The Good Immigrant (2016)

The Good Immigrant is a collection of 21 essays by people of colour (POC) that recount their immigrant/ diaspora experiences and/ or concerns in Britain. This collection was published by Unbound and edited by Nikesh Shukla; it is 234 pages long if I exclude the list of acknowledgements and supporters, of which there are many. It was produced thanks to the support of the public. My sister lent me her copy of this book after I told her I wanted to buy Reni Eddo-Lodge's Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race, since Eddo-Lodge contributed an essay to this collection. Along with my personal reflections, I will briefly describe some recurring themes in the collection. 

This book's strongest feature (for me) is that it addresses and gives voice to a whole spectrum of ethnic narratives and experiences. It obviously cannot cater for every immigrant experience in Britain but it definitely provides a solid variety with which POC can identify with and/or learn from. It covers several continents and takes varied approaches to the subject. I personally felt that it provided me with valuable windows into other worlds and cultural experiences, such as that of the Chinese minority and the Black community, while simultaneously showing me mirrors where I read narratives very close to my own. This combination creates a sense of solidarity with people from other cultural backgrounds, since we may experience discrimination differently depending on our race, and we can thus identify wider social issues that need to be resolved. 

While each essayist brought his/ her own perspective to the fore, a recurrent theme was the complexity and richness of each person's lineage (and consequently the experiences that come with it). Highlighting these complexities not only humanises us but also underlines to what extent our lives have been simplified for the "White man", whether it be on administrative forms or in the media. I sensed both a personal and analytical approach in the writings, which raise it above pure anecdotal sentimentality. The collection discusses the effects of living in the diaspora in the context of politics, culture, the education system, the media and even sex. 

Another recurrent theme is that of representation, especially in the media (including literature), to the extent that POC children (and maybe even adults) have internalised that stories are about White people, with White people representing the "universal" by default. Several essayists discuss the role of media and pop culture on upbringing and self-perception. This issue is being increasingly voiced on social media but I do not know to what extent it is being addressed in the real world- though I believe there is an active attempt for greater diversity in literature in terms of characters and authors. Nevertheless, it shows the bias we face from early on and the bias we expose our children to. 

To be clear, this book is far from being an emotional diatribe of 21 bothered Britons. It is an assessment and critique of multicultural Britain that raises important issues that need to be addressed in order to create an empowering, healthy and representative environment for the various communities that make up Britain today. The Good Immigrant explores the burden of Empire and living in the wake of colonisation while still being expected to conform to white standards like our ancestors while our White counterparts do not live with the same pressure to rectify the wrongs of the past. The ideas in this book are well articulated and the writing is quite beautiful; it is funny, shocking, sad and eye-opening. This is an important read for anyone in the diaspora- or whoever is considered an immigrant. 

***

Another little shoutout and thank you to my little sister for loaning this book to me. It's a great piece of work and I'm so close to ordering my own copy!

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? If you haven't read it yet, do these issues interest you? 

Trumpet (1998)

A completely new genre of book after my Partition series but a novel worth analysing. Trumpet, written by the Scottish author Jackie Kay, was published in 1998 by Vintage Books. I read a digital edition on my iPad that adjusted the page count according to the text size but the print version is apparently 278 pages long; it has 36 chapters. The novel tells the story of the late Joss Moody, a black jazz musician (trumpet player), who lives the life of a man (wife and adopted child included) but turns out to have been biologically female*. The discovery of this transgendered life is the starting point of the novel and the conflicts experienced by his wife, son and the world around them make up the novel. It is based on the story of musician Billy Tipton, a real American jazz artist. I will discuss the issues of identity, some gender theory and the style of the novel. 

A major theme in the novel is the construction of identity which is explored in various ways. In terms of heritage, there is a significant discussion on what family means and through whom do we identify ourselves? Colman, the adopted son, knows his biological parents are not the ones he lives with nor does he consider them to be his parents. He does not know who they are so, despite the blood connection, his family and identity are defined through his adopted parents. This is why he is so devastated at the "betrayal" of his female father figure. Arguably the most marked symbol of identity in this novel is one's name. Names are windows into history, choice, biology and/or family. Changing names is something that takes place casually for marriage but also to change gender, to change parents and to share heritage, as in the choice for Colman's first name. How we choose to name ourselves or those around us reveals a lot, for Edith, Joss's mother, never stopped calling Joss by his feminine given name. Racial and national identity are also discussed in the novel, as Joss Moody has a black father and white mother but considers himself Scottish nonetheless. Their adopted son is also of mixed race and is encouraged to respect his Scottish heritage even when living in London. The extent to which identity is given to us or chosen is repeated in terms of racial versus national affiliations as well as in the understanding of sex and gender.

