A very, very strong message was sent forth!This book is about the limitations of common people's desires, their passions and their resolve to change things. The common man revolts, all of a sudden, to change everything around him that is wrong, only to get himself changed by these things. That is the theme presented in this book. Indeed, it is about a commoner's failures; their inabilities.This is a book of profound character. Something that will not fail to capture your attention; and it will nag you for days. The idea presented was herculean, the plot and characters are fantastic. This is one of the rare books that will open one's eyes. This is a Zeitgeist.Ramchand was a common man who works as a shop assistant in Sevak Sari House, a sari shop in Amritsar. His colleagues are Rajesh and Shyam, the eldest and most experienced in the shop; Hari, the youngest; Chander, the bitter-faced, dull senior; Gokul, the only person who somehow matched Ramchand's frequency; and the ever-scolding manager Mahajan. Ramchand lives his life all alone having lost both his parents in a bus accident when he was 8. He had a passion, a desire to study in English-medium schools a desire that his father had deeply rooted in Ramchand's mind when he was alive. After his parents death, he was looked after by his uncle who educated him until he was 15. Then, his uncle died too and he was forced to leave the place and live on his own. He was quite content with his life routine - eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, work.One day, breaking this dull routine, Ramchand was sent to take saris for Kapoor house, one of the most influential and richest houses in Amritsar. They are choosing expensive saris for their revolutionary daughter Rina who would become a novelist later, unlike any marwari these people ever knew. On the day of Rina's marriage, Ramchand only went in curiosity to see the preparations and expensive decorations when he was caught and produced before Rina by the guards. He mumbled to which Rina said that she invited him when he reminded her that he was her sariwala. She said so, in an air of fun, and thus Ramchand gets things to eat which he never would have all his life. A few days later, Rina came to their shop, pretended to be looking for saris, but spoke to Ramchand and went. Later, Rina would use Ramchand as her central character which none will be aware of.Meanwhile, Chander fails to appear at work. When he was sent to fetch Chander, he sees Chander fully drunk, and his wife Kamla laying inside the house being beaten. The second time he goes to his house, he finds his wife alone, a rum bottle in hand. Though afraid, he sits next to her and asks if he could help. She narrates what happened to her - the injustice that Gupta, another wealthy family, had done to her. That would change him. The few words she spoke, created in him a spark that will forever change his life. He did not what changed him: Kamla's story or the new books he is reading - he had bought some English essay books from a second-hand shop to improve his English, a long forgotten dream, a seed that his father had sowed; this new knowledge forged in him quite a change in his characters. Some days later, the news of Kamla's death comes to his ears. The injustice she faced and the impunity that the perpetrators enjoyed incensed him that he acted like a madman, shouting at everybody, throwing things, beating Mahajan. Thus, he was fired. He badly wanted to change things, to change the ease with which the rich escape laws and the poor get framed. He stays home like a walking dead for 13 days in home, unconscious of his own actions. One day he wakes up finding himself acting insane.Did his resolve to change things - the economical bias - succeed? What did he do? What was the injustice that Kamla faced? Read on, to know.
Brief English review below.Halverwege dit boek heb ik het opzij gelegd, want ik vond het een beetje langdradig, en er gebeurde er niet zoveel. Voor mijn gevoel had het verhaal van Ramchands monotoon leven in minder detail gekund. Er kwam pas een beetje vaart in in deel 2, waar het levensverhaal van Kamla verteld wordt, en waar Ramchands leven door haar beïnvloed wordt.De schrijfstijl leest lekker, maar ik was blij dat er een uitgebreide woordenlijst achterin stond, met de Indiaase woorden schuingedrukt in de tekst. Grappig voor mij was dat ik het woord palaver (eigenlijk gepelaver) in de tekst vond, en nam me voor om de origine op te zoeken; misschien komt het uit India, dacht ik. Toen ik halverwege een ander boek het woord palaver las, zocht ik het op; het stamt uit het Portuguees, wat een grote verrassing was. Net als Ramchand sloeg ik aan het opzoeken in woordenboeken tijdens het lezen en heb de volgende woorden opgezocht met de Engelse vertaling:- karbouwen = waterbuffel (Eng. buffaloes)- koeioneren = jammer dat ik niet de pagina van dit woord opgeschreven heb, want koeieneren komt niet in het woordenboek voor. Google Translate geeft het als koeien verering (Eng. cow worship), maar verder komt het alleen voor in de samenstelling 'zich niet laten koeieneren', en dat betekent dat je je niet moet laten negeren. Omdat het over India gaat accepteerde ik de eerste vertaling, maar nu ben ik geneigd te denken dat het in het boek 'negeren' betekende. Wat is taal fascinerend!