Engglishhh: Fictional Dispatches from a Hyperreal Nation

by Altaf Tyrewala

When I saaat too wriit a peem
Th woords wooulldn’t cme
When the didd the wooulldn’t rhhym
When the rhhymeed the maad n seensee
Lik aaa red rose ii aaa blaak annd whit fiilmmm
Lik aaa rinbow ii aaa scccorchin sk
Lik msc frm soomewh ii th ded off niiigt
Gorges mirraclees impssble too expln
When I saaat too wriit a peem I kew
Ll I haad too doo waas dscrb ou
—From Roohann Shahha to Punaita Shahha

A love poem in Engglishhh©, a new language that has numerology as its guiding principle, a mascot clown who yearns to explore a city of animate beings, a purveyor–director of porn who bamboozles his hesitant leading lady with highfalutin oratory, a building watchman who counts the seconds to death—Altaf Tyrewala has an uncanny ability to write the streets and mindscapes of Mumbai, the city he first captured in prose as nobody else had in 'No God in Sight', and more recently in verse, in 'Ministry of Hurt Sentiments'. His words are sharp with irony and each story is slashed through with deftly satirical insights into the
ways of men and the worlds they inhabit.

Praise for the Altaf Tyrewala:

'It is exciting to see a serious writer work in a new form—Tyrewala powers the reader through the phenomenon of Mumbai rage, erupting with breathtaking speed and vigour at everything from traffic to beggars to the over-sweetness
of “cutting” chai' — Mint

'It is fluent, fluid, image-rich. The writer wanders the streets of Mumbai with every sense sharpened, observing, watching, absorbing and then drawing pictures that readers will recognize almost instantly' — The Hindu

'The clever use of catchphrases and the overall insistence of its rhythm are reminiscent of the best slam poets. Tyrewala is that rare Indian writer who’s pitch-perfect while dealing in street speech patterns and equally at ease with a broader, cross-cultural idiom' — The Sunday Guardian

'A gripping work that presents Mumbai like the paradox it
is. Tyrewala examines the sores on our collective conscience
with unbearable clarity' — Hindustan Times

Genres: India

216 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2014

Reviews

[Sayantan Ghosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

One needs to be under the influence of unaccountable doses of intoxication to write like this. The brutality of Altaf Tyrewala's depiction of Bombay is that I was laughing all along as I was reading. Either I imagined these stories in my head, or this guy is the gutsiest young Indian writer at work today.

[Marti books · Rating 4 out of 5]

È nella normalità che si ritrova l’eccezionalità: anche la vita che sembra più ordinaria è straordinaria nel suo essere semplice. Così può capitare di vedersi passare davanti un clown mascotte di una famosa catena di fast-food che ha preso vita e sta cadendo dal tetto del tuo palazzo perchè ha perso l’equilibrio mentre guardi da una finestra. Oppure potrebbe succedere di rubare un cellulare e di scoprire che in una città da 18 milioni di abitanti hai derubato proprio l’uomo che ti ha rovinato la vita. Cosa faresti se sapessi per certo che qualcuno sta per morire, ma non sai nè chi nè come nè quando e tutto quello che puoi fare è sopportare l’attesa estenuante della catastrofe continuando a fare il tuo lavoro? O se tuo figlio decidesse di nascere proprio nel momento in cui stai iniziando i riti funebri per tuo padre dall’altra parte della città?
In questi 14 racconti ambientati tutti a Mumbai, Altaf Tirewala ci conduce per mano a spiare pezzi di vite di personaggi che sono così comuni che potrebbero benissimo esistere davvero, tanto che, come recita il titolo, l'affresco dell'India che esce fuori da questi racconti è così vero da andare oltre il reale. Una narrazione non troppo romantica per un paese fortemente contraddittorio.

[Abhilash Ruhela · Rating 3 out of 5]

When HarperCollins releases a 211-pages hardcover book costing Rs 450 with a title such as "Engglishhh", you presume that the book would be surely a modern classic or something so epic that it would be remembered for a long time. After reading the book now, I can say that I enjoyed the short stories based on characters based in different class, cities, situations, circumstances etc. The tagline of the book says :Fictional Dispatches from a Hyperreal Nation". Author of the book is Altaf Tyrewala who's critically acclaimed and respected for his previous works.

Altaf has a very good writing skill that hooks you to a story even when it's of just 10 pages. The way he explains and introduces his characters are enough to impress you. I did find problem in getting used to his style in the first two stories- New and Second-hand and Engglishhh. But after I completed reading the whole book, I read them again and got the essence of it. For me, the real fun of the book started from "Nice Water"- a story that tells an autobiographical description of a maid. Few portions surely makes you emotional and some scenes are too hard to digest but that's the fact with which Altaf is trying to make us aware of.

On the same lines, all the stories are written depicting some or the other crisis in someone's life. The Watchman is a funny story where a watchman on the basis of few past experiences predicts that someone is going to die in the society and the laughter moments are created throughout the story. Thirteenth Floor is again another story with which I related. The greatest surprise came when MmYum's began. It's the longest story covering almost 40% of the book divided into sub-plots. That can be said as one of the best works of Altaf Tyrewala. And the book ends with a wonderful chapter that makes you giggle. It makes fun of Literature fests and authors. Something only an author who have experienced it himself could have written.

I just feel that the book does not deserve to be priced at Rs. 450. Rs. 250 could have been fine because very few people would like to read an anthology by spending such a huge amount. Also a Paperback version should be released. That's all.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

[Sadiq Kazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and very underrated. Possibly, nobody in modern English writing captures the nuances of Mumbai as well as Altaf Tyrewala. And this book outdoes his previous prose. The best book read this year so far! Strongly recommended.