Friday 30 October 2015

Courtesans of Karim`s Street by Debotri Dhar




It`s the story of Megan, Dr Megan Adams, an young green-eyed mint fresh academic who had recently accepted a teaching position at Newark, a city tainted with drug, murder and high crime rate. She is a proclaimed feminist, honest and headstrong, but had had made a couple of wrong choices in the past. She fell in love with a debonair professor who is a habitual philanderer. Megan`s sincere compassion for her students had been misinterpreted by her college authorities for which she might have to face disciplinary actions. She is in deep confusion about her relationship with Kevin, her best friend. These are all usual complications of living in a modern society, but as the story unravels we find she has a past - a closely guarded secret, brought to light by an anonymous cuss letter. She undertakes a journey to India in search of the truth and meets Naina, another green eyed woman and realises that she is her step sister, both having been fathered by the same man, Sikander, who was a descendent of the courtesans of Karim`s street.

I am not going to elaborate further on the story as there are many sub plots that should be left for the readers to find out.

Written by Debotri Dhar, an serious academic and feminist who holds degrees from Oxford and Rutgers, the book is a reader’s delight from the first page, especially the readers who are fond of reading elegant prose, unusual metaphors, stunning simile and have an eye for sensory details. The first half, when the conflicts are being built up, is griping. The characters of Stanley, Kevin and Shakuntala are nicely etched, particularly Stanley; he is such a likeable man, big-hearted and witty. But Deborah, Megan`s mother, who has been portrayed as a bored and misunderstood housewife isn't believable; more so when we read how a dignified wife of a career diplomat had sex with a wanton tourist guide. Nowhere the author explained why Stanley was cold to her, more so when we know Deborah had a wretched past, much abused in her childhood but had a loving and caring husband.

Naina, the legitimate daughter of Sikander, is a feisty woman – almost the alter ego of Megan. Her journey is equally fascinating; particularly the bonhomie she shared with Megan unaware of the reality is touching. I liked the moment when two green eyed women break into an impromptu gig of kathak while an onlooker encourages them to carry on. But her music fellowship, that too in the US is hard to believe and comes as forced, imposed upon.

The resolution part has been done in exposition mainly in the form of excerpts from Deborah`s diary which was the weak link of the whole story. It made the reader lose concentration, despite powerful prose. As a reader, one is likely to wonder who wrote the cryptic letter to Megan that kick-started the whole journey, but the author forgets to inform us about it.

However, this is one book, written with utmost care and embellished with a wonderful cover. I strongly recommend the book for them who savour good writing in English, but not the average readers who are in a hurry to devour a story in a period of few hours. I`d rather say that the book has to be sipped slowly like a glass of chilled Chardonnay, and not  gulped down like a shot of tequila.


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