Now Tommy has to pack up his business and move back to Kolkata as the living situation in Shillong isn’t ideal for people like him anymore. Tommy’s forefathers have moved to Kolkata more than a couple of centuries back. There is a chapter dedicated to a Chinese restaurant owner named Tommy through whom Lyndem has talked about the insurgency movement in the state in the 1980s and 1990s.
One of his sons is mauled by a dog and D is left wondering why nobody comes to his rescue.
Her Nepali neighbor, hailing from a low socio-economic background, is compelled to leave the town. Lyndem touches upon the many manifestations of racism existing within the Khasi sociopolitical ecosystem. In this collection of inter-connected short stories, each chapter deals with a specific character through whom a certain aspect of Shillong is revealed. Through her changing perspectives on identity, communal differences, and how the self stands in relation to the other, readers are given a glimpse into a politically and racially charged Shillong (a city in India). The power of the rich over the poor and the sense of entitlement the former class feels over the latter are palpable throughout this novel.ĭaribha Lyndem’s Name Place Animal Thing chronicles the story of a girl referred to as D and her Khasi community of India, from childhood to adulthood. The book also features the divide between the masters and the servants. Women are commodified and children are coming of age in a structure that still deems women as subhumans. The bride’s family has to offer money or its equivalent to the groom’s family, bolstering a system where women are objects to be exchanged in financial deals. The wedding of Bindu and Venu brings to the fore the system of dowry by which the bride’s side is compelled to abide. The desire for social mobility often pushes the characters into moral ambiguity. Ration Raman’s income comes from unlawful sources but money can blindfold the law.
Love doesn’t come into the picture as in a capitalistic society material comforts rule the day. This is a child’s first interaction with how marriages are still thought of as transactions. This arrangement has been made for the sake of maintaining the nouveau riche status of both parties involved. Kannan’s daughter Bindu’s wedding has been arranged with Venu, Ration Raman’s son. We meet Koovait Kannan, a former domestic help at Geetha’s grandparents’ house, who has suddenly risen in ranks, courtesy of the economic opportunities offered by the Gulf. Through Geetha’s eyes, we see a faulty social structure where the rich still behave like they own the poor. However, amidst the trouble-free days of childhood, class consciousness, the dowry system, and social hierarchy rear their ugly heads. An entire summer spent partaking in marathon card games and boys-versus-girls battles with brooms made from coconut fiber do sound utopian. She cannot wait to spend evenings with her grandfather who insists that his ridiculous ghost stories are true. Geetha absolutely adores joining her cousins on trips to the beach and visiting the local market to buy bangles, kites, and other knick-knacks associated with a typical Indian childhood. Geetha, a young 11ish-year-old, is really psyched about her annual family vacation to Kerala at her grandparents’ house. Set in the Kerala of 1980s, Aruna Nambiar’s hilarious novel Mango Cheeks, Metal Teeth is partly a coming-of-age story and partly a social satire. South Asian authors are impeccably depicting childhood in all its messy glory by shedding light on all the dire social issues that deserve our attention. As we grow older, we become more cognizant of the problematic aspects of our childhood that our young minds might have been unaware of. Deep down, childhood comes with its own share of despair, disappointments, and hiccups. Childhood is never just about blissful days of yore. The theme of childhood nostalgia in South Asian fiction is packed with a lot of intensity and nuance.
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