In a way, this young writer prepared readers for this novel with his debut collection of short stories, The Gurkha?s Daughter. In eight stories, he gave us a glimpse of the life of the Nepali-speaking diaspora in India, Bhutan, Nepal and also New York, peopling it with characters who aren?t the stereotypical Nepalese we have come to read about. In Land Where I Flee, his first novel, the characters, like those in his short stories, are in a state of flux and each one is trying to be free, physically and mentally. The characters are further steeped in class, caste, sex and gender wars.
At the heart of the story is a family drama of far-flung siblings returning home for the 84th birthday, or chaurasi, of their grandmother who lives in Sikkim. When all meet, dramatic things happen, not least because each is carrying a suitcase-full of baggage. Some have been exiled, others want to live in exile.There?s Bhagwati, who has recently lost her dishwasher?s job in Colorado, but is more afraid of her Brahmin, beedi-smoking grandmother ever since she eloped with a tailor, marrying outside her caste. As it turned out, Ram Bahadur Damaai is more of a Brahmin than Bhagwati.
Joining her are Manasa, who lives in London and has married right, but has ended up unhappy and as a caregiver to a dribbling, ageing father-in-law, and Agastya, an oncologist in New York, who is gay and very good at hiding it. The fourth sibling is the uninvited guest, the writer, and thereby hangs a tale. The two other characters who we are drawn to are Chitralekha, the grandmother, and the mischievous maid Prasanti, the eunuch, whose state of freedom Agastya craves. She is the one who has the best lines. She is catty, fierce and independent?clearly, the writer?s personal favourite.
Parajuly gives each character detailed backstories and thus makes them believable. Without mincing words, the estranged sibling?the writer?sums up his brother and sisters: Manasa, ?just like her namesake, the bloody snake goddess, full of venom?; Bhagwati, ?the peacemaker?, and Agastya, ?sexless, friendless, lifeless?. Though the characters could be from anywhere, the Nepalese connection gives them another perspective. Like other Nepali-speaking Indians who are not really written about, through these characters, we get to know about their problems, their quest for identity, the difficulties they face in mainland India, or Bhutan for that matter. Through Damaai, for example, we get to know of the state of the Nepalese-Bhutanese refugee population that has been herded out of the country even as the world looks away.
There is mention of Gorkhaland, too, and the characters debate why it?s needed and where it may be going wrong.
Besides the array of intriguing characters, the other interesting thing about the book is that Parajuly doesn?t harp on ?beautiful? Sikkim at all. Instead, we get to see Gangtok, the capital, as a ?land of stairs? and a city with a ?canine abundance that people incorrectly think doesn?t quite hamper the place?s beauty. Dogs?mangy, drooling, flea-ridden?populate the entire damn town?. Talk about breaking stereotypes.
Parajuly makes his characters spew satire, and with everyone having an opinion on everything from Gorkhaland to Gangtok, it makes for quite an interesting read. Someone or the other is poking fun at the world. For Ruthwa, the prodigal grandson, the word reunion has a ?ridiculous, western ring to it… People in the West keep themselves busy during reunions?they play sports; they drink. We do neither. We sit around and squabble and pretend everything is all right?. Parajuly?s characters are vocal and yet one can?t help feeling they have lots more to say. A sequel or prequel may not be too far away.
Sudipta Datta is a freelancer