Notes from the Hinterland: Stories and Essays

by Shashi Tharoor, Ruskin Bond, R.K. Narayan

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Genres: India, Essays, Nonfiction, Indian Literature

152 pages, Hardcover

Published April 20, 2019

About the author

Shashi Tharoor is a member of the Indian Parliament from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala. He previously served as the United Nations Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information and as the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs.

He is also a prolific author, columnist, journalist and a human rights advocate.

He has served on the Board of Overseers of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is also an adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva and a Fellow of the New York Institute of the Humanities at New York University. He has also served as a trustee of the Aspen Institute, and the Advisory of the Indo-American Arts Council, the American India Foundation, the World Policy Journal, the Virtue Foundation and the human rights organization Breakthrough He is also a Patron of the Dubai Modern High School and the managing trustee of the Chandran Tharoor Foundation which he founded with his family and friends in the name of his late father, Chandran Tharoor.

Tharoor has written numerous books in English. Most of his literary creations are centred on Indian themes and they are markedly “Indo-nostalgic.” Perhaps his most famous work is The Great Indian Novel, published in 1989, in which he uses the narrative and theme of the famous Indian epic Mahabharata to weave a satirical story of Indian life in a non-linear mode with the characters drawn from the Indian Independence Movement. His novel Show Business (1992) was made into the film 'Bollywood'(1994). The late Ismail Merchant had announced his wish to make a film of Tharoor’s novel Riot shortly before Merchant’s death in 2005.

Tharoor has been a highly-regarded columnist in each of India's three best-known English-language newspapers, most recently for The Hindu newspaper (2001–2008) and in a weekly column, “Shashi on Sunday,” in the Times of India (January 2007 – December 2008). Following his resignation as Minister of State for External Affairs, he began a fortnightly column on foreign policy issues in the "Deccan Chronicle". Previously he was a columnist for the Gentleman magazine and the Indian Express newspaper, as well as a frequent contributor to Newsweek International and the International Herald Tribune. His Op-Eds and book reviews have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, amongst other papers.

Tharoor began writing at the age of 6 and his first published story appeared in the “Bharat Jyoti”, the Sunday edition of the "Free press Journal", in Mumbai at age 10. His World War II adventure novel Operation Bellows, inspired by the Biggles books, was serialized in the Junior Statesman starting a week before his 11th birthday. Each of his books has been a best-seller in India. The Great Indian Novel is currently in its 28th edition in India and his newest volume. The Elephant, the Tiger and the Cellphone has undergone seven hardback re-printings there.

Tharoor has lectured widely on India, and is often quoted for his observations, including, "India is not, as people keep calling it, an underdeveloped country, but rather, in the context of its history and cultural heritage, a highly developed one in an advanced state of decay.". He has also coined a memorable comparison of India's "thali" to the American "melting pot": "If America is a melting pot, then to me India is a thali--a selection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls. Each tastes different, and does not necessarily mix with the next, but they belong together on the same plate, and they complement each other in making the meal a satisfying repast."

Reviews

[Areeb Ahmad (Bankrupt_Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4/5

I buddyread this with a friend. This one was a fairly consistent selection of writings and all the stories and essays were generally good or great. No matter what you may think of Tharoor as a politician or as a human being, he is a damn good writer. His opening story while a tad implausible, is one of the best pieces in the collection. Madhuri Vijay's long story was also a favourite. I am really excited to read her debut novel now. I enjoyed R K Narayan's story also. The twist at the end was very well done. Abhimanyu Kumar's article on the rise of lynchings in India was also brilliant. He easily managed to package a lot of information in limited space. There is a small extract from Shrilal Shukla's Raag Darbari which made me add the book to my wishlist. These few pieces were standouts for me. This, of course, does not mean that the other pieces are had. I liked them all as well. My favourite Olio in terms of overall quality will always remain In A Violent Land. Now that was an absolutely brilliant collection of truly stellar writings. No other Olio comes close.

