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There's a Carnival Today
Darjeeling in the 1950s. Janak, a prominent businessman and local leader, stares at professional, political and moral ruin. His store is failing and he has been sued by Jayabilas--a Marwari trader, once his friend and business partner, to whom he owes money. Bhudev--Janak's partner at the party which is working to organize workers--has triumphed over him in a bitter struggle for leadership. Janak's son Ravi, of whom he expected better, has become a schoolteacher and is involved in party work in the tea estates--Janak is convinced that Bhudev is using Ravi to further undermine him. And, despite being in a blissful marriage with Sita, Janak is drawn to the charms of Yamuna, the wife of an ailing friend.
Then, tea-estate workers protesting the arrest of their comrades spontaneously march into town. They are joined by others along the way and the march quickly grows in size. But after the rally ends in a massacre by the police, Janak must find a way out of his morass to stand up and be counted once more.
Capacious and prescient, There's a Carnival Today is as much a panoramic view of post-Independence Darjeeling as it is of the sharply observed, flesh-and-blood characters who people it. It is also a foreshadowing of the issues of identity which still shape politics and attitudes in the region. Brilliantly translated by Manjushree Thapa, this seminal work by one of the tallest figures in contemporary Nepali literature is a modern classic.
Then, tea-estate workers protesting the arrest of their comrades spontaneously march into town. They are joined by others along the way and the march quickly grows in size. But after the rally ends in a massacre by the police, Janak must find a way out of his morass to stand up and be counted once more.
Capacious and prescient, There's a Carnival Today is as much a panoramic view of post-Independence Darjeeling as it is of the sharply observed, flesh-and-blood characters who people it. It is also a foreshadowing of the issues of identity which still shape politics and attitudes in the region. Brilliantly translated by Manjushree Thapa, this seminal work by one of the tallest figures in contemporary Nepali literature is a modern classic.
- GenresFiction
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1964
15 people are currently reading
238 people want to read
About the author
Indra Bahadur Rai
16 books23 followersIndra Bahadur Rai was an Indian Nepali writer and literary critic from Darjeeling, India . He did his schooling in Kurseong and Darjeeling. He completed his graduation from Calcutta University and his post-graduation in English from North Bengal University. He taught at Turnbull High School in Darjeeling for several years. He also worked as a professor of English at St. Joseph's College, Darjeeling. He was also the Vice Chairman of Darjeeling Municipality.
He entered the field of Nepali literature around 1950 when he started publishing literary criticisms in different journals such as Aadhar, Bharati, Diyo, Diyalo, and Roop Rekha. His first novel Aaja Ramita Cha was published in 1964. After that, he entered the field of short stories. His first story was published in 1959. His first book Vipana Katipaya, a collection of thirty short stories published in 1960, had a great influence on Nepali literature, especially on the genre of short stories. From 1963 onwards, he was a prominent figure in the dimensional literature movement, which is known as Aayameli Andolan in the history of Nepali literature. He, along with Ishwor Ballav and Bairagi Kainla, searched the unexplored realms of Nepali literature. They successfully added a third dimension Tesro Aayam to Nepali literature.
He has received the Sahitya Akademi Award (for his work Nepali Upanyaska Adharharu), Jagadambashri Puraskar and Agam Singh Giri Smriti Puraskar.
He entered the field of Nepali literature around 1950 when he started publishing literary criticisms in different journals such as Aadhar, Bharati, Diyo, Diyalo, and Roop Rekha. His first novel Aaja Ramita Cha was published in 1964. After that, he entered the field of short stories. His first story was published in 1959. His first book Vipana Katipaya, a collection of thirty short stories published in 1960, had a great influence on Nepali literature, especially on the genre of short stories. From 1963 onwards, he was a prominent figure in the dimensional literature movement, which is known as Aayameli Andolan in the history of Nepali literature. He, along with Ishwor Ballav and Bairagi Kainla, searched the unexplored realms of Nepali literature. They successfully added a third dimension Tesro Aayam to Nepali literature.
He has received the Sahitya Akademi Award (for his work Nepali Upanyaska Adharharu), Jagadambashri Puraskar and Agam Singh Giri Smriti Puraskar.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 16, 2021
In 1977 Indra Bahadur Rai became the first Nepali writer to win Sahitya Akademi award for his work- Upanyas Ka Adharharu. Published in 1964, Aaja Ramita Cha is his first novel. It has been translated in English by Manjushree Thapa as There’s a Carnival today. Nepali is the official language of Sikkim.
