Book review by Rashmi Narzary.
Sahitya Akademi Awardee, Author, Independent Editor
Leisurely and delightful, ‘In Arden’ lets the reader soak in the apprehensions and dilemma of someone who sets foot into the idyllic landscape, rugged terrain, and mostly uncertain weather of Shillong for the first time, as Dr. Brijraj Singh and his wife Frances arrive there from Delhi to teach English at the just-founded North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), along with a much sedated Cat. However, that very primary purpose of building an academic atmosphere of innovation and creativity eventually turns out to be a frustration for the author.
The memoir is otherwise presented brilliantly with opportunities that placed themselves before the Singhs to learn about a people who, having belonged to the same country, yet seemed so vastly different and distant to them. The book warms the heart at the way Mr. Booth, their landlord, takes it upon himself to make the couple feel at home, in his own robust manner. Likewise, the author describes many who had made their stay in Shillong worthy of being remembered and written about, though not always in warm, friendly terms!
The narration is easy and despite being laced with humour, what surfaces is a sense of disillusionment at having arrived where they did, as well as a sense of unmet expectations.
The book comes out as more than a mere memoir, as it gives a range of information about Shillong as well as the whole of Meghalaya, the state it belongs to, its legends, its political history in relation to its neighbouring states and more importantly, a pulse of the characteristics and values of its people, both local and converged. Revealed in the form of anecdotes and entertainingly crafted experiences, this information gives a vivid insight into the social, economic and political structures prevalent in Shillong of the mid 1970s, its gender dynamics, its bazaars, streets, villages, forests and its leanings towards music and religion, both Christian and tribal; In one instance, Dr. Singh regales the reader with how some locals believed in following a combination of both the religions, but only to their convenience! All through the book a number of such amusing episodes are thrown in, making the memoir come alive.
Dr. Brijraj Singh is also bluntly honest as he narrates events and describes people, some of whom I happen to know, having spent exactly those same four years in Shillong, though at a different age bracket.
In Arden lends a laid back, sunny read as it describes how the newlyweds, Dr. Singh and Frances, get to know neighbours through the unique medium of sauntering, stray dogs and plants, and in his own words, ‘…if we liked a flower in someone’s garden, we would just march in, introduce ourselves, and request a cutting. We met with only welcome and delight on such occasions.’
Teething hiccups at NEHU, its faculty and its diverse students who arrived from all over the northeast, leave their own indelible mark in the author’s mind and which eventually find their way into the book.
For someone not from Shillong, not even from the north east of India, Dr. Singh has reached out well and greatly into the Khasi mindset, to be able to describe with lucidity the homes, hearths and hearts of the Khasi of all social strata, and their dislike towards the dkhars, the outsiders. His four years in Shillong are definitely wrapped in bitter-sweet memories, among friends who ranged from the then Governor of Meghalaya, L.P.Singh, to the carpenter and the plumber.
How great a mark Shillong leaves in Dr. Singh and Frances is evident from the fact that when they left in 1978, they took with them a part of Shillong, in kong Dolcy Suting, who became a ‘second mother’ to their son Viru.
Much has since changed in Shillong, and much has yet remained just the same. If you aren’t from Shillong and wish to know how this small, sleepy town with a picturesque suburb was during the 1970s, then you must read In Arden. You must still read it if you are from Shillong, for it will tell you how Shillong looked from the perspectives of one who isn’t from the hills of Meghalaya, what expectations he harbours about Shillong and what he takes back with him when he leaves.
Originally posted at Goodreads.com on January the 30th, 2022
In ARDEN has an Introduction by Anjum Hasan, a Foreword by Easterine Kire and an Afterword by Paul Pimomo
