Published by Zubaan-Penguin Books (290 pages)
Firdaus Ansari, Aman Moondy, Sophie Das are dkhars (foreigners/non-tribal persons) in Shillong, though it is the only place they've lived in all their lives. Their personal accounts form Lunatic In My Head, a novel about life in Shillong, the invisible line between Khasis and migrants and among others about conflicts external and within.
Firdaus, an English lecturer in her thirties, is trying to focus on her M.Phil thesis on Jane Austen, to break up with her boyfriend Ibomcha who seems to be worlds away. His is a world of deals, Manipur, business, his mother, and his boys. Hers is one of loneliness, she lost her parents in a train accident as an adolescent and now lives with her grandfather.
Firdaus Ansari, Aman Moondy, Sophie Das are dkhars (foreigners/non-tribal persons) in Shillong, though it is the only place they've lived in all their lives. Their personal accounts form Lunatic In My Head, a novel about life in Shillong, the invisible line between Khasis and migrants and among others about conflicts external and within.
Aman Moondy, a 23 year old is preparing for his second at with the IAS exams, terrified about his future, holding on to the IAS which he now thinks is his only hope to get out of Shillong. Pink Floyd is the only thing he is clear about, what he really gets. Like many of his friends. He writes to Roger Waters regularly about his opinions of the band's albums, about his dreams - that are very alike the world in Pink Floyd songs- which he thinks Waters would understand.
Eight year old Sophie Das knows that she and her parents are very different, odd from the rest of the world. The only way she can go about with things is by making up lies for everything. She decides that she is adopted and can't wait to get to her real parents. She reads voraciously, she looks out of the kitchen window to a white house nestled in the hills, which is Anna's. Anna is her favorite character in a novel she's recently read, Anna - who Sophie wishes to be.
The novel constantly shuttles between these three main characters, each chapter has three sub-parts. It is through up-close encounters with them that we get different perspectives of life in Shillong, of life in a small town, of the common vein that runs through people who are dkhars but know no other place that could be home and about Khasis. The story has a rich cast of other characters too, a refreshing cast I should add. The climate of this hill station (like that of many others) also weighs down on its inhabitants, it's cold, rains incessantly. People are lazy, inactive, sometimes cooped in their houses for days and are waiting for something to happen. Sometimes waiting to get out of this small town, at the same time fearing a large city and its complicated ways, but always loving Shillong and missing it even when they aren't away.
Firdaus's constant indecisiveness about her relationship, her despair, Sophie's need to create dreamy versions of her life to spice it up for herself more than to attract attention, Aman's panic and depression while preparing for exams, his confidence while organizing the Happening are all realistic. As in, it's all written in just the way it would unfold, no drama, simply persuasive. Particularly liked the portrayal of bird's eye view of Shillong and the closing lines. The narrative is absolutely one that will stand out in my memory.
The story is hemmed in by literature (Firdaus, college setting, English lecturers), rock music (Aman and his friends are obsessed with it, to state it mildly). The latter is a steady undercurrent in Aman's world, references to Pink Floyd are aplenty. The title itself is taken from Brain Damage (The Dark Side of the Moon). Familiarity (read a shared devotion) with Floyd, I think, will definitely add clarity to Aman's story. I've listened to few songs by Pink Floyd (The Wall, Pulse mainly) and have only heard (as Aman would put it) some others and had to be satisfied with identifying thoughts like 'Goodbye, Blue Skies', 'Who needs information'. Only after reading this book did I come to know that Shillong is a self proclaimed rock music capital of India, also ran into this interesting article on the same in NY Times.
Anjum Hasan grew up in Shillong, so this is an insider's view of life in Shillong and a special one because little is known in general about North East India apart from the frequent reports of clashes, violence, border issues. Funny, serious, reflective, this book made for a spontaneous-read.
Quotes
Firdaus's constant indecisiveness about her relationship, her despair, Sophie's need to create dreamy versions of her life to spice it up for herself more than to attract attention, Aman's panic and depression while preparing for exams, his confidence while organizing the Happening are all realistic. As in, it's all written in just the way it would unfold, no drama, simply persuasive. Particularly liked the portrayal of bird's eye view of Shillong and the closing lines. The narrative is absolutely one that will stand out in my memory.
The story is hemmed in by literature (Firdaus, college setting, English lecturers), rock music (Aman and his friends are obsessed with it, to state it mildly). The latter is a steady undercurrent in Aman's world, references to Pink Floyd are aplenty. The title itself is taken from Brain Damage (The Dark Side of the Moon). Familiarity (read a shared devotion) with Floyd, I think, will definitely add clarity to Aman's story. I've listened to few songs by Pink Floyd (The Wall, Pulse mainly) and have only heard (as Aman would put it) some others and had to be satisfied with identifying thoughts like 'Goodbye, Blue Skies', 'Who needs information'. Only after reading this book did I come to know that Shillong is a self proclaimed rock music capital of India, also ran into this interesting article on the same in NY Times.
Anjum Hasan grew up in Shillong, so this is an insider's view of life in Shillong and a special one because little is known in general about North East India apart from the frequent reports of clashes, violence, border issues. Funny, serious, reflective, this book made for a spontaneous-read.
Quotes
If she could clearly articulate what she felt, if she could find the right words, if she could speak them forcefully into the world, she would be able to make an impress on reality.
Sophie took especial joy in her parents' happiness. A open-mouthed smile would break out on her face whenever her parents expressed delight about something, and, as if she were unconsiously contravening the rules about the function of smiling, Sophie's smile could last for long stretches of time..
She thought that the nicest thing, the nicest thing by far, even better than being adopted, would be if she could somehow turn into one of them, somehow become Khasi.
With one, tiny, still-unaffected corner of his mind Aman realised that he would not and could not bring any of his Floyd tapes with him. It would be unbearble, listening to them in a new place.
'Neti Neti' is a sequel to this book and is about a grown up Sophie Das working in Bangalore and it's on my TBR list!
Sophie took especial joy in her parents' happiness. A open-mouthed smile would break out on her face whenever her parents expressed delight about something, and, as if she were unconsiously contravening the rules about the function of smiling, Sophie's smile could last for long stretches of time..
She thought that the nicest thing, the nicest thing by far, even better than being adopted, would be if she could somehow turn into one of them, somehow become Khasi.
With one, tiny, still-unaffected corner of his mind Aman realised that he would not and could not bring any of his Floyd tapes with him. It would be unbearble, listening to them in a new place.
'Neti Neti' is a sequel to this book and is about a grown up Sophie Das working in Bangalore and it's on my TBR list!
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