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Riot
Who killed twenty-four-year-old Priscilla Hart? And why would anyone want to murder this idealistic American student who had come to India to volunteer in a women's health programme? Had her work made a killer out of an enraged husband? Or was her death the result of a xenophobic attack? Was she involved in an indiscriminate love affair that had spun out of control? Or was she simply the innocent victim of a riot that had exploded in that fateful year of 1987 between Hindus and Muslims?Shashi Tharoor experiments brilliantly with narrative form, chronicling the mystery of Priscilla Hart's death through the often contradictory accounts of a dozen or more characters. Intellectually provocative and emotionally charged, Riot is a novel about the ownership of history, about love, hate, cultural collision, religious fanaticism and the impossibility of knowing the truth.
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2001
92 people are currently reading
1,767 people want to read
About the author
Shashi Tharoor
72books2,951followersShashi 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."
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."
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March 14, 2024
EXIT EAST
Dimostranti sul tetto del tempio poco prima della distruzione.
Io ho cominciato dall’ultimo.
Dall’ultimo romanzo scritto da Tharoor, il suo quarto, o quinto. Non mi risulta abbia proseguito la carriera narrativa. Si è invece dedicato alla saggistica.
Ma ho comunque cominciato dal primo: il suo primo romanzo tradotto in italiano. Che credo sia anche l’ultimo: è rimasto l'unico.
Shashi Tharoor all’epoca dell’uscita di Riot –Tumulto lavorava ancora all’ONU con un incarico importante, in stretto contatto con Kofi Annan.
Ora mi pare che sia ritornato in India e sieda in parlamento.
Qui, volendo si potrebbe parlare di un Passaggio in India dalla parte degli indiani, perché per certi versi la storia è simile: anche se qui la violenza sull’occidentale è certa, inequivocabile, Priscilla, ricercatrice e attivista impegnata nella difesa dei diritti delle donne dell’Uttar Pradesh, viene pugnalata e ritrovata morta.
Priscilla era piena d’entusiasmo e buona volontà, sconfinando spesso nell’ingenuità, sia nella sua attività sociale che nella vita privata: l’infatuazione erotica per il procuratore distrettuale Lakshman si trasforma presto in qualcosa di più sentimentale, fino al punto di pensare che si possa formare la coppia donna occidentale e uomo orientale.
Nonostante lui sia sposato con prole.
Tharoor ricostruisce un importante episodio del passato della morta: il padre di Priscilla aveva vissuto e lavorato in India, e iniziato una relazione con la sua segretaria indiana, che portò al divorzio e al dissolvimento della famiglia di Priscilla.
La figlia ha sempre accusato il padre d’aver distrutto matrimonio e famiglia per un’infatuazione: ma adesso sta per compiere lo stesso passo, è pronta a distruggere la famiglia di Lakshman per soddisfare la sua infatuazione.
Contemporaneamente va in scena lo scontro annoso tra induisti e musulmani fondamentalisti. L’azione si svolge poco prima della distruzione del tempio di Babri Masjid, fatto realmente accaduto nel dicembre del 1992. I tumulti, le rivolte tra i due opposti schieramenti furono particolarmente violenti e cruenti: la ragazza americana viene uccisa proprio in quell’occasione. Assassinio politico o passionale?
Tharoor parte subito dal ritrovamento del cadavere di Priscilla. Poi la storia va avanti e indietro in modo non lineare, con il passato che sembra intromettersi nel presente quando il collegamento è più forte. Ad arricchire, o complicare, secondo i punti di vista (il mio è il primo, ho letto il romanzo con piacere), la narrazione procede alternando prima e terza persona, mischiano le lettere e il diario della vittima con dialoghi, interviste (un giornalista americano che indaga sulla morte di Priscilla), articoli di giornale e brani di telegiornale, rapporti ufficiali.
E quindi, la storia si compone man mano a tessere: quello che sembrava un fatto di cronaca nera locale s’allarga a includere un momento politico passato alla storia.
A me pare che Tharoor sia bravo a incrociare bene piani temporali, voci narranti e prospettive diverse (incluse testimonianze contrastanti), mantenendo sempre acuta la tensione. La sua conoscenza diretta e profonda del mondo occidentale, oltre che naturalmente del suo di provenienza, quello orientale, è ulteriore arricchimento.
Greta Scacchi in ”Calore e polvere� di James Ivory (1983).
Bisogna dire che forse man mano Tharoor arricchisce troppo, a scapito dell’approfondimento: Priscilla aveva avuto una storia molto importante con una afro-americano, relazione che il padre cercò di contrastare il più possibile (chissà, forse la pelle del ragazzo di Priscilla era troppo scura rispetto a quella della sua amante indiana); Priscilla che consapevolmente resta incinta di Lakshman appare quanto mai ricattatoria nei confronti dell’amante (che non riesce a separarsi da sua figlia) oltre che anacronistica considerato che la ragazza americana in India si occupa proprio di controllo delle nascite�
Con la mia bicicletta arrivo, m’infilo nelle loro abitudini…Gli occhi tristi delle donne mentre portano a sé i bambini, corpi malnutriti� Esse servono per primi i loro uomini, mangiano gli avanzi se sono fortunate, e poi si sottopongono senza protezione all’assalto del loro protettore, del loro stupratore, del loro padrone.
”A Passage to India� di David Lean (1984).
Dimostranti sul tetto del tempio poco prima della distruzione.
Io ho cominciato dall’ultimo.
Dall’ultimo romanzo scritto da Tharoor, il suo quarto, o quinto. Non mi risulta abbia proseguito la carriera narrativa. Si è invece dedicato alla saggistica.
Ma ho comunque cominciato dal primo: il suo primo romanzo tradotto in italiano. Che credo sia anche l’ultimo: è rimasto l'unico.
Shashi Tharoor all’epoca dell’uscita di Riot –Tumulto lavorava ancora all’ONU con un incarico importante, in stretto contatto con Kofi Annan.
Ora mi pare che sia ritornato in India e sieda in parlamento.
Qui, volendo si potrebbe parlare di un Passaggio in India dalla parte degli indiani, perché per certi versi la storia è simile: anche se qui la violenza sull’occidentale è certa, inequivocabile, Priscilla, ricercatrice e attivista impegnata nella difesa dei diritti delle donne dell’Uttar Pradesh, viene pugnalata e ritrovata morta.
Priscilla era piena d’entusiasmo e buona volontà, sconfinando spesso nell’ingenuità, sia nella sua attività sociale che nella vita privata: l’infatuazione erotica per il procuratore distrettuale Lakshman si trasforma presto in qualcosa di più sentimentale, fino al punto di pensare che si possa formare la coppia donna occidentale e uomo orientale.
Nonostante lui sia sposato con prole.
Tharoor ricostruisce un importante episodio del passato della morta: il padre di Priscilla aveva vissuto e lavorato in India, e iniziato una relazione con la sua segretaria indiana, che portò al divorzio e al dissolvimento della famiglia di Priscilla.
La figlia ha sempre accusato il padre d’aver distrutto matrimonio e famiglia per un’infatuazione: ma adesso sta per compiere lo stesso passo, è pronta a distruggere la famiglia di Lakshman per soddisfare la sua infatuazione.
Contemporaneamente va in scena lo scontro annoso tra induisti e musulmani fondamentalisti. L’azione si svolge poco prima della distruzione del tempio di Babri Masjid, fatto realmente accaduto nel dicembre del 1992. I tumulti, le rivolte tra i due opposti schieramenti furono particolarmente violenti e cruenti: la ragazza americana viene uccisa proprio in quell’occasione. Assassinio politico o passionale?