- ootmoedig = onderdanig (Eng. submissive)Ik vond het grappig dat Ramchand plaatsnamen in zijn boek van voorbeeldbrieven moeilijk vond te lezen, en tot de conclusie kwam dat Bettws-y-Coed een drukfout was. Het maakte het ook pijnlijk duidelijk dat tekstboeken uit een ander land niet altijd behulpzaam zijn in een cultuur en omgeving dat zo anders is.Ik heb maar één citaat uit het boek dat ik bijzonder mooi vond: "Bij stroomstoringen brachten hele gezinnen zwijgend de nacht door op hun donkere, stille dakterras, waar in de hete lucht boven hun hoofd de gedeelde herinneringen met de zwermen muskieten ronddwarrelden." Maar dit boek gaat niet over mooie zinnen, het gaat over gevoelens van onmacht, onrechtvaardigheid en de onmogelijkheid om de status quo te veranderen. Ergens in het verhaal staat een stukje dat Ramchand leest over de behulpzame politie van India, terwijl hij net de tegenovergestelde waarheid ontdekt heeft. Dit maakt een grote indruk op onze held, maar helaas niet op India zelf. In die zin is het een deprimerend, maar realistisch boek, die de grote standsverschillen in het land duidelijk maakt. En helaas is het citaat uit één van Ramchands boeken al te waar: "Bekwaamheid betekent weinig zonder een gunstige gelegenheid". Read in Dutch, 'The Sariwinkel', Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 2004. Translated by Sjaak de Jong. Including a glossary of Indian words, which are italicized in the text, which is a great help.English:Briefly, the first two thirds dragged rather, and only got going once Ramchand met Kamla. This is a book about the different standards of living in India, with the rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer. Also the differences between educated and uneducated, how chance can change your life, and it doesn't matter how skilled you are, if you don't have a chance to use those skills, nobody will ever know.
What do You think about The Sari Shop (2005)?
This is an easy read and a good travelling companion. There is nothing compelling about the life of Ramchand or the Sevak Sari House where he works as a saree salesman. Yet an excursion delivery of bundle of sarees for trousseau of Rina Kapoor brings him face-to-face with glitzy and the glamorous world of Kapoors. Here begins a new adventure for Ramchand. He starts teaching himself English. Then, comes another excursion, he's sent on an errand to report the whereabouts of Chander another salesman. Ramchand meets foul mouthed Kamla (Chander's wife) and slowly her story unfolds in front of his eyes. Remaining he pieces together. Small town life as it is comes face-to-face in the form of many minor character Mrs. Sachdev's hypocrisy clothed in high sounding morals is nothing but a cleverly closeted sycophancy of Rina Kapoor, her rich father, and their rich friends. Rina Kapoor a brilliant girl is nothing but a self seeking small town girl. Shallowness of other characters does etch out Ramchand's loneliness. He has a moment of awakening when he realizes weak in the society are not able to come to terms with their loss. They need help to punish and push back their oppressors. Ramchand despite showing exceptional bravado pleads mercy on account of being drunk. Everything is forgiven and forgotten and Ramchand is accepted back in the rolls of Sevak Saree House for a happy end. Yet is it happy? or just back to mundane. Oh, what a loss!
—Mahi Pant
Good book! This is an easy to read book that shows us the workings of a sari shop and the various levels of society in India through the eyes of a young male shop assistant. It is thought-provoking because what he encounters is not always fair, and although this upsets him greatly, he finds that there isn't much he can do to change things. As an American reader, I did encounter Indian words/terms that I didn't understand but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. The scenery and characters were described well and I felt like I got a good glimpse into the Indian life. I would have liked a more optimistic ending but that is just a personal preference. Excellent debut novel from this author and I look forward to reading more from her!
—Suz
I am not the sort of reader who often feels compelled to discuss a book or to talk to an author about their work. More often that not, I read, forget the book, and get on with my life. But I can't stop thinking about this book and the subtle turns of phrase and word choices. The language is so spare and precise, that I can't help but think about the intentions. I could talk for hours about the characters and their motivations and their roles. This is the best fiction I have read in a really, really long time.
—Ellen
