Jhumpa "Pulitzer" Lahiri
nkdat...@my-deja.com
Hindustan Times
(Kolkata, January 10)
Interpreting maladies of the banal
Soumya Bhattacharya
Pity Jhumpa Lahiri. The riot police weren't quite out to control the
mob, but it got as close to a charge of the paparazzi brigade as it
ever does in Kolkata.
Visiting the city (the country, in fact) for the first time in five
years, Jhumpa Lahiri found that she has inescapably become Jhumpa
Pulitzer Lahiri.
She might just as well have worn on her cardigan the sticker that her
Indian publishers, HarperCollins, have tacked on to the cover of her
book: 'Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2000'. It would have
made for an even better photo-op.
Pity Jhumpa Lahiri. Under the glare of the cameras and faced with the
battery of banalities that such occasions bring, she withdrew into
herself and produced the clichéd answers that clichéd questions demand:
out of a slot machine, packaged and barcoded for mass consumption. “I
am very fond of this city, it is a wonderful part of my life. I was
shocked when I won the Pulitzer, I felt humbled and grateful;" "Every
book informs my understanding of story telling;" "I haven't been out
much, so all the changes I see since I last came here are the changes
in the people I know and not in the city;" "My writing comes from a
very personal and private place."
Oh well. If you were looking for a casual profundity, a throwaway,
brilliant aside, a nugget of unusual elegance, you had come to the
wrong place. Or perhaps to the right person at the wrong time.
Pity Jhumpa Lahiri. It must be a very personal and private visit for
her (she is here to get married to Alberto Vourvoulias, an editor with
Time magazine) and in her streaked hair, red cardigan and black skirt,
she looked as bashful and preoccupied as any other bride four days
before one of the most important occasions of her life. Well, she
looked heartbreakingly beautiful too, but that is a different matter.
So what else did we find out about Jhumpa? She is working on a novel
now ("I don't want to talk about it at all") and Interpreter of
Maladies, the book that has given her celebrity in a way, will soon be
translated into Bengali, Marathi and Hindi. Her uncle, Tushar Sanyal,
will design the cover for the Bengali edition. We also discovered that
it was Vourvoulias who had suggested that she make the title of her
book Interpreter of Maladies instead of The Interpreter of Maladies. He
is an editor, after all.
As an English novelist had once put it in a different context, Jhumpa
today looked a bit like a blue-collar employee of her former self.
Don't pity Jhumpa Lahiri.
If you want her brilliant asides, elegant nuggets or epiphanies, you
would be better off reading the book. You will find them in abundance.
Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/
nkdat...@my-deja.com
Times Of India
January 12, 2001
Kolkata celebrating Jhumpa's marriage with her books
The Times of India News Service
KOLKATA: Jhumpa Lahiri might be trying her best to keep her wedding on
Monday next a private affair, but Kolkata residents are celebrating the
best way they can. By buying her books.
News of Jhumpa's wedding coupled with her arrival in the city has sent
the sales of her Pulitzer-winning book, Interpreter of Maladies,
soaring. According to sources in Rupa, a consignment of 500 copies of
the book, which arrived on Tuesday, has been snapped up by eager buyers.
Jhumpa, who is visiting Kolkata for the first time after winning the
Pulitzer, made her first public appearance on Wednesday. Flanking
Jhumpa was her to-be husband Alberto Vourvoulias Bush, who is deputy
editor at the Time magazine. She revealed that Interpreter will be
translated into Bengali, Hindi and Marathi shortly. Sources at Harper
and Collins, which has the publishing rights for the book in India,
said the Bengali translation would be carried out by Kalyani Mukherjee.
The cover will be designed by Jhumpa's maternal uncle Tushar Sanyal.
Jhumpa has started work on a novel, but the writer said she "was
unwilling to talk about a work in progress". All she would say was, "So
far it's been difficult". On deciding on Kolkata as the venue for her
marriage, Jhumpa said, "It was difficult choice. I wanted Alberto to
see Kolkata. Also, I hadn't come here for a long time." There will,
however, be a reception in the United States for the couple's numerous
friends.
Jhumpa said she has never considered Kolkata a foreign place. "I am
very fond of this city. I have been coming since I was two-years-old,"
she said. But she hastened to add that she did not consider Kolkata her
home. "It has taken a long time for me to feel at home anywhere. Now I
feel at home in New York," she said.