Tharoor parte subito dal ritrovamento del cadavere di Priscilla. Poi la storia va avanti e indietro in modo non lineare, con il passato che sembra intromettersi nel presente quando il collegamento è più forte. Ad arricchire, o complicare, secondo i punti di vista (il mio è il primo, ho letto il romanzo con piacere), la narrazione procede alternando prima e terza persona, mischiano le lettere e il diario della vittima con dialoghi, interviste (un giornalista americano che indaga sulla morte di Priscilla), articoli di giornale e brani di telegiornale, rapporti ufficiali.
E quindi, la storia si compone man mano a tessere: quello che sembrava un fatto di cronaca nera locale s’allarga a includere un momento politico passato alla storia.
A me pare che Tharoor sia bravo a incrociare bene piani temporali, voci narranti e prospettive diverse (incluse testimonianze contrastanti), mantenendo sempre acuta la tensione. La sua conoscenza diretta e profonda del mondo occidentale, oltre che naturalmente del suo di provenienza, quello orientale, è ulteriore arricchimento.
Greta Scacchi in ”Calore e polvere� di James Ivory (1983).
Bisogna dire che forse man mano Tharoor arricchisce troppo, a scapito dell’approfondimento: Priscilla aveva avuto una storia molto importante con una afro-americano, relazione che il padre cercò di contrastare il più possibile (chissà, forse la pelle del ragazzo di Priscilla era troppo scura rispetto a quella della sua amante indiana); Priscilla che consapevolmente resta incinta di Lakshman appare quanto mai ricattatoria nei confronti dell’amante (che non riesce a separarsi da sua figlia) oltre che anacronistica considerato che la ragazza americana in India si occupa proprio di controllo delle nascite�
Con la mia bicicletta arrivo, m’infilo nelle loro abitudini…Gli occhi tristi delle donne mentre portano a sé i bambini, corpi malnutriti� Esse servono per primi i loro uomini, mangiano gli avanzi se sono fortunate, e poi si sottopongono senza protezione all’assalto del loro protettore, del loro stupratore, del loro padrone.
”A Passage to India� di David Lean (1984).
October 15, 2016
Full disclosure: I admire Shashi Tharoor. A lot. He has served as my inspiration in life ever since I was 13; when he came about ye close to becoming the Secretary General of the UNSC. I decided then that I wanted to be like him, and that hasn't changed. My point is, I'm probably going to be biased here.
Somehow, it seemed appropriate.
The events that inspired this book predate my birth. However, the after-effects of the were felt till I was about seventeen, which was when the Court gave its final ruling on the matter. I was on the brink of writing my law entrance exam, and everyone I knew couldn't stop emphasising how important it was that I knew the facts of this particular issue. And so facts, I did learn. I remember the day the judgement was passed. The television was blaring; I had holidays, and my parents had been sent home from work half-day, because no one knew what the consequence of the judgement would be. Sure, I lived in an almost completely non-volatile area, but the seed of apprehension had been planted.
Riot, on the face of it, is a murder mystery. This is despite its rather obvious title. The novel is, rather than a conventional collection of chapters put together, a collection of letters, journal entries, and other such anecdotes tied together. Much like Lakshman, in the book, wants to write a novel whose conclusion remains the same immaterial of the order the book is read in; this book comes close to achieving that.
Riot answers many questions. It makes astute observations. What it does not do, however, is address the infamous riots directly. Cleverly interspersed with scenes and reactions from what seems like a violent murder, of an American woman that too, Riot deals with the Hindu-Muslim tension in India with as much subtlety as could be afforded to such a subject in India. I'm politically a liberal, and religiously an agnostic-theist, so the views put forth in this book, and by extension my own personal views, may be controversial in some points. Don't say I didn't warn you.
When a "foreigner" is killed in India, the whole community reacts. In Riot, the well-meaning precocious (or is it precious ?) Priscilla Hart, who wanted to make Indian women, those women who carry "babies, baskets, and burdens too heavy more aware of the reproductive rights available to them, is found brutally murdered in communally hypersensitive Zalilgarh, a small, poor village both literally and metaphorically, about ye far Delhi. There is an obvious flaw to Priscilla's character, a flaw that does not resonate with me in the least. You see, Priscilla Hart sees the best in everyone. She (Priscilla's mom) said my problem was that I saw things in people that they didn't see in themselves." She's an eternal optimist who believes that with the right amount of love and knowledge, the world will change. It is perhaps this nature of hers that got her killed. It is also because of this that she doesn't understand what the inherent problem with the Indian women was. "...this is the real issue for women in India. Not population control, but violence against women. In our own homes. What good are all our efforts as long as men have the power to do this to us? Your daughter (Priscilla) never understood that." ... "A lot of people, did not understand what your daughter believed in." And this much, is true. After having read about 300 pages of her escapades, I still don't know what Priscilla believed in, or what she expected out of the world. This is not to say that I didn't like her; I did. But she was too conflicted, too confused, and much too involved in 'saving the world' to do much good. The events that transpired right before her death remain as a glaring instance of the sheer irony of life. I want every woman to have that right. Even me.
"Either something is true, or it's not."
Lakshman, aka Lucky, the devoted father, reluctant husband, and closet writer. His torrid, yet surprisingly tender affair with the victim remains the focus of the book, as does his internal turmoil. We see two sides to his character - the closet writer and passionate lover, which I would call his true side, a side that he solely reveals to Priscilla; and the dutiful family-man and responsible citizen, his real side, an utter lie, but the facade that he needs to show society. "How can I forget? How can I possibly forget?" Because who accepts writers in India? A divorced one at that, and way back in 1989, that too. And so, Lakshman continues to live a life of constant dilemma throughout the course of the book. A choice between his happiness and the 'greater good'. He was flawed, perhaps the most flawed of them all, but yet, I was drawn to him. His character seemed real and raw. Then again, I have this weird thing for smart guys, and by god, this man was one of those. From his detailed, coherent explanation of divisions in India "Ensure that democracy protects the multiple identities of Indians, so that people feel that you can be a good Muslim and a good Bihari and a good Indian, all at once." ... "We have given passports to dream, a dream of extraordinary, polyglot, polychrome, polyconfessional country." , to his constant Wildeisms and Lakshmanisms, this was a character I could relate to. He was witty, smart, mature, and at times, unabashedly cheeky. Most importantly, he was cynical. And a realist. "If there is such a thing as the wrong place, or the wrong time. We are where we are at the only time we have. Perhaps, it's where we're meant to be."
"It's a bit all over the place, but then so was I at the time."
"Everyone should keep a diary - preferably, someone else's."
"Truth is elusive, subtle, many-sided."
I think of prayer as something intensely personal..."
And just like that, they fell in love. It happens. And as much as I hate cheaters, I can understand why it happened. She loves me, she says, and she means it. This is not love as my parents spoke of it, an emotion anchored in family, in a sense of one's place in the world, in bonds of blood so thick, one cannot conceive snapping them. ...a feeling that is independent of social context or familial connections." ... "I do not know what she sees in me, what kindred spirit is that ignites a spark of recognition in her. I believe, I know though, what I see in her. ... And I know that I love her." Was Priscilla merely an escape from reality , though? I think not. I could not have invented Priscilla if she did not exist: her luminous beauty, her intelligence and sincerity of purpose, her complete openness to me, the way she gives so fully of herself. She is that rare combination of innocence and sexual freedom that I now think of as peculiarly American. Priscilla's love for Lakshman, however, is unqualified. She doesn't have any other obligations, so she's free to love him to her heart's content, with all her heart and soul , like she says, while Lakshman spends every waking hour with conflicted feelings. Because, indeed, falling in love was the most irresponsible thing he'd ever done .
With Priscilla, silence is all I have. Because, indeed, how could he leave his responsibilities to his family and run away with her. Not that I'm okay with loveless marriages, but in India, and India three decades ago at that, his acts would've been blasphemous. "I am torn between two kinds of love and the prospects of two kinds of happiness. I chose the love for my daughter over my love for you, and the unhappiness of losing you over the unhappiness of shattering her."
