಂದು ಅವಳು ತಂದಿರುವ ಮಸೂರಿ ಕಾಳಿನ ಸಾರು ಅಮ್ಮ ಮಾಡುವ ರಂಪಾಟದಲ್ಲಿ ಚೆಲ್ಲಿಹೋಗಿಬಿಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಮನೆ ತುಂಬ ಅದರ ಘಮ ಹರಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಮನೆಯೊಳಗೇ ಇದ್ದೂ ಹೊರಗೆ ಬಾರದ ಅವನನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟಕಡೆಯದಾಗಿ ಕರೆಯುವ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಎಂಬಂತೆ "ನಾನು ಕಣೊ ನಿನ್ನ ಟುವ್ವಿ" ಎಂದು ಆರ್ತಳಾಗಿ ಕರೆದುಬಿಡುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಆದರೂ ಅವನು ಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಅವಳು ತಿರಸ್ಕಾರ ತೋರಿದವಳಂತೆ ಹೊರಟುಬಿಡುತ್ತಾಳೆ.

ಅನಿತಾ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮನೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಮಾತಿಗೆ ಕೂತಿದ್ದಾಗ ಯಾರದೋ ಮನೆಯ ಹೆಣ್ಣೊಬ್ಬಳ ಕೊಲೆ ವಿಷಯದ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪದಲ್ಲೂ ಕ್ರೌರ್ಯದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಚಿಕ್ಕಪ್ಪ, ಅಮ್ಮ ಮತ್ತು ಮಾಲತಿಯೊಳಗೆ ಇರುವ ಉತ್ಸಾಹ ಬಲು ಢಾಳಾಗಿಯೇ ವ್ಯಕ್ತವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಕೊಲೆಯನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ಮಾಡಬಹುದು, ಹೇಗೆ ಪ್ಲಾನು ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ಕೊಲೆ ಮಾಡಿಯೂ ತಪ್ಪಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬಹುದು ಅಂತೆಲ್ಲಾ ಹುಮ್ಮಸ್ಸಿನ ಚರ್ಚೆಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. "ಕೊಲೆ ಮಾಡೋದು ಸರಿ ಅನ್ನೋ ಥರಾ ನೀವೆಲ್ಲ ಮಾತಾಡ್ತಿದೀರಾ" ಅಂತ ಅಪ್ಪ ಆಕ್ಷೇಪಿಸಿದಾಗ, ಅವನನ್ನು ಯಾವುದೋ ಜಮಾನಾದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾನೆ ಎಂದು ಚಿಕ್ಕಪ್ಪ ಟೀಕಿಸುವುದು, ಅವರೆಲ್ಲ ಬೆಳೆಸಿಕೊಂಡ ಮನೋಭಾವದಂತಿದೆ. ಇಂಥ ಸಿಕ್ಕುಗಳ ನಡುವೆಯೇ, ನಿರೂಪಕ ತೀವ್ರ ಆತಂಕಕ್ಕೊಳಗಾಗುವುದು ತವರಿನಿಂದ ಬರಬೇಕಿದ್ದ ದಿನ ಅನಿತಾ ಬಾರದೇ ಇರುವುದರಿಂದ ಅಥವಾ ಅವಳು ಬಂದಿರುವ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯೂ ಇಲ್ಲದೇ ಇರುವುದರಿಂದ. ಆ ಆತಂಕದಲ್ಲಿ, ತಮಗಾಗದ ಅನಿತಾಳನ್ನು ಅಮ್ಮ, ಮಾಲತಿ ಕಡೆಗೆ ತಾನೂ ಸೇರಿ ಸಾಯಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವಂಥ ಕೆಟ್ಟ ಭಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ, ವಿನ್ಸೆಂಟ್ ಬಾಯಿಂದ ರಕ್ತದ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪವಾಗುವಲ್ಲಿ, ತನ್ನ ಕೈಗೇ ರಕ್ತ ಮೆತ್ತಿದೆ ಅಂತ ಅನ್ನಿಸಿಬಿಡುವಲ್ಲಿ ಕಥೆ ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದು ಘಾಚರ್ ಘೋಚರ್ ಎಂಬಂಥ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ.