The story is set in Darjeeling in the 1950s. The plot revolves around four people- Janak, a prominent businessman, Jayabilas, a Marwari trader, Bhudev, who is working to organize workers and Ravi who works in the tea estates. Non-linear in narrative, the novel is a take on issues of identity, labour exploitation, caste conflicts and generation gap. The agitation in the tea gardens, greedy local politicians and longing to preserve the cultural identity form the background in which the reader finds himself engrossed.
The story is set in Darjeeling in the 1950s. The plot revolves around four people- Janak, a prominent businessman, Jayabilas, a Marwari trader, Bhudev, who is working to organize workers and Ravi who works in the tea estates. Non-linear in narrative, the novel is a take on issues of identity, labour exploitation, caste conflicts and generation gap. The agitation in the tea gardens, greedy local politicians and longing to preserve the cultural identity form the background in which the reader finds himself engrossed.
December 16, 2019
A deeply layered historical background to the social and political shifts in the history of the Nepali community living in Darjeeling in West Bengal. Yes, you have protagonists who keep you invested in their lives and you have other characters who step in and out of the narrative, you have a plot that plays out in a way that wants you asking more but it is the historical setting to the emergence of the voices in the Nepali community in India that stood out for me.
The beauty of the writing is the focus on the questions over identity, worker rights, the exploitation of Nepali workeros in the tea estates of Darjeeling, the control of business by the few rich outsider population and the question of who takes charge of the destiny of a community that has a rich legacy of contribution to a country in which it is a minority group, even as the story and plot plays it out.
Reading this book in the current climate of protests in the country over who is a citizen is most ironic but then, great literature reflects life and vice versa. There’s a Carnival Today makes you look at who is entitled to what and to what purposes does a community strive for. I would recommend this seminal work for the way it takes one to an overview of the Nepali community in parts of India and specifically, their lives and struggles in Darjeeling.
The beauty of the writing is the focus on the questions over identity, worker rights, the exploitation of Nepali workeros in the tea estates of Darjeeling, the control of business by the few rich outsider population and the question of who takes charge of the destiny of a community that has a rich legacy of contribution to a country in which it is a minority group, even as the story and plot plays it out.
Reading this book in the current climate of protests in the country over who is a citizen is most ironic but then, great literature reflects life and vice versa. There’s a Carnival Today makes you look at who is entitled to what and to what purposes does a community strive for. I would recommend this seminal work for the way it takes one to an overview of the Nepali community in parts of India and specifically, their lives and struggles in Darjeeling.
April 9, 2018
Read the full review here: www.vidhyathakkar.com/bookreviewthere...
There's a carnival today is a book by Indra Bahadur Rai, translated from the Nepali by Manjushree Thapa. I loved the title of the book, it's impressive, and the cover is wonderful. it depicts so many things about the story. This is a story of the post-independence period based in Darjeeling. There’s a Carnival Today is as much a panoramic view of post-Independence Darjeeling. First of all, The blurb of the story is interesting, which made me pick this book. The writing style of the author is something I loved the most. Writing about history with such an engaging style, in perfect flow, is what I loved about the author. This is my first translated read and I absolutely loved it. They way the author set the plot is amazing. It's out of the box. The way the author described relationships, how the family falls apart, portraying each emotion beautifully, along with the politics and war in one plot is mind-blowing and strong. The narration of the story is crisp, smooth and powerful. The language used by the author and the translator is interesting and connecting. One can easily connect to the story and can visualize the situations in the post-independence period. The way the story started and the climax was stunning. The pace of the story is also good and is medium paced. what I loved is the flow of the story, the story went smoothly, and crisply with lots of emotions portrayed. The characters that author made were strong, each having a different perspective and everyone had their own importance. Each and every character played a vital role. The way each and every situation are described were astounding.
Strong characters, amazing plot, crisp narration, interesting Language makes this book one of the best read. If you are interested in reading historical fiction, do read this one.
Kudos! to the author and the translator for the amazing work. would love to read their books in future.