As for the writer's wedding in Kolkata, a veil of secrecy has been
drawn over the plans. Besides the date and venue - Singhi Palace in
south Calcutta - little else is known. According to Sanyal, there will
be around 500 guests, mostly family and friends, and the wedding will
be a normal Hindu wedding. The city's literati or glitterati have not
been invited to the function. The exception might be Sunil
Gangopadhyay, who is known to Jhumpa's mother.
The honeymoon destination of Jhumpa is yet to be decided. While the
writer, like a true Bengali, has shown her preference for Darjeeling,
Alberto has suggested Puri. But her uncle is pushing Andaman. Whichever
place wins, Jhumpa will probably get the privacy she is yearning for.
In Kolkata, she is keeping her whereabouts a closely-guarded secret in
fear of nosy reporters.
nkdat...@my-deja.com
The Telegraph
11 January, 2001
INTERPRETER’S BAPTISM BY BENGALI
BY CHANDRIMA BHATTACHARYA
Jhumpa Lahiri was taken through a rigorous Bengali test today. She
survived. In town for her marriage on January 15, Jhumpa met reporters
at Park Hotel on Wednesday afternoon. The news conference began as a
meet-the-groom show.
Her hubby-to-be, Alberto Vourvoulias, is a man with craggy features and
mature good looks who never stops smiling, but will not say how he met
Jhumpa. He looks slightly rugged — Alberto works as deputy editor with
the Latin American edition of Time.
The Pulitzer winner is like her pictures — tall, beautiful, slender,
and sporting a serene expression that stayed on through the 45 minutes
of the How-Bengali-Are-You quiz. She also sported streaked hair, a
black blouse with matching black skirt and a magenta jacket, her toe-
nails painted red.
Calcutta’s paparazzi got a star. Jhumpa made writers who are solitary
creatures best met alone look like things of the past.
But even as the city tried to claim the famous “Bengali” as its own,
Jhumpa insisted that she belongs to no one place in particular, that
she inhabits a perplexing bicultural universe.
The only Bengali words the soft-spoken author uttered
were “Rabindranath” and “Ashapurna Debi”.
“I’m very fond of Calcutta. I’ve been coming here since I was two years
old,” she said in a New Yorker’s accent over a sea of reporters. But
coming to the city was not homecoming. Neither is Calcutta home for her
parents, who have been living abroad for more than three decades. “It
is one of their homes,” said the writer of Interpreter of Maladies.
A “the” at the beginning of the title was dropped at Alberto’s
suggestion.
“The choice to get married here was a difficult one,” said the 33-year-
old author, as so much of her life lies in another continent.
Bengal drew another blank in terms of literary influence. “My awareness
of Bengali literature is through my mother’s understanding of it,”
Jhumpa said.
After which there was a suggestion that Jhumpa should demonstrate her
skill at spoken Bengali. Or better still, she and Alberto should
exchange some Bengali words — a verbal equivalent of the mala badal
which is going to take place on Monday at Singhi Palace in Gariahat.
Jhumpa and Alberto politely declined.
The writer also denied having links with the Indo-Anglian school. “I do
not read literature as a category,” she said, but confessed to liking
Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children very much.
The couple will be staying in the city for about a week, after the
marriage that will be conducted according to Hindu rites, said Alberto
smilingly.
As Jhumpa has moved from Pulitzer to a White House date to matrimony,
her book has also progressed by leaps and bounds. To be translated into
numerous languages, including Dutch, Danish, Japanese and also Bengali,
Interpreter is into its 14th edition now. The book has sold 200,000
copies in the US.
Jhumpa is also writing her next book, about which she is tight-lipped.
It’s not an e-novel is all one can say, for the writer refuses to be on
the Net.
But how different does she find Calcutta on this visit? Musing a
little, she says: “This conference is new. This is the first news
conference I am holding.”
No wonder, then, she was last seen sitting upright in a chair, face
slightly tilted, as an army of flashbulbs closed in on her.
It was a photo-op to beat all photo-ops.
Shaad Mohiuddin Ahmad
was a charming collection of short fiction that focused largely on alien-
ation. While people from the subcontinent did figure rather prominently in
her stories, the focus, unlike that of many Indian (I use the term very
loosely) authors writing in English, was not on selling the exoticism of
the Raj or post-Raj era to Western readers, and for that at least she
deserves praise.
