Magnum Opus

The inevitable happened: the boat capsized, and the Collector died. The whole scenario comes so alive and moving that the impact lingers on and haunts you long after you have finished reading it. But the narrative serves us a message as well; that the collector's death was caused by the machinations of the autocratic British administration.

At it core, the novel is an indictment of the colonial forces, and dwells largely on the devastating effects created by them. Rajkumar's rags-to-riches story, his prosperity in teak business, his marriage with Dolly and subsequent developments are of course delectable ingredients of this novel, but it has more to do with other characters, like Uma, the Collector's wife who turned a freedom fighter and Arjun, the soldier who switched his loyalty from the British Army to Indian national Front for the cause of independence.

The dynamics of second world war, the Japanese invasion on Burma and Malay, the great exodus of 1941- all of these have come across so vivid in the novel that you can read it also as an authentic history book - only with the human touch.

For me, the novel ended on page 482. The rest 65 pages are sketchy, superfluous and seem like added as an afterthought. One wonders why Suu Kyi, the charismatic leader of today's Myanmar,should be a part of this novel. She is still material for journalism, and can be used in a novel only after due processing.

Finally, I should record my reaction about what I consider a repugnant scene - that of Uma and Rajkumar, always the opposite in their world-views and never good friends in their personal lives - sleeping together. "...their covers slipped off and their bodies were revealed to be naked. Uma's skin looked very soft and was covered with a delicate tracery of tiny cracks; every single hair on Rajkumar's body had turned white, creating an elegant effect against his dark complexion."

The Glass Palace has some erotica, not all of then unhealthy or unnatural, but this one is downright odd, unnecessary and perhaps damning. Given their ages -they were indeed old foggies - Amitav could have let them off.

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