ಈ ಘಾಚರ್ ಘೋಚರ್ ಎಂಬ ಪದ ಪ್ರಕಾಶಕ್ಕೆ ಬರುವುದು, ಒಂದು ಗಂಡು, ಹೆಣ್ಣಿನ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಇನ್ನಾರಿಗೂ ಪ್ರವೇಶಕ್ಕೆ ಅವಕಾಶವಾಗುವ ಸಾಧ್ಯತೆಯೇ ಇಲ್ಲದಂಥ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶದಲ್ಲಿ. ಅಂಥದೊಂದು ವಿಲಕ್ಷಣ ಬಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಜರುಗೊಳ್ಳುವ ಆ ಶಬ್ದ, ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಲಕ್ಷಣಾತೀತ ಜಗತ್ತೊಂದರ ವಿದ್ಯಮಾನಗಳ ರೂಹುಗಳನ್ನು ಕಾಣಲು ಇರುವ ಏಕೈಕ ದಾರಿಯಾಗುಳಿಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಬಹುಶಃ ಅದು ಕೈಮೀರಿದ ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆಯೊಂದರ ದೂರವನ್ನು ತೆರೆಯುತ್ತ ಹೋಗುವಂಥ ದಾರಿ. 'ಘಾಚರ್ ಘೋಚರ್' ಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಥೆ ನಿಜವಾಗಿಯೂ ಮುಗಿದಿಲ್ಲ ಅಂತನ್ನಿಸುವುದು, ಆ ದಾರಿಗೆ ಇರಬಹುದಾದ ಹಲವು ಸಾಧ್ಯತೆಗಳ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದಾಗಿ.

#Book #Ghachar Ghochar #Short Stories #Vivek Shanbhag

[vintagebooksdesign]

CMYK’s Favourite Book Covers of 2017

#zoo of the new design #Richard Green #The Ice #Laline Paull #Jo Walker #All we saw #Anne Michaels #Janet Hansen #Jouke Bos #Fernando Pessoa #The Book of Disquiet #Peter Mendelsund #Ayebami Adebayo #stay with me #Rafaele Romaya #Why I'm no longer talking to white people about race #Reni Eddo Lodge #Greg Heinemann #Luke Bird #Ghachar Ghochar #Vivek Shanbhag #Eli Goldstone #Strange Heart Beating #Andres Barba #Such Small Hands #Dan Mogford #Best Book covers of 2017

[khyatigautam]

Ghachar Ghochar | Vivek Shanbhag | Book Review

Ghachar Ghochar | Vivek Shanbhag | Book Review

Author: Vivek Shanbhag, translated by Srinath Perur

Ebook: 124 pages

Publisher: HarperPerennial; 1 edition (4 January 2016)

Language: English

Ghachar Ghochar – a quaint word with absurd structure, meaning entangled, remains a secret of a select few, describes the reality just so aptly.

I have always been reluctant to pick translated books. This for a simple reason for missing out on the…

View On WordPress

#Book Blogging #Book Reviews #Bookish Fame #Ghachar Ghochar #Indian Book Blogger #Indian Literature #Srinath Perur #Translated Books #Translated Fiction #Vivek Shanbhag

[my-personal-blogger]

Book Review of Ghachar Ghochar This 100-page novella represents a Sunday evening well-spent; curled up in bed with a glass (or two) of wine, a warm electric blanket, and a puppy beside me.

#ghachar ghochar #india #vivek shanbhag #wealth

[somerabbitholes]

Hi! I’d love to read more books from India. Maybe some classics, but more recent stuff too. Do you have any recommendations? As for genres I enjoy lit fic the most. I hope you have a good weekend ✨

hi! thank you, i hope you had a nice weekend too. here you go —

cocoon by bhalchandra nemade (trans. sudhakar marathe): coming-of-age story; follows a 21 y/o coming to terms with moving to a new city, dealing with disillusionment both at home and as a student; kind of stream of consciousness like; it’s a particular favourite

the shadow lines by amitav ghosh: set in the 1960s, explores how world wars, partition, independence, and decolonization affects his family and the people around him

