To read but what to read? That’s the question!

(The Veiled Suit: The collected poems of Agha Shahid Ali)

This year has proved itself to be the Annus Mirablis for Indian literature with Geetanjli Shri's eloquently and masterfully written Hindi novella Ret Samadhi becoming the first book of any Indian language to win International Man Booker prize for it’s equally skillful and beautiful translation The Tomb of Sand by Daisy Rockwell. Yet a creeping feeling can’t be denied but felt that we have now firmly entered the “Age of mediocrity” where reading is looked down with a tired often apathetic gaze of bewildering boredom where only those books deemed worth reading which are sold with byline of this or that competitive exam.

This pathos of apathy towards reading culture is even more tragic in light of boons conferred on our generation by information revolution in form of easy availability of PDFs & EPUBS of all latest books available on internet. Gone are the days when you had to pay a hefty ransom to be a vociferous reader. However there are many amongst us eager to read or inculcate the habit of reading but are struck in the dilemma of where to start from and to help this very curious reader is prime purpose of penning this article.

In no way I claim that this list is exhaustive nor the best, but a humble compilation of splendid and profound works cutting across diverse genres and languages and ideologies of its authors in true Indian spirit of Samavesha or accommodation . Now coming back to the headline Hamlet question we began with, here are my suggestions -

1. Avarna – SL Bhyarapa

This mesmerizing and equally provocative book written by celebrated and best selling Kannada author SL Bhyarapa sold as much as it provoked intense debate among intellectuals and laymen alike regarding how wounds of past need to be healed. It tries to explore the story of girl rediscovering her mutilated roots in background of a violent clash of civilizations in past, impacts of which are still present on her psyche and her ways of coping with it.

(If the readers like it to their taste, they are much recommended to read his Vamsavruksha and his equally illustrious rival UR Ananthamurthy’s Samskara as well.)

2. Aughad – Nilotpal Mrinal

This Hindi novel by Yuva Sahitya Akademi award winning author Nioltapal Mrinal evocatively explores the rural scenario with chilling precision and enough emotions to make this novel a must read. In recent days when series such as Panchayat has become a hit among the youth for showcasing village life in its playful reality and deservingly so, this book provides a sobering view of our all familiar villages with all it’s grim dynamics.

3. The Great Indian Novel – Shashi Tharoor

This book, perhaps the finest and most brilliantly witty satire written in Indo-English has a big title but Shashi Tharoor makes it clear from the start that it’s in deference to “its primary source of inspiration” – The Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. In Sanskrit Maha means great and Bharata means India. Tharoor uses The Mahabharata as a framework for this satirical novel about the major Indian political events of the 20th century, from British colonial rule through to “the struggle for freedom and the triumphs and disappointments of Independence”.

4. God of small things – Arundhati Roy

This ambitious debut novel took the literary world by storm when it was published in 1997. Roy had previously been working as a screenwriter, actor and aerobics instructor but within months her book had sold all round the world and scooped the Booker Prize. Set in the southern state of Kerala, it relates the childhood experiences of twins Estha and Rahel, who see their world shaken irrevocably by the accidental death by drowning of their visiting English cousin. Lyrical, magical and beautifully written, it’s the compelling story of intertwining family lives, birth and death and love and loss.

5. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseni

A gripping and emotional story of betrayal and redemption, The Kite Runner had me thrilled and moved, both at the same time. It tells the story of Amir and Hassan, the closest of friends, as good as brothers, and also experts in the art of kite flying. The story as it proceeds unravels various yarns of the fabric of life in form of child’s yearning for his father’s love, his tryst with his on moral weakness and his crusade for that redemption all in the background of a horrendous war.

6. A fine balance – Rohinton Mistry

It is an astonishing work of suffering, death and degradation set in the background of emergency which nonetheless manages to leave grounds for hope amongst the many reasons for despair. The novel unfolds the story of their troubles, but A Fine Balance is no cataloguer of unrelieved grimness. Tragedies occur, as the author has warned us from the start, but they occur as part of a rich and varied spectacle, full of wisdom and laughter and the touches of the unexpectedly familiar through which literature illuminates life Despite the pain and despair the book describes, there is laughter and hope even in the last paragraph of this engaging and stirring novel.

