I have always wanted to read Chaudhuri trilogy FREEDOM SONG, in fact, it has been on my book shelf for three or four years, untouched. Well, I picked it up yesterday and am glad I did, as I immediately jumped into life, real life, as it is in India, in the 1960's or 1970's. Chaudhuri writes wonderfully, great details and descriptions, and he has the major character, young nine year old Sandeep, act as his insightful mouthpiece, as his description of the adult world, reflects his youthful skepticism and uncertainty, especially of religious belief. I quote:
"Sandeep himself did not believe in God, much less in gods. Like most children, he was the opposite of innocent: he was skeptical but tolerant of other creeds. Wheat he enjoyed about the act of worship had little to do with belief or disbelief in divinity; it was the smell of sandalwood incense, the low hum of his aunt's voice, the bell ringing at the end of the ceremony (Hindu), the white batashas, clean as washed pebbles, taken out of a bottle hidden in a small cupboard, the cool taste of the offerings that were distributed after the prayers, in fact, the general, dignified uselessness of the whole enterprise. And he liked the sight of his aunt surrounded by her gods in that tiny room, like a child in a great dollhouse, blowing the conch eloquently; it was a strange sight, to watch a grown-up at play. Prayer-time was when adults became children again(37)."
We don't get much of a story, rather we see what it's like to spend a few weeks in Calcutta in the 1970's, from a young boys point of view. We see very little that is exotic, most of the day is quotidian, like anywhere else in the world, getting up, eating, going off to work, leaving the children behind, to play, to tell stories, especially their attempts to understand the crazy world of the adults they live with.
Sandeep and his cousins come to few conclusions; life, especially adult life is a puzzle, a game, almost like a play. I cannot even remember much of the book, though I read it a few days ago, not that I disliked it. It just lacked a story yet I found myself interested, mostly in the insights in to a foreign world, their customs, affection for each other, especially the sense of family which often seems so lacking in the West, especially the last thirty or forty years. Instead of a family that's dysfunctional, falling apart, like most novels, Sandeep's family sticks together like glue, despite the differences in wealth, attitudes, and beliefs. Family trumps all. I am sure there are lots of families like this in the US but most novels regrettably are not about the happy families. We just don't find them interesting though I do and wish I could find some set here in the US.
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