[Sanchari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anthologies, especially anthologies that attempt to tie through the pieces a common string. Not only does it introduce us to authors known and loved (or maybe not) and authors new, it is the equivalent of looking at a common theme from a variety of perspectives - and what can be more enriching than that?

I'm also a great fan of short stories, because of what it hopes to do in such a short length and breadth of space.

I'm not sure if the "stories and essays" format work, though I'm looking forward to Aleph Olio's series of books featuring a "mélange of the finest writing to be had on a variety of Indian themes". I can see how the duet of fiction and non fiction on a single theme can be more full bodied, but I couldn't quite get into the way the fictional stories transitioned into journalism in this book. Could be the way they were placed with respect to each other, which I think might have worked better if the journalistic pieaces had been interspersed between the short stories, sort of like drifting in and out of reality.

Shashi Tharoor's story is a predictable favorite, both because I like Dr. Tharoor's style of writing and because the ending of the story was without any surprises. It is sort of formulaic and similiar to his story featured in the anthology 'A Monsoon Feast' (edited by Verena Tay), but this doesn't lessen my liking one bit. I think it's a great way to fully appreciate what is meant by substantive equality, something that has been in news as well owing to the Supreme Court judgement upholding reservation. The ending is predictable because after reading through it one yearns for a 'happy ending' of this kind. The ending of the ending packs a punch, and it is exactly why I like short stories and also why I particularly enjoy Dr. Tharoor's.

Ruskin Bond's Night Train at Deoli is an old favorite of mine. Nothing much happens while a world shifts and a life changes. I can read this again and again and draw from it a million feelings.

Narayanan's and Tilak's stories are extremely rich in their imagery, and perhaps epitomize why the short story format works. I didn't like Tilak's The Man Who Saw God as much, because the ending (which in my opinion is the heart of a short story, like the body is for a novel) wasn't that satisfying. Narayanan's An Astrologer's Day is hilarious in its take on the roadside astrologers, so common a sight on our city streets. The ending is sort of predictable, but is a nice twist.

Reza's A Village Divided and Shukla's Raag Darbari are extracted bits, and these should probably be read in their entirety. I couldn't get into them, but I could sense a good story that lay beyond these featured pieces.

Madhuri Vijay's Lorry Raja is absolutely fantastic. This is a new find for me, and doubles my satisfaction for this anthology. It describes the life of a family in an iron ore mine in Bellary, and doing what a short story does best, opens up a thousand worlds in just a few words. The writing is fantastic, especially the descriptions of the red, bleeding earth that forms the cradle (and maybe grave) of the iron ore mine. The ending was brilliant, probably the best one in this entire lot of stories. I look forward to reading Vijay's novel.

The non fiction pieces were good but fell flat for me. I really liked Snigdha Poonam's piece on WhatsApp and it's role in spreading misinformation. P. Sainath's 'Ganpati Yadav’s Gripping Life Cycle' feels half hearted because it's much too short, in my opinion.

Overall, it's a really good book. If I were in charge, I'd make this required reading in our preciously privileged private city schools. I'm not sure how much students think about what they read, but even if one does who wouldn't have otherwise, it's a win.

[Ganesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stories about the broken foundation of our country.
Shashi Tharoor's and Ruskin Bond's stories were a welcome relief.
Rest were painful to read through. Although a pain to be well-aware of.

[Arpith Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essay collections from different authors are generally difficult to judge and this collection is a great example of why. The essays did have a general theme of power struggles between groups of people in the Indian Hinterland and there is a good sense of direction and purpose in the book. But a lot of the essays were either hit or miss with a lot more missing that those that didn’t.

There were a few essays that stood out and were honestly very well written. With the Tharoor, Bond, Tilak, Poonam and Sainath essays being a class beyond the rest. I felt lost and confused and confused in the rest of them. Also quite disappointed in the Narayan essay, having come in with high expectations.

[Rhea (Rufus Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essay collections are usually hard to judge, but this was an overall nice read of 10 pre-published stories, linked in being set in India's hinterland. This includes both fiction and non-fiction on a range of themes including caste, political lynchings, religion, mystic babas, and village politics.

