Of loss and longing

It would not be hyperbolic to deem The Lowland shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and nominated for the National Book Award as Jhumpa Lahirirsquos most ambitious book yet spanning two continents and four generations wherein lives are branded by one manrsquos political ambitions While the Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth established Lahiri as quite the unsurpassable storyteller of immigrant angst and The Namesake proved that the writer isnrsquot just excellent at the short story form it is in The Lowland where she dares to venture beyond Jhumpa Lahiri AFP Photo The book begins with brothers Subhash and Udayan Mitra sneaking into the tony Tolly Club in Calcutta The eponymous lowland nearby watches as the two born 15 months apart jump over its walls to play golf Subhash and Udayan have dissimilar personalities but are joined in more ways than they know Udayan is restless and rebellious Subhash the elder one is more conventional Udayan is ldquoblind to selfconstraints like an animal incapable of perceiving certain colours But Subhash strove to minimise his existence as other animals merged with bark or blades of grassrdquo The Lowland Jhumpa Lahiri Published by Random House India Price Rs 499 The siblings share a palpable intimacy Subhash in spite of the being the elder one has ldquono sense of himself without Udayanrdquo But there are other emotions at play too at least on Subhashrsquos part a fleeting but steady gnaw of frustration at his brotherrsquos daring when he jumps over the wall and later marries an equally unconventional cerebral girl against their parentsrsquo wishes The brothers grow up in the bustling Calcutta and eventually pursue different vocations in the day but at night in the small room they share Subhash and Udayan are inseparable It is Udayan who is hungry for more more news of the world and more views Subhash is not all he wants is to blend into his surroundings Meanwhile news of manipulated peasants in Naxalbari begins to surface and life is not the same for the Mitra family Subhash keeps his distance from the radical movement but Udayan is deeply affected and resolves to no longer remain passive to government apathy Subhash moves to Rhode Island to complete his PhD a move unimaginable and almost despicable to Udayan who stays back He soon marries Gauri a Philosophy student who ldquoprefers books to jewels and sarisrdquo and thinks like he does Almost Subhash returns to India after hearing of Udayanrsquos death In a characteristically altruistic move he decides to marry Gauri who is pregnant He realises that his parents will never fully accept her as Udayanrsquos partner For Gauri the escape from Udayanrsquos secret and an unforeseeable future seems worth flouting convention Here the novel moves away from the Indian political movement to what Lahiri is best at immigrant narratives of all things lost and found Subhash a dutiful caring husband patiently to tries to build new ties with Gauri who initially gives in just because she is tired of the air of anticipation She takes Philosophy classes at Subhashrsquos university Normalcy and domesticity seems to be around the corner when Bela her daughter is born Only this time it is not just Udayanrsquos memories which make Gauri unreachable it is a sense of alienation from everything and everyone around her Gauri begins to envision a life which doesnrsquot involve Subhash or even Bela and eventually acts on her impulses Ties are broken and others forged and life doesnrsquot grant Subhash the normalcy he seeks The Lowland has merits yoursquod expect from the writer who deftly writes about feelings of displacement restlessness and temporary succour in foreign lands It is not without reason that Lahiri is hailed as a significant writer of immigrant narratives her stories on what binds and breaks families are taut cognitive and never sentimental When it comes to meticulous detail Lahiri has been as successful as ever one is present even in the small room in Calcutta when Udayan and Subhash grow up assemble a shortwave radio and strengthen bonds which will be broken but never forgotten Their lives much like the bookrsquos motif the lowland are placid before they are ravaged by time something Lahiri juxtaposes poignantly in this book But The Lowland has its wobbly moments too The interplay between a searing political movement and its impact on innocent lives is historically and chronologically sound but in some parts lacks the delicate play between the political and personal which Arundhati Royrsquos The God Of Small Things managed to portray more wrenchingly for instance Gauri unarguably the bookrsquos most interesting complex character is beautifully introduced and woven in but only to remain somewhat inexplicably detached later The reader understands her past demons and present ennui but not all her decisions The part of the book where Bela grows up and Subhash struggles to reach out seem rushed and laboured It is zealous but is The Lowland Lahirirsquos best work so far That is debatable given the bar she has set for herself with Unaccustomed Earth and The Namesake This book maintains status quo Lahirirsquos minimalist prose is as vivid as ever her attention to detail just as unwavering The Lowland does offers its highs and the reader will get exactly what she expects New releases The One Thing You want fewer distractions and less on your plate The daily barrage of emails texts tweets messages and meetings distractyou and stress you out But at the same time you also want more productivity from work more income for a better lifestyle You also want more time for yourself and your family The authors claim to tell the reader how one could cut through the clutter and see better results Bollywood Nation The book charts the evolution of Indian cinema from its mythological films in the early 20th century to its worldclass gangster and terrorist melodramas of today In doing so the book investigates why and how our films have become so deeply embedded inthe nationrsquos popular imagination Give And Take The author claims that contrary to the popular notion that people who give without expecting anything in return are at the risk of being exploited the truth is that they are often the most successful in any field Filled with surprising success stories from history to Hollywood the book tries to demolish the lsquome firstrsquo approach and presents one which involves team spirit u00a0