Review | Window Seat

Book Review | Sourav Gupta

Appreciating clouds and nubile damsels 

from the window of life

Window Seat

Author: Mrinal Chatterjee

Publisher: Sephali Communications, Dhenkanal

Price: Rs 250/-

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading his writings, I have faced one major problem-the selection of pieces to be finally included in the book has cost me many sleepless nights. This is not only because Khushwant’s effortless prose spiked by his characteristically acerbic wit and spontaneity makes many of his pieces worth preserving but also because his writings span such a vast range.

The above words excerpted from Rohini Singh’s preface to Khushwant Singh’s iconic Malicious Gossip exactly echoes in the mind of a reader when he sets to review its most palatable latest avatar, Window Seat, by Mrinal Chatterje, which the author himself admits to be born out of an inspiration from the former. The sheer range of subject dealt in this 159 page wonder by Chatterjee transports the readers to a heaven of delectable reading while the reviewer has no other option but to tear his hairs off!

Make no mistake. Chatterjee may have credited Singh or Berham Contractor as his inspiration for his book, yes, the mood of window seat is reminiscent of Singh’s Gossips Sweet & Sower or Contractor’s Round & About but he has in no way aped the writing style of these legends. Rather, he has avoided the larger than life writer shadows looming over the columns and added an essentially middle class flavour of astonishment to Window Seat. The middle class, salaried individual who is an eternal dreamer is also eternally astonished at the ongoings around him in every sphere of life. When the author is taken aback at certain incident and expresses his astonishment, he immediately strikes a chord with the readers who identify themselves with his amusements, reactions. The readers are also middle class and who knows not that this is the section of the population in India who are constantly taken aback and subjected to considerable amounts of helplessness and struggle to live on without having much to do. So, in a sense, Window Seat becomes a mirror which reflects the lot of the middle class people and their silent, helpless acceptance of the things which affect their lives.

Small and little things form very interesting chapters of the book. The author, having hailed from a background of journalism, has keen observation and takes on issues which fade away or creep up with changing times. The piece on greetings cards makes one nostalgic, an ode to a bye gone era, a practice now limited only to institutions. Similarly recent trends like Valentines’ Day, Virushka keep coming. And Chatterjee always adds a flavour of humour, or should we say, sarcasm to these issues to make them more palatable. He is a voracious reader and has keen interest on academic research. So every now and then readers are enriched with mention of new books and study reports. He documents his travels also unveiling traits of places, its people and their habits. Kolkata and Jaipur are two cities which are frequently mentioned. The author, delights everybody when he describes the difficulties of walking in a Shantiniketan, habit of Bengalis to wear monkey caps, range of merchandise sold in local trains and the delicious street food of Kolkata. While he is highly impressed about the tourist friendliness of Jaipur, he is delighted at the same time to discover that Jaipur winter is not as scary as he had apprehended-apprehensions so characteristic of the middle class again. Like so many of us, he too apprehends, is the world coming to an end? Keeping up with it he keeps on wonderfully commenting on insensitivity of big bag carriers or his personal pride of hoisting the national flag. The scathing remarks on the literary festivals and the lack of patience in listening therein is another funny aspect altogether. Contrasting concepts of seva, yoga day and nail polish are handled with equal ease.

Book available at Modern Book Dept, Station Square, Bhubaneswar; Kitab Mahal, Cogge Square, Cuttack.
 One can order online through www.odikart.com. Or send email to sephalicommunications@yahoo.in

The author is a versatile combination of lineages and professions. On one hand, he is a Bengali, born and brought up in Odisha and has imbibed the best of both Bangla and  Odia culture. Professionally, he has been a full time scribe turned media academician with a knack of writing fiction and plays. This spectrum of experiences enables him to comment on a wide range of socio-politico-economic and cultural issues. Like a true journo, he takes an analytical and progressive stands on issues affecting lives of common people, like the role of a civil society in building a nation. He says, “….a democratic state can’t be stable….unless it is effective and legitimate with respect & support of its citizens.” Direct and relevant. He continues the crusade in expressing deep concern on issues like hygiene in public toilets, patient’s rights , irony of modern living, boozing and so on. The communication specialist in him crops up time and again in efforts to brand the local train merchandise as ‘Bazaar on wheels’, content analyzing to find out whether the mass media is the people’s media and its role in the modern digital age. He has put forward interesting observation on the way we talk, the softness and loudness of talking to be precise and its impact. He discusses human psychology in context to cognitive dissonance. He laments the gradual ruin of the state of West Bengal and regales in describing festivals in Odisha like Raja and Rathayatra. The humanitarian, empathetic nature of the author is visible to readers when he chooses to express his concern over old age homes, persons with disabilities and on a personal note, passing away of a motherly figure.

A review of Window Seat will not be complete if the linguistic faculties of Chatterjee are not mentioned. Being a student of English Language and Literature, he is at his poetic best in using metaphors to describe his feelings on abstract elements of time and clouds. The reader is treated to beautiful literary pleasure when he writes, “Time is like dry sand slipping through my fingers…..like a nubile damsel, she moves away as I try to hold on to her”. In describing clouds as watched from the window seat of a flight he goes, “sea of clouds-sea of milk, at times like cotton…..”, the readers’ imagination simply erupts.

With hilarious tail pieces excerpted from social media, observations on daily life which makes the readers think without taxing them aided by simple and flowing language peppered with wit makes Mrinal Chatterjee’s Window Seat a delectable reading.

***

1.6.18

(The author teaches Journalism & Mass Communication at the Central University of Orissa, Koraput and is a theatrician-playwright. May be contacted at sourav.gupta81@gmail.com)