Rajeev Shukla, a veteran name in Indian Journalism and politics, pleasantly surprises with his understanding of the diaspora and their roots in his novel – Teen Samundar Paar published recently during the pandemic this year.
The heartbreak and the pain of being displaced centuries ago and the struggle to keep that identity and connection in spite of all challenges beautifully creates the backdrop of the novel though eventually it becomes a feel good novel about a women taking what is rightfully hers in a world where her family has been wronged.
Little do people know about the pain and separation and the journey for many to keep that ‘identity’ as a people displaced not by choice and desire to be global but rather born out of abject poverty a century or more ago.
Manish Tiwari is a pioneer in multi-cultural marketing in The UK and his company which is a member of the institute of parctitioners of advertising has had immense experience in studying the South Asian diaspora and from such experiences he has in his review found that Rajeev Shukla has a style which is a rare combination of serious journalistic impulses mixed with racy narrative style which makes this novel a potboiler but without losing its sensitive moorings in the pain and journey of a diaspora wronged in many ways but strong enough to survive it all and still retain that Indianness which defines the people from the subcontinent.
There are too many parallels close to real life figures as Rajeev frequently draws from his extensive foray into Cricket and life of politics to create characters who one can be sure he has met along his way. He tries to thinly disguise them but quite often spells them out in an effort to make the narrative relevant and believable. The narrator – Prashant comes close to real life election psephologist – Prashant Kishore and Shukla makes him, his alter ego for the purpose of the novel. His close friends may find other characters with whom they can identify.
This is a new phase of writing in Hindi with a global backdrop but with great comfort and understanding of the people and culture and how the new Indians who are rich and can afford ‘luxury cruise’ are still struggling with sexual morality and the inherent hypocrisy embedded in the Indian way of life. Shukla’s writing wades through this in the backdrop of holidaying Indians on the global luxury cruise while keeping his narrative focused on the story of Sylvia in a racy way and that is the strength of the novel that its immensely readable and likeable.
Rajeev Shukla deftly deals with certain social issues and shows great sensitivity in bringing out the nuances of a love affair between an Indian girl who is never expected to fall in love with a black man. Rajeev deals with a social taboo which the Indian diaspora needs to look at. The political and racial divide between South Asian diaspora and the black communities is abound and is a proof that Indians are as racist or perhaps more than their white counterparts.
That said, this is a great read for the diaspora and we wish Rajeev Shukla, success with this novel which doesn’t have a precedence in Hindi literature and hence is a great read. It starts with a storyline much like Akhilesh’s acclaimed Hindi novel Nirvasan (Exile) and eventually becomes a racy feel good story more in the tradition of Hindi thrillers. The references to London makes you relook at this city and one can’t help but notice that the writer has a great love for this city and its Indian denizens who make this city an all out Indian affair. He perhaps knows more about the city and its secrets than many of us.
Rajeev Shukla is both a politician and a journalist of a rare kind who retains his humanity above all but he is equally a keen observer of the diaspora and a great story teller as is evident with this book. This novel can capture the imagination of the diaspora if translated in English and available to the young readers, a challenge in our oversubscribed digital age. Needless to say it will also make for a great Netflix series.
Facebook Comments