Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple

Format: Hardback, 304 pages, 234x153mm

Published: October 2009

Bloomsbury UK

"Nine Lives" is a collection of short esoteric stories by eminent travel writer William Dalrymple that explores how India's religious traditions are being affected by modernity. As a result, it is not about the Sai Babas, the Maharishis or the sants from the mainstream religions of India, or even about modern TV God Men like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar from the global spirituality empire called the "Art of Living", but about the tantriks and the sufis, godmen and saints from the fringes of religion and various cults or even the little village devis and devatas...for it is these people and their traditions which face a threat from modernization.

This wonderful book opens with "The Nun's Tale", a sensitive portrayal of a Jain nun....of why and how she became a nun, the rigors involved in living as a nun (or a monk) and some very interesting revelations on some of the practices of Jain nuns and monks that I was not aware of.  Prasannamataji, the nun in question, is young, educated and attractive.  She comes from a wealthy family but gives it all up for a life of asceticism. Jainism attaches supreme importance to "detachment" and every Jain, man or woman, but especially nun and monk, aspires to become completely detached from  life.  Unfortunately for  Prasannamataji she develops a keen affection for a fellow nun. Her friend falls sick and eventually dies (Jains are not allowed to seek allopathic treatment), and Prassanamataji ends up not just breaking a rule and falling in love (for lack of a better term), but also mourning the loss of her beloved and wanting to take her own life. Incidentally, the practice of fasting unto death "sallekhana" is widely embraced in Jainism.  Unlike with Buddhism, there is not a whole lot out there that describes for us the lives of Jain aesethics and I sincerely believe Dalrymple has opened the doors to many aspects of Jain living that were hitherto unknown. Fascinating...this first tale left me breathless, quite literally!

"The Dancer of Kannur", takes a peak into the lives of Theyyam dancers ( divinely possessed dancers) in Kerala. What is so fascinating about the account is that Theyyam dancers, being Dalits (untouchables) , are usually reviled by Brahmins on a regular basis and yet, when the Theyyam season comes around the Brahmins are prepared to touch the feet of the Dalit whom they believe is now possessed by a God. So also, in "The Daughters of Yellamma" we have the devadasis (women who are dedicated to a temple as children) but who are inevitably cast off after attaining puberty. Not a whole lot of options are open to them at this point except to prostitute themselves. Devadasis are supposed to be the incarnation of the goddess Yellama and such is the draw of Indians to religion that even though most of them (the davadasis) now come from the "untouchable" caste and most are prostitutes, Hindu families will seek their blessings on auspicious occasions like a wedding, the birth of a child and so on.


One of my favourite stories in the collection has to do with a Buddhist monk from Tibet who was temporarily released from his vows of non-violence to take up arms in defence of the Dalai Lama whom he then accompanied in his flight from Tibet to Dharamshala in India in the 1950's. He then spends the rest of his life atoning for the violence by hand printing the finest prayer flags in India.   I thought I knew everything there is to know about Tibetan Buddhism but I was so wrong...I had no clue they were able to take up a call to arms if their religion demanded it!

Another notable story is "The Idol Maker", Srijet is the thirty-fifth of a line of sculptors going back to the Chola bronze makers who sees creating gods as one of the holiest callings in India, but unfortunately the line may just end with Srijet as his son has no intention of becoming a sculptor like his dad, instead, he has plans to study computer engineering.

And my review would not be complete if I did not mention,  Manisha whose astonishing journey from a middle-class life in Calcutta  to unexpected fulfillment living as a Tantric in an isolated, skull-filled cremation ground is told in a story with the beguiling title, "The Lady Twilight".

Whilst reading these fascinating stories, I was once again reminded just how very diverse India is. From these nine lives you realize there is a variety of Indias but that they are all seamlessly and beautifully connected. You also realize, albeit a little sadly, that ancient religious traditions are dying out as India marches towards global dominance.  I am very grateful to Dalrymple for providing us a keyhole into the lives of these people who, if the current trend continues, might not be around too much longer.