Gender theory in the art world (including the literary domain) is highly relevant in the analysis of this text. The reason for this is that Joss Moody passes as a man simply through two things: dress and behaviour. This supports the argument that gender is a social construct which is created through repeating and repeated behaviours. Conventions for a gender are usually set by social norms and then require to be imitated accordingly. Consequently, the question of gender identity may come down to which conventions one feels like following, although someone who wants "ultimate freedom from society" may try to defy all conventions, a challenge in itself. In any case, there are questions of authenticity and the importance of convention, even when being "unconventional". 

In terms of style, the novel is written from various (subjective) perspectives, and key characters' perspectives are repeated while periphery characters are given just one chapter. Each character engages with the issue (of Joss Moody) in a different manner most relevant to his/her own personal involvement. Kay does not forget to add a media perspective of this ordeal, for which journalist would not be interested in such a "quirky" scoop? Sophie Stones represents the ruthless media industry and a world seeking to take advantage of others for its own gain.The chapters and thoughts are not ordered chronologically. 

Joss Moody, however, is dead from the beginning and so his thoughts elude us; even in conversations that Millie (his wife) could share with us about his revelation, the narrative is cut short. This means that we never really hear his opinion and only know his actions. Other pivotal moments and conversations are also cut short and hidden from the reader, such as that between Coleman (the adopted son) and Edith (Moody's mother). For me, this was somewhat frustrating. It may be justified as unnecessary so that people accept the person and actions without feeling entitled to an explanation or even so that by providing explanations, Kay does not risk limiting the interpretation and desire for such lifestyle changes. However, I think the novel would have been stronger with the reasons embedded in them in order to allow "others" to empathise with such decisions more easily, to make it less abstract. 

Overall, despite the unsympathetic characterisation of Colman, one can understand his shock and frustration in the big picture, even if we do not approve his way of going about it. This novel discusses important issues in relation to personal identity and its affects on people around us. It engages with Freudian theory as well as gender theory to make its point. 

Have you read this novel or another addressing similar issues? What are your thoughts on how LGBTQ+ matters are dealt with in literature? Comments are open! 

* Note/ Disclaimer: I use the terms "female" and "male" to refer to the biological sex (and man/ woman to refer to the gender) and consequently consider Joss Moody to be a "female man" and transgender man (not transsexual) because he never undergoes a physical sex change but adopts another gender by hiding features belonging to females and enhancing male features. 

The Golden Sparrow (2013)

This is the last in my Partition books series, until I relaunch myself into the era and genre sometime in the unspecified future. The Golden Sparrow by Ashok Malhotra was published in 2013 with Createspace, an Amazon company, and comprises of 336 pages and 36 chapters. A sequel, Echoes from Far, was published in 2014. The Golden Sparrow fictionalises the experiences of the author and his parents during this period of history. I will be looking at stylistic as well as thematic elements of the novel namely, the depiction of the Indian (Hindu, Punjabi) culture, the role of the British and the British Raj, some consequences of Partition addressed in the novel.

The tale is told from the perspective of a Hindu child, Vikram, who has a supernatural sixth sense. He is able to predict or "get a feeling" for future events. I must admit that the supernatural gift was not quite convincing to me, as the examples were generally unspectacular and the feat needed refining. Vikram simultaneously recounts his life, from pre-birth (including how his parents met) to being a school-going boy and the Partition of India and its effects on his life. It does seem strange that at one point the narrator is someone who has not yet been born nor conceived but this is done well. The use of the present tense to describe past events is significant as it brings the events to the forefront and, in a way, relives them.

The novel begins in Lahore, a Punjabi city now in Pakistan. He describes the Indian culture as well as Hindu traditions in a captivating fashion and, despite my familiarity with the culture and traditions, I still learnt quite a few new things, such as the initial reason and use for dowries in Hinduism. I enjoyed the frank and sweet insight to the world of arranged marriages, a subject that often garners negative press. However, that does not mean that he shies away from typical family politics and the roles expected to be shouldered. He also does not exclude an insight into the culture of favours, bribes and signification of hospitality. Malhotra cleverly decodes the culture's structures and traditions for a Western audience and in a way that still entertains someone who shares his background. Malhotra takes the reader through Kashmir and New Dehli too, exploring common Partition-novel locations.  