Of the stories included, these four were my favorites:
- Shashi Tharoor's 'Scheduled Caste, Unscheduled Change' on growing up in a caseteist Kerala village and how administrative power can lead to a subversion of the dynamic
- R.K. Narayan's 'An Astrologer's Day' on a self-made astrologer's chance encounter with a person from his past and a very brilliant climax to this tale
- Madhuri Vijay's 'Lorry Raja' which is a searing story of poverty, destitution, and survival of families and friends in Bellary's mining districts
- Snigdha Poonam's 'The Man Who Lived' on the consequences of fake news in the context of Hindu-Muslim riots

[raj dasani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good series by the publisher. It stays true to its idea and theme. For anyone wanting to take a tour to the lesser talked about parts of India, this will be a very good book to start with. Also, the shining list of authors makes it a very rich book in terms of diversity. A quick but important read.

[Apurva Nagpal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes from the Hinterland is an anthology of 12 stories (including shorter translated fiction) and essays, all previously published works of various Indian authors including Ruskin Bond, Shashi Tharoor, Rahi Masoom Reza, R.K. Narayan etc., compiled in this slim volume filled with insights and experiences of our country, that are seldom spoken of.

I read this one last month and although I didn’t like each piece from this collection, I’ve marked a few to explore more works of those authors.

My favourites from this collection were The Night Train at Deoli by Ruskin Bond, The Man Who Saw God (tr. from Telegu) by DBG Tilak and Madhuri Vijay’s Lorry Raja. I also liked the extract from Rahi Masoom Reza’s A Village Divided (tr. from Hindi) and Abhimanyu Kumar’s article The Lynching That Changed India.

[Ashok Krishna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book will help you understand why Indian movie makers prefer producing remix songs out of old classics instead of new, original ones - tried and tested product, guaranteed success, easy money. Books like these are published for the same reason - the publisher wants to make some quick money, adding to the count of books published and making hay while the old sun is still shining warm.

I see no purpose for the existence of this book, except for the publishers' desire to mint some quick and easy money. This book is a collection of 10 already published works by authors from a medley of backgrounds. While RK Narayan, Sainath and Tharoor are all established names, the book carries the works of lesser known authors like Snigdha Poonam as well. But there is no uniformity in the genre of these 10 chapters. The last couple of chapters also reveal - yet again - the anti-BJP agenda of the editor. And that is the only string that ties these beads ogether.

If you are reading this as a sampling of works by various authors, this book serves a purpose. Else, just ignore this. You are losing nothing by not reading this book.

3 stars for the quality of the content, none for the usual cheap trick of republishing the already successful works under a new combination, passing them off as fresh books.

[Mamunuru Shankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book or short stories and essays by famous and upcoming authors. A good and easy read. I liked the story by Ruskin Bond. Some reflections on some stories are as follows:

The Night train to Deoli:

Ruskin Bond short story. When you complete the story, you feel as though it is about you. A simple narrative in which the protagonist meets a girl selling baskets on the railway platform of Deoli on his way to his grandmother's place, Dehra Doon. Somehow, he gets attached to the girl and looks for her whenever he passes through this station, which he frequents quite often on his way to his grandmother for every term holiday. He fails to find her after his second trip. He tries to make enquiries and gets no response. The author beautifully ends the story exposing the subtle human frailty. We often sympathise with other’s misfortune and feel sorry for them. We even make token support, knowing fully well that it won't alleviate the distress. We can only go thus far, beyond which we fail to muster conviction to act. We deceive ourselves while convincing ourselves with apparently logical arguments. At the end of the story, the protagonist decides to break his journey to find the girl’s whereabouts but, finally decides against it.