In the betwixt of this, of course, there are the titular riots. Conservative Hindu leader Ram Charan Gupta says at one point that the people in power in India are all atheists and communists, and in context of the time that statement was made, he was not completely wrong. Much as I would personally be exulted if India were run by communists and atheists, the consequences of such a rule in India would be dire indeed, because politics in India thrives on the vote bank, and of course, our distinguished politicians would go to any lengths to secure as many vote banks as they can. Ever wondered why India doesn't have a Uniform Civil Code? Another thing that I had to agree with Mr. Gupta on was the controversy regarding alimony (or the lack of it), provided to Muslim women on the basis of their personal law. The legislature passing this was a political move, and not a just one, and the world knows that. Ram Charan Gupta says that no communal riots have occurred where "Hindus" have been in power. That the secularists cause riots. What he fails to mention is why communal riots aren't caused in the "Hindutva" states. Mostly, violence and oppression.
Professor Mohd. Sarwar, I agreed with. Well, mostly, at least. More historian than Muslim, he believes in his duty of digging out the myths that divide and unite our people. He quotes the great Maulana Azad, and attempts to reintegrate the society by studying such secularists (?) as Ghazi Miyan. But who owns India's history? Are there my history and his, and his history about my history? What is the difference between Hindus and Muslims, indeed, I ask myself. I mean, on a train, we are all indistinguishable from any other Indian middle-class family , aren't we? There is some hypocrisy in his statements, I agree, but we are all hypocrites in the end, aren't we? I am a Muslim, but I will never allow your kind to define what kind of a Muslim I am.
It is important for us to remember, that in the end, we are all Indians. Or lives, tastes, and passions, were all shaped by this country. A country divided on the lines of religion, language, and caste.
Gurinder Singh, the Superintendent of Police, every bit the Superintendent we read of. Smart, strong, brave. But of course he had to be a Sardar. And stereotypically at that. With his constant interjection of "motherloving" and love for alcohol. And yet, formally educated and incredibly smart. "The story of my life begins with the words, 'Once a pun a time.'" Forced to give up his dreams of a simple life for one of 'glory', as we think it is, in India. He gave in. We all do. The dysfunctional Harts - a cheating father, a protective mother, and of course, siblings. A memory that Priscilla kept, as an icon of what she had cherished and lost A father who let his daughter down, and a mother who couldn't forgive her husband. A father who perhaps, for the first time ever, broke down on seeing everything that remained of his daughter, who was reduced to the things she owned after her death.
"Your sister's going to have a future, young lady." ... Unlike my daughter.
It's never too late to say you're sorry, is it, Kathy?
In some ways, Priscilla's death brought people closer together.
Who killed Priscilla Hart? The answer is never what it seems to be.
The book however, is something more than its characters and their stories. It is a commentary on the Indian thought process.
"If I partitioned the country, I wouldn't be here. I'd be in Pakistan."
"...we're just as Indian as the pregnant women in your population control programs."
"Women don't sleep around. If they did, no one would marry them."
Food for thought?
Somehow, it seemed appropriate.
The events that inspired this book predate my birth. However, the after-effects of the were felt till I was about seventeen, which was when the Court gave its final ruling on the matter. I was on the brink of writing my law entrance exam, and everyone I knew couldn't stop emphasising how important it was that I knew the facts of this particular issue. And so facts, I did learn. I remember the day the judgement was passed. The television was blaring; I had holidays, and my parents had been sent home from work half-day, because no one knew what the consequence of the judgement would be. Sure, I lived in an almost completely non-volatile area, but the seed of apprehension had been planted.
Riot, on the face of it, is a murder mystery. This is despite its rather obvious title. The novel is, rather than a conventional collection of chapters put together, a collection of letters, journal entries, and other such anecdotes tied together. Much like Lakshman, in the book, wants to write a novel whose conclusion remains the same immaterial of the order the book is read in; this book comes close to achieving that.
Riot answers many questions. It makes astute observations. What it does not do, however, is address the infamous riots directly. Cleverly interspersed with scenes and reactions from what seems like a violent murder, of an American woman that too, Riot deals with the Hindu-Muslim tension in India with as much subtlety as could be afforded to such a subject in India. I'm politically a liberal, and religiously an agnostic-theist, so the views put forth in this book, and by extension my own personal views, may be controversial in some points. Don't say I didn't warn you.
When a "foreigner" is killed in India, the whole community reacts. In Riot, the well-meaning precocious (or is it precious ?) Priscilla Hart, who wanted to make Indian women, those women who carry "babies, baskets, and burdens too heavy more aware of the reproductive rights available to them, is found brutally murdered in communally hypersensitive Zalilgarh, a small, poor village both literally and metaphorically, about ye far Delhi. There is an obvious flaw to Priscilla's character, a flaw that does not resonate with me in the least. You see, Priscilla Hart sees the best in everyone. She (Priscilla's mom) said my problem was that I saw things in people that they didn't see in themselves." She's an eternal optimist who believes that with the right amount of love and knowledge, the world will change. It is perhaps this nature of hers that got her killed. It is also because of this that she doesn't understand what the inherent problem with the Indian women was. "...this is the real issue for women in India. Not population control, but violence against women. In our own homes. What good are all our efforts as long as men have the power to do this to us? Your daughter (Priscilla) never understood that." ... "A lot of people, did not understand what your daughter believed in." And this much, is true. After having read about 300 pages of her escapades, I still don't know what Priscilla believed in, or what she expected out of the world. This is not to say that I didn't like her; I did. But she was too conflicted, too confused, and much too involved in 'saving the world' to do much good. The events that transpired right before her death remain as a glaring instance of the sheer irony of life. I want every woman to have that right. Even me.
"Either something is true, or it's not."
Lakshman, aka Lucky, the devoted father, reluctant husband, and closet writer. His torrid, yet surprisingly tender affair with the victim remains the focus of the book, as does his internal turmoil. We see two sides to his character - the closet writer and passionate lover, which I would call his true side, a side that he solely reveals to Priscilla; and the dutiful family-man and responsible citizen, his real side, an utter lie, but the facade that he needs to show society. "How can I forget? How can I possibly forget?" Because who accepts writers in India? A divorced one at that, and way back in 1989, that too. And so, Lakshman continues to live a life of constant dilemma throughout the course of the book. A choice between his happiness and the 'greater good'. He was flawed, perhaps the most flawed of them all, but yet, I was drawn to him. His character seemed real and raw. Then again, I have this weird thing for smart guys, and by god, this man was one of those. From his detailed, coherent explanation of divisions in India "Ensure that democracy protects the multiple identities of Indians, so that people feel that you can be a good Muslim and a good Bihari and a good Indian, all at once." ... "We have given passports to dream, a dream of extraordinary, polyglot, polychrome, polyconfessional country." , to his constant Wildeisms and Lakshmanisms, this was a character I could relate to. He was witty, smart, mature, and at times, unabashedly cheeky. Most importantly, he was cynical. And a realist. "If there is such a thing as the wrong place, or the wrong time. We are where we are at the only time we have. Perhaps, it's where we're meant to be."
"It's a bit all over the place, but then so was I at the time."
"Everyone should keep a diary - preferably, someone else's."
"Truth is elusive, subtle, many-sided."
I think of prayer as something intensely personal..."
