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)
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