Author: Amitav Ghosh
I must confess that Amitav Ghosh is one of my favorite writers. His stories are about human beings whether they are poor farmers from 17th century U.P. or present day Sunderbans. He transcends time and space with ease but his characters portray timeless emotions. His prose is lyrical in depicting the environment and etching his characters,without descending into incoherent descriptions .
In his book, the Hungry tide, Amitav Ghosh introduces us to the vagaries of life in a part of India that is known of by all but understood very little---the scenic, mysterious and beautiful Sunderbans ---the abode of Royal Bengal Tigers. A lot has been said about the mangroves and the unique biodiversity of the region and dangers posed to it by modernization and encroachment by human beings ,but very little is known about the life of people inhabiting these parts , struggling with the changing tide patterns daily, weekly, monthly & yearly . Tides change the entire landscape either by creating new islands or by devouring the existing ones, a daily phenomenon ---literally “the hungry tide”.
The novel traces the adventures of an Indian origin Bengali cetologist Piyali Roy into the myriad channels of the Sunderban Delta and dangers faced from the predators of all kinds, animals as well as humans. She is saved by an illiterate fisherman, Fokir from drowning and develops a deep bond with him , a warm bond formed despite the barriers of language. What connects them is their mutual understanding and love for marine beings and being valued for what each of them can bring to the other. She also meets a representative of educated,upwardly mobile India, Kanai Dutt ,a translator who is ignorant and disdainful of poor and illiterate Fokir and still jealous of him because of his easy rapport with Piyali. A conundrum of human emotions, thoughts and relationships in the story is compounded by the translator's Aunt and Uncle's dysfunctional relationship because of the difference in their principles. The flashback as narrated by Uncle's eyes juxtaposes the modern developments with the age-old struggle of human beings with nature (humanism vs. environmentalism).
As usual, Amitav Ghosh delivers a masterpiece in terms of language, characters and the story. The details of the terrain as reflected by each of his characters also mirrors their thoughts . The novel offers insights into ambitions harbored by the unlikeliest persons and hopes raised by education and opportunity. The note of optimism in the story and the feeling of having arrived at peace after a tumultuous journey is contagious. We, the readers, are left to bask in its afterglow.