"Nine Lives", unlike most travelogues which tend to focus on the author and what "he" is doing, focuses exclusively on these nine subjects,their lives and spiritual quests. Dalrymple has successfully managed to place himself in the background. The interest and the inquiring mind is very much there, but he is skillfully unobtrusive, allowing his subjects to tell their story in their own words.  It is precisely that quality which makes this book such an enjoyable and unforgettable read.


Note:  William Dalrymple is going on tour with the "real life" characters of his latest book. This is truly a unique way of showcasing the India Dalrymple's come to discover over the past twenty-five years.  If you can catch a reading, I'm sure it will be money and effort well spent!

THE WORLD IS A BALL: THE JOY, MADNESS AND MEANING OF SOCCER by John Doyle

Category: Sports & Recreation - Soccer
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
ISBN: 978-0-385-66498-1 (0-385-66498-2)

Pub Date: May 11, 2010
Price: $29.95

This is not a review (for I am still reading it)...simply a recommendation.

With the World Cup upon us, I thought John Doyle's  (Globe and Mail columnist)"The World is A Ball" would be a handy read.  So everytime I sit down to watch a match I bring it to the couch with me to read during half time or a commercial break.  I started off not knowing if I was going to enjoy it because (even though I enjoy soccer) I have never really attempted to read a book about the sport or any other sport for that matter, so what a pleasant surprise to find that the book actually reads like a cross between a love story (the love of a man for a sport) and a travelogue (for he travels all across the world for his love, catching games in different continents). 

The book is divided into three main parts:  The first part is a sort of introduction to soccer and how the author came to love the game in his native Ireland;  the second and main chunk of the book deals with his travels to distant parts of the world to take in the World Cup of 2002/2006 and the Euro Cup 2004/2008 as a reporter for the Globe and Mail.  The final part of the book includes short, incisive accounts of several of the keynote qualifying games for this world cup – including a wonderful roaming through Bari when Ireland went to play Italy.

Doyle has a great eye for everything that his happening around him.   When he goes to Japan for the World Cup 2002 (held jointly in South Korea and Japan) he describes the dour- faced Japanese policemen who have been told to expect soccer hooligans from England, instead, they are confronted hoardes of Irish fans, dressed as leprechauns and priests and are cheerily greeting the policemen who don't know what to make of the spectacle unfolding before their very eyes.  Japanese fans, in contrast, are fairly subdued, what's more, soccer seems to be the sport of the young and the very young.  The older Japanese folk do not follow soccer and were actually up in arms with the government for hosting the World Cup.  Many were just plain scared of the foreigners arriving into their cities in large numbers and went out of their way to avoid them.

Having never seen a professional soccer game, much less a game at the World Cup, I was riveted by Doyle's descriptions of what happens before the game begins (the little outdoor park parties where fans are entertained by local bands) and all the mayhem and celebration during the game.   He even will describe what goes between the teams....most of which the TV cameras do not catch. Don't get me wrong, TV has some great coverage, but it doesn't quite capture the energy and atmosphere of a live crowd!  This is how he describes the end of Turkey-Korea match:

“Turkey wins 3-2 and most of the Korean players, exhausted beyond imagining, fall to their knees. Then a remarkable thing happens: Some Turkish players begin pulling the Koreans to their feet, embracing them and tugging them into acknowledging the supporters in the stands alongside them. Both teams link arms together in one long line of players from two countries and bow to the crowd. Hakan Sukur, Turkey's greatest living player, walks from the field waving a Korean flag. … the spontaneity of the gesture makes it movingly authentic … both South Korea and Turkey know they are the true champions of this World Cup.” 
I also found a lot of his musings on soccer quite insightful, like why the Americans make such good soccer players orwhy Canada will always be a hockey nation first, not soccer:

"I don't think we can realistically expect that Canada will become a soccer nation, I think that would be foolhardy. To begin with, the national game in Canada is hockey, as it should be.
 Hockey represents this country's essence in some ways -- figures on the ice and playing against the elements is representative of the essence of Canada, that sense of survival against the elements.

"But soccer is growing in popularity -- it has more registered players in Canada than any other sport -- and I think that over the years, the children and grandchildren of people who came here from soccer counties will have a greater opportunity to play the game here, and that eventually soccer will become perhaps the second or third sport in Canada."