And just like that, they fell in love. It happens. And as much as I hate cheaters, I can understand why it happened. She loves me, she says, and she means it. This is not love as my parents spoke of it, an emotion anchored in family, in a sense of one's place in the world, in bonds of blood so thick, one cannot conceive snapping them. ...a feeling that is independent of social context or familial connections." ... "I do not know what she sees in me, what kindred spirit is that ignites a spark of recognition in her. I believe, I know though, what I see in her. ... And I know that I love her." Was Priscilla merely an escape from reality , though? I think not. I could not have invented Priscilla if she did not exist: her luminous beauty, her intelligence and sincerity of purpose, her complete openness to me, the way she gives so fully of herself. She is that rare combination of innocence and sexual freedom that I now think of as peculiarly American. Priscilla's love for Lakshman, however, is unqualified. She doesn't have any other obligations, so she's free to love him to her heart's content, with all her heart and soul , like she says, while Lakshman spends every waking hour with conflicted feelings. Because, indeed, falling in love was the most irresponsible thing he'd ever done .
With Priscilla, silence is all I have. Because, indeed, how could he leave his responsibilities to his family and run away with her. Not that I'm okay with loveless marriages, but in India, and India three decades ago at that, his acts would've been blasphemous. "I am torn between two kinds of love and the prospects of two kinds of happiness. I chose the love for my daughter over my love for you, and the unhappiness of losing you over the unhappiness of shattering her."
In the betwixt of this, of course, there are the titular riots. Conservative Hindu leader Ram Charan Gupta says at one point that the people in power in India are all atheists and communists, and in context of the time that statement was made, he was not completely wrong. Much as I would personally be exulted if India were run by communists and atheists, the consequences of such a rule in India would be dire indeed, because politics in India thrives on the vote bank, and of course, our distinguished politicians would go to any lengths to secure as many vote banks as they can. Ever wondered why India doesn't have a Uniform Civil Code? Another thing that I had to agree with Mr. Gupta on was the controversy regarding alimony (or the lack of it), provided to Muslim women on the basis of their personal law. The legislature passing this was a political move, and not a just one, and the world knows that. Ram Charan Gupta says that no communal riots have occurred where "Hindus" have been in power. That the secularists cause riots. What he fails to mention is why communal riots aren't caused in the "Hindutva" states. Mostly, violence and oppression.
Professor Mohd. Sarwar, I agreed with. Well, mostly, at least. More historian than Muslim, he believes in his duty of digging out the myths that divide and unite our people. He quotes the great Maulana Azad, and attempts to reintegrate the society by studying such secularists (?) as Ghazi Miyan. But who owns India's history? Are there my history and his, and his history about my history? What is the difference between Hindus and Muslims, indeed, I ask myself. I mean, on a train, we are all indistinguishable from any other Indian middle-class family , aren't we? There is some hypocrisy in his statements, I agree, but we are all hypocrites in the end, aren't we? I am a Muslim, but I will never allow your kind to define what kind of a Muslim I am.
It is important for us to remember, that in the end, we are all Indians. Or lives, tastes, and passions, were all shaped by this country. A country divided on the lines of religion, language, and caste.
Gurinder Singh, the Superintendent of Police, every bit the Superintendent we read of. Smart, strong, brave. But of course he had to be a Sardar. And stereotypically at that. With his constant interjection of "motherloving" and love for alcohol. And yet, formally educated and incredibly smart. "The story of my life begins with the words, 'Once a pun a time.'" Forced to give up his dreams of a simple life for one of 'glory', as we think it is, in India. He gave in. We all do. The dysfunctional Harts - a cheating father, a protective mother, and of course, siblings. A memory that Priscilla kept, as an icon of what she had cherished and lost A father who let his daughter down, and a mother who couldn't forgive her husband. A father who perhaps, for the first time ever, broke down on seeing everything that remained of his daughter, who was reduced to the things she owned after her death.
"Your sister's going to have a future, young lady." ... Unlike my daughter.
It's never too late to say you're sorry, is it, Kathy?
In some ways, Priscilla's death brought people closer together.
Who killed Priscilla Hart? The answer is never what it seems to be.
The book however, is something more than its characters and their stories. It is a commentary on the Indian thought process.
"If I partitioned the country, I wouldn't be here. I'd be in Pakistan."
"...we're just as Indian as the pregnant women in your population control programs."
"Women don't sleep around. If they did, no one would marry them."
Food for thought?
April 7, 2020
Riot has got me swooning over Shashi Tharoor unabashedly and more than ever before! The ingenuity with which has portrayed the passionate affair between Priscilla Hart � a free spirited American research student on field in India and the overworked, overweight and married District Magistrate � V. Lakshman in the backdrop of an India hell bent on defending its Gods, is PHENOMENAL to say the least.
When Priscilla is murdered by religious fanatics, her parents journey to Zalilgarh, to understand the circumstances of her death and to come to terms with a loss that is theirs alone. Tharoor opens the novel with a newspaper article and follows it with divergent views in the form scrapbook and diary entries, poetry, personal letters, notes, interviews and transcript remarks. This leaves it up to the readers to judge or misjudge the authenticity and worth of the many narratives and makes us understand at once, the limitations and possibilities in our point of view.
And he proves this point by setting the novel in a crucial period in contemporary Indian history � right before the Ayodhya riots of 1992. The book describes how despite discrepancies in sources, regarding the site of Lord Ram’s birth, a handful of partisans managed to manipulate a naive Indian mass and the past to suit their political future, in the process rolling back India’s secular fabric. It is futile to deny Islam’s role in Indian history, reimagine history or attempt to own it because the truth can be pursued differently depending on influences.
Tharoor touches upon the Emergency, Operation Blue Star and the Sikh riots and we see a streak of his frustration jotted down a few years before he made his political commitments. Tharoor presents the contentment in raw romance, a perfect take on Indian history, the occasional vanity in pursuing the truth, a tragedy that could have been averted and the ethos of Indianness in Riot. A murder mystery that easily turned out to be one of the best romances I’ve read in a long time and a powerful novel set in a time that mustn’t be forgotten.
When Priscilla is murdered by religious fanatics, her parents journey to Zalilgarh, to understand the circumstances of her death and to come to terms with a loss that is theirs alone. Tharoor opens the novel with a newspaper article and follows it with divergent views in the form scrapbook and diary entries, poetry, personal letters, notes, interviews and transcript remarks. This leaves it up to the readers to judge or misjudge the authenticity and worth of the many narratives and makes us understand at once, the limitations and possibilities in our point of view.
And he proves this point by setting the novel in a crucial period in contemporary Indian history � right before the Ayodhya riots of 1992. The book describes how despite discrepancies in sources, regarding the site of Lord Ram’s birth, a handful of partisans managed to manipulate a naive Indian mass and the past to suit their political future, in the process rolling back India’s secular fabric. It is futile to deny Islam’s role in Indian history, reimagine history or attempt to own it because the truth can be pursued differently depending on influences.
Tharoor touches upon the Emergency, Operation Blue Star and the Sikh riots and we see a streak of his frustration jotted down a few years before he made his political commitments. Tharoor presents the contentment in raw romance, a perfect take on Indian history, the occasional vanity in pursuing the truth, a tragedy that could have been averted and the ethos of Indianness in Riot. A murder mystery that easily turned out to be one of the best romances I’ve read in a long time and a powerful novel set in a time that mustn’t be forgotten.
June 30, 2015
Amazing
* love transcending race
* hatred transcending religions
* a country divided by religion, caste and class
*a few do gooders attempting to set right the mess created by intolerance, insecurity and hatred
This was an interesting read comprising of different types of narratives focusing upon the events preceding the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. I came across extreme religious faggots strangling and choking the voices of the majority of normal, peace loving people of either religions whose only aim is to lead comfortable, non violent existences.
Priscilla, an American Humanity research student bent upon improving the lots of the oppressed Indian lower class women is murdered, presumably during the Religious riots. Her parents set out to investigate and events unfurl. I liked the main characters of Lakshman, the DC, Gurcharan , his diametrically opposite police chief friend and Priscilla, a woman with a good heart, all who are intricately caught in the drama of love and life.
