BOOK REVIEW
By
Randeep
Wadehra
The Nanologues by Vanessa Able
Hachette. Pages: 323. Price: Rs. 399/-
When the Tatas announced Nano’s arrival, the world had
wondered at the possibility of such a car surviving – much like an underweight newborn,
whose frailty causes concern. But, contrary to all predictions, and despite the
assorted birth pangs, Nano is doing reasonably well. Of course, not as well as
the various experts had predicted in the columns/slots of such internationally
respected media brands as the USA Today, Time, Financial Times, Newsweek, and,
of course BBC, who had showered superlatives in praise of Nano, describing it
as a harbinger of revolution in road transport. Nevertheless, Nano has been able
to attract quite a few committed acolytes. Apparently, the author is one of
them who showed enough confidence in this miniscule four-wheeler to drive it on
an amazing journey through India – about 10,000 kilometers of it! This says
something for the driver’s nerves and the car’s resilience.
The narrative starts on a thrilling, nightmarish note that is
tinged with dark terse humor, punctuated with imagery that lasts long after you
have finished reading the book. I quote from the first chapter, “I was straining
up a steep incline… wedged in between an unknown bushy darkness to my left on
the edge of the road, a doddery truck up-front, and another truck to my right
who was attempting to overtake us by accelerating his lard-a*se up the hill… I
was inches, seconds, decibels away from death by unpleasant squishing… a quick
glance in my rearview mirror… the incandescent yellow glare reflected there
told of an angry corpus of vehicles on my tail, salivating at the prospect of
taking a punt at my posterior.”
If you are wondering about why Vanessa, a Briton, was
driving Nano on the chaotic Indian roads, then you will have to read this
thrilling book that charms you with its narrative style and leaves you coping
with a gamut of emotions – mirth not excluded. However, here one can reveal
only this much that she was trying to beat the post-heartbreak blues and found
Nano’s charms alluring enough to ignite a romantic passion that would have
given blushes to even Yash Chopra. Of course, it helped that Nano’s price was
equal to that of “two iPhones.” Moreover, she wanted to escape the English
climate and thought that a sojourn in the “the most simultaneously exhilarating
and exasperating country on earth” could prove to be the right medicine.
As usual with everything relating to India, she did not find
it easy to acquire Nano off the shelf while sitting in Jersey. Even on arrival, she found it almost
impossible to buy Nano. Not even a request to Ratan Tata helped. Her friend in
India too was not keen on her driving Nano on India’s highways on long
journeys. He suggested bigger and sturdier cars. Nonetheless, she got Nano
eventually and went on a rollicking journey through India. Her insights into
the traffic sense in various parts of the country are not the only element of this
narrative, though. You get a Briton’s take on the unique characters of such
variegated places as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Kochi, Kanyakumari, Puducherry,
Hyderabad, Delhi, Amritsar etc.
Vanessa has an eye for the quirky and the colorful among the various
characters she either meets or just espies on her cross-country adventure in
the word’s cheapest and, arguably, smallest car. Witty and thoughtful,
perceptive and poignant, her observations present a kaleidoscopic view of India
that is changing fast even as it retains its hoary symbols, traditions and
characters.
Published in The Financial World dated July 06, 2013
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