While it may seem ludicrous for a Canadian television reporter (at no point does Doyle ever call himself a sports writer) to be writing a book about soccer, it is exactly that kind of neutrality that makes his impressions, especially when it comes to soccer teams or individuals soccer players so important.  Take for instance what he says about Zidane on page ... 

“He has an artist’s cold, intense loathing for those who refuse to play soccer with the elegance and calm grace that he brings to it";  “a great artist’s unapologetic rage against mediocrity.”  Looked at that way, Zidane’s epochal head-butting of Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final may now perhaps be understood???

To be continued...

 

 

 

Ginger and Ganesh: Adventures in Indian Cooking, Culture, and Love by Nani Power

“Please teach me Indian cooking! I will bring ingredients and pay you for your trouble.

I would like to know about your culture as well.” 

So reads the Craigslist posting that foodie, single mother and indiaphile Nani Power places on the internet.  Before long her inbox is flooded with messages from Indian people of all ages inviting her to come cook with them.  Rather sensibly, she sticks with Indian women (young and old) but mostly married with families, and thus begins her adventures with Indian cooking and  friendships with people  who graciously welcome her like a family member and teach her Indian dishes "in the same patient and loving ways their own mothers had guided them through the years"

Our 46 year old author even finds love with the younger brother of a lady who had invited Nani over to learn some Punjabi cooking. “a sexy Indian boy-man, half sage meditator, half texting, hiphop loving, an odd mix for a forty-something non-cougar writer who loves to write and cook.”   That the boy was 25 years younger than Nani perturbs for just a short while but then she shrugs it off as destiny speaking as she describes how at the age of 12 her favourite book, "Cheri" by Collette,  happened to be the story of a woman and a man twenty-five years apart.  She ponders fleetingly on page 193, "Was I so impressed (with Cherie) as to seek it out or was I privy on some level to my destiny?  One can only muse."

So what did I think of the book?  LOVED the premise!  I think it's so cool that at the press of a button you can summon to you a veritable little India willing to teach and guide in the ways of their foods and culture.  It had me wondering if I would have the same luck had I wanted to discover, let's say, Mexico and Mexicans in the same way?  Somehow I don't think so, for the simple reason I am not as adventurous as Nani, I'd be too scared to visit strangers in their homes...I mean, what if some crazies decide to answer the advertisement and then set a trap for me?


What else about the book did I like?  The recipes are nice (more than 50 and all vegetarian)....most of them are recipes that we Indians would call "everyday" dishes...I didn't notice too many exotic dishes except perhaps for "Saam Savera" and "Navaratna Kurma" which are more infrequently made because of the time and effort that goes into it and also because it requires deep frying.  I was very touched by the author's love and interest in India, but at the same time, she acknowledges that try as she might she couldn't just slip in to the role of a traditional Indian woman. Instead she describes herself a DESBY (wanna-be Desi) and here is how she describes herself (and others like her) in relation to being Indian:

"We crave the pageantry, tradition, history , connection and spirituality of India, yet with our independent, willful, over educated backgrounds, we would no doubt explode if seriously involved in such a duty-oriented society.  We prefer to do Yoga, mediate, wear a sari, eat dal and play the role.  We DESBYS are stuck in between worlds, seeing balance and continuity while our attention spans are pretty short and we are very accustomed to our freedom"

I also thought it was nice to view India and Indians through the eyes of an outsider  On page 17 she makes a good observation about American and Indian kitchens: she laments that while American kitchens have shiny,  state of the art technology most Americans do not really cook and because they mostly consume convenience food, cooking has been stripped of it sensuality.  "We do not need to touch food to make a meal. We open packages. Salad and vegetables are packaged, as well as meat.  We tear these open, slide them on a place.  Dinner is done without a hand actually touching it."
In contrast, an Indian kitchen is a bee hive of activity...although the floors and the stove may be slightly greasy with well worn tools like a cutting board, knife, pressure cooker, blender etc. and cluttered with a lot of little tins containing precious Indian masala, the kitchen has a life and soul to it that maybe many American kitchens do not.