Got to know a lot about the post independence politics of India.
Thoroughly relished the read.
* love transcending race
* hatred transcending religions
* a country divided by religion, caste and class
*a few do gooders attempting to set right the mess created by intolerance, insecurity and hatred
This was an interesting read comprising of different types of narratives focusing upon the events preceding the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. I came across extreme religious faggots strangling and choking the voices of the majority of normal, peace loving people of either religions whose only aim is to lead comfortable, non violent existences.
Priscilla, an American Humanity research student bent upon improving the lots of the oppressed Indian lower class women is murdered, presumably during the Religious riots. Her parents set out to investigate and events unfurl. I liked the main characters of Lakshman, the DC, Gurcharan , his diametrically opposite police chief friend and Priscilla, a woman with a good heart, all who are intricately caught in the drama of love and life.
Got to know a lot about the post independence politics of India.
Thoroughly relished the read.
January 8, 2016
This underappreciated book is good on several levels -- it tells a good story (mystery, cross-cultural relationships, love story), examines cultural-historical issues, engages the reader as both a mystery and because of the structure of the novel. It is set in India -- a young woman doing her thesis on her work in a family planning clinic there is dead and her parents are seeking to understand how she died. The official story is that she was killed in a Hindu-Muslim riot. It turns out that she might have been killed in the riot but there were a number of people who would have like to see her dead. Each chapter is a "primary source" document -- official reports, letters, diary entries and so forth. In about the middle of the book you read about a conversation she had with her lover who says his goal is to write a book with chapters that can be read in any order, and depending on what order they are read will lead the reader to a different conclusion. That is, of course, this book and so I spent a lot of time wondering if I read the chapters in a different order if I really would come to a different conclusion about who dunnit. Great choice for a book club because there is much to talk about including the structure of the novel.
March 31, 2017
I liked the form and much of the book, but found some parts rather artificial and constructed. I didn't like Priscilla Hart at all. In my opinion, she was immature and self-centered and she had a huge hero complex. The other
characters were more or less ok. The thing I liked most was learning all those historical and social tidbits rather than the main story.
characters were more or less ok. The thing I liked most was learning all those historical and social tidbits rather than the main story.
June 20, 2013
Unusual & as exciting!
There's religious rift, cultural rift & ideological rift here, it's the emotional churn that stands out as well as hold (or brings) everything together
This one's for an active and involved reader. Spoon-fed narration and clue droppings are skipped for snippets of details to EVENTUALLY form the linear story in the reader's mind.
The highlight of this work is the way it ties up in the end - effortless and in place. All the more so due to the splintered way the story unravels.
Kudos Mr. Tharoor, you held my engagement - in-spite of the deliberately disruptive way of narration.
On my shelf you'll be!
There's religious rift, cultural rift & ideological rift here, it's the emotional churn that stands out as well as hold (or brings) everything together
This one's for an active and involved reader. Spoon-fed narration and clue droppings are skipped for snippets of details to EVENTUALLY form the linear story in the reader's mind.
The highlight of this work is the way it ties up in the end - effortless and in place. All the more so due to the splintered way the story unravels.
Kudos Mr. Tharoor, you held my engagement - in-spite of the deliberately disruptive way of narration.
On my shelf you'll be!
September 18, 2017
Ik zara haath badhe de to... pakad le daaman
Uske seene me sama jaaye... hamari dhadkan
Itni kurbat hai to fir faasla itna kyu hain ?
(Kurbat-nazdeeki)
-Kaifi Azmi's nazm for d movie Arth
The story of the various couples and the 2 conmunities too reminded me of d above. Finished a book in one sitting (almost) after months.
I thought of Shashi Tharoor as a sophisticated, witty snob. Picked this up purely bcoz of 4* reviews by Syl and Girish else my prejudice would have made me skip it.
This novel has been sensitively written and reminded of Khushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan sometimes. Also, the writing style was quite different and interesting. Recommended reading.
Uske seene me sama jaaye... hamari dhadkan
Itni kurbat hai to fir faasla itna kyu hain ?
(Kurbat-nazdeeki)
-Kaifi Azmi's nazm for d movie Arth
The story of the various couples and the 2 conmunities too reminded me of d above. Finished a book in one sitting (almost) after months.
I thought of Shashi Tharoor as a sophisticated, witty snob. Picked this up purely bcoz of 4* reviews by Syl and Girish else my prejudice would have made me skip it.
This novel has been sensitively written and reminded of Khushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan sometimes. Also, the writing style was quite different and interesting. Recommended reading.
March 20, 2014
The one who loves history political socialissues and fiction.This one is for you!
I loved the way the book is presented,through diaries, speeches, news etc..
Tharoor made me happy and think this time also after reading his books which covers very sensitive issues in our country.
Afterwords:
" Marte bhi insan hai, marne bhi insaan hai".
'The one who gets killed and the one who kills, both are humans!
May be God cannot save from murders n issues in name of religion, but surely humans can; by using the brain and mind God gave to us'!
I loved the way the book is presented,through diaries, speeches, news etc..
Tharoor made me happy and think this time also after reading his books which covers very sensitive issues in our country.
Afterwords:
" Marte bhi insan hai, marne bhi insaan hai".
'The one who gets killed and the one who kills, both are humans!
May be God cannot save from murders n issues in name of religion, but surely humans can; by using the brain and mind God gave to us'!
June 4, 2015
"The beginning foretells the end. Down with the omniscient narrator! Its time for the omniscient reader. Let the reader construct her(his) own novel each time she reads it"
Shashi Tharoor's Riot is an experiment. A cross between a documentary, a novel, a political manifesto, a love story and an ambitious experiment.
As a documentary, it manages to catch the many voices and tries to do justice without taking sides. Be it the Ram Janma Bhoomi, Coca Cola, Operation Bluestar, Mughal rule or riot management - well researched and sensitively handled. As a story, it unfolds with no hurry through many voices, interrupting with history, views and politics. Frequent quotes of Wilde is
always a welcome bonus.
As ambitions go, they either succeed or fall flat. The author has tried multiple modes of narratives through journal entries, interview transcripts, notes, conversations etc. Can't help but feel - the over the top characters all appear to have the same voice - immaterial of whehter it is a woman or man, foreigner or indian, hindu or muslim - that of an educated author wanting to experiment.
Still I would recommend a read cos it is a more palatable form of 'Indian' history.
Shashi Tharoor's Riot is an experiment. A cross between a documentary, a novel, a political manifesto, a love story and an ambitious experiment.
As a documentary, it manages to catch the many voices and tries to do justice without taking sides. Be it the Ram Janma Bhoomi, Coca Cola, Operation Bluestar, Mughal rule or riot management - well researched and sensitively handled. As a story, it unfolds with no hurry through many voices, interrupting with history, views and politics. Frequent quotes of Wilde is
always a welcome bonus.
As ambitions go, they either succeed or fall flat. The author has tried multiple modes of narratives through journal entries, interview transcripts, notes, conversations etc. Can't help but feel - the over the top characters all appear to have the same voice - immaterial of whehter it is a woman or man, foreigner or indian, hindu or muslim - that of an educated author wanting to experiment.
Still I would recommend a read cos it is a more palatable form of 'Indian' history.
May 13, 2013
I read this book and finally decided that a career in the Public Services was not for me. A good read though.
June 28, 2014
A one line review for this book would be - He could have done so much better!
Shashi Tharoor is a seasoned diplomat and is very well-known for his astute observations about India. Especially his for his deep insight into the politics of religion in India and the complex web of cultures, mythology and traditions that make India. So, it is natural to assume that when someone like him, who doesn't hold back while talking about something, picks up his pen to write about something so sensitive and elusive as the nature of a riot, you expect more than the usual.