the hungry tide by amitav ghosh: about a marine biologist studying the sunderbans; also explores the tension between development and ecology and the human-environment conflict; really good environmental fiction

a fine balance by rohinton mistry: about four people brought together during and by the emergency (1975) in mumbai; their friendship and what it means for either of them

kanthapura by raja rao: about how satyagraha comes to a south indian village, how people receive it; about the popular memory and myth of gandhi; a little dense while reading and not everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s something to be said with how it mixes public memory with storytelling

baluta by daya pawar (trans. jerry pinto): pawar’s memoir of being ‘untouchable’ in mumbai, living in the city’s underbelly; very raw, and it’s a good translation

midnight’s children by salman rushdie: follows the life of salim, who’s born at the stroke of midnight on august 15, 1947 and is now telepathically linked with other ‘midnight’s children’; mixes magical realism with historical fiction to explore the changes taking place after independence

untouchable by mulk raj anand: about a sweeper’s son, bakha, working to come to terms with his reality and living a life in the caste role he’s born into

here’s some more recent stuff —

maharani by ruskin bond: about the queen of no-longer kingdom near mussoorie; how she and her family cope with no longer being royalty in a democratic republic

also literally anything by ruskin bond. especially check out the room on the roof, a flight of pigeons, the blue umbrella

the lives of others by neel mukherjee: if you like generational novels about families, this is for you; about how this bengali family in kolkata copes with partition, the naxal movement, and everything else happening in bengal and india in the 1960s and 1970s 

em and the big hoom by jerry pinto: follows a goan catholic family in mumbai as they deal with the mother’s mental illness; very tender, also jerry pinto is great

the adivasi will not dance by hansda sowvendra shekhar: a collection of stories set in marginal jharkhand

serious men by manu joseph: about ayyan mali, who weaves stories for his son in mumbai’s slums; explores ambition and ego and how peripheral lives navigate socio-economic settings

ghachar ghochar by vivek shanbag (trans. srinath perur): a rags-to-riches story of a kannada family; how the sudden presence of money tears the family apart; it’s a short book, worth a day’s read  

cobalt blue by sachin kundalkar (trans. jerry pinto): about two siblings who fall in love with the same boy; traces both their relationship with the boy and the subsequent impact on their family

name place animal thing by daribha lyndem: explores different lives set in shillong as they deal with politically charged social settings 

and if you’re interested in historical fiction, check this list.

i hope you find something you like!

#booklr #anonymous #book recs #india #desi academia #desiblr

[grandcrusadenightmare]

the girls are reading!!?

#whys everyone on goodreads its 1am on a tuesday night... #am i missing something?? #i want to browse for good creative writing books and add Ghachar Ghochar to my reading list #mine

[extractandrecite]

“Language communicates in terms of what is already known; it chokes up when asked to deal with the entirely unprecedented.”

— Vivek Shanbhag, Ghachar Ghochar

#quote #literature #lit #quotes #Vivek Shanbhag #Ghachar Ghochar #book quote #book quotes #cita #citação #Karnataka author #Karnataka literature #Kannada literature

[stickylittleleaves]

books I read/movies I watched/albums I listened to in full for the first time in 2021 that I rated 4 or more stars on various reviewing sites

BOOKS

Measure for Measure - William Shakespeare (1604?)

Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier (1938)

Nothing Personal - James Baldwin (1964)

Orientalism - Edward Said (1978)

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories - Angela Carter (1979)

The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory - Marilyn Frye (1983)

The Buddha of Suburbia - Hanif Kureishi (1990)

Marx: A Very Short Introduction - Peter Singer (2001)

Ghachar Ghochar - Vivek Shanbhag (2013)

Through the Woods - Emily Carroll (2014)

Megahex - Simon Hanselmann (2014)

Capitalism: A Ghost Story - Arundhati Roy (2014)

What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky - Lesley Nneka Arimah (2017)

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death - Caitlin Doughty (2017)

The Refugees - Viet Thanh Nguyen (2017)

Heavy - Kiese Laymon (2018)

In the Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado (2019)

A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution - Jeremy D. Popkin (2019)

Piranesi - Susanna Clarke (2020)

Prosper’s Demon - K.J. Parker (2020)

The Only Good Indians - Stephen Graham Jones (2020)