There's a carnival today is a book by Indra Bahadur Rai, translated from the Nepali by Manjushree Thapa. I loved the title of the book, it's impressive, and the cover is wonderful. it depicts so many things about the story. This is a story of the post-independence period based in Darjeeling. There’s a Carnival Today is as much a panoramic view of post-Independence Darjeeling. First of all, The blurb of the story is interesting, which made me pick this book. The writing style of the author is something I loved the most. Writing about history with such an engaging style, in perfect flow, is what I loved about the author. This is my first translated read and I absolutely loved it. They way the author set the plot is amazing. It's out of the box. The way the author described relationships, how the family falls apart, portraying each emotion beautifully, along with the politics and war in one plot is mind-blowing and strong. The narration of the story is crisp, smooth and powerful. The language used by the author and the translator is interesting and connecting. One can easily connect to the story and can visualize the situations in the post-independence period. The way the story started and the climax was stunning. The pace of the story is also good and is medium paced. what I loved is the flow of the story, the story went smoothly, and crisply with lots of emotions portrayed. The characters that author made were strong, each having a different perspective and everyone had their own importance. Each and every character played a vital role. The way each and every situation are described were astounding.
Strong characters, amazing plot, crisp narration, interesting Language makes this book one of the best read. If you are interested in reading historical fiction, do read this one.
Kudos! to the author and the translator for the amazing work. would love to read their books in future.
January 9, 2019
When I first picked up the Manjushree Thapa’s translation of celebrated Nepali author Indra Bahadur Rai’s There’s a Carnival Today, the first thing I remembered was reading Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin all those years ago, especially his concept of carnival as a social institution and his idea of novel as polyphony.
Perhaps the English title of the novel and the bright white, indigo and red cover, featuring a protesting mob, among others, were the triggers. As I read on, my hunch proved to be not altogether wrong, but not entirely correct either.
On the surface, the novel tells the story of Janak, a garment trader, and his family, his wife from across the border in Nepal, Sita, and their two children, Ravi and Divya making a living in Derjeeling, a decided British town, now a part of West Bengal, hosting diverse communities such as Bengali, Nepali, Lepcha, Bhutia, Tibetan, among others.
Dig deeper and several stories emerge. It is a story of a country in transition from independence to self-rule to development (The novel begins at the dawn of Independence when Janak returns home after completing his studies in Kolkata and ends during workers agitation in 1950s.).
It is the story of the struggle of the Tea Garden Workers’ rights that led to a full blown protest in Derjeeling in the 1950s. In one sense, it is a story of the communist labour union movement in the tea plantations.
It is also the story of building a cultural identity, the ‘Gorkha’ identity and the rise of the demand for a Gorkhaland state. At the same time, it is the story of cultural diversity, the comingling of different peoples — settlers from Nepal, who while using the language, formed a separate identity as Gorkha (which the novel highlights in the confrontations between Janak and his father-in-law, who is from mainland Nepal); Lepchas; Limbus; Bhotias; Bengali administrators and tea plantation owners (exemplified by Janak’s neighbours MK and Ajoy Dasgupta); and the Bihari and Marwari traders (as represented by Jayabilas, once Janak’s business partner, now his bitter enemy). There are also vestiges of the colonial past (the movie theatre in the market and even Goan Jazz).
This inevitably leads to another story, a story of clash of cultures, between the Gorkhas and their Bengali leaders ruling from Kolkata, between the indigenous population and the migrants, between the tea garden owners and the workers (This clash between capitalism and communism comes to a full circle in the clash between Janak and Ravi, a businessman and a teacher fighting for workers’ rights. The first half of the novel concerns Janak as struggles to build a perfect family while the second half shift towards Ravi, who against his father’s wishes, becomes a teacher and gets involved in the politics of the tea gardens.). At one point, Janak says, “Good habits are as useful as Bihari servants; bad habits are as evil as Bengali masters.”
Above all, There’s a Carnival Today is a novel about a city, known the world over for its tea and for the Kanchenjunga peak — a novel about Derjeeling, her people and their political aspirations. The story isn’t over yet, and Rai knew, as he ends the novel with Janak’s transition as a man without courage to a man acting as though he has courage.
So, we could perhaps read the novel using Bakhtin’s philosophy after all. For one thing, Rai’s narrative is classic polyphony. Unlike a classic western novel, which follows the protagonist’s journey, seeing the world from his point-of-view, Rai shows an unfailing curiosity towards all his characters, and their unique situations. The novel is purportedly centred on Janak and his travails, but Rai is in no hurry to narrate the story of his struggles — his identity crisis, his struggle to succeed in business, his conflict with his children and his doomed extramarital affair.
Instead, Rai’s narrative digresses at every possible opportunity to tell us more about the people in Janak’s life, his neighbour MK and his long-suffering wife Babuni; Ravi and his love for an anglo-Indian girl; Bhudev, Janak’s partner at the party and soon his bitter rival; Jayabilas, Janak’s business partner; Namgyal and his wife Yamuna, and even occasional Madhesi servants.
