Password and Other Stories

Password and other stories is a collection of 19 stories by Appadurai Muttulingam, translated from Tamil by S.Thillainayagam. The collection begins with 'The Black Squirrel', the story of an illegal Sri Lankan immigrant in Canada who works for a company that offers cleaning services. He who ensures that dust doesn't exist is almost non-existent for his white employer.

A man who talks to the walls to save his language from dying, a young, Tamil Eelam woman fighter who loves photography and birds, a man who works his way up from a scooter company's low-level employee to a star in national politics appear in stories here that portray human emotions & predicament with sensitivity. Humor and minor twists makes these stories less dramatic & more nimble. 

The author, from Sri Lanka, a citizen of Canada, has worked in many countries for the World Bank and the UN. His wide world view reflects as he flits from Canada to Kenya to Sri Lanka and discusses The Holocaust & Rwandan Genocide with an equal aplomb in his stories. 

How immigrants scrape through a myriad problems to eke out a living in foreign lands is an important subject. While he shows how different we are on the basis of race, religion, traditions etc, in fleeing violence and persecution, he highlights the common thread that many of us share. 

His love for Tamil & his homeland stands out as the Sri Lankan civil war is a neatly embedded motif in his stories. The mention of Mankulam in 'Friday Nights' reminded me of Mani Ratnam's movie Kannathil Muthamittal (movies like this are not made any more).

The titular story is a beautiful and warm depiction of the bond between a grandchild-grandparent. Another favorite is 'Fermented Dosai' that details the life story a Holocaust survivor, an old woman in her 80s who cooks with passion, with a vengeance to offset all that she has lost in her youth. 

Password and other stories may be slow or even uneven in its attempt to impress us readers but it has clear moments where it dazzles. I enjoyed reading this collection!

Who's Afraid of a Giant Wheel?

 

Noorie, the protagonist of Who's Afraid of a Giant Wheel by Zainab Sulaiman, replies 'I want to have a happy family when I grow up' when her classmate Seema questions her what she wants to become when she grows up. Seema, who's clear she wants to become a doctor, is puzzled at Noorie's answer but Noorie really doesn't have an alternate/better one.

Noorie bosses around in school, has happiest times with her best friend Amy, is unsure if Seema is a good friend even though she is really helpful. At home, Noorie is her maternal grandmother's pet and gets easily annoyed by her younger sister Nida (though she adores her too). She is a meek, 'forever at your service' playmate to her neighbor Tina.

In about 120 pages, the how and why behind Noorie's thoughts and actions unfolds slowly, gathering momentum and coming together well in the last four chapters.

From my experiences (own,observed  & borrowed), I feel a child's ability to make friends, at least in the early/school years, depends largely on the child's relationship with his/her parents and the equation parents share between themselves. Like all first lessons, that trust and mutual respect are essential in any relationship is also learnt at home.

When Noorie goes on a giant wheel for the first time, she feels nervous. Her stomach rushes up to her throat every time she goes down; a sudden gush of air hits her with a beautiful sight of the world below as she goes up. Noorie slowly gets used to the ride and feels only excitement. Zainab Sulaiman picks up the experience of this ubiquitous amusement park ride and depicts beautifully what 'life' is for all of us - one where change is inevitable, letting go is essential and sad/ bad days are interspersed with hopeful and happy days.

On the surface and for young readers, Who's Afraid of a Giant Wheel would work like a slice-of-life story of a young class 4 girl. But for grown-ups, the underlying messages are many and important. Enjoyed reading it!!