Book Readings: "The burden of foreknowledge" by Jawahara Saidullah

Indian writing in English indeed has come of age in the last few decades. From RK Narayan, Raja Rao and Shanta Rama Rau, to quote a few from my college days, highly readable stuff backed with excellent historical research is written by various authors some of whom are well known and some not so well known.                                    

Jawahara Saidullah is an Indo-American writer who has created a style of her own in telling stories with great creativity. One inescapable aspect of her writing is the feminine view of looking at the world and its complexities from an oriental perspective. The book in hand ' The Burden of Foreknowledge' is the magical story of Nadee, the girl with the unique gift of foreknowledge. The background of the story is 16th-century North Indian life along the Ganges and its tributary Yamuna. Nadee, the lone young family survivor of a devastating flood at Zameerpur travels to Benares by clinging on to her life. She takes shelter at a place given by Dom Raja the boss of the netherworld of Kashi in charge of all cremations. Circumstances lead her to the murder of Dom Raja who had become her lover and the journey takes her to Fatehpur Sikri and ultimately to the court of Emperor Akbar. Many secrets are unveiled and the reader is taken through the mystery of the enigma we call life, be it that of an emperor or a common man.                        Jawahara indeed has created a magical world of her own in telling the story of Nadee with great flair by taking the reader through a web of dreams. Her language is powerful without being indecipherable. The suffocating pain of the human soul is an integral part of her writing and the reader is transported in time and space to another realm of existence.                                         This is a book I would recommend to all with special reference to the womenfolk who would easily connect with the thoughts and travails of the protagonist as also the aunt of Akbar, Princess Gulbadan Begum who too carried a great secret till her end.                Last but not least, the story unfolded here is also the story of the Ganges that protects and teaches us about various nuances of life just as the river became a teacher to Sidhartha, immortalised by Hermann Hesse in his renowned novel by the same name. The book is highly readable and magical.                                        

Incidentally, Jawahara is married to Bjoy Sagar my wife's cousin who is a Director on the board of the multinational company, Bayer in Germany. I, along with my son Mithun, had the privilege of staying with them and enjoying their great hospitality in Dusseldorf, Germany during the last autumn.        Jawahara's mother Qudsiya Saidullah was born in Burma to Dr MA Rauf and Maqsood Jahan Begum. They later settled in Allahabad. Barrister Dr Rauf was the first Ambassador of Independent India to Burma. Her dad Mohammed Saidullah was an IAS officer. She serves as the President of the American Women's Association in Germany and is very active in various social circles. She travels widely around the globe with Bjoy and their daughter Mira while pursuing her literary talents.                       Cherthala, South India