This apart from Rai’s interest in describing mundane activities in illuminating details, like shopping, food habits, drinking habits, customs and clothing, which he does in such a way that they take a life of their own.
In the introduction to the book in 1958, Rai wrote, “I saw that life was moving forward, but not in an organised manner, with everything falling into place. I have disarranged this novel in a similar way. I didn’t see life as a singularity, or as the chemical purity and unhindered progress of a single subjectivity. Love is the mother of all emotions: Touch it, and all of our other emotions awaken and writhe.”
Love, then, is the key to understand There’s a Carnival Today — the love that Rai’s characters display, and love that Rai feels for his characters, and their causes.
At this juncture, Bakhtin’s philosophy doesn’t help us much, for There’s a Carnival Today defies comparison to the western novel tradition, and we must read the book in its own term, in the context of its own creation.
Indra Bahadur Rai (who passed away this year) was the first Nepali-language writer to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for a book of literary criticism on Nepali literature, Nepali Upnyas ka Aadharharu, in 1976. Together with two prominent modern poets from Nepal, Bairagi Kainla and Ishwor Ballav, Rai founded the abstract ‘Tesro Aayam’ (Third Dimension) school of writing, introducing an abstract, modernist aesthetics to Nepali-language literature. Later, Rai invented the exuberant and lyrical deconstructionist aesthetics that he called ‘Leela-Lekhan’ (play-writing).
There’s a Carnival Today (the only novel by the author of thirteen other books), originally published in 1958, is Rai’s early work, and as such, instead of literally experimentation, we notice a rather plain narrative highlighted by his desire to do right by his people and his land. Here lies the pleasure of reading the novel, like a grandfather’s tale, without discernable beginning and end, yet each moment illuminated by lived experiences.
In this sense perhaps, Rai’s Derjeeling is like Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude, and the political struggles are like the numerous wars Colonel Aureliano Buendia fought. Yet’s unlike Marquez’s long passages, Rai’s narrative is filled with conversations, both as communication and as a code to understand character motivations. And Rai’s approach is joie de vivre. He approaches everything with a lightness of touch, never allowing the readers to get bogged down by the complexities of it, never allowing the proceeding either to turn maudlin or tragic. This masterwork of fine balance is one of the joys of reading There’s a Carnival Today.
In her note, the translator, Manjushree Thapa, writes, “There’s a Carnival Today doesn’t capture the wry tone of Aaja Ramita Chha, which deploys the word ‘ramita’— a combination of fair, a show, a spectacle or some fun— ironically.”
Yet, Thapa’s translation is on point. At no point in the novel you feel that you are reading a translated work — it flows perfectly.
{First published in Indian Literature, the bi-monthly magazine of the Sahitya Akademi, November-December 2018}
Perhaps the English title of the novel and the bright white, indigo and red cover, featuring a protesting mob, among others, were the triggers. As I read on, my hunch proved to be not altogether wrong, but not entirely correct either.
On the surface, the novel tells the story of Janak, a garment trader, and his family, his wife from across the border in Nepal, Sita, and their two children, Ravi and Divya making a living in Derjeeling, a decided British town, now a part of West Bengal, hosting diverse communities such as Bengali, Nepali, Lepcha, Bhutia, Tibetan, among others.
Dig deeper and several stories emerge. It is a story of a country in transition from independence to self-rule to development (The novel begins at the dawn of Independence when Janak returns home after completing his studies in Kolkata and ends during workers agitation in 1950s.).
It is the story of the struggle of the Tea Garden Workers’ rights that led to a full blown protest in Derjeeling in the 1950s. In one sense, it is a story of the communist labour union movement in the tea plantations.
It is also the story of building a cultural identity, the ‘Gorkha’ identity and the rise of the demand for a Gorkhaland state. At the same time, it is the story of cultural diversity, the comingling of different peoples — settlers from Nepal, who while using the language, formed a separate identity as Gorkha (which the novel highlights in the confrontations between Janak and his father-in-law, who is from mainland Nepal); Lepchas; Limbus; Bhotias; Bengali administrators and tea plantation owners (exemplified by Janak’s neighbours MK and Ajoy Dasgupta); and the Bihari and Marwari traders (as represented by Jayabilas, once Janak’s business partner, now his bitter enemy). There are also vestiges of the colonial past (the movie theatre in the market and even Goan Jazz).
