The Sound of Language

The Sound of Language
by Amulya Malladi

Previously, I've read Amulya Malladi's 'Mango Season', 'Serving crazy with curry' and 'A breath of fresh air'. None of these have impressed me much. They're alright, was my take. Not outstandingly brilliant.

'Sound of Language' is different for a few reasons. For one its her first novel where her characters are not Indian or of Indian origin. Secondly, the story line in itself is an unusual take on the lives and struggles of Afghan refugees(immigrants) in Denmark. Its almost like a parallel story from Khalid Hosseini's 'A thousand splendid suns' only without his powerful writing style.

Which brings me to AM's penmanship. I dont find the fluid, potent scripting that one sees in other writers. But one does find simple and succinct storytelling. Which is good and is needed once in a while. The pace of this story is sufficient to keep one going. She obviously understands what episodes to elaborate on and what not to.

On to the story. I found two very interesting points to note from this tale. One was the situation of Afghan refugees that took asylum in an EU nation such as Denmark. That it refers to current times of Taliban regime in Afghanistan and post 9-11 war on terror makes the story very relatable. Its interesting to read about how Afghan immigrants(much like immigrants in any nation) try to adapt to the different cultures and languages, while fiercely holding on to their own roots. The book also dwells on how the Danish try to open up to accomodate other cultures into their society which has been closed and protective for so many eons. Like a character in the book says, its going to take some time for change to happen, it cannot be an overnight process.

The other point to note from the book was that it addressed the turmoil of the central character, Raihana, a widow who is forced to flee from Kabul after her husband is killed in an Afghan prison as she goes through the healing process of letting go of the ghosts of her terrorised past and starts building a life for herself in this faraway land where language is the biggest barrier and the culture is liberal, poles apart from her own. Its endearing to read about her passion to learn the language and to praktik(intern) at a beekeeper's place so she could stand on her own feet. The beekeeper himself, recently widowed is grieving and having this young girl around asking curious questions and eager to learn the trade lightens his spirit. Nelson Mandela once said 'Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it'. This story is about this young Afghan girl trying to overcome her fears and rebuild her life. Hence she is courageous. One part of her wants to immerse herself in the new culture and its ways, another tugs at her heart and gently reminds her that however strong and wide the wings she sprouts, she will always remain tied to the customs of her upbringing. Family, marriage and bearing children is but an eventuality. At least in this new land, she has the right to voice her choice.

The prelude to each chapter with a small snippet about bees and beekeeping added an interesting twist. Kinda like the kick delivered by squeezing some lemon juice on spicy poha .

Footnote : I am enjoying these latest series of books like this one and the Alexander McCall Smith ones which provides the reader a glimpse into other cultures, countries, the people and their lives. For most part, one invariably realises people everywhere, all over the world, are the same and think similarly. Cultures, languages and traditions might vary, but the essence of humanity is unific.