Gypsy Masala: Wandering Through Dreams

Pulse

-Staff

By Staff

Wednesday, June 11, 2008, 15:27

"I want to end by saying, sometimes in life, even if it is just once, you have to take a risk; take everything you believe in, and jump. If your vision is obscured in the loudness of uncertainty, just be still and listen and when you see the African dancer who has finally managed to escape from somewhere deep inside, follow him, follow him with fearless courage and go to wherever he may want to take you."

Preethi Nair's debut novel Gypsy Masala is about taking a risk in life. It is about taking a risk with hopes and dreams. As you open the pages, you can find a plot totally unexpected or unimagined by you. This book is power giver to follow your dreams without a dreamy touch.

The novel is divided into four parts focusing on the lives of three powerful characters-Evita, Sheila and Bali. The narrator also plays a major role in the novel in the first part to provide a prologue to Evita's character. It also introduces the symbol of dreams, an elusive African Dancer.

Evita quits her job and takes a journey to follow her dream. Her life also overlaps with her adoptive parents Sheila and Bali. The novel then takes on to her upbringing, her parents and the tragic death of her real parents. Evita, whose real name is Molu in the beginning, changes it into Mary and then to Evita.

The most powerful character according to me who follows the dreams to any extent is none other than Sheila. Sheila who grew up as a wild child with dreams and passions, discusses honestly and poignantly her dreams and desires for her future (to travel, to study, to write, to fight for women's rights). However her dreams were put aside for marriage.

After the traumatic death of her only child, Sheila comes to know that her husband's true love always remains to be his first wife. At that time Molu comes to her life and Sheila does the best for her, Sheila goes through internal struggle between letting/helping Molu fly with her dreams or to keep the latter's feet firmly planted in the ground so that she isn't hurt.

Unlike Evita and Sheila, Bali seldom discusses his dreams in the novel. He only sees the African Dancer (the symbol of dreams) twice. He has a different perspective on events that occurred and there are surprises along the way as he divulges information about the family structure and interaction.

Although there was a repetition in the book, the ending of the book is a little pat. Preethi Nair combines elements of the surreal and who the prosaic as she details the intricate family dynamics. This is book that may urge you to follow your true dreams.