From a reader

You are too muchi good, Mistoh AMMY “The White head Ghosh”

(Letter from Li Shiu-je “Chi-Mei”)

I wanchi thank Mister Ammy. Mister Ammy put me … a litti washerwoman in too muchi big book. Me blongi no sing-song girlie but you catchi me. Too muchi sad thing … you make me die, but people blongi reading-reading send me chitties. Say ‘we like you too muchi…but what thing we do…Mister Ammy make you and Mister Barry die’. Also they say ‘we too muchi like the lob pidgin… you Chi-mei are the heroine of the book, no sing-song girlie’.

Mister Compton also send Chi-mei a chittie. Says ‘Ah Meet…a good fellow. You not makie angry. Meet knows all good thing. He makie you die because he write real life stories. Now…understand Chi-mei !… Meet not a bad man. He makie you popular…No? Next he says ‘Ah Meet also make Ah Neel known to all’. ‘Neel told me that writer Ah Meet make Deeti, a poor village widow girl – a heroine, a popular woman in his last book.’ Deeti very gtateful to Meet.

Deeti is old now, but very happy with her large family in Mauritius. She says ‘Ghosh Babu gimi a new life. Hamar pehla husbun was afeemkhor when we lived in a gaon in Inndustan. After his death, there was a big tamasha and I became ready to be sati… but Kalua came like Bhagwan Marut and bachao me. Ye Ghosh Babu ki krupa haiki now I have a big fami in Mauritius. I tell all these chutkas and chutkis, laikas and laikis sab agil-pichheel.’ Next she says ‘All that which happened on Ibis might look ridikil but it was no golmaal.’ ‘Neel’ she says ‘ you will soon suno of this cheeni Ah Fatt’s mother. I saw it with my own eye in the tufaan. Jab sab logue running agram bagram on the Ibis because of the burra tufaan… I saw cheeni’s raja jaisa father meet his destenn. A burri naag jaisi nadi swallowed him but cheeni’s baba was much shant because he meets his cheeni patni in that nadi. Phir all pani became dhuan-dhuan and that nadi looked like a naag made of dhuan’.

Dear Mr. Ghosh

I have just finished reading River of Smoke. I couldn’t help talking to you (in my mind) like this. I’m a lecturer in English and am planning to write at least two research papers on this book. Since that will be a serious affair and will be against your choice, I won’t like to bother you with that.

I’ve a boy chilo ‘Parth’ who is a teenager. These days we enjoy talking in pidgin. Sentences like…’what thing you wanchi-fruit or milk?. You have started eating too muchi maggie these days.’ have become common between us. I’ve been wanting to communicate with you in pidgin and kreol … since I read Sea of Poppies, but at that time I never knew you had a blog on the Net.

Mr. Ghosh,  your novels are really ‘encyclopaedic’ and great contribution to world & Indian history.

Hats off to you!

Daisy

BPS Memorial Girls’ College

BPS Women University

Khanpur Kalan, Sonipat

HARYANA