Yet, that is exactly where Tharoor fails to deliver. He paints the same picture that has been painted over the years about the Hindu zealots who demolished the Babri Masjid in an attempt to assert themselves as the superior cult. It was the same loopholes in their theory of the birthplace of Ram, pointed out by many political observers, that Tharoor uses in his book to establish who the bad guys are.
But most importantly, despite being named 'Riot', the story has very little to tell you about it. It is not about a people who have suffered, or are still suffering from the effects of one. Not does it tell you why and how exactly, the evil in human beings manifests itself in such a horrific manner. If you will look at the cover of the version that I read, you'll see that the title says "Riot: A Novel". In some places it has been marketed as "Riot: A love story". I think that is more appropriate and less misleading.
This is a story that is partly about a sappy love story of an otherwise intelligent IAS officer, who makes some really pathetic mistakes and a foreigner (American) woman, who is wise beyond her years, but still can't understand why an extra-marital affair should have to end badly in India of all places. And partly, it is the usual humdrum story of the way things are in India and the pathetic web of bureaucratic and political decadence that plagues the nation.
The back stories are all too familiar - smart young man, becomes IAS officer against his wishes, marries out of compulsion, hates his relatively influential and comfortable position - kind foreigner lady who comes to India to do some good, has a troubled past, has history with India, learns nothing from that history, suffers consequences. The plot is far too predictable and the characters are really flat. Nothing really, that impressed me about this book.
In fact, this book is so much pulp fiction that I struggled to find one good original quote from it to put on my blog. This is it - There is not a thing as the wrong place, or the wrong time. We are where we are at the only time we have. Perhaps it's where we're meant to be.
And even though I will put this up as my Facebook cover, I don't really agree with the quote. I expected better, Mr Tharoor. I didn't think that you were like the diplomat version of Chetan Bhagat.
Twenty-seventh book reviewed as part of the |
Shashi Tharoor is a seasoned diplomat and is very well-known for his astute observations about India. Especially his for his deep insight into the politics of religion in India and the complex web of cultures, mythology and traditions that make India. So, it is natural to assume that when someone like him, who doesn't hold back while talking about something, picks up his pen to write about something so sensitive and elusive as the nature of a riot, you expect more than the usual.
Yet, that is exactly where Tharoor fails to deliver. He paints the same picture that has been painted over the years about the Hindu zealots who demolished the Babri Masjid in an attempt to assert themselves as the superior cult. It was the same loopholes in their theory of the birthplace of Ram, pointed out by many political observers, that Tharoor uses in his book to establish who the bad guys are.
But most importantly, despite being named 'Riot', the story has very little to tell you about it. It is not about a people who have suffered, or are still suffering from the effects of one. Not does it tell you why and how exactly, the evil in human beings manifests itself in such a horrific manner. If you will look at the cover of the version that I read, you'll see that the title says "Riot: A Novel". In some places it has been marketed as "Riot: A love story". I think that is more appropriate and less misleading.
This is a story that is partly about a sappy love story of an otherwise intelligent IAS officer, who makes some really pathetic mistakes and a foreigner (American) woman, who is wise beyond her years, but still can't understand why an extra-marital affair should have to end badly in India of all places. And partly, it is the usual humdrum story of the way things are in India and the pathetic web of bureaucratic and political decadence that plagues the nation.
The back stories are all too familiar - smart young man, becomes IAS officer against his wishes, marries out of compulsion, hates his relatively influential and comfortable position - kind foreigner lady who comes to India to do some good, has a troubled past, has history with India, learns nothing from that history, suffers consequences. The plot is far too predictable and the characters are really flat. Nothing really, that impressed me about this book.
In fact, this book is so much pulp fiction that I struggled to find one good original quote from it to put on my blog. This is it - There is not a thing as the wrong place, or the wrong time. We are where we are at the only time we have. Perhaps it's where we're meant to be.
And even though I will put this up as my Facebook cover, I don't really agree with the quote. I expected better, Mr Tharoor. I didn't think that you were like the diplomat version of Chetan Bhagat.
Twenty-seventh book reviewed as part of the |
November 20, 2008
Ok, I actually hated this book at first, because of a fundamental flaw: as part of its Rashomon-style storytelling approach, it presents each character's voice in a designated textual format, e.g. this woman's diary entry, a letter from this girl to her friend, the transcript of a reporter's interview with that guy. But, the author doesn't write convincingly, AT ALL, in the supposed textual format - e.g. diary entries do NOT read like diary entries, and so forth. I almost stopped reading right away because this was such a stark weakness and kept me from getting into the story at all.
But, I'm very interested in India, and the book offers enough of a window into Indian history and culture to ultimately keep me reading. And, it has stuck with me in the weeks since I finished it more than a book has in a long time...so there's something about the craft of it that really works, despite what I still think is a glaring weakness in the writing itself. Maybe it's that ultimately the storytelling compensates for the writing...
Anyway, worth a read if you're interested in a unique view into Indian history and culture. Otherwise, pass on it.
But, I'm very interested in India, and the book offers enough of a window into Indian history and culture to ultimately keep me reading. And, it has stuck with me in the weeks since I finished it more than a book has in a long time...so there's something about the craft of it that really works, despite what I still think is a glaring weakness in the writing itself. Maybe it's that ultimately the storytelling compensates for the writing...
Anyway, worth a read if you're interested in a unique view into Indian history and culture. Otherwise, pass on it.
July 29, 2022
The most significant thing about this book for me is Shashi Tharoor's prose. It was a pleasant surprise to note that his writing style here is simple and elegant, with none of the verbosity which seems to define his current persona (to be fair, this side of him has been greatly exaggerated thanks to social media, and Tharoor doesn't mind playing along).
As a novel, though, I found it quite "meh". I remember the book being something of cult favourite in college (long before I eventually read it), and as a college-goer I would have probably identified with Tharoor's worldview and sensibilities as projected in the book. Today, in a different political climate, it is harder for the older, more sceptical, reader to swallow it whole. That apart, the story came across as predictable and the characters flat.
Tharoor is clearly a gifted writer, but this one didn't seem like a great showcase for his talents. Perhaps The Great Indian Novel is that book?
As a novel, though, I found it quite "meh". I remember the book being something of cult favourite in college (long before I eventually read it), and as a college-goer I would have probably identified with Tharoor's worldview and sensibilities as projected in the book. Today, in a different political climate, it is harder for the older, more sceptical, reader to swallow it whole. That apart, the story came across as predictable and the characters flat.
Tharoor is clearly a gifted writer, but this one didn't seem like a great showcase for his talents. Perhaps The Great Indian Novel is that book?
October 26, 2018
Always been a fan of Mr. Tharoor's writing. Reading this book, while also taking in the turbulent times Kerala is going through, was quite liberating. It's fascinating, the way in which Tharoor intermingles fiction with history and how opinions from both sides are presented in the religious rift. It's obvious he has studied the riot's causes and effects, from both sides. A thoroughly enjoyable story!
September 1, 2019
It is essentially a tragic love story with 1989 Babri Masjid riots providing the context. What is unique is it is structured as a series of diary entries, letters, interviews and only when things can't be narrated through all the mentioned methods..a happening is reported as it is with a date. That actually made for interesting reading. It is 60% non-fiction: like what is the bone of contention over the site of the mosque, view point of Muslims, view point of Hindus, recorded history, why Hinduism is a more inclusive religion and of course, what happened during the riots. It was interesting and it had been written well. The love story didn't work for me. Frankly, it was nothing great and I could have written it if I had the same command over English. It was too predictable and kind of boring too though not totally bad. Obviously, writing fiction is not Tharoor's forte. An interesting read overall.
September 28, 2014
For most people India is Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. Most don't realize that there are 1000 cultures inside India of which most contradict each other. Shouldn't this much diversity cause a war like situation in India? Yet India keeps moving. Stronger and better. And Tharoor brilliantly tells us how.