This inevitably leads to another story, a story of clash of cultures, between the Gorkhas and their Bengali leaders ruling from Kolkata, between the indigenous population and the migrants, between the tea garden owners and the workers (This clash between capitalism and communism comes to a full circle in the clash between Janak and Ravi, a businessman and a teacher fighting for workers’ rights. The first half of the novel concerns Janak as struggles to build a perfect family while the second half shift towards Ravi, who against his father’s wishes, becomes a teacher and gets involved in the politics of the tea gardens.). At one point, Janak says, “Good habits are as useful as Bihari servants; bad habits are as evil as Bengali masters.”
Above all, There’s a Carnival Today is a novel about a city, known the world over for its tea and for the Kanchenjunga peak — a novel about Derjeeling, her people and their political aspirations. The story isn’t over yet, and Rai knew, as he ends the novel with Janak’s transition as a man without courage to a man acting as though he has courage.
So, we could perhaps read the novel using Bakhtin’s philosophy after all. For one thing, Rai’s narrative is classic polyphony. Unlike a classic western novel, which follows the protagonist’s journey, seeing the world from his point-of-view, Rai shows an unfailing curiosity towards all his characters, and their unique situations. The novel is purportedly centred on Janak and his travails, but Rai is in no hurry to narrate the story of his struggles — his identity crisis, his struggle to succeed in business, his conflict with his children and his doomed extramarital affair.
Instead, Rai’s narrative digresses at every possible opportunity to tell us more about the people in Janak’s life, his neighbour MK and his long-suffering wife Babuni; Ravi and his love for an anglo-Indian girl; Bhudev, Janak’s partner at the party and soon his bitter rival; Jayabilas, Janak’s business partner; Namgyal and his wife Yamuna, and even occasional Madhesi servants.
This apart from Rai’s interest in describing mundane activities in illuminating details, like shopping, food habits, drinking habits, customs and clothing, which he does in such a way that they take a life of their own.
In the introduction to the book in 1958, Rai wrote, “I saw that life was moving forward, but not in an organised manner, with everything falling into place. I have disarranged this novel in a similar way. I didn’t see life as a singularity, or as the chemical purity and unhindered progress of a single subjectivity. Love is the mother of all emotions: Touch it, and all of our other emotions awaken and writhe.”
Love, then, is the key to understand There’s a Carnival Today — the love that Rai’s characters display, and love that Rai feels for his characters, and their causes.
At this juncture, Bakhtin’s philosophy doesn’t help us much, for There’s a Carnival Today defies comparison to the western novel tradition, and we must read the book in its own term, in the context of its own creation.
Indra Bahadur Rai (who passed away this year) was the first Nepali-language writer to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for a book of literary criticism on Nepali literature, Nepali Upnyas ka Aadharharu, in 1976. Together with two prominent modern poets from Nepal, Bairagi Kainla and Ishwor Ballav, Rai founded the abstract ‘Tesro Aayam’ (Third Dimension) school of writing, introducing an abstract, modernist aesthetics to Nepali-language literature. Later, Rai invented the exuberant and lyrical deconstructionist aesthetics that he called ‘Leela-Lekhan’ (play-writing).
There’s a Carnival Today (the only novel by the author of thirteen other books), originally published in 1958, is Rai’s early work, and as such, instead of literally experimentation, we notice a rather plain narrative highlighted by his desire to do right by his people and his land. Here lies the pleasure of reading the novel, like a grandfather’s tale, without discernable beginning and end, yet each moment illuminated by lived experiences.
In this sense perhaps, Rai’s Derjeeling is like Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude, and the political struggles are like the numerous wars Colonel Aureliano Buendia fought. Yet’s unlike Marquez’s long passages, Rai’s narrative is filled with conversations, both as communication and as a code to understand character motivations. And Rai’s approach is joie de vivre. He approaches everything with a lightness of touch, never allowing the readers to get bogged down by the complexities of it, never allowing the proceeding either to turn maudlin or tragic. This masterwork of fine balance is one of the joys of reading There’s a Carnival Today.
In her note, the translator, Manjushree Thapa, writes, “There’s a Carnival Today doesn’t capture the wry tone of Aaja Ramita Chha, which deploys the word ‘ramita’— a combination of fair, a show, a spectacle or some fun— ironically.”
Yet, Thapa’s translation is on point. At no point in the novel you feel that you are reading a translated work — it flows perfectly.
{First published in Indian Literature, the bi-monthly magazine of the Sahitya Akademi, November-December 2018}
August 21, 2018
Rai's first and only novel, and his inexperience in writing them shows. The whole thing is set against a heavy political backdrop of 1950s and 1960s Darjeeling, so if you go in without some political context, lord help you.