7. The Mahatma, the Courtesan and the Italian Brahmin – Manu S Pillai

This wonderful book comprises of myriad collection of curiously intriguing, interestingly unheard and amazingly amusing stories and tales from unknown chapters of Indian history with an added bonus of striking monochromatic illustrations beautiful sketches included in the book. A must read for students of History as well as laypersons interested in looking for a kaleidoscopic vision of their history and heritage.

8. The Ocean of Churn – Sanjeev Sanyal

For good long time we have been accustomed to imagine India by only it’s peninsular stretch and ignore if not forget it’s other equally important features be it the hills or the ocean and their rich contribution to the development and propagation of our culture and heritage. Perhaps this is the first time someone had tried to explore India through the lens of it’s seas and oceans with a wonderful assortment of jaw dropping facts and anecdotes. The Indian Ocean needs to reclaim its place in our national imagination—as a rich source of our heritage, theatre of strategic interests, commercial prosperity and cultural exchange. I can think of no better contemporary introduction to our maritime heritage than this book.

9. India: A million mutinies – VS Naipual

This third and concluding book of Naipaul’s India Trilogy tells the story of a diverse nation in 9 chapters, highly recommendable for those who wish to explore the world under the reading lamp. The author of the book celebrates the vagaries of everyday life, how people continue to be victorious in spite of the chaos, untidiness and poverty. It is a travelogue analogy between the emancipation of millions and the Mutiny of 1857. The book is somewhat optimistic about the country and its people. The author leaves the reader with a hope in the concluding pages. It is a very optimistic book on India, an innovative way of telling India’s story from the eyes of the Indians.

10. 21 lessons for 21st century – Yuval Noah Harari

In his fascinating new book, Yuval Noah Harari creates a useful framework for confronting many fears and anxieties of our time and time to come. While his previous best sellers, “Sapiens” and “Homo Deus,” covered the past and future respectively, his new book is all about the present. The trick for putting an end to our anxieties, he suggests, is not to stop worrying. It’s to know which things to worry about, and how much to worry about them. As he writes in his introduction: “What are today’s greatest challenges and most important changes? What should we pay attention to? What should we teach our kids?” These are admittedly big questions, and this is a sweeping book. There are chapters on work, war, nationalism, religion, immigration, education, AI and 14 other weighty matters.

11. All who you sleep tonight – Vikram Seth

In this beautiful and slim book of poetry, Vikram Seth captivates the reader not by shocking and stunning but by gently easing the reader, that apart from the chaos of relations around him, apart from the burden of narrow identities and mundane desires, at the core he’s a human, A human not only capable but also deserving of love and wishing to return it, no matter what pain and anguish burning through his chest.

12. A country without post office – Agha Shahid Ali

Stone it would be not heart that wouldn’t be moved by this evocative, painful, sordid yet touching exposition of these tragic collection of poems around the themes of exile and homeland. Each poem in this heart wrenching collection begins with a equally poignant epigraph giving you a bitter sweet taste of it’s forthcoming melancholic muse.

In addition to these as a miscellaneous suggestion, our colleges are blessed to have immensely talented people in diverse form of arts and talents, who can read books particularly touching their passions. Such as those excelling in western instrumental music, can read Vikram Seth’s An equal music, those interested in theatre can look forward to Tughlaq penned by Girish Karnad, those eloquent in debating can find a must read in An Arguementative Indian by Amartya Sen and so on.

So fear not voyager, even if you encounter some difficulties at beginning do push forward till you start enjoying the Rasa of reading. And once you do develop a taste for it, believe me I say this with utmost sincerity there’s no stepping back. Bon Voyage!

- Bhuvan Krishna

   05.07.2022