Having said all of that however, I found the book rather light and frothy...just like the buttermilk, the recipe for which is on page 171.  I don't think any of her observations on men, marriage and so on are new or profound and I think her loving explanations of the Indian foods, rituals, Indian deities etc. would perhaps be more interesting to someone new to India and Indian food than to the Indian reader. Also, although the book starts off really well with the reader invited to meet some of the lovely Indian ladies and are privy to some of their family stories and histories etc, however, I found that when Nani meets V, her much-younger suitor, the focus gradually shifts from the Indian ladies to herself and her longing to understand her wants, needs and emotions.

I see all the foodies and bibliochefs lapping up this one and so they should!  Bon appetit!

Female Nomad and Friends (Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World)by Rita Golden Gelman

Category: Travel - Essays & Travelogues
Format: Trade Paperback, 352 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
ISBN: 978-0-307-58801-2 (0-307-58801-7)

Pub Date: June 1, 2010
Price: $17.50

Six years ago I read a book, "Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World" by Rita Golden Gelman  which finally answered the question I had been asking myself ever since I can remember, "What do I want to be when I grow up?".  Needless to say it is a book that actually changed my life.  Funnily enough, when I was in the moment of reading it I didn't realize the power that this book was going to have over me, infact, I thought quite the contrary. I remember balking at the idea of traveling with no set plans which is what Rita does all the time.  She takes advantage of opportunities as they come up, "It's my new credo: say yes to everything."  My rational mind was trying to tell me that people don't just up and leave for a foreign land (long term) without knowing anyone there or without a job in hand....I found it impetuous and foolhardy but I also found myself envying her nomadic lifestyle.
 

What a blessing to have the freedom to decide where you want to go and when and to trust enough that the locals of your "for-the-moment" chosen country will look out for you.  Rita never ever stays in hotels....she always stays with a local family found for her  through organizations like Servas and Couchsurfing, and that makes for a  complete and gratifying immersion in the local culture.  It took me a few years to realize that his is exactly what I see myself doing after my kids have left home. I am going to travel the world, living anywhere I want and for as long as I want in my quest to become a citizen of the world and to connect with people from all over the globe..   How will I fund myself?  Gelman did it by writing children's books...I'll have to find another way, but I have no doubt it can be done!

Anyway, I digress.  I am here to talk about Gelman's new book an anthology titled,"Female Nomad and Friends".  Here Gelman brings together 41 authors to tell their stories of adventuring around the world  and the bonds they created while doing so.  100% of royalties will be donated to fund scholarships to vocational schools for kids from the slums of New Delhi.   As if that isn't an incentive enough to pick up the book but the stories are something else too - captivating, inspirational, joyful, thoughtful and life-affirming - and, AND, the book includes 30 fabulous recipes! 

To celebrate the anthology and the special bonding that happens when people share a meal and a book, Rita is hosting a 24-hour global dinner, Connecting through Food, on Friday, June 18th. To learn more about how you can be a part of the 24-hour dinner, go to www.facebook.com/femalenomad. Rita will be posting some recipes, suggesting others, and also proposing topics for discussion.  I hope to be hosting one too!

The anthology holds a collection of some fifty-nine tales and while it may sound daunting I should let you know that most of the tales are just 2-3 pages long.  While I commend them all, I did have my favorites:  The one from Vietnam, "A Wet Shoe Story" by Carolyn Stoucy actually made me tear up and realize that humility is such an important quality, especially as I find that it seems to be the very thing many of us try to shrug off.  We are told never to "sell ourselves short", never to "be vulnerable", what that has done has turned us into a nation of people who don't know how to help or even to ask for it.  We can be a little selfish and individualistic.  In the East, it can be a little different...guests are revered and the well being of the community is certainly more important than the well being of the individual.

I also enjoyed the story from Samoa, "In Search Of A Familiar Soul", by Catherine Buchanan, not just because it was a passionate love story but also because it is a lesson in creative visualization.  What you envision, you really do draw to you.  You will find this story on page 186.   I thought there would be more from India but as far I can tell there is just one, but it is very well written and the author, Kelly Hayes-Raitt has done a great job of describing how India made her feel.  Then there is Rita's story of how she came to attend the making of "Ho Mok" a Thai Fish Custard dish in Ban Krud, Thailand.  I took particular interest in  this story because I have a sneaking suspicion that Fish Amok which is a Cambodian dish and one of my favorite dishes ever is really a version of  Ho Mok.  If I do host that Global Supper, I will be making this! 

