Anosh Irani takes his readers on a soul-searching journey though the expansive story of three generations of the Irani clan and their relations with the oppressed Warli tribals, who were the original owners of the flourishing orchards in Dahanu on the outskirts of Bombay. Anna’s tea shack personifies the ethos of Dahanu, a place where “languages bashed into each other, on some days a train wreck, on other days a tasty mix bouncing into temple bells, sinking into yellow laddoos and other sweetmeats, the Jains trying not to let any of the languages defile them, the Marwaris welcoming the defiling and murder of words, the sulphur dioxide from the thermal power plant coating the languages, giving them an acidic smell.” The Zoroastrian Iranis with “the power of centuries” behind them have fled from oppression from the Arabs in Iran to come to India and rise once again as doctors, lawyers, artists, businessmen and the landlords of Dahanu.
This is one lovely read I enjoyed, the best among many good reads in recent times. Read my published review in
Deccan Herald
2 comments:
Sounds good. haven't read too many Zoroastrian-themed novels, except those by Bapsi Sidhwa and Rohinton Mistry. Will try to get hold of this one.
It's a lovely book, HSS. And it's now on the Man Asian Prize longlist, among the very few books from India to make it.
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