BEYOND MY BLINKERS BY SUBIR ADHICARY
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The preface has this simple statement by the author.
“My attempt is simple – to make people smile and identify
themselves with the protagonists in the stories.”
The stories revolve mostly around Dwarka, “not Krishna’s Dwarka…
the DDA’s Dwarka. A living hell, Sir. No water, no streetlights, no multiplex,
no security, no hospital. Only chain snatching, car jacking, promises and
taxes.” As Lord Yama himself pores over this reply, the reader realises that Subir
Adhicary’s book is choc-a-bloc with tongue-in-cheek statements like this,
enhanced further with healthy doses of humour.
From the first chapter, the author’s mission is clear.
His anecdotes not only bring forth a chuckle, but they also sting a bit, as they
hold up the foibles of people and the society they live in. ‘The Protest
Technologist’ talks of an encounter in the highly priced Barista, Café Coffee
Day between Batraji who has an idea that is brilliant enough to last over a
coffee and an expensive pastry.
The benefits of Positive Thinking which work in strange
ways, the myriad ways in which bribes are sought, the left hand always tucked
under the table, the ostentation of Diwali gifts and the laughable description of
the kind of people found in attendance at a big fat Delhi wedding – these are
some aptly narrated stories that can be seen anywhere across the country.
The fervour of our leaders to change the names of places,
historical and otherwise, is well known. One of the most amusing pieces in the
book refers to the change of Humayun’s Tomb to Faqir Chand ka Maqbara, and the
reason had me in splits. Equally entertaining is the anecdote that talks of finding
the raw nerve in one’s boss and pressing it to one’s advantage. Sage advice,
indeed!
‘The Bisleri Brigade’ is another hilarious piece that
talks of Yogis, Bhogis and Tyagis, the latter the deadliest of the lot. I do
not want to give away the plot of what happens in the Muthoot Plot in Sector
10, Dwarka.
The author has a jocular turn of phrase. He ruminates on
the time gone by (Nasbandi) as opposed to the present day (Notebandi). The
conversation between Yamraja and Chitragupta over souls stuck in immigration
bay at Nursing Homes imbued with humour strikes very close to home.
Likewise, the author offers amusing career options which
have tremendous potential to create wealth, immunity and influence. One noteworthy
section contains a dialogue between Lord Vishnu and Narada where the latter
convinces the Lord not to visit Dwarka because his subjects are content. The reasons
for their contentment evince an enigmatic smile on the Lord’s face, and
probably a sardonic one on the faces of the readers.
Subir Adhicary uses humour lavishly to get his ideas
across. Once the smile has disappeared, the sting behind his words remains. For
example:
“We specialise in preaching but hardly practise anything ourselves…
Politicians speaking in favour of anti-corruption laws stack away their black
money in foreign banks. Those hailing women’s emancipation do not let their
women life their veils or wear skimpy clothes.” The chapter being on cleanliness,
he advises school children to be “the torch bearers of ‘Preach and Practise’.
Until then, loiter in the litter.”
One usage that had me in splits was this description. “For,
he was Fevicol on legs. To dislodge him, once he sat, was a challenge.” The sketches
done by the author himself, apt and light-hearted, enhance the calibre of the book
further.
At the end of the book, one needs to sit back and ponder
over the myriad topics Subir Adhicary has touched upon, sometimes with irony,
often with hilarity, However, there are a couple of anecdotes which leave one with
the sense of sadness, mainly those dealing with the empty nest syndrome. After
years of egging their children to compete and excel, like horses “not looking
beyond their blinkers”, the parents discover that they have done so well that
their children have moved beyond their line of sight. This is when the cover
image, which is a cheerful breezy one of a horse smiling beyond its blinkers,
suddenly makes sense.
As Francis Bacon put it, “Some books are to be tasted,
others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” ‘Beyond One’s
Blinkers’, I would say, belongs to the last category.
Price of the Book: Rs. 250 on Amazon
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