Taatung Tatung

 

Taatung Tatung and Other Amazing Stories of India's Diverse Languages by Vaishali Shroff works like a porthole offering a view of the vast sea of languages from across the length and breadth of India. A slim work of nonfiction, it's rendered as a set of stories; stories of how languages and scripts were born, how they grew/changed/evolved over time, how some managed to thrive while others disappeared. Here, we have stories of languages that stay undeciphered, and even hidden from us till day. The linguistic journey is made wholesome and wonderful by treating languages like living entities.

From the time of Indus valley civilization, pre Neolithic era, Bhimbetka cave shelters to contemporary language movements that strove to get a certain language its due recognition, these stories are well organized, easy to read and assimilate and immensely insightful.

The book is not only an ode to languages but also to language activists and conservationists, reformers and epigraphists - James Prinsep, Potti Sriramulu, Meher Marfatia, Sooni Taraporewala, Elder Boa Sr, Mohammad Abul Kashem, Anvita Abbi, Palash Kumar Nath, Ganesh Devy, Shubhranshu Choudhary, Anand Singh Thapa …the list goes on. Their painstaking efforts that ensured languages thrived, that saved many endangered languages from perishing silently are elaborated in a lucid fashion. Since language is an integral element of a community's identity, history and politics are also interwoven into the account.

Though the book is meant for young readers (probably 13-14 yrs+ can read and absorb on their own), it astounds us grown ups with a wealth of information.  Reading this book along with your child would be an ideal way to relish it, one that allows lot of discussion and some Google search. 

I cannot sideline an error I noticed on page 65 (in the chapter titled A French Riviera In India) which states Malayalam as official language in Yanam and Telugu as official language in Mahe, it should have been vice-versa. 

Conclusion:

'Languages make us human', and it is also true how symbiotically languages have always required sustained effort and patronage from us humans (of kings or official bodies/ governments) to survive and flourish. As we read, a clear understanding emerges on how language is a potent force in binding people, how it has stirred many peaceful protests and bloody rebellions, and how linguistic apartheid is 'real' !

The bibliography offers scope for lateral reading. The choice of the title and even color of the cover reveal immense care taken by the author in crafting this work. 

'Every language has a story, and every story has a language' - dip into this book that has languages as its chief characters, you will walk out with a little more love for your mother tongue and more pride for the country's linguistic diversity, it's lovely!

An Order from the Sky and other stories

Vasantha Surya, the translator of the book in her introduction quotes a journalist - 'Write what you see, not what you want to see' and Imayam, the author, does the same in this collection of 11 stories.  

A man cajoles, coaxes and even threatens his family deity into giving him an auspicious, go-ahead signal before embarking on an important assignment. You need to read the titular story (also the first one) to know what this important assignment is. 

The translator's prowess comes out clean in 'Bus to Aaladi' that depicts ruckus in a mofussil bus - reeking of sweat, booze and tobacco smell, women quarreling over seat, men casually rubbing their bodies against women feigning innocence and blaming the rush and a conductor chanting 'Ticket, ticket', ignorant of the hell that the packed bus is. 

Imayam writes with a stunning sensitivity on women's issues in stories Payback Time, Sharada, Yearning, Bus to Aaladi. That there is no place for the aged in the society, that irrational faith in God is of no use, that growth and development is squashing up the backbone of the nation - agriculture are other subjects dealt with in these stories. 

That two stories here revolve around politics isn't surprising as Imayam says, 'If you reject politics, you distance yourself from society'. He is a registered member of the DMK party but doesn't hold any party position. Cash for votes, money over merit to get a ticket to contest in elections, the vital role caste plays in politics are examined deftly in 'One of Ours' and 'A Man of the Party'. 

Grounded in reality, mostly set in and around Vriddhachalam, Tamil Nadu, Imayam's stories are neither polemic nor preachy in tone. A minor quibble is that the short story could have remained 'short', repetition as a tool to emphasize one's observations makes some of these stories overly dramatic and lengthy.

I remember reading the line 'to put yourself in someone else's shoes, you need to remove yours first' at a metro station here, and Imayam's stories in this collection ensure we do the first step, observe without judging, be kind, sincere and empathetic. 

A true to life collection !!

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!!

Dakshin - South Indian Myths and Fables Retold

 

Aren't folktales like rivers, crossing the barriers of borders and languages, flowing for years down generations? As a spring in the mountains, gushing down gorges, cascading down cliffs, flowing steadily and nurturing life, eventually draining into the wide sea; at times swelling in a blinding rage, and at others meekly vanishing into a thin stream, a river assumes many forms, quite like a folktale that comes in different versions. For instance, 'The Tale of the Singing Drum' from the Pattole Palame compilation (Kodava folklore) in this book loosely reminded me of the tale of Tejimola (from Assam).

The similarity between rivers & folktales struck me as I read the last story 'The Sage and the River'. It's not just a tale of Sage Agastya and the River Kaveri but a testimony to the valour of Kodava women (Kodava is the language spoken in Coorg & name of community too), also one that explains why Kodava women drape their saree in a unique way.

Why do Kodava men carry Piche Kaththi (an ornate sheathed knife with a crescent moon mark) during traditional ceremonies? 

What does their war cry 'Iggi Bokki' mean? 

Why is the Varaha (wild boar incarnation of Vishnu) revered in many places in Western ghats? Other than simple life lessons that folktales offer, it's interesting how they tell us the how, why and what kindling our imagination, in a way so unlike chunky encyclopedias.

Dakshin, a collection of 15 folktales, feels wholesome for the regions and languages it represents. Tales translated from Badaga (language & community in Nilgiris), Tamil (set in Kongunadu), Malayalam and one from Telugu (Tale of Bala Nagamma & Evil Sorcerer that has inspired movies) apart from many tales set in Karnataka feature here. Though the author clearly focuses on folklore from Coorg (from where he hails), he stretches the book's coverage by including a tale from Odisha (from Munda community). 

In storytelling that is lucid and engaging, Dakshin - South Indian Myths and Fables Retold is every bit enjoyable. One aspect that clearly stood out for me in the book is how the author has included a story (consisting of three stories - The Tale of the Jungle River) narrated by his primary school teacher. My love for reading and stories is largely due to me middle school English teacher, I cannot thank her enough. The stories are adequately supported by Pari Satarkar's lovely illustrations. The beautiful cover design is by Isha Nagar. 

For children and for 'hungry-for-stories child' alive in us grown ups, Dakshin by MP Nitin Kushalappa is a very beautiful treat.