A valuable insight this novel provides more than most of the others, is the presence and effect of the British in India. Vikram's family is educated and his father, Surinder Mehra, is an English literature professor, nicknamed "Shakespearewala", due to his love of the writer and the British culture. It is through Surinder Mehra that we learn the love and respect some Indians hold towards the British and the extent of the "Englishification" of the Indian education system, their loyalties and fashion sense. Our narrator equally shows the reader how the British manipulate and take advantage of Indians (via flattery and by granting titles) for personal and political gain. The British, in this novel, are also privileged to have their own "safe trains" and transport in a climate of immense bloodshed. The relationships  with the British are complex; they are intimate and distantly removed at the same time. Ultimately the novel comes to the same conclusion as Gandhi: the British Raj as a system is problematic because of issues like white privilege and institutional racism but every individual British person is not bad, as they could stand against the injustices caused by the British rule.  

Some interesting issues raised in light of the Partition and removal of the British include the increased suspicion between Hindus and Muslims, a psychological consequence, the decision to use Hindi or English as national languages to either create a national identity or international position in the world, a linguistic consequence, and the continued yet hidden presence of the British in business, a political and economic consequence. Malhotra also notes the establishment of camps of lost children, illustrating the huge human effects of the Partition on all levels of society. 

Overall, this novel shares some characteristics with other Partition literature for example, child narrators/ perspectives, fantastical elements and pre-, during and post- experiences. It is not as explicitly violent as Train to Pakistan or Cracking India but it does not deny the violence of the time either nor the human cost. It was a pleasant read and had some vague resemblances to Rushdie's Midnight's Children but definitely on a different register and it tackles some different issues. I'm contemplating reading the sequel but have a few other books on my list to get through first!

***

Have you read any Partition literature or even the books mentioned? Have you enjoyed this little series? Did you learn anything new? 

Post a comment with your thoughts! :) 

Freedom's Battle (1921)

Mahatma Gandhi wrote this book in order to explain and advocate his political views. It does not refer to his personal life except for what is relevant to his political argument. The work sometimes seems repetitive, though we see Gandhi's efforts to explain, justify and respond to criticism about his political strategy of non-co-operation, which goes to show to what degree people needed convincing and reassuring. 

I read the kindle edition published by the Jovian Press in 2017. The nine chapters are entitled as follows: Introduction, The Khalifat, The Punjab Wrongs, Swaraj, Hindu Moslem Unity, Treatment of the Depressed Classes, Treatment of Indians Abroad, Non-Co-operation and Mahatma Gandhi's Statement, which refers to his statement during his trial in court. 

I personally learnt a lot (and maybe the most) from the first few chapters because Gandhi takes efforts to not only explain the function and importance of the Muslim Khalifat and Muslim rule in Arabia, but also the manner in which it was dismantled. This is a significant observation considering the contemporary climate is a clear continuation of the same motive that resulted in the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire, the Khalifat and the creation of nation states. India later became subject to the same division wrought upon Europe. 

Inter-religious tolerance is a key issue in Gandhi's argument, largely because he saw this relationship as key in creating a united front against the British as well as making the country function successfully. He highlights the inter-religious tolerance advocated in Hinduism (and I add that Islam advocates the same) and this alliance would only benefit independent India as it would create a positive and safe relationship with its neighbouring Arab countries. 

Gandhi notes the importance of valuing producers (people who make things) in society. This refers to craftsmen and women as well as farmers, which naturally protects and elevates poorer civilians as well as maintaining a social (and environmental) harmony. Modern India's history appears shameful and distant from this value. 

A valuable point in the development of Gandhi's personal political stance is his own disillusionment of the British. He went from being someone who was happy to serve them and see the best in them to being utterly betrayed by their dishonesty, mistreatment and corruption. Consequently, he openly criticises the British institution of Empire and details many reasons why. He demands justice and for them to recognise their wrongs. 

In his chapter "Treatment of Indians Abroad" Gandhi mentions the poor treatment of Indians in African colonies and in Britain. This is clearly due to racism. He also discusses his experiences in South Africa but otherwise focuses on India and International British politics. 