Besides, there are seemingly pointless characters in the book that just seem to be there to pad the readtime? Birman, the butler at the protag's house, has no purpose in the story except to spend a couple of pages early on making a big fuss about leaving to his village (making you think Rai's gonna place him in a position pivotal to the story) but then he appears straight up a 100 pages later for no reason again, and leaves just as quick. Maybe Rai felt the need to give this character some closure, but Birman sure doesn't seem like a character he "spent months creating" as he so claims.
Another peeve I have is the fact that the story is all over the place. There are random incidents happening all over the book and you have no idea how they're supposed to tie into the main narrative. On that note, is there even a narrative at all? The only linearly and properly told story arc takes place around 50 pages from the end of the book, and ends inconclusively. The hell?
The dialogue is a bit wonky at times and gets especially jarring when the characters get emotive in their lines, but I suppose it's more the fault of the translation than the author.
Anyways, it's fun to read nonetheless, and a short breeze, so I'd still recommend that you pick it up, to get a backdrop on the situation of people of Darjeeling in that era, and some characters are extremely relatable. But above all, pick up the original one. I feel like this translation doesn't do justice to the author's intentions, as often is the case with the limitations of translating a book from an entirely different culture.
Besides, there are seemingly pointless characters in the book that just seem to be there to pad the readtime? Birman, the butler at the protag's house, has no purpose in the story except to spend a couple of pages early on making a big fuss about leaving to his village (making you think Rai's gonna place him in a position pivotal to the story) but then he appears straight up a 100 pages later for no reason again, and leaves just as quick. Maybe Rai felt the need to give this character some closure, but Birman sure doesn't seem like a character he "spent months creating" as he so claims.
Another peeve I have is the fact that the story is all over the place. There are random incidents happening all over the book and you have no idea how they're supposed to tie into the main narrative. On that note, is there even a narrative at all? The only linearly and properly told story arc takes place around 50 pages from the end of the book, and ends inconclusively. The hell?
The dialogue is a bit wonky at times and gets especially jarring when the characters get emotive in their lines, but I suppose it's more the fault of the translation than the author.
Anyways, it's fun to read nonetheless, and a short breeze, so I'd still recommend that you pick it up, to get a backdrop on the situation of people of Darjeeling in that era, and some characters are extremely relatable. But above all, pick up the original one. I feel like this translation doesn't do justice to the author's intentions, as often is the case with the limitations of translating a book from an entirely different culture.
November 14, 2017
There are a few stories that jar you, bring you to your knees and show you what you have been shying away from for so long. Partition, war, riot stories are something that I particularly stay away from because of the nature of human turmoil and anguish encapsulated within them. Also, with me being a Sikh and having heard of torture imposed on not only our Gurus but also our fellow men during 1984, bombings and civil riots during 1993 and other such tragic events, my palate to digest human lynching is particularly small.
When I saw the book that had come my way I didn't know what to expect because a. It was my first ever book from Nepali Literature and b. It was of people and times not usually found in our history books. I was apprehensive at first when I read the blurb because I didn't know if I would be able to complete it. However, the almost poetic prose and writing style kept me engaged and I found myself getting immersed into the story voluntarily.
This is the story of Janak, an educated man who inherits his father's Austin and his good naturedness, following through the Indian Partition of 1947 and the Second World War of 1945. Set between the captivating hills of Darjeeling, it follows the story of how civil unrest transforms him from a simple man to a rebel. When his business goes south, family runs into tatters and relationships fall apart due to a civil unrest, he forges ahead to gather the pieces and move forward.
I think it takes a lot of skill to interwine relationships, human emotions and politics unrest without actually losing the plot of it all and what is even more difficult is to translate it into another language. Indra Bahadur Rai's writing style has been kept as authentic as can be by the ace translator Manjushree Thapa and the depth of the story, characters and outlines are accurately merged into the original ones. You can see the effort the translator has put in to not only convert the words and landscapes but also retain the ethnicity of the emotions in doing so. I was actually quite impressed with how much I read the original writer's work through Thapa's words.
For my first ever Nepali Literature read, I couldn't have asked for a better start. As I found out for my friend Sudeepta Pradhan from @booksteaandmore the original Nepali novel is called Aaja Ramita Chha and anyone who is interested to read the original can look that one up too. I'm quite intrigued to read more from the author as well as from this particular culture and I hope my ignorance of it slowly wans away.
You can't exactly rate epics, especially the ones lauded and applauded. It's a no brainer 5 star read but I'll have to pick up on Sudeepta's verdict on the original!
