One of my recent earlier postings was on 'Atchaya Trithiai'. One of my friends and a regular commentator on my views has questioned about the recent book that i bought on the occasion of 'Atchaya Trithiai'. Since the last of the atchaya trithiai came on a Sunday, i was unable to buy any books. A couple of days ago i visited a book shop in Madurai and picked out a non-fiction, travelogue, documentary in words kind of book by a Scottish writer. He has settled in New Delhi and is known for his number of books on Indian life-style, on Mughals. He is also a presenter of documentaries. His name is William Dalrymple. His recent book is NINE LIVES. I have seen his travel documentaries a lot. In fact, in my last visit to one of the book shops, i was almost to buy his book on Mughals, but withdrew from it as it was quite voluminous and at that time i was not in a mood to read big books. I was very wrong in not choosing that book since the book i bought, NINE LIVES, has proved to be a remarkable one, both in content and language.
The book contains nine articles written on nine personalities that he met with in India. According to him the idea of the book came to him some sixteen years ago, when he was in Gangothri, on his way to Kedarnath. There he met a 'Naga' Sadhu. The sadhus do not have any material possession and roam naked in holy places. However, this one happened to be an MBA graduate with a lot of experience in marketing, who all of a sudden left his job and relinquished his possessions and became a Naga sadhu. This struck the writer on the position of austere practices of religion and their survival in the modern, scientific India. Sixteen years of his travel all over India has given him enough food to think of a book that to an extent tries to answer some of the questions on the existence of some bigotry.
The second story is named 'The Dancer of Kannur'. It is on Hari Das, a Dalit Theyyam performer. Theyyam is a dance like Kathakali performed with the goat-hide 'Chenda' Melam. The dance form is popular only in the northern parts of Kerala, in the districts of Kasargodu and Kannur. The word is derived from 'Deivam' (God) and one of the popular theyyams is the 'Pottan Theyyam'. The themes of the most theyyams are on the treatment of Dalits by the upper caste Namboodris and Nayars, and they deal with the stories of all gods and goddesses. The 'Pottan Devam or theyyam' is about the episode that happened in the life of Adi Sankara as Lord Shiva wanted to test his true relinquishment. According to Dalrymple, the theyyams are used to target the ruling sect and are considered as a vehicle for the oppressed to channelise their anger. The theyyam season is from December to February every year. Hari Das works as well-builder on week days and a prison matron on week ends and devotes the three months for Theyyam performance. He feels very proud to be a theyyam performer as even the upper caste hindus consider the theyyam performers as incarnations of God and prostrate before them. After the performance the gods talk to people and listen to their grievances and offer them help. It is one of the must-read books. I am yet to read five stories. May post on them once i have finished with them.
i read the piece on Sind,which is wonderful.As a foreigner,Dalrymple,has access to rural Sind and he has descibed the multi-cultural social fabric of Sind.I am not a fan of Dalyrimple but IN XANADU,his first book is good.THE FISH-EYED GODDESS is on Madurai and Tamilnadu.I t is dissapointing.CITY OF DJINNS,i am not sure about spelling,is about Delhi,very dissapointing.i have not read the book on Noghuls,but liked his article on revolt of 1857.read him first in 1994,when his first book came out.this latest one was snatched from my hands by a bombay friend and he phoned me and said it didnt suit him.there is a better writer,a scotsman,i forget his name,who writes wonderfully about India.Dalyrimple's English is racy and readable.It is like the sweet water of Tamiraparani or Sindhu.good that Bala keeps in touch with books,probably the only teacher who does so in my department.
ReplyDeleteThe article you are talking about probably is 'Red Saint', which is one of the best of the nine stories. In it he gives historical information on the spread of the most exacerbated followers of Islam: the Wahabis and how they came to threaten the existence of 'Zufi' culture and tombs and are very much a threat to the use of music as a form of worship in Islam.
ReplyDeleteya,Dalyrimple graphically describes the multi cultural nature of Sind.A woman from the other Bengal,settled in Sind in a Dargah is interviewed.It also deals with the still surviving-but severely under threat-Hindu culture in Sind.Unfortunately the copy is not with me.Pl read THE FISH EYED GODDESS.It is about Tnadu.
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