My India is shining and so it will

Superstar India: From Incredible to Unstoppable  by Shobhaa De

Published by: Penguin Books India
Published in: April 2008
Cover Price: Rs 350.00
ISBN: 978014310258-8
Extent: 456 Pages
Classification: Non Fiction

Shobhaa De's book is a bold and blatant version of her perception of a 60 year-old India. To some it might seem to be monologue of a prejudiced mind while others might accept her views, with or without reservations.

 “This is a story about India” writes the author, “My India. It is a very personal story”. With this statement De skillfully shields herself from any allegations that the readers might hurl at her about the biases in the book. However a master of jugglery with words, De easily sweeps the reader's attention with crisp, brisk and an effervescent signature style of hers.

Some of the issues that the book deals with include: globalisation, poverty, corruption, traditions and changes, love, gender constructs, sex and what it is and takes to be an Indian. The book widely discusses issues that pile up to construct an image of what India is all about.

I remember having read De's book on the eve of India's 61 years of independence. The book had left me in a blank state making me rethink India's "Superstar" status. As India celebrated its 60th Republic Day amidst unprecedented security cover, my mind once more travelled back to my encounter with the book and I wondered - what is the real India? Is it what we try to project to the foreign tourists; the India of the Mercedes owners and industrialists or the India of the ever-insatiable middle class or is it India of the have-nots who sleep on the pavements and do not have enough to eat?

De stimulated me to ponder over various issues that lie inherent to my Indian identity. She has placed India and Indians on the larger global canvas. "The India we are lauding forms but a microcosm of this vast land. It is the India we want the rest of the world to see, because we are so damned ashamed of the other. We want to carefully crop out all those unflattering, ugly details that spoil the picture," she states. This brings to mind the latest terror strike in Mumbai, the series of bomb blasts across the nation that every now and then snatches away innocent lives, a face of India that is tainted by gore and pain.

De talks about the country's failings vis-à-vis its glories. Sometimes her sarcastic remarks pierce into our soul while there are times she makes us proud of India's achievements. Come what may, the world can no longer ignore India. We are not just another developing country but an emerging powerful global competitor.

A debate appears to run across the book, between India's shortcomings and accomplishments that makes us swing back and forth in deciding whether to allot India, the superstar status. De's random observations are stirring and insightful. She is blunt in exposing the ills that we are facing and does so without any hypocrisy. She does not spare the netas, the bollywood stars nor the nexus between them. According to De, "While Amitabh Bachchan flirted with politics and stepped out at the right time, Shahrukh's love affair is about to begin. Who knows you might see him contesting from UP on a Congress ticket". She also takes a dig at the younger generation and on the swaggering behaviour of the rich and the famous.

Certain sections of the book engrossed me and made me introspect. According to De, Indians are not used to the idea of being 'prosperous', "We are more comfortable dealing with poverty". She refers to the nation's capital as a "hydra-headed monster" that appears to control the entire country. Be it Raj Thackeray and the debate on migrants, or De's prediction of Mayawati representing India in the future, for whom 'real India' has been waiting for sixty years, or ‘the sexy Sensex’, 'IT triumphs’, "Help they are Turning Me into a Gizmo" we are offered a kaleidoscopic facet of India, an urban India, speeding ahead at a fast pace but losing its traditional values, an India that might confuse us at times, an India that truly ranges "From Incredible to Unstoppable".

Speaking of De's style of writing I cannot help but appreciate her apt usage of innuendos.  She sprinkles desi lingo in neat proportions over the language of the colonisers, which surely calls for attention. To quote: 'Goli Maro to the skeptics', haalat, jhopdi, ajeeb, Andolan, spicy chapter titles - 'Mere Paas Maa Hai', 'Parde Ke Peechhe', 'Netagiri, Goondagiri, Gandhigiri', 'Nazar Na Lag Jaaye' etc.

Though the book runs past 450 pages, it is quite an easy read. Even if you are not fond of De, you would still be hooked to the book for many reasons. De has this capacity of entrapping the reader through her smart and lucid style, she is a witty and confident author who knows her job and does it with panache.

Her views on India are not based on research, statistics or any kind of survey, so to test the authenticity of what she proposes is not possible. This might come across as a limitation for we cannot verify her narrative, however, who says De intends the readers to do so? It is her personal tale and she tells it with a pinch of salt. She speaks her mind and she speaks it well.

Like it or not. You simply cannot ignore it!