When I saw the book that had come my way I didn't know what to expect because a. It was my first ever book from Nepali Literature and b. It was of people and times not usually found in our history books. I was apprehensive at first when I read the blurb because I didn't know if I would be able to complete it. However, the almost poetic prose and writing style kept me engaged and I found myself getting immersed into the story voluntarily.
This is the story of Janak, an educated man who inherits his father's Austin and his good naturedness, following through the Indian Partition of 1947 and the Second World War of 1945. Set between the captivating hills of Darjeeling, it follows the story of how civil unrest transforms him from a simple man to a rebel. When his business goes south, family runs into tatters and relationships fall apart due to a civil unrest, he forges ahead to gather the pieces and move forward.
I think it takes a lot of skill to interwine relationships, human emotions and politics unrest without actually losing the plot of it all and what is even more difficult is to translate it into another language. Indra Bahadur Rai's writing style has been kept as authentic as can be by the ace translator Manjushree Thapa and the depth of the story, characters and outlines are accurately merged into the original ones. You can see the effort the translator has put in to not only convert the words and landscapes but also retain the ethnicity of the emotions in doing so. I was actually quite impressed with how much I read the original writer's work through Thapa's words.
For my first ever Nepali Literature read, I couldn't have asked for a better start. As I found out for my friend Sudeepta Pradhan from @booksteaandmore the original Nepali novel is called Aaja Ramita Chha and anyone who is interested to read the original can look that one up too. I'm quite intrigued to read more from the author as well as from this particular culture and I hope my ignorance of it slowly wans away.
You can't exactly rate epics, especially the ones lauded and applauded. It's a no brainer 5 star read but I'll have to pick up on Sudeepta's verdict on the original!
May 8, 2018
There are a few stories that jar you, bring you to your knees and show you what you have been shying away from for so long. Partition, war, riot stories are something that I particularly stay away from because of the nature of human turmoil and anguish encapsulated within them. Also, with me being a Sikh and having heard of torture imposed on not only our Gurus but also our fellow men during 1984, bombings and civil riots during 1993 and other such tragic events, my palate to digest human lynching is particularly small.
When I saw the book that had come my way I didn’t know what to expect because a. It was my first ever book from Nepali Literature and b. It was of people and times not usually found in our history books. I was apprehensive at first when I read the blurb because I didn’t know if I would be able to complete it. However, the almost poetic prose and writing style kept me engaged and I found myself getting immersed into the story voluntarily.
This is the story of Janak, an educated man who inherits his father’s Austin and his good naturedness, following through the Indian Partition of 1947 and the Second World War of 1945. Set between the captivating hills of Darjeeling, it follows the story of how civil unrest transforms him from a simple man to a rebel. When his business goes south, family runs into tatters and relationships fall apart due to a civil unrest, he forges ahead to gather the pieces and move forward.
I think it takes a lot of skill to interwine relationships, human emotions and politics unrest without actually losing the plot of it all and what is even more difficult is to translate it into another language. Indra Bahadur Rai’s writing style has been kept as authentic as can be by the ace translator Manjushree Thapa and the depth of the story, characters and outlines are accurately merged into the original ones. You can see the effort the translator has put in to not only convert the words and landscapes but also retain the ethnicity of the emotions in doing so. I was actually quite impressed with how much I read the original writer’s work through Thapa’s words.
For my first ever Nepali Literature read, I couldn’t have asked for a better start. As I found out for my friend Sudeepta Pradhan from @booksteaandmore the original Nepali novel is called Aaja Ramita Chha and anyone who is interested to read the original can look that one up too. I’m quite intrigued to read more from the author as well as from this particular culture and I hope my ignorance of it slowly wans away.
You can’t exactly rate epics, especially the ones lauded and applauded. It’s a no brainer 5 star read but I’ll have to pick up on Sudeepta’s verdict on the original!
When I saw the book that had come my way I didn’t know what to expect because a. It was my first ever book from Nepali Literature and b. It was of people and times not usually found in our history books. I was apprehensive at first when I read the blurb because I didn’t know if I would be able to complete it. However, the almost poetic prose and writing style kept me engaged and I found myself getting immersed into the story voluntarily.
This is the story of Janak, an educated man who inherits his father’s Austin and his good naturedness, following through the Indian Partition of 1947 and the Second World War of 1945. Set between the captivating hills of Darjeeling, it follows the story of how civil unrest transforms him from a simple man to a rebel. When his business goes south, family runs into tatters and relationships fall apart due to a civil unrest, he forges ahead to gather the pieces and move forward.
