Jhumpa's Jhal,Talk & Misti

A random reader like me,who at any point of time reads four to five books simultaneously in either/both of the languages-Bangla & English-has often wondered if,how and when a bridge can be built between the fiction writing trend of the two languages .A bridge that can encapsulate to the wider world the natural thought process of the Bengali middle class in terms of its emotions,anxieties,broodings ,impatience and other subtleties that give shape to the the same.The bridge which can showcase to the readers a wider canvas,broader context of Bengali life where Kolkata is a "part and parcel" but not "all in all". It seems Jhumpa Lahiri,to a large,extent has built that bridge in her latest book "The Low land". The narrative,the build up of the characters all point towards her deep understanding of the environment in which she has let her characters to move around.That she understands the basic psyche of the proponents which forms the fulcrum of the novel and the description of the locations-Kolkata ,Rhode Island-which provides the flow to the narration can be gauged from the mention of books which she referred to as "essential to her understanding of the Naxalite movement".That is the only inputs she required to write the book,the understanding of the theory.Post that she has built up the story,intermingling the theoretic input with her "experiencial learnings".That shows in the smooth fluidity with which the narration flows.

The book begins with a description of Kolkata,especially the stretch of Kolkata that is called Tollygunge.The decription is vivid,those who have seen that area can just close their eyes and recreate the same as if a part of a guided tour.The facts are thrown in as a simple input-not trying to create a romanticism surrounding the same-like how the Tolly Club was created.It is here on the lowlands of Kolkata that the story begins.The story of two middle class Bengali brothers-Subhash and Udayan.One,a good boy (bhalo chele) who is ready to conform to the parent's wishes(Baba-mayer baddho) and the other an adventorous one(danpite chele).And an apparently simple but actually complex relationship between the two.The relationship which more or less typifies any similar relationship amongst brothers who have grown up in the same social setup.Except for the extremities that creeped into the Kolkata society around that period.The "disruptive" Naxalite movement which threw the middle class bengalis "off the balance".Coming after a sequence of historical disruptions that was impacting the Bengali psyche-the division of Bengal,the loss of national leadership,the partition of India and the replacement of British capitalism with Marwari capitalism and the impending crisis in EaSt Pakistan leading to the birth of Bangladesh-the Naxalite movement led to the extinction of almost an entire generation of the Bengali youth intellegentia.The impact of which,many say,is visible till date as reflected in the decay of Kolkata and the dearth of Bengali presence in almost every sphere of the Country's leadership. The rebel Udayan got drageed into the teachings of Kanu and Charu-Kanu Sanyal & Charu Mazumdar,the duo who launched the movement in Naxalbari-the poor village which gave a new -ism to the world but remained as poverty laden as it was when it sparked the fire.The good Subhash went to the States to undertake "higher studies".The separation of ways was aptly used by Jhumpa to show the real complexity in the brotherhood relation through Udayan's letter to his brother“The days are dull without you. And though I refuse to forgive you for not supporting a movement that will only improve the lives of millions of people.."

But the story takes a turn after Udayan was killed in an " encounter" by the police.The event saw Subhash coming and finding the "pregnant wife" of his brother,a former comrade,an accomplice in his act oif murdering a "shreni shatru" the class enemy-a police constable-having an uneasy relationship with his parents.Udayan decided to marry her and take her away to the States. What follows thereafter is a a serene orchestration of human relationship interactions-between Subhash, the husband, Gauri,his wife and sister in law,Megha-his social daughter and biological niece and his dead brother -Udayan whose shadow continues to loom large throughout their life.The way the interactions between the characters brewed also reflects the role environment plays in shaping them.Had the character of Gauri stayed back in Kolkata,it would have been a story we read day in day out in Bangla "uponyases" ie the fictions that gets churned out in hundreds everymonth from the narrow bylanes of Kolkata.The difference in teaching methods,the points of gender equality or women emancipation was reflected through the characters of Gauri and her daughter as the narration moves from Rassa Road to Rhodes Island time again and again. "The Lowland" has showcased the story of a generation of Bengali middle class which became part of a movement with noble intentions but callous conceptualisation and muddled execution and its after effect .The movement's failure is also somehow mirrored by the main characters. Subhash's life-his noble intention of marrying and thereby giving Gauri a chance to "live and not just survive";Gauris's life-her attempt to run away from the past .It is a nice read for it is a well written novel with length,width and depth.