THE GURKHA'S DAUGHTER
Each of the eight stories in The Gurkha’s Daughter is based on an interesting character. The Cleft is the first story in the collection. It is the story of Kaali, the household help. Kaali is born with a deformation in her face. She dreams of a life in Bollywood. Prajwal uses Kaali’s cleft as a tool to highlight the caste problems and prejudices in the society.
A Father’s Journey exposes the caste divisions in the society through a child’s words. Born into an orthodox Brahmin family, as an adult, the girl marries a Brahmin, to please her father and to live without any infraction of beliefs.
The Immigrants is a mirror to two individuals’ shared misconceptions about their native society.
The stories have an underlying feeling of nativity, of local, vernacular culture, traditions and habits. These are the stories of the Nepalese who are uprooted from their land of birth and left to thrive in a foreign land. Parajuly has chosen each of their settings to be in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Manhattan, to bring out the diversity in their feelings.
The title story The Gurkha’s Daughter deals with a familiar theme, about the Gurkhas. Parajuly’s portrayal of the life of the Gurkha leaves their much talked about fierceness, but deals more with their current lives and the dilemmas they live with. The story is told through the eyes of two nine year old girls.
The book entirely revolves around characters and travels on the main track alone. Nowhere do we find any description regarding scenery or any background details. Human vulnerability forms the basis of The Cleft and caste differences are dealt with in A Father’s Journey. All the stories are versatile and full of life. Simple language is the strongest point of the collection.
The Gurkha’s Daughter blew up a big hype even before its release. Parajuly was hailed as the next big thing in literary fiction.
About the Author
Prajwal Parajuly the son of an Indian father and a Nepalese mother divides his time between New York and Oxford, but disappears to Gangtok, his hometown in the Indian Himalayas, at every opportunity.
Provided by BB
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