Intimations - Zadie Smith (2020)

Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul? - Jesse McCarthy (2021)

MOVIES

Rebecca - Alfred Hitchcock (1940)

The Red Shoes - Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger (1948)

Dog Day Afternoon - Sidney Lumet (1975)

Mephisto - István Szabó (1981)

Castle in the Sky - Hayao Miyazaki (1986)

Kiki’s Delivery Service - Hayao Miyazaki (1989)

Candyman - Bernard Rose (1992)

Poetic Justice - John Singleton (1993)

Chungking Express - Wong Kar-wai (1994)

Fallen Angels- Wong Kar-wai (1995)

Happy Together - Wong Kar-wai (1997)

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night - Ana Lily Amirpour (2014)

The Love Witch - Anna Biller (2016)

Train to Busan - Yeon Sang-ho (2016)

Get Out - Jordan Peele (2017)

Sorry to Bother You - Boots Riley (2018)

ALBUMS

Little Girl Blue - Nina Simone (1959)

Aretha Now - Aretha Franklin (1968)

Lady Soul - Aretha Franklin (1968)

First Utterance - Comus (1971)

Maggot Brain - Funkadelic (1971)

What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye (1971)

There’s a Riot Goin’ On - Sly & The Family Stone (1971)

Fresh - Sly & The Family Stone (1973)

Low - David Bowie (1977)

Remain in Light - Talking Heads (1980)

Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen (1982)

Hi How Are You - Daniel Johnston (1983)

Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution (1984)

Hounds of Love - Kate Bush (1985)

Follow the Leader - Eric B. & Rakim (1988)

Pretty Hate Machine - Nine Inch Nails (1989)

Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (1991)

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - Wu-Tang Clan (1993)

Ready to Die - The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)

Brown Sugar - D’Angelo (1995)

Me Against the World - 2Pac (1995)

Baduizm - Erykah Badu (1997)

Homegenic - Björk (1997)

Either/Or - Elliott Smith (1997)

When the Pawn - Fiona Apple (1999)

Voodoo - D’Angelo (2000)

Kid A - Radiohead (2000)

Who Is Jill Scott? - Jill Scott (2000)

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (2005)

Donuts - J Dilla (2006)

The Eraser - Thom Yorke (2006)

Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem (2007)

Deathconsciousness - Have a Nice Life (2008)

This Is Happening - LCD Soundsystem (2010)

undun - The Roots (2011)

Moon Money - Hot Sugar (2012)

You Won’t Get What You Want - Daughters (2018)

Ordinary Corrupt Human Love - Deafheaven (2018)

ANIMA - Thom Yorke (2019)

I Disagree - Poppy (2020)

What’s Your Pleasure - Jessie Ware (2020)

Infinite Granite - Deafheaven (2021)

King’s Disease II - Nas (2021)

The Turning Wheel - Spellling (2021)

A Beginner’s Mind - Sufjan Stevens & Angelo de Augustine (2021)

might have missed a few because I wasn’t on Letterboxd for the first month or two of the year and didn’t join RYM till like October

#maybe some of you nerds will care about this #if not it's fine lol #books #movies #music #long post

[wherestoriescomefrom]

I read a lot of really good books from India (and South Asia, generally) in the last year or so, and since they won't get as much attention outside of India, I figured I'd make a list:

[This is an eclectic list which mainly caters to my taste. If you want specific readers on anything particular to Indian political problems, please send me an ask and I'll direct you to readers to the best of my abilities. Please don't take this list as a complete representation of South Asian writing.]

1. Prem Kabootar by Manav Kaul. These are a bunch of short stories written in Hindi - I think there's a translation available, called A Night in the Hills. I was originally drawn to these because I watched a really excellent production at the Shri Ram Centre (this is pre-covid times) of one of the stories, and I decided more recently to read the rest.

2. Ishq Mein Sheher Hona by Ravish Kumar. This is in the same vein as the first one, and again, there's a translation available called The City Happens in Love. I believe it's translated by Akhil Katyal, so I trust it's a good one. This is more of a series of vignettes of people who fall in love in Delhi, and given how much I love Delhi, this one hit me very strongly.