Even though the book like its name shows the pain and suffering caused by the communal riots, it also tells us about the unsung heroes who make India beautiful.
Riot tells multiple stories of India in a single plot. And Tharoor cleverly balances the communal issue while clearly showing the negatives of it.
Add to it all the thrilling love story which leaves u with a tear in your eye.
Most books leave us with no emotion but Riot leaves us with a sense of discomfort that makes us ponder about the past, present and future of India.
Its a full on thumbs up from me. Read it even if you know nothing about India and even if you know everything about India, still read it. :)
Even though the book like its name shows the pain and suffering caused by the communal riots, it also tells us about the unsung heroes who make India beautiful.
Riot tells multiple stories of India in a single plot. And Tharoor cleverly balances the communal issue while clearly showing the negatives of it.
Add to it all the thrilling love story which leaves u with a tear in your eye.
Most books leave us with no emotion but Riot leaves us with a sense of discomfort that makes us ponder about the past, present and future of India.
Its a full on thumbs up from me. Read it even if you know nothing about India and even if you know everything about India, still read it. :)
September 27, 2017
Riot is based on the actual incident related to a riot that took place in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh. The story portrays a very balanced picture of the communal situation in 'real' india. It is about the majority community, ie, Hindus trying to establish and reinforce their identity and the minority community, ie, the Muslims, maintaining theirs, and both views look seemingly logical as each community describes it. The author points a very balanced picture of the views of the different communities, what really emerges is the conflict of communities rather than the conflict of religions. Political issues, religious fundamentalism, communal disparities, domestic violence against women, hatred, rage , passion, love, you name it , the story have it all. Tharoor uses journalistic reporting, diary writing, and interviews to depict reality from a multiple point of view that concerns his novel. I liked it and would recommend it to any body who loves a realistic fiction.
January 11, 2019
The characters in this book are one-dimensional. They stand on shaking soap boxes and make soliloquys. I am truly disappointed. Some of the polemic portrayals are interesting...for just a moment. These include the Hindu and the Muslim scholars. But then these stances are repeated needlessly. Furthermore, the format of journal entries, letters and a reporter's notes feels false and contrived. And the pieces include poems, "verbatim" quotes from conversation and documents. Just not believable.
December 5, 2011
Marginal. I did like the idea of the narrators using different formats to tell their story but there just seemed to be too much "filler" information. I was glad when I got to the last page. There really weren't any characters that I could like. I give it a 4.0 on my 10 scale (again, keep in mind that any book I would recommend needs to get at least a 7 on my scale to qualify for three stars on the ŷ rating.)
February 20, 2015
I think the best part about this book, apart from the fact that it is written by Shashi Tharoor, is that it contains everything a good book should contain-love, hate, violence, endearing characters as well as a few losers and a tragedy that moves you deeply. A reader undergoes a huge transition of emotions when (s)he reads this book and when (s)he is finished, the reader finds that(s)he is a different person altogether, quite different from the one who had started reading this book.
The characters one comes across in this novel are so real! They are neither good nor bad-they are simply human! They have their own reactions to a particular situation, their own thoughts about morality, power and justice. You hate a few, you like a few and you're simply indifferent towards a few but in the end you have a soft corner and some sympathy for everyone of them.
True to the author's extreme consciousness towards the political situations of India, the book talks about incidents that really took place, incidents we ignore as mere tragedies of time caused by ignorance of people. However this little masterpiece makes us see the whole situation in a different light. The Babari Masjid incident is decades old now and just last year the much heated verdict of the judiciary threatened the outbreak of another riot in North India. People all over prayed either for the religions in question or their own safety but no one really thought why this conflict arose. When published in newspaper, it was ignored merely as a piece of news but no one ever thought about so many questions this particular conflict raises the answers to which may solve the problem altogether!
This book makes you think, makes you ponder over the issue. I think anyone who reads 'Riot' might be able to understand, forgive and then act accordingly. No, it is not a secularist's sermon and nor is it a love story as the cover claims it to be...it is an eye-opener on politics, religion and relationships.
Reading 'Riot' has helped me understand why Indira Gandhi is hated in Punjab even today, why Muslims in India feel the way they do and why certain relations, no matter how much against the social norms are the way they are!
However, one might question, when it comes to relationships, that if you find your true soul-mate, then is it necessary that you must have a carnal relationship with them? Can love, strong as it is supposed to be, survive if the relationship isn't physical? If not, then how do most friendships survive? Personally I disagree that only adultery in an extra-marital relationship can make the plot EXTREMELY powerful! In fact, adultery almost spoils the sense of love. Of course I don't mean to be a sermon of morality and I know that such situations do occur in day to day life but then doesn't the whole concept of concentrating entirely on the carnal aspect of love undermine the value of love as a feeling? This thought, more than anything else has made me rate 'Riot' a little less than I actually intended to but all the same, I must admit despite my criticism, that even I cannot have made 'Riot' as incredible as Mr. Tharoor!
So, if you're looking for a light read, 'Riot' isn't the book for you! No, it requires time and a thinking cap, some rationality and an open mind. You're required to forgive Priscilla for being exactly like her father, a person she hates for the same mistake that she is herself committing in the name of love. You're required to forgive Lakshman for being such a loser and at the same time grant him the credit for being a great father and you're required to love Gurinder for being so wonderful despite the fact that he needs to rinse his mouth with soap and water. And you're required to admire Shashi Tharoor for being such a wonderful writer and thank your stars that he lives and breathes under the same skies as you do!
The language is lucid, the expression is simple but powerful and the content is thought provoking! Your eyes simply slip through the text! Be forewarned! You might have to discontinue it for a while if you need to digest a few things because 'Riot' is first and foremost an accurate description of truth which is bitter and a little unpalatable but once you get into it, it's impossible to stop yourself from being carried away with the flow!
The characters one comes across in this novel are so real! They are neither good nor bad-they are simply human! They have their own reactions to a particular situation, their own thoughts about morality, power and justice. You hate a few, you like a few and you're simply indifferent towards a few but in the end you have a soft corner and some sympathy for everyone of them.
True to the author's extreme consciousness towards the political situations of India, the book talks about incidents that really took place, incidents we ignore as mere tragedies of time caused by ignorance of people. However this little masterpiece makes us see the whole situation in a different light. The Babari Masjid incident is decades old now and just last year the much heated verdict of the judiciary threatened the outbreak of another riot in North India. People all over prayed either for the religions in question or their own safety but no one really thought why this conflict arose. When published in newspaper, it was ignored merely as a piece of news but no one ever thought about so many questions this particular conflict raises the answers to which may solve the problem altogether!
This book makes you think, makes you ponder over the issue. I think anyone who reads 'Riot' might be able to understand, forgive and then act accordingly. No, it is not a secularist's sermon and nor is it a love story as the cover claims it to be...it is an eye-opener on politics, religion and relationships.
Reading 'Riot' has helped me understand why Indira Gandhi is hated in Punjab even today, why Muslims in India feel the way they do and why certain relations, no matter how much against the social norms are the way they are!
However, one might question, when it comes to relationships, that if you find your true soul-mate, then is it necessary that you must have a carnal relationship with them? Can love, strong as it is supposed to be, survive if the relationship isn't physical? If not, then how do most friendships survive? Personally I disagree that only adultery in an extra-marital relationship can make the plot EXTREMELY powerful! In fact, adultery almost spoils the sense of love. Of course I don't mean to be a sermon of morality and I know that such situations do occur in day to day life but then doesn't the whole concept of concentrating entirely on the carnal aspect of love undermine the value of love as a feeling? This thought, more than anything else has made me rate 'Riot' a little less than I actually intended to but all the same, I must admit despite my criticism, that even I cannot have made 'Riot' as incredible as Mr. Tharoor!
