Relationships. Thin strings of thoughts and rules binding individuals. Sometimes coming on a platter as a gift, and sometimes tied to the hands like handcuffs. In any form, their knots are constantly re-arranged with time, love and trust. Sometimes bitter experiences gnaw into them to test the strength of these knots and at other times, hatred, betrayal and destiny break them. It is around this entangle and trap of relationships that this tale called “I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale” is woven. Read below to find out more.
.::The Plot::.
Placed in 1942, the book tells a story of a small, close-knit Sikh family living in Amritsar. Buta Singh, the head of the family, is a magistrate who works for the British, and after years of loyal service to the British Raj is expecting to be honoured with a title in the King’s Birthday Honours List. His son, Sher Singh, however has different plans. He has joined a band of terrorists and comrades and in order to acquire the leadership has hatched a plan to disrupt arms supplies traffic on road and rail through bombing, and all this rebellion is undetected by any member of the family. Hell breaks loose when a ghastly murder of the village headman is reported and Sher Singh is arrested. All this sends an earthquake through the foundations of Buta Singh’s house [for his dreams are shattered] and what follows is a tale of conflicting loyalties and unexpected redemption which is to be read to be felt. Does Buta Singh get the title he craved for? Does Sher Singh get hanged? If he doesn’t who comes to the rescue? Who’s the real culprit? Read the book to find out.
.::My Review::.
Storytelling:
I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale’s strength is its story-telling.The basic plot (as above) is known to the reader even before he reads the first page and knows exactly where the book will steer to, but a few pages into it, and one is completely shocked at the sequence of events and the masterful execution of the plot. The book starts off with a chilling account of Sher Singh and his gang ruthlessly killing a Sarus crane. Deftly and niftily canned, it amazes with its sheer authenticity (the death scene of the bird and the mannerisms of the partner bird will have you speechless) and instantly makes the reader dive into this sea of words.
Quite instantly, however, a change in tide is noticed when we are taken into Buta Singh’s household. Even the most miniscule of character gets introduced and slowly we are transferred into another world which revolves just around Buta Singh’s family and friends. The narrative is quite fluffy and light (quite surprising, considering it’s a Khushwant Singh book) and makes for one fantastic read. Tension, unexpectedly builds up with Sher Singh’s arrest though it isn’t very overpowering, for the author instils hope, God, religion and optimism into the whole sequence. In fact tension soon fades away and the reader waits for a happy climax, when suddenly an unexpected incident comes with a loud slap, and keeps the reader hooked till the climax.
For once, I loved the way the English officers have been portrayed. Authoritarian, yet human; Disciplined, yet emotional; for once they aren’t the villains of this book, and that in itself gives this book a niche. Objectivity is the keyword. Neither are their actions politically biased, nor are they diplomatic. Projecting them as somebody equally human as an Indian, the author beautifully captures their psyche.
Relationships, which form the crux of the book are again depicted very life-like. Be it the mother-son relationship or husband-to-wife or Comissioner-to-magistrate or friend-to-friend or for that matter father-son, there isn’t a speck of artificiality or loud emotions that you’ll have difficulty to gulp. Objectively presented, with each bond going through its share of trials, so much reminiscent of real life, makes the book likeable.
Sex and voyeurism, thankfully, gets relegated to the background in this book, and though there are ample suggestive sentences and words, they flow with the narrative and at times is enjoyable (of particular mention is the incident where the house’s maid servant, Shanno seeks the cure of a Peer baba [and in the process mates with him] when during her morning session she finds something red sticky stuff oozing from her privates, when the actual cause is her peer servant who mixes red ink and glue in her morning jug to punish her for ill-treating him)
The author also hasn’t sermonised much as well, with occasional musings on the Indian culture and religion, the Indian monsoons or the privacy in the relationships in India, which again gel with the story-telling and are again quite enjoyable pieces to ponder upon, providing a classic touch to the main story.
A trivial flaw in the book is its climax. For such a wonderfully cohesive plot, a more justifiable climax was the need of the hour. Though emotional morons (like me) will have their tear ducts moist in the final pages, I would have loved to see a more conclusive climax. The last page is quite mediocre in that sense and abrupt as well.
Characterisation:
Another plus point of this book. The author has so beautifully captured every sphere of life by handpicking characters from practically every age-group that the reader will always have atleast one character to identify it. And even praiseworthy is the way they have been fleshed out. Be it the insecurity of adolescence (Sher Singh’s sister-Beena), the brute ness of the youth (Sher Singh), the unconquerable lust of a woman (Sher Singh’s wife-Champak), the mannerisms of a Casanova (Sher Singh’s friend-Madan), the diplomacy of the public servant (Buta Singh and Wazir Chand), the spirituality and dignity of an old lady (Sher Singh’s mother-Sabhrai), the compassion of an Englishwoman (Mrs Taylor), the loyalty of a pet-dog (Dyer) or the ignorance of the illiterate (Shanno-the maid servant), every character is so wholesomely etched and brought into life, that the book looks more like a slice of one’s own life.
Language:
Just like the light narrative, the language also never becomes loud, and is suggestive, smooth and in some places even soothing. Lots of verses, translated into English, from the Guru Granth Sahib find their way into the text, and when added with many more Indian syllables, add to the rusticity and the native feel of the novel. Wonderful!
.::On an ending note::.
As I said before, I Shall Not Hear The Nightingale is a slice of life. Characters here aren’t one-dimensional. Add to the life-like factor, a fabulously executed plot, a refreshingly witty narrative which will keep you engrossed all through and will tug at you towards the final pages plus a wonderful message it embodies:
“Love is the oxygen for any relationship—blood or otherwise.Take this mask away, and you’ll see the relationship suffocate.”
A must read for those on a lookout for an emotional read. Highly Recommended.
….Hope you liked the review…..do comment if time permits….and please peek at the comments for some extra notes…
© Karan 2003