3. When the River Sleeps by Easterine Kire. This book would be a little hard to get into if you're not an Indian reader. The idiom of the writing is different, the rhythm is different - and it's very clear that Kire isn't even catering to Indian mainlanders, let alone people out of India. It's set in Nagaland, a questing story about a man who has to wrench something from the heart of the river. It's laden with magic and history and I really think the author was trying to make you see how wonderful living there is?

4. Bhaunri by Anukriti Upadhyay. I cannot overstate how wonderful this book is. It's set in Rajasthan, deep in the desert, and it's got this dark... edge to it. The heroine marries this man and loves him with all her heart and I cannot actually talk about how the book moves, because it is A Lot.

5. Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbagh. I know this book misses on some crucial aspects of poverty, such as caste - but it's got such a fascinating picture of family resentments and angers of middle class India. Cannot recommend this enough.

6. Black Hill by Mamang Dai. Okay so this is one of those books in which white men arrive on a land and instinctively your heart sinks because you already know where this story is going. But!! Mamang Dai is really looking at the colonisation that took place in the North East, and even more specifically she's looking at Arunachal. There's a lot less looks into that as compared to the extensive detailing of colonisation in the mainland. It's a lovely book laden with history and that instantaneous foreboding you get when you watch a white man arrive.

7. Those Pricey Thakur Girls and The House That BJ Built by Anuja Chauhan. Okay those were some very intense recommendations, but I promise these two are just cute romances. Both have noncommittal men being completely blown away by firecracker women. Plus it's a multigenerational book series, I love it. I know Chauhan has problems with caste in how much she centres her Rajput pride, but I really love these books.

8. In Now and Then by Revathi Suresh. I was conflicted about adding this, because it is very.................. intense. It's got all this messiness of growing up, with a heroine that's not very likeable (also someone who is definitely uppercaste). I should add that this is the second of a series - Jobless, Clueless, Reckless came first. That one feels like the better book, but this transition is really interesting as well. Oh - trigger warning for suicide. I know that spoils some things, and it's not in the way you expect, but it came out of nowhere for me, so...

9. Power and Print by Anindita Ghosh. This is probably the only nonfiction recommendation in this list, but it's a pretty good book! It's dated and limited to Bengal, but there's very few print histories in India so I enjoyed it.

10. There's Gunpowder in the Air by Manoranjan Byapari. This is a translated text again, the original is in Bengali. It's a jailbreak story that deals with naxalite activists, and I can't emphasise how well written it is. Byapari is also a dalit representative in the current TMC government, which makes his politics even more interesting. I really enjoyed this book, I can't get enough of it.

I read a bunch of bad novels as well, but like I'm going to tell you guys about those. Suffice to say that you should stay away from Once Upon a Curfew by Srishti Chaudhury, and I didn't enjoy Shabnam Minwalla.

#i just want people to gush over some of these books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #especially black hill and bhaunri. iconic writing #recommendations #hello void this is ridiculosity #book recommendations #south asian writing #indian writing #indian literature #booklr #i talk about books for the hundredth time like its a new thing

[suvarnarekha]

bestie, some indian book recs?

sure anon!

the last queen by chitra banerjee devakaruni

chanakya's chant by ashwin sanghi

the harappa triology by vinit bajpai

beneath an Indian sky by renita d'silva

night train at deoli by ruskin bond

the glass palace by amit ghosh

ghachar ghochar by vivek shanbag

the train to pakistan by khushwant singh

the namesake by jhumpa lahiri

delhi is not far by ruskin bond

one arranged murder by chetan bhagat

the krishna key by ashwin sanghi

the meluha triology by amish tripathi

mahabharata by c rajagopalachari

bhabra (a wattpad book by TripuWrites; available for free)

the dark room by r k narayan

midnight's children by salman rushdi

the fisher queen's dynasty by kavita kane

#these are pretty much all the top tier indian books i can recommend #hope it was helpful! #a-naam vykati

[favbookshelf]

#BookRecommendations

Best Short Books (Under 200 Pages)

1. A City Happens in Love by Ravish Kumar

2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

3. Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond

4. Dollar Bahu by Sudha Murty

5. Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag

More Recommendations 👇

#bookish #book lover #bookish post #book blog #book recommendations #reading #books