To conclude, there is an irony of secular India calling Gandhi the "father of the nation" since he was almost ascetic in his approach to gain independence, which is remote from the notions of secularism. He advocated religious tolerance while currently there is an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment in India due to Hindu nationalism. Gandhi's motivation for his strategy was doubly political and spiritual (religious). 

Partitions: A Novel (2011)

Paritions tells a tale of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim protagonists, namely Shankar & Keshav, Simran and Ibrahim Masud, that attempt to migrate across the newly-created border between India and Pakistan. Ibrahim Masud, is a socially recluse medical doctor, Simran is a teenage Sikh village girl and Shankar and Keshav are twin Hindu boys. 

Partitions by Amit Majmudar was published in 2011 by Metropolitan Books and I selected it for my self-study reading list on Indian Partition literature. The novel comprises of six chapters plus a prologue and an epilogue. I read a digital edition on my iPad that alters the page count according to my text size; I read it with 158 pages then 139 pages. Majmudar wrote this novel after reading and researching into the period, as opposed to personal experience like the authors Bapsi Sidhwa and Ashok Malhotra. I'll discuss the  representation of Muslim and Hindu characters, narrative elements as well as the notions of villainy and heroism.

The novel takes on a fantastical nature as the narrator is a ghost, the dead father of the two Hindu twins. In his unearthly form he focalises into the Hindu, Sikh and Muslim worlds and by way of the protagonists. He also gives insights into his life before his death, which reveals his Brahmin origins and the role his high caste played in his life and in his community. This raises issues of the purity and sanctity of his caste and the discrimination towards lower classes. The novel is mainly chronological, though it includes some flashbacks relating to the narrator. 

While Majmudar attempts to tell a tale that represents the suffering of all peoples in the conflict, I noted the characterisation of Ibrahim Masud made him harder to identify with than other characters. Also the villains we follow the longest in the story are Muslim villains, which suggests a disproportionate focus on their abuse, especially towards women and children. No doubt Majmudar implies the crimes of Hindus and Sikhs by mentioning the wounds of Muslim women to Pakistan and the looting and burning of buildings by Hindus, but he only shows the violence towards people via Muslims.  

The story of Ibrahim and Simran is based on the story of Buta Singh and a Muslim girl.  It is an interesting move by Majmudar to reverse the religions of the original protagonists. While Masud's name change may have been simply to refer to the origin of the character, it also illustrates how being considered Muslim is controversial. It also "robs" Ibrahim of his faith. Nevertheless, Ibrahim becomes, in many ways, the hero of the novel. I wonder if he had to be separated from his religious identity in order to become a "complete" hero but he definitely understood that care towards others is not restricted to co-religionists. 

In conclusion, the novel successfully incites suspense and concern and is well-narrated. It recognises the pain and suffering of peoples of both sides of the border and I rate it higher in its "authenticity" because it does not consistently translate all Hindi/ Urdu terms, which can sometimes feel like it's overly speaking to a Westerner than its own people. It exposes the abuse towards women and its organised nature, revealing a culture of trafficking. 

Cracking India (1991)

It's been a while since I've last posted something up on here, but I have been reading in the meantime. I have quite a few pending books I need to write about. I'll start with Cracking India a novel by Bapsi Sidhwa, which was published in 1991 by Milkweed Editions. The title was initially The Ice-Candy Man and Deepa Mehta directed the film Earth based on this novel in 1998. The book comprises of 32 chapters and I read the kindle edition. I'll discuss some of the key themes in the novel, the perspective of the narrator(s) and its link to the author and issues relating to the India-Pakistan partition/ Independence. This novel is set in Lahore a few years before Independence, during the Partition and continues to some months after the change. I have been reading and comparing various partition narratives and this will influence my analysis. 

The first-person narrator for the majority of the novel is Lenny, a young girl who belongs to the Parsee community. The Parsee community is a minority community in India and Pakistan that originated from Persia; they follow the Zoroastrian faith. This is significant because it provides a perspective of the Partition from within and yet from outside the Muslim-Hindu-Sikh conflict that dominated this period of history.  Their position during this time is simultaneously precarious and protected. Bapsi Sidhwa is a Parsee Pakistani-American herself and lived through the Partition of India. Not only did this novel give my an insight into a new religious culture in the Indian subcontinent, it provides "Partition literature" with a voice independent of the religious bias and hurt of the fighting groups. In the chapter 25 there is a part dedicated to "Ranna's Story", which is written with an authorial narrator, and this is based on a real personal experience. These two narratives allow for Sidhwa to provide an insight into both urban and countryside effects of the riots and fight for territory. 