There is a tendency among Bengalis to co-opt stars in the literary
firmament as being one of us; we saw a similar situation with Arundhuti
Roy a while ago. Jhumpa has suggested that she doesn't necessarily think of
herself as a Bengali. Let's respect her wishes.
Regards.
sh...@leland.stanford.edu - Shaad -
http://cmgm.stanford.edu/~ahmad/
the deviant biologist
"The ancient covenant is in pieces; man knows at last he is alone in the
universe's unfeeling immensity, out of which he emerged only by chance.
His destiny is nowhere spelled out, nor is his duty. The kingdom above
or the darkness below: it is for him to choose."
-- Jacques Monod
Srivatsan Seshadri
Shaad Mohiuddin Ahmad wrote:
> It'd be nice if the paparazzi left her alone. "Interpreter of Maladies"
> was a charming collection of short fiction that focused largely on alien-
> ation. While people from the subcontinent did figure rather prominently in
> her stories, the focus, unlike that of many Indian (I use the term very
> loosely) authors writing in English, was not on selling the exoticism of
> the Raj or post-Raj era to Western readers, and for that at least she
> deserves praise.
>
> There is a tendency among Bengalis to co-opt stars in the literary
> firmament as being one of us; we saw a similar situation with Arundhuti
> Roy a while ago.
Yes, but Roy is a half bengali. Her mother is Malyalee. Amartya Sen might be a
better example...
--
cheers,
vatsan
Artho-niti-bid
Amartya Sen ? Perhaps not. One of the few Hindoo-Chauvanism free
Classically educated Bengalis to live in rather mediocre Modern times
when Vikram Seth and Deepak Chopras have crowded the market place of
ideas with capsules of Indian Civilization of different Spritual, Social
and Cultural dosage.
-- Arthonitibid.
************************************************************************
Rekho-na Daash-er-O Mone,
Hey Minoti Kori Paade,
Shaadhi-te Mone-r Shaadh,
Ghaate Jodi Paaromaad,
Modhu-heen Koro-naago,
Taabo Mono Kokonade.
-- Michael Modhushudan Dutttttttt
while begging Iswar Chandra Bidda Sagar
for sending some money to booze and write
sonnets in London.
Shaad Mohiuddin Ahmad
>Yes, but Roy is a half bengali. Her mother is Malyalee. Amartya Sen might be a
>better example...
True, but I seem to recall Arundhuti professing that she identified
more with her mother's heritage.
arj...@my-deja.com
> BY CHANDRIMA BHATTACHARYA
>
>
> Jhumpa is also writing her next book, about which she is tight-lipped.
> It?s not an e-novel is all one can say, for the writer refuses to be
on
> the Net.
>
It is interesting to note the spirit of disapproval towards
an e_novel writer!
Arjoe
nkdat...@my-deja.com
Hindustan Times
16 January, 2001
Jhumpa’s wedding as per her script
Saibal Sen
(Kolkata, January 15)
IT WAS just another Bengali wedding. The bride, coy in a dazzling red
Benarasi sari. The groom, as usual, ill at ease in white dhoti kurta.
Through the day, Singhi Palace in south Kolkata bore a festive look.
The guest list just exceeded 500 people. The menu was good, nothing
special. A few Gariahat police constables kept a close eye on possible
gatecrashers.
It looked no different from other weddings.
The evening changed everything. The lagna was at 7 pm. But hours before
that, guests started trooping in. With them came scores of newspersons.
And then it seemed that this wedding was special after all.
Bengal's first Pulitzer Prize winner, Jhumpa Lahiri, married her fiancé
Alberto Vourvoulias in a simple ceremony this evening. The bride looked
wonderful, though a bit tired, thought her aunt, Manjari Bhaduri. Not
surprising, after she had gone through all the rigours of a complete
Bengali marriage.
The day started early for Jhumpa—Dodhi Mangal should be over before
sunrise. She went through the rituals in a white saree. She even ate a
mouthful of khoi (puffed rice), chura, dahi and chini. Once this was
over, it was time for the tattwa (gifts from the groom's family) to
arrive. Much to the surprise of her family, it contained none of the
imported cosmetics they had expected.
