The Silent Raga

Set in a time when India was still flexing her wings in the Political spectrum, we join the Venkatakrishnan (and if you're a Tam-bram, you can say that particular name without tripping) family's journey from typical, middle class Tamil Brahmin family, with all the typical hopes for where life will lead. This was back when the city was still called Madras, and Brahmins lived in segregated compounds with strict measures to keep out everyone else, and the elderly mamis (aunties, or older women who had nothing better to do with their time than to be all in your business) would keep their hawk eyes sharpened for the goings on in the neighbourhood. Back when a halfway decent male could fetch hundreds of thousands of rupees for dowry, and even some not-so-decent men could still demand motorcycles and rolex watches. Janaki (the eldest Venkatakrishnan daughter) escaped, from a family whose orthodoxy was as stifling as its secrets. Her younger sister got left behind, and suddenly had to bear the brunt of the pressure from her father. Anyone who's been in one of those strict, "moral" families knows the tune. One child transgresses. Suddenly, the parents are freakishly hard on all the other children, out of a fear that they'll go down that same path. And there's the outcasting of the child, unless he or she completely renounces everything and comes back to their version of clean living. Meanwhile, the sins of the parents are never examined out in the open with the same scrutiny that they use to point fingers at everyone else. So this Tamil Brahmin woman goes and marries (of all things) the one sort of man who is many worlds apart in his differences to her world. She still adjusts, as she always does. That's how Janaki works. Life throws her established routines into a tailspin, and she somehow manages to adapt, and figure out how to make the best of the situation. The story opens with Mallika (Janaki's younger sister) opening a letter from her prodigal sister, with a request to meet in person. It's a request that comes years after Janaki has moved out, Mallika has a job and life of her own, separate but intertwined with her controlling father's, and the vicious, backstabbing, gossiping neighbours she grew up with become singularly insignificant. When you're done reading this beautifully spun tale, read the acknowledgements. They're incredibly sweet. I look forward to countless more books from this very talented writer.