Curry Biscuit, Novel by Hemjit Bharathan
Published by Current Books Folio. Price: Rs 385
Available at Amazon.in
Hemjit Bharathans very readable novel, Curry Biscuit, has all kinds of emotions but expressed in moderate gentlemanly language, just like the author himself. There's an honesty and authenticity about the anecdotes and incidents in the novel, representative of life in Fort Kochi, where Hemjits early years were spent. The cosmopolitan character of the place is brought out very well through food, festivals, inter cultural interactions and local dialect of Anglo Indians who formed a chunk of his friends.
The
lifestyle and fashions of the seventies like the beehive hairdo which
Indu, one of the characters chooses, paints a clear picture of the early
seventies of Fort Kochi, long before it became a touristy place. When
the Chinese nets were looked upon as a means of getting fresh fish and
adding beauty to the seascape.
The
colours and moods of the place and its inhabitants have been described
with accuracy so that Princess Street, Jew Town, Napier Street, all have
an ambience of their own.
The
coming of age incidents, others that were swept under the carpet, all
have a place in this, his maiden novel. His only novel, sadly enough.
The
music scene of the late sixties and seventies, the parties that were
thrown in houses, clubs and the not so pleasant teenage escapades of
that age group, has been written with such honesty, tinged with a
humorous edge. Hemjits mention of English, Malayalam and Hindi songs of
that period accurately takes you back to your own childhood too.
Problems
and incidents specific to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry area, like the
Jews who longed to get back to Israel, evenings by the seaside and
beach, dot the tale. The many convents, schools and life within them
.....
The language is simple, yet catchy. The choice of words apt and descriptions lifelike.
The
fun elements in the story , very many in fact, show the optimism of the
writer himself . A genre defying novel, it has every subject of life in
good measure and makes breezy reading. The title, Curry Biscuit is what
defines the Fort Kochi of Hemjit' s teenage period. Whats curry
biscuit? Do read the book and find out.