The surprises didn't stop there. Alberto and his relatives arrived
almost an hour before time. By then, the small area where the
ceremonies were to be conducted was brimming with eager onlookers, all
dying to hear the firang groom chant shlokas in Sanskrit. Those who
stayed said Alberto took no chances after trying once - he simply sat
quiet through the entire proceedings.
Jhumpa's family elders, perhaps in an attempt to help him, cut short
the ritual seven pheras to three. No compromise was made for the
shubhadrishti, though.
At the end of it, Kolkata's most talked about marriage in recent times
ended almost before anyone got to know anything. Jhumpa and her family
had wanted it that way. Said her father: "I do not want any
infringement on our privacy".
nkdat...@my-deja.com
The Telegraph
16 January, 2001
BENGALI FIRST, BEYOND LATER
BY CHANDRIMA BHATTACHARYA
Calcutta, Jan. 15: The only words missing on the gate of Singhi Palace
were “Jhumpa weds Alberto”.
Jhumpa Lahiri got married to Alberto Vourvoulias tonight in an
immaculate Bengali ceremony — without the hom. The groom was even
threatened with dire consequences if he did not part with some money for
the bride’s party.
Alberto didn’t mind. The deputy editor of Time looked quite pleased as
he sat inside one of the halls, trying to repeat all the Sanskrit
mantras haltingly, but religiously. He looked comfortable in a tasar
punjabi embroidered around the neck, dhuti and topar, while Jhumpa was
resplendent in a red benarasi and matching veil.
The New York-based writer of Interpreter of Maladies — stories on
Bengal, Boston and beyond — wore a sitahar (a traditional Bengali gold
necklace) which belonged to her mother and red and white flowers in her
chignon.
She also wore mehndi on her hands — but Bengali brides can do worse.
The Pulitzer-winner was done up by Calcutta’s wedding artist for
celebrities — Probir Kumar Dey.
However, as the mingled smell of machher paturi, fish fry and mutton
curry wafted from the kitchen at the back of the lawn, Calcutta’s
paparazzi raged outside. They even climbed on to the roof of a house
nearby when a dog was let loose on them.
A frail-looking old gentleman defended the Singhi Palace gate, done up
with cane filigree and clumps of flowers and clothed in green lights.
Inside, a tree was bathed in a violet glare. A foreign guest — part of
Alberto’s entourage — roamed about in a mauve saree and matching
ensemble, completing the picture.
Almost everyone from the groom’s 22-strong side — collected from Tokyo,
Canada and the US — was dressed in dhutis and sarees, except the older
persons who stuck to suits. Some took detailed notes of the rituals.
A pair of the overseas guests, who had ventured outside armed with a
handicam, posed before television cameras and said in well-practised
tones: “Kolkata, ami tomake bhalobasi.”
Jhumpa and Alberto were taken through every elaborate detail of the
Bengali ceremony — well, almost.
There was no hom — the fire ritual. Neither was Jhumpa smeared with
sindur, as that was considered too foreign for the groom. But the
remaining rites were observed diligently.
Around 5.45 pm, the 33-year-old writer was smuggled in through the back
gate. Hubby-to-be was brought in through the same door after
half-an-hour, to be confronted by the boron party consisting of Jhumpa’s
female relatives.
As they settled down to the real ceremony, Jhumpa, her face covered in
betel leaves, was carried around Alberto seven times after which they
exchanged shubhodrishti — the look.
Finally, Jhumpa was officially “gifted” to Alberto with the sampradan
ceremony under the chhadnatola — wedding canopy, decorated with flower
curtains on four sides.
The Vourvoulias family was glad of the addition. “I enjoyed every
moment. The ceremony was so interesting,” said Alberto’s father. “I am
very fond of Jhumpa,” he added.
The 550-odd guests gorged on kochuri, chholar daal, fish fry, mutton
curry, papad, chatni, chhanar dalna (a sweet dish made with cottage
cheese) and ice cream. There was a paan counter — another slightly
un-Bengali feature, offering the paan of one’s choice.
But the newshounds still screamed outside. Jhumpa’s parents were
apologetic. “It’s not as if we don’t want the press. But Jhumpa is a
very shy person. She doesn’t want reporters inside,” her father said.
Not everyone was dying for a dekko though. A group of 20-something
guests — of Indian origin — in crisp churidar kurtas were found outside,
hanging around the phuchkawalah. “I didn’t know she was a celebrity. I
just heard that she had written a novel,” said