A Place Within by M.G. Vassanji

Author:M.G. Vassanji [Vassanji, M.G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780307371775
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Published: 2008-02-11T13:00:00+00:00

In Amritsar the temperature has been over a hundred degrees. In Shimla, when we get back, hail has fallen, the ground is white. It is night and desolately silent. We put on our sweaters, turn on the heaters. Cards, jigsaw puzzle, books to entertain us.

Bombay Getaway: The Distant Uncle and the Bohra Rebel

And when they know what old books tell,

And that no better can be had,

Know why an old man should be mad.

W. B. YEATS, “Why Should Not Old Men Be Mad?”

YES, my father-in-law confirms in a letter, the famous writer Mulk Raj Anand is a cousin of his. I should try and see him, Nurjehan suggests. I am skeptical. How real and how strong is this connection? There are cousins and cousins. My father-in-law’s name is Hakim Abu Aly. A cousin to Mulk Raj Anand? But the possibility is intriguing—it’s exciting—for it promises to cast a light on a past that some of us in modern times would rather forget, or suppress if necessary.

Without much of a social life in the beautiful high aloofness of the Institute, the family back in Toronto, my friends back in Delhi, it seems a reasonable idea to find an excuse to travel out of station. And so I write a letter to Anand about the possible family connection and ask him if I could come to Bombay to talk to him. The reply comes quicker than I expected, inviting me to come and have my chat. He gives me the address and the time.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.