For the uninitiated the Indian subcontinent comes across as a vivid canvas splashed with a riot of colors. Even that canvas, however, has changed as India itself has changed in the last half century. And rarely do the uninitiated, or for that matter the people of the subcontinent themselves, get to see the complete canvas. It would take a genius or a master to provide an accurate picture of India with his unique brush strokes. As for understanding the country, even many Indians haven’t the foggiest of what’s going on.
William Dalrymple, in his book “The Age of Kali: Indian Travels and Encounters,” has produced a work of art that is stark in its presentation. And he has endeavored to keep it simple; and it is this simplicity which tempers the otherwise disturbing book which presents a subcontinent in the throes of change, seemingly drifting toward an abyss.
It is really a work of love as the author claims in the introduction. The collection of 20 essays, even read randomly, proves easy and informative. The wide spectrum of subjects has been meticulously researched and approached with sympathy and understanding.
The final product reveals that Dalrymple has the pulse of the subcontinent. And why not? He first went to India as an 18-year-old backpacker and he has returned many times since to recount the tales of the people and places he has slowly come to understand. The book’s title is a reference to ancient Indian beliefs in different ages or epochs and their defining characteristics. According to these beliefs, the age of Kali is a time of strife, corruption, darkness and disintegration. In a word, very much like our modern world.
To quote Dalrymple: “India has consistently defied those who make prophecies of doom for her, and sure enough outside Pakistan and the Ganges basin, in parts of Deccan and southern India, I saw a world where notions of ‘Kali’ seemed to have little relevance...
“(The book’s) subject is an area of the world I revere like no other, and where I have chosen to spend most of my time since I was free to make my choice. From my first visit... I was completely overwhelmed: India thrilled, surprised, daunted and excited me. Since then it has never ceased to amaze.”
This is the feeling that pervades the essays the author has collected in the book. His grasp of his subject is fascinating. His talent lies in persuading us that the times and characteristics of the subcontinent are inherent in human nature. Through the book, he makes us realize that what happens in all the places he visited not only happens in the subcontinent but everywhere for that matter. The age of Kali is not limited to India alone. Nostalgia, in-bred social eccentricities, corruption and hopes are entwined in the chronicle. The author’s style allows the people and places to speak for themselves and their speech reflects his feel for cultural diversity, pessimism and expectations. The style also allows his characters to assume both depth and poignancy.
The writer’s subjects are a veritable sweep through the spectrum of those available to him. Politics, culture, heritage and the dilemmas facing the subcontinent are brought to life in the essays. He has culled nuggets of gold from the vast areas of India he has visited and lived in during his 10-year stay there. The compelling stories he tells are laced with emotion and humor.
Nowhere in the book does he seek to judge. He merely presents a composite picture through the people he meets. He seeks out politicians, socialites and the common man; to sketch the decadence and decay amid the conflict and cacophony of the subcontinent. From the brilliant opening chapters portraying lawless caste violence in Bihar, to the nostalgia of Avadh (a northern kingdom during the Moghul era) and Lucknow, Dalrymple manages to shock and excite. From then on the book becomes, like a riveting novel, a real page-turner — not only for the clarity of its prose but also for its message. Some of the most fascinating sections are the interviews in the south, detailing history-rich Hyderabad alongside with conservative Madurai (in Tamil Nadu) and Cochin (Kerala). He gives us some amazing insights into the new mindsets in those parts. Dalrymple takes you through the Bombay social scene and the flash point that is Bangalore before rounding off with fascinatingly informative articles about the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and also Imran Khan and Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan.
He is funny in his ironic appraisal of the people. A case in point is when he runs into Mr. Venugopal while attempting to witness an exorcism in Cochin. He writes: “We had met a little earlier that morning in a roadside tea-stall; as we shook hands, Mr. Venugopal had handed me his card. It read: Venugopal, Chief Engineer to All-Kerala Electricity Board (Retired).”
He leaves it to the reader to work out whether the person or the board has retired. Also with this vignette, in his unique way, he captures the mood of the place and the person. By highlighting the quixotic nature and the plight of the people, evident throughout the book, he has managed to communicate a wealth of information.
This book takes on an added importance for all of us who are from the subcontinent. The author brings it alive for us who, in many cases, have forgotten the whole or who have preferred to live in well-insulated pockets. Through his writing, he has conveyed these various pockets and how they link to — and fit into — the whole. Surprisingly for a non-Indian who has not specialized in Indian languages or history, Dalrymple has also made a linguistic record. He has included words that have slipped out of common usage in India today and by mentioning them, has brought them to our notice.
For example, he uses the word “nagashwaram” which is an outsized Tamil oboe. The word is now archaic; today we more commonly use “nadhaswaram” but we should not forget the original word and we have this book to remind us. Though the book is an outsider’s perspective on the subcontinent, the author’s approach is refreshingly honest and never condescending or patronizing.
I must confess that it took a non-Indian to lead me to Dalrymple. For that I’m thankful; but for his rave review, this gem would have slipped by me. For anyone interested in India and the subcontinent, it is a must-read.
