<div>It's an unusual start. But you will, perhaps, agree with the comparison. There is a scene in 2007 Hollywood flick <em>Ratatouille</em> where 'chef' Linguini serves restaurant critic Anton Ego a simple ratatouille that transports Ego back to his childhood and memories of eating the tasty stew. Offering a similar experience is Prajwal Parajuly's <em>The Gurkha's Daughter</em>, a collection of short stories. The stories simply take the reader back to the days when she started off reading <em>Malgudi Days</em> by R.K. Narayan and his short stories such as ‘An Astrologer's Day’ or, perhaps, chose to read through Guy de Maupassant's short stories such as ‘Boule de Suif’.</div><div> </div><div><em>The Gurkha's Daughter</em> has eight stories, narrated at a leisurely ease and blended in the social, political and cultural milieu of Nepal, Bhutan, and Indian states in the north-east that border these countries. And Parajuly touches a deeply emotional chord by connecting with not just those living in the region or are familiar with the geography, but also with readers outside the circle who are curious to discover more. Parajuly spent his childhood in Gangtok and has a master’s degree in Creative Writing from Oxford University and has worked as an advertising executive with a New York newspaper. Before embarking on this book, the author spent time travelling around the North East. </div><div> </div><div>In 'The Cleft', Kaali is deciding between staying with her mistress in Kathmandu and fleeing for a better tomorrow to India. She has to reach Birtamod, a town in Nepal near the Indian border in order to escape. In 'The Cleft' Kaali’s disfigured lip and the lure of a surgery to fix it is a topic frequently brought up by widowed Parvati, who barters work and more work for a surgery. </div><div> </div><div>A hill station in West Bengal, Kalimpong houses among many migrants, a Bihari store keeper, Munnu, competing with neighbouring stores for profits. In this story titled ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ Munnu seeks to solve the problem of a frequent kleptomaniac, who is also the daughter of a powerful lawyer in town. It's a sensitive issue to bring up with the girl's parents, considering the difference in social status. And the timid shopkeeper solves this by simply hiring his burqa-clad wife to man the shop along with him. </div><div> </div><div>In Darjeeling, where 'The Mixed Blessing' is scripted, Parajuly tells us a story a poor engineering graduate’s frustration of having over uninvited guests, his fight with poverty and his inner demons, and his silent resistence against Christianity despite his affinity with the helpful missionaries who visit him for a regular chat. Two friends make a pact, fill each other's bowl with spit and drink it to prove their friendship to each other in Kathmandu in 'The Gurkha's Daughter'. One moves to the UK, the other stays back, perhaps inevitably in search for another best friend. </div><div> </div><div>What merits applause is ‘The Father’s Journey’, the story of young couple Prabin and Khushboo and their life with their daughter Supriya. The story of a father who journeys through Supriya’s life --- since the day she was born to her adolescence and finally her days as a young lady in quest for a suitable husband -– all through, there are ups and downs, bonds weaken when Prabin is awkward about talking to his daughter when she comes of age, but strengthen again, when Supriya finds that her father is her best friend whom she can confide in — be it participating in a beauty contest or her choice of (non-Brahmin) man in her life.</div><div> </div><div>Each story begins with a map giving the reader of the location where the story is woven. So, for those who don’t know their Katmandu from Kalimpong, this seems to be a good place to begin exploring. This is an era where writers such as Janice Pariat (<em>Boats On Land</em>) and Parajuly are rediscovering the rich local cultural collage and weaving stories around it. And Prajwal Parajuly, born to Indian father and Nepali mother, has meticulously mastered this art with <em>The Gurkha’s Daughter</em>. And considering that publisher has ordered the book's first reprint, Parajuly seems to have his pulse on contemporary writing. </div><div> </div><div>businessworldbooks (at) gmail (dot) com</div>