Religion held a decisive role in the fight for Independence and Sidhwa chooses to include a wealth of characters to describe the dynamics between people of different faiths. This allows the reader to learn of the varied fates of these people, from immigration, death, conversion or safety. Instead of identifying all the characters by name, Sidhwa chooses to identify them with their profession or the role they hold in relation to Lenny. This creates religious ambiguity and readers have to decipher the faith later on. Sidhwa also refers to the issue of caste in Hinduism and how this affects social structures and relations. 

Politically speaking, Sidhwa refers to the most varied set of political figures of the time namely, Gandhi, Nehru Jinnah, Tara Singh and Mountbatten. Many of the other texts I've read only make reference to one or two of these men and thus ignoring significant political narratives of the time. The British are called out for their seemingly "random" allocation of cities and states to India or Pakistan, regardless of the residing population. 

Some other key themes in the novel include love, friendship and betrayal. The child narrator provides a naivety and innocence to worldly matters as well as frank observations of sexuality in her surroundings. The childish vision of the world does not mean that the novel ignores or removes the violence or brutality of the time, for children were not necessarily sheltered from the atrocities. 

This novel is well-written and has been deservedly praised. It is enriched by the poetry, language and the varied characters. If anything, I wish I had an insight into the origin of the hierarchy between Lenny's Godmother and her sister but that is a minor curiosity that may just be my own. A valuable book about the Partition that combines some of the strongest elements of the handful of novels I've read on the same subject matter. 

   

Train to Pakistan (1956)

Train to Pakistan was originally written by Khushwant Singh* in 1956 but my Kindle edition, published by Penguin, was produced in 2016. The digital edition is 190 pages long and the novel comprises of four chapters. I read this for my university course in an attempt to explore partition literature. I'll discuss the writing style and literary devices as well as bias and political motives for independence.

The novel is set in a Sikh village on the Indian side of the newly-created border and has a mixed population of Sikhs and Muslims; they all live happily and harmoniously together. The village is "Sikh" in that all the land belongs to Sikhs, while Muslims only work on the land or have other trades. The interfaith love affair is controversially that of a young Sikh man and a Muslim girl, which may be considered a metaphor for the male power over women suggesting a sense of domination just as the land is owned by the Sikhs. 

Part of my analysis has me searching for bias and balance in my readings. Singh begins his novel diplomatically, noting that all parties involved contributed to the bloodshed and harm during the partition. However, I noticed that Muslims, in the novel, committed grave crimes while the Sikhs committed fewer crimes or only expressed the desire, motivation and attempts to retaliate equally or with twice as much force. In the end the violence appears to be realised by Muslims and only desired by Sikhs. In this way I felt there was a disproportion, yet I'm sure there were equally heroes and villains on both sides and the crimes equally heinous. 

An interesting political remark was that Indian (and Pakistani) Independence was a movement for the rich Indians, who would be thus allowed to replace the British in higher governmental positions. The poorer members of society, including peasants, had little to gain and history shows us just how much they lost, including their lands and lives. The contrast in motivation for Independence highlights the disconnect between social classes amongst Indians themselves. 

I found the writing style to be fairly stiff and simple. Oftentimes I felt that the expressions and dialogue did not sit well in English yet when I thought about them in Punjabi, they sounded better. I suppose they were not well translated to capture the right tone. I noted that Rushdie did this well in Midnight's Children. The use of Iqbal as a foreign-educated youth was an effective way to introduce Western impressions in contrast to the Indian peasant world. He also functions as a connecting figure to a Western audience and mentality. There is a pretty linear plot, although Singh does play with chronology in his first chapter. 

Overall, I found that the novel's language was not its strength but rather its historical significance is what makes it a valuable addition to partition literature. It is a tribute to all the unknown heroes in times of intense conflict. Train to Pakistan was one of Singh's earlier writings so perhaps his later works adopted a more complex style. 

***

*While Khushwant Singh was born into a Sikh family, apparently (Wikipedia notes) he adopted an agnostic/ atheist-inclined worldview later in his life. I do not know whether this novel was written before or after his change of faith and whether this affected or would have affected his work.