The Man Who saw God By Devarkonda Bala Gangadhar Tilak

Society can’t accept a deviant as he will be a threat for the existing social order. He is not acceptable especially if he has an allegedly dubious parental back ground. At the same time, it cannot ignore him if he is successful and wealthy. His heretical behaviour is not an objection if he can donate his wealth for building institutions which will keep the dharmic edifice intact. If he refuses to show remorse and reform himself by way of donations to charitable activities, society excommunicates him if they feel he is irredeemable and not likely to fall in line. This is what happens to Gavariah in this story. He leaves the village and moves to town in search of a system which allows him to live his life on his own terms.

Raag Darbari By Srilal Shukla

This is an extract from his famous novel "Raag Darbari". This piece describing the travel of the protagonist ( probably) to a village Shivpalgunj in graphic detail is a motivation to read the Novel itself.

The Man who Lived By Snigdha Poonam:

I is an essay on the perils of social media platforms which are instrumental in viral spread of fake news and sectarian rumours. This person in Kissganj, Rahul Upadhyay, gets a WhatsApp message that he is dead. It is reported he was killed by Muslims leading communal riot leading to many deaths. Finally he goes to the police station and declares he is alive, but by tha time the damage intended is done. In modern times WhatsApp has become the greatest challenge for law and order.

Ganapathi Yadav's Gripping life cycle by P Sainth.

An interaction the author had with 97 year old Ganpathi yadav whose unassuming spartan life has an inspiring background. He happens to be a fighter in Toofan Sena which is the military wing of Prati Sarkar established in 1930s as a Government of india. Excellently narrated by Sainath this story is one of many local rebellions against raj.

[Annarasumanara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection started of as good. All my favourite writers , talked about the problems and mundane life on Indian society.
But then propoganda started. First thing i don't understand is Do India lack in any ways in terms of English newspaper and magazines that they have to borrow an excerpt from Al Jazeera. With how biased and Hinduphobic Al Jazeera is , I doubt the editor had any other intention other than to malign the image of hindus , by adding the article collection . We are only showed the biased one sided view of victims who claimed to be oppressed by Hindus and then they themselves draw the conclusion over the case which still has hearing in court. If you are minority , you can become victim and oppressed whenever you want to.

‘The Man who Lived ’ tackle the rumors spread on whatsapp as a threat as it should be. Then again , it spins out new agenda. Like all victims of whatsapp rumours are Muslims. Even if they throw slippers in hindu festivals (words from the same article ) or do anything else , if Hindus retaliate , they are Islamophobic oppressors.

It seems to editor purposefully put these two articles by the journalists( whose name or work I had never heard of ) among classic works of India's re known and loved writers to alleviate their credibility.

But trust me it was so bad , that it was painfully obvious , it was carrying agenda. And among such beautiful work , they stuck out even more.

I will advise people to read the works from original sources rather than this propoganda served in classics clothing.

3 stars for the works of other writers .

[Anurag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only if the hate-mongering and propaganda story of Abhimanyu Kumar were not in the collection would it have been a whole collection to read. The book does capture stories across all of India from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and other north Indian states. The short stories do beautifully display the fault lines in our society, especially the stories of D.B.G Tilak and Madhuri Vijay, reflecting our society's socio-economic issues.
I don't think there was a need to include two articles to defame the Hindu religion through the cases discussed by Abhimanyu and Snigdha are true to some extent. However, they are written with a biased tone to set the narrative for things still pending in court. Though Abhimanyu's essay goes on to indicate a possible murder of Akhlaq's father in the yogi regime, he still lives without any riot happening in the state. I still don't understand publishers' obsession never to include stories of the likes of Kishan or Lavanya (though it happened recently) or of a similar kind to make it a balanced narrative as if there is only a segment doing the crimes.

[Devika Rajeev · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed collection of five stories, three essays and two novel extracts, all set in rural India. Mostly originally written in English, but there are 3 translated pieces as well. Though it features the likes of Tharoor, Ruskin Bond and RK Narayan, Madhuri Vijay's story is definitely the jewel in this collection.

[Chaya Dronamraju · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful collection of short stories/essays by some of the best writers of Ini.

[sneha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, I only enjoyed three stories.

[Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mix of good and mediocre excerpts, the highlight was the village undivided.