I think it takes a lot of skill to interwine relationships, human emotions and politics unrest without actually losing the plot of it all and what is even more difficult is to translate it into another language. Indra Bahadur Rai’s writing style has been kept as authentic as can be by the ace translator Manjushree Thapa and the depth of the story, characters and outlines are accurately merged into the original ones. You can see the effort the translator has put in to not only convert the words and landscapes but also retain the ethnicity of the emotions in doing so. I was actually quite impressed with how much I read the original writer’s work through Thapa’s words.
For my first ever Nepali Literature read, I couldn’t have asked for a better start. As I found out for my friend Sudeepta Pradhan from @booksteaandmore the original Nepali novel is called Aaja Ramita Chha and anyone who is interested to read the original can look that one up too. I’m quite intrigued to read more from the author as well as from this particular culture and I hope my ignorance of it slowly wans away.
You can’t exactly rate epics, especially the ones lauded and applauded. It’s a no brainer 5 star read but I’ll have to pick up on Sudeepta’s verdict on the original!
December 18, 2022
⚘ "It is said that a novel ought not to contain unnecessary characters, but this novel contains such characters, though they srrve no purpose in the story, because the world I've seen doesn't contain only necessary people"
☙
"Aaja Ramita Chha" by I.B. Rai or "There's a Carnival Today" in English (translated by Manjushree Thapa), this book will capture and bring to you a major chunk of the life, culture, social and political dynamics of our Indian Nepali population, especially those residing in the cosmopolitan hilly town of Darjeeling.
I honestly loved reading this book, looking deeply into their world through lives of people, their simple lives woth extraordinary ideas, all trying to seek their identity and freedom in their own ways. The women characters, as one may find initially nothing interesting, but are definitely beautifully potrayed. Simple words weaving deeper truths, if one looks into the intricately designed words that strives to convey the words which may not reach the world otherwise.
I would request everyone to give this wonderful book a read for the message it tries to deliver to the world on behalf of those reality that don't really manage to capture all eyes as it should.
☙
"Aaja Ramita Chha" by I.B. Rai or "There's a Carnival Today" in English (translated by Manjushree Thapa), this book will capture and bring to you a major chunk of the life, culture, social and political dynamics of our Indian Nepali population, especially those residing in the cosmopolitan hilly town of Darjeeling.
I honestly loved reading this book, looking deeply into their world through lives of people, their simple lives woth extraordinary ideas, all trying to seek their identity and freedom in their own ways. The women characters, as one may find initially nothing interesting, but are definitely beautifully potrayed. Simple words weaving deeper truths, if one looks into the intricately designed words that strives to convey the words which may not reach the world otherwise.
I would request everyone to give this wonderful book a read for the message it tries to deliver to the world on behalf of those reality that don't really manage to capture all eyes as it should.
September 12, 2018
This was a good story and well written (and translated) although I started to lose interest at the end as the story focused almost entirely on the political activities of the characters. I think that a few things were lost in the translation, especially in the first third of the book but it smoothed out after that.
May 20, 2024
Took me forever, but I finally finished this! It has an incredible description of Darjeeling and its people and socio-political scenario post-Independence. Unfortunately, considering I read this over months, there are a lot of things I couldn't fully appreciate. Definitely a book I want to reread for that reason someday.
September 15, 2020
It is a book about people. Unlike other books it does not view life from abstract but from within as each and every character reveals their own version of life. A beautiful book by wonderful author. Loving it.
September 20, 2018
I wish I knew more about Darjeeling to be able to understand this better. Many cultural references were lost on me.
July 30, 2019
It was great to know Darjeeling from a political and social perspective.
January 17, 2020
Still, yet to read the translation though,
"आज रमिता छ", weaves a tapestry of life and death, politics and love.
IBRA truly is a maestro.
"आज रमिता छ", weaves a tapestry of life and death, politics and love.
IBRA truly is a maestro.
October 10, 2023
Great book about the political and ordinary life of Darjeeling's Nepali population
February 4, 2021
As colourfully narrated as its Nepali original( Aaja ramita cha by Dr. Indra Bahadur Rai), There’s a Carnival Today by Manjushree Thapa captures the ethos of Darjeeling's collective community as it awakens and adjusts its feathers to a post-independent India. The book brings out the multifaceted characters of Darjeeling and their ordinary realities shaped by their precarious position in a place that shares in the National sentiment of India while remaining ironically isolated.
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