So, if you're looking for a light read, 'Riot' isn't the book for you! No, it requires time and a thinking cap, some rationality and an open mind. You're required to forgive Priscilla for being exactly like her father, a person she hates for the same mistake that she is herself committing in the name of love. You're required to forgive Lakshman for being such a loser and at the same time grant him the credit for being a great father and you're required to love Gurinder for being so wonderful despite the fact that he needs to rinse his mouth with soap and water. And you're required to admire Shashi Tharoor for being such a wonderful writer and thank your stars that he lives and breathes under the same skies as you do!
The language is lucid, the expression is simple but powerful and the content is thought provoking! Your eyes simply slip through the text! Be forewarned! You might have to discontinue it for a while if you need to digest a few things because 'Riot' is first and foremost an accurate description of truth which is bitter and a little unpalatable but once you get into it, it's impossible to stop yourself from being carried away with the flow!
Read
July 2, 2021i'm too sick to rant right now but just know that this might be one of my top hated books of...ever
Read
April 17, 2019Tharoor has inspired me lately. This book however seems bit slow for me..No doubts, it is a satire on Indian's communal partiality, population density and its issues.
March 28, 2013
“The Riot� is a unique book in itself (so is every book by Shashi, I am beginning to believe that) and to think of it that it was published some 12 years back is incredible and if I hadn’t read “The Great Indian Novel� probably I would have been surprised. But Shashi is different. There is no ‘maturing period� i with his writing I guess, ever since he has started writing novels his writing has been matured beyond his years. But I digress, so coming back to the book, it’s a unique story, 24 year old Priscilla Hart who is in India to help out with an NGO that works for population control program is murdered in the backdrop of communal killings. Her parents land in India to understand the circumstances that lead to their daughter’s death. The novel is dealt in a different manner, where each character is narrating his or her part of the story and some part of story being carried out through the news articles. There is the collector of the state Laxman, the police chief, the reporter and then Hindu and Muslim leaders fighting for the “Ram Janambhoomi�. Priscilla falls in love with Laxman who is married and wants to settle down with him. But it is not clear who killed her and what was the motive, however everyone forces her parent’s to believe that she has been “in the wrong place at the wrong time�. Her parents has their own struggles and memories from earlier trip to India.
Complete review on my blog:
Complete review on my blog:
February 11, 2019
It immediately struck me that this book was a story of attempted ideological colonization. One white woman, the independent westerner, sweeps into small-town India to save them from *GASP* having too many children, seduces the District Magistrate (who she thinks should behave like a westerner because he was educated in the western manner), gets murdered and it all becomes something NO ONE WILL TALK ABOUT. When will we begin to understand that going to someone else's country and telling them that they do things all wrong and try to change hundreds if not thousands of years of tradition is maybe not the correct approach? It has been shown time and again that when a country develops an educated class then industry follows. Educating women and keeping them in school longer naturally postpones marriage and the later a women gets married the fewer children she is likely to have. This can all be done without radically disrupting the traditions of a country. It is a benefit that is much easier to sell than the pain, heartache, jealousy and disrespect of pushing contraception and abortion on people who are not interested. When will we start asking these countries, "How would you like us to help?"
March 28, 2013
Liberal doses of sexuality mixed with long drawn monologues by various characters on the idea of India make this book a passable train read. The narration method is probably novel, the book being written as excerpts from diaries, recorded conversations and newspaper clippings. The books revels in its cliches, including the pious south Indian civil servant, the arrogant american marketing executive, the go-get-it journalist , the profanity spewing Punjabi police officer and the fundamentalist saffron party men. The book deals with an Indian-American love affair set during a riot in a nondescript Indian village and its aftermath and in passing touches upon facets of India, mainly the rise of Hindu fanatisism during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The most interesting character is the lady protagonist, an American student cum social worker and the author uses her murder to touch on various viewpoints of different participants in the drama.
February 18, 2013
Read the first 100 and last 50 pages of the book. Presentation was unlike anything I had read before with the story written as news articles or journal/scrapbook entries or interviews or letters of communication etc.
Priscilla Hart, a 24-year-old American volunteer for an NGO is stabbed 16 times in the midst of Hindu-Muslim (Rama janmabhoomi issue)riots in Kotli/Zalilgarh. Characters including her dad, who was the main guy involved during the Coke introduction and ousting in India to his extramarital affair witnessed by Priscilla, and followed by his divorce. Priscilla's contact with married Laxman, the district magistrate which goes on to even revealing her pregnancy but hushed up by his friend, Gurinder, the superintendent. Thoughts of Geeta, Laxman's wife; NY journalist and local leaders all make up for an interesting read since the story happens in India.
Priscilla Hart, a 24-year-old American volunteer for an NGO is stabbed 16 times in the midst of Hindu-Muslim (Rama janmabhoomi issue)riots in Kotli/Zalilgarh. Characters including her dad, who was the main guy involved during the Coke introduction and ousting in India to his extramarital affair witnessed by Priscilla, and followed by his divorce. Priscilla's contact with married Laxman, the district magistrate which goes on to even revealing her pregnancy but hushed up by his friend, Gurinder, the superintendent. Thoughts of Geeta, Laxman's wife; NY journalist and local leaders all make up for an interesting read since the story happens in India.
January 23, 2016
Priscilla Hart, a foreigner and a christian, loses her life in a riot between Hindus and Muslims over Ram Janmabhoomi Issue. Why she lost her life? Who killed her? Was it just because she was at the 'wrong place at the wrong time'? The novel revolves around this plot.
Even though it is a fiction, the story takes place in the background of real historical events(riots) that happened after Babri Masjid demolition. Apart from the main plot that lead to the death of Priscilla, the book also gives us an understanding about the reasons for which Hindus and Muslims rioted. It is appreciable that author did not take any side while doing that.
Book is well written. What could have been a boring plot was made interesting by the way the book is written.
Even though it is a fiction, the story takes place in the background of real historical events(riots) that happened after Babri Masjid demolition. Apart from the main plot that lead to the death of Priscilla, the book also gives us an understanding about the reasons for which Hindus and Muslims rioted. It is appreciable that author did not take any side while doing that.
Book is well written. What could have been a boring plot was made interesting by the way the book is written.
May 22, 2017
Discovering the fiction writer in Mr. Tarur was a process too exciting. Being the ever charming diplomat he is, his words put into a novel is quite refreshing. However, on the poltical front, in RIOT he does not manage to perfectly balance between the rifts of the two communities in the Babri Masjid issue, references and testimonies are spread across the book slightly more inclined towards the hindutwa outfits. But then, RIOT is basically a love story. The subtlety of love and compassion kept alive and engaged along the chaos been described every other chapter; for a romance fan, that shall be more than a fulfilment.
July 8, 2017
Good passing tea time read. Piece of history described with emotion.
The characters had their heart to the events of past which the author narrated in their tongue.
The mix of perspectives from characters of Tamil Nadu, Punjab & UP on RIOTS is like velvet, rub your hand over it and a new shade comes alive.
Irony of bureaucratic life is well described with room for readers interpretation.
DM Sahab can be "hailed for selfless service", "object of pity in love" or "loathed for cowardice".
Tharoor a seasoned writer have made me keep him high in my higher expectations 😉 so two stars.
The characters had their heart to the events of past which the author narrated in their tongue.
The mix of perspectives from characters of Tamil Nadu, Punjab & UP on RIOTS is like velvet, rub your hand over it and a new shade comes alive.
Irony of bureaucratic life is well described with room for readers interpretation.
DM Sahab can be "hailed for selfless service", "object of pity in love" or "loathed for cowardice".
Tharoor a seasoned writer have made me keep him high in my higher expectations 😉 so two stars.
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