Another story that touched me a whole lot is "Cajeta and the Spirits" by Maria Altobelli.  Here we meet Mercedes, a terminally ill old lady who "just couldn't make up her mind to cross over".  This touched me because I have a friend who works in a hospice and she said this is a common problem with some people close to death.  It's as if they are waiting for one last thing to happen before they give themselves permission to die.  In Mercedes' case, she passed peacefully after her son Arturo put a spoonful of "cajeta", a creamy, sweet, caramel confection made from cooked goat's milk inside his mother's lips.  Then Altobelli goes on to share a recipe for Cajeta which I will have to try.

No doubt, like me, you will have your own favourite stories and I would love it if you would share them here. Also, find one of those global suppers to participate in, it's all for a good cause.

Chef by Jaspreet Singh

Category: Fiction
Format: Trade Paperback, 256 pages
Publisher: Vintage Canada
ISBN: 978-0-307-39933-5 (0-307-39933-8)

Pub Date: March 30, 2010
Price: $19.95

I have a confession to make: I picked this book purely because I loved the title and it's mesmerizingly-lovely cover, so, when it was  Shortlisted for the 2009 Commonwealth Prize for Best Book and nominated for the 2010 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, I couldn't have been happier!  Sadly, I had far too many interruptions while reading this book and that has affected my ability to write an insightful review, so forgive me if I just leave you with the synopsis and a review by Mary Whipple.  If anyone of you have read the book and have a review to share, please do so in the comments.


In a nutshell:  I liked the book.  It's a tiny book with big themes, with dreamlike-lyrical writing in some places and hard-hitting realistic descriptions in others.  Because two of the main protagonists are cooks, there is a lot of talk of food.  I particularly enjoyed reading Chef Kishen's food preparation instructions to our protagonist:

"Before cutting a tomato, give it the reference it deserves and ask:  Tomato, what would you like to become? Do you want to be alone?  Or do you prefer company? Apricot, what would you like to become? Would you like to become more than yourself in the company of saffron?  Saffron, who are you?"  

"Fish, what would you like to become? Basil, where did you lose your heart?  Lemon:  It is not who you touch but how you touch.  Learn from big elaichi. There, there.  Karayla, meri jaan, why are you so prudish? "

I have never thought to have a conversation with food before but maybe I should try it.  Don't they say that talking to plants makes them healthier?  :)

Best of all the novel includes a recipe for a tomato/olive and feta cheese salad that I actually made (was very popular with my two girls!)  There is also a recipe for the famous Kashmiri Rogan Josh on page 226 which I am going to try next.


Here is the Synopsis as promised:


Kirpal Singh is travelling on the slow train to Kashmir. As India passes by the window in a stream of tiny lights, glistening fields and huddled, noisy towns, he reflects on his destination, which is also his past: a military camp to which he has not returned for fourteen years...

Kirpal, Kip to his friends, is timorous and barely twenty when he arrives for the first time at General Kumar’s camp, nestled in the shadow of the mighty Siachen Glacier that claimed his father’s life. He is placed under the supervision of Chef Kishen, a fiery, anarchic mentor with long earlobes and a caustic tongue, who guides Kip towards the heady spheres of food and women. ‘The smell of a woman is a thousand times better than cooking the most sumptuous dinner, kid,’ he muses, over an evening beer. Kip is embarrassed – he has never slept with a woman, though a loose-limbed nurse in the local hospital has caught his eye.

In Srinagar, Kashmir, a contradictory place of erratic violence, extremes of temperature and high-altitude privilege, Kip learns to prepare indulgent Kashmiri dishes such as Mughlai mutton and slow-cooked Nahari, as well as delicacies from Florence, Madrid, Athens and Tokyo. Months pass and, though he is Sikh, Kip feels secure in his allegiance to India, the right side of this interminable conflict. Then, one muggy day, a Pakistani ‘terrorist’ with long, flowing hair is swept up on the banks of the river, and changes everything.

Mesmeric, mournful and intensely lyrical, Chef is a brave and compassionate debut about hope, love and memory, set against the devastatingly beautiful, war-scarred backdrop of occupied Kashmir.