Go Set A Watchman- blog tour

Three decades back, I chanced upon Harper Lee's classic at a bookstore, and picked it up on a whim. At that time, I didn't even know it was considered one of the defining books of its generation, but it left a profound impression on me. Racism did not exist in India, but as a nation, we were grappling with a host of other 'isms- castism, classism, communalism, regionalism, parochialism, intellectualism. Every individual had a unique reason to look down upon almost every other (or be looked down upon by them), and as an individual born into reasonably privileged conditions, I could have taken my place in the well established social order.

Instead, Atticus Finch taught me to look at individuals as individuals. To look beyond labels and actions, and to try and understand the motive behind why people behaved they way they did in a particular situation. Though I smile at Scout's naiveity in greeting Cunningham the way she did, some of her blindness rubbed off on me, and to the chagrin of my peers, I treat people below me in the social ladder exactly the same way as I would someone above me. That is who I am, and I owed it to Harper Lee. 

Naturally, I was curious when I first heard about the "forgotten" first draft of 'To Kill A Mockingbird', which was developed into 'Go Set A Watchman'. How could I not want to know what happened to the people who were almost closer than 'family' to me? Close to release date, we came to know Atticus was portrayed as a racist. A lot of people declared they would not read the book, because they wanted to hold onto their version of St. Atticus. I was not one of them. If anything the reports made me even more curious- if Atticus indeed became a racist, I wanted to understand why. He had taught me to try and understand the other person's motives before judging them- I could do no less. 

In that, I was disappointed. The book offers no reasons why he developed the views he did. When he explains to a fuming Jean Louise that the blacks are not yet ready to take up positions of responsibility, I don't entirely disagree with him, because in my country I have seen the damage that can be caused by people who do not yet have the maturity to take policy decisions. But why should blacks remain segregated- if they are not allowed into the so called white schools which have better teachers and infrastructure, how will they ever advance enough to become intellectual leaders? There were no answers, merely vague assurances that when the time was right, he would come out in support of what was right, and that till such time, he was maintaining peace. 

What I did come away with, and which redeems the book for me, is the message that you are responsible to your own conscience. Even though the world may be polarised into two opposite camps,  you need to remain true to who you are, and speak up for what you think is right. If that alienates you from everybody, so be it. Remaining silent, or running away is not an option if your conviction is strong. In the county that I now find myself in, that gives me the courage to continue to speak up. 

About the book itself, while the quality of writing shows that it was indeed an earlier version than 'To Kill A Mockingbird', it works equally well as a sequel. The characters have evolved in the intervening decades, yet largely remain true to who they were. I would have liked Calpurnia to show some recognitition to the girl she brought up, but I can understand how the years have been too cruel for even a spark of the old affection to remain. 

And there are echoes. Many echoes. In To Kill A Mockingbird, when Aunt Alexandra forces Scout to put on a frilly frock and entertain her guests, Scout declares that she is a lady. To me, then, it was the ultimate sell out- Scout should have refused to be untrue to herself, I thought. In Go Set A Watchman too, after verbally assaulting her aunt, Jean Louise declares that her aunt is a lady. This time, I agree with her. In thirty years, I've grown up!

The blog tour started at Confessions of a Mystery Novelist… on Thursday, 23 July.

Friday, 24 July – It’s all aboard for Canada, as the tour stops at Bill’s blog,Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan.

Saturday, 25 July – The tour hits the UK, with a stop at Moira' blog Clothes in Books.

Thursday, 30 July – The tour moves along to India, here at Coffee Rings Everywhere.

Friday, 31 July – It’s back to the USA with a stop at Sue Coletta’s Crime Writer blog.

December 2014: Traditional Finery

 
The village belles dressed in traditional finery presented a picture of India that was Young, Beautiful and Traditional. An India seeped in culture. An India proud of her heritage. An India that I thought no longer existed.

How their lives will change once education and technology reach them, I thought. The thought excited me, but I was also apprehensive about how our collective heritage will be lost.
 
And then she whipped out her mobile phone, and checked her make up using the selfie mode. She was satisfied.
 
I was too. Technology and tradition do not have to be mutually exclusive.
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2014: The Year That Was

November 2014: The Village Life

The village life. The rural life. The burst of colours. Scents. And textures. We romanticise everything, from the smell of crowding to the taste of fresh food. Even the poverty, seen through city eyes, is exotic- wood fired stoves never look as good in urban slums. 

Do we look beneath? At farmers depending on the rains; at others depending on the farmers. One bad harvest can wipe out all chances of repaying loans. With the only way to create wealth being dependent on factors beyond their control, is it any wonder the menfolk all migrate to urban slums?

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2014: The Year That Was

October 2014 : What Breed is your Dog?

“Which breed is your dog?”

The question used to irritate me, because I thought I was being judged on my choice of pooch, till I realized it is just a question that people ask.

I still didn’t have an answer. ‘Street dog’ is inaccurate, because he’s never lived on one, and a dog with a home cannot be called a ‘stray’. ‘Indie’ and ‘InDOG’ both sound like I am trying to create a false pedigree, and I dislike the word ‘pariah’.

I’ve finally got an answer, “His mother was a stray, we don’t know the father. And he’s all ours!”

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2014: The Year That Was

September 2014: Find their own Solutions

The longer I work in the social sector, the less sure I am of what I thought I knew. In fact, the only thing I know for sure is that I do not even come close to having all the answers. 

We speak about economic independence, but how does a woman go out to work, when she has to stay behind to catch water? We all agree that child labour is bad, but banning it only leads to greater exploitation.

On the ground, all we can really do is to act as facilitators to help communities find their own solutions.

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2014: The Year That Was

August 2014: Those Masks We Wear

All of us lead multiple lives. Who we are is not who we show we are. We may be a teeny bit anxious or scared, but what we project is sheer confidence. We don't want to admit we do not know, for fear of being judged. But often the other person is just as scared too.

And then we get so good at being who we are not, we almost forget who we actually are. The projection starts taking over. 

Those masks we wear; do we really need them? Beautiful though they are, isn't what is beneath the real us?

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2014: The Year That Was

July 2014: Do They Read At All?

“I don’t let my kids read such disgusting stuff”, said a mother about the Captain Underpants books.

“Do they read at all?”, I asked.

She evaded the question. “I have bought them [blah, blah, blah books]”, she said.

Why was I not surprised that her children don’t read? The books she mentioned were good books- books that are morally edifying. But they are not books that engage a child. If you want them to read, you have to give children books they will like. Once they are addicted, they will voluntarily reach for the books you want them to read.

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2014: The Year That Was