Yet, another book from Amitav
Ghosh which smells, breathes and depicts the environment so vividly that one
sees all the plants, ships and rivers coming to life at every page. It consists of the middle portion of the “Ibis
trilogy” and like mid overs in a one day international cricket game it demands
more from a reader than it demands in the start of the innings i.e. the first
book “Sea of Poppies”.
I do not quite agree with the author when he says that one can read “River
of Smoke” independent of the prequel. There must be a reason it is a trilogy. Introduction
of a character long before he introduces himself in the story can get to your
nerves before it unfolds the whole picture and everything false in place. It is
like few strokes of an artist on a canvas making us anxious when we don’t know
what he is going to paint, more so if the process is going to take a very long
time. China our neighbor, which we Indians consider only as our enemy arouses reader’s
curiosity as an ancient cultural and business centre where people from all
corners of the earth come to gain wealth, respect and other prospects. Hypocrisy of colonial
powers and their contempt for other civilizations is as evident as it was in the
prequel. Thorough research of hundreds of memoirs and other historical
documents the author went through to throw light on lots of interesting
historical and sociological facts is apparent . The fact that sugar is called
Cheeni in India merely because it came from China amused me and that “Faltoo”
as most commonly used slang in India has its roots in Portuguese word Falto
wondered me.
Entrepreneurship shown by the Parsi community from the western coast of
Indian even in the eighteenth and nineteenth century is portrayed in the
customary style of the author. If Deeti is the chief protagonist in the Sea of
Poppies, Bahram Modee is the anchor here. Barring one or two mentions of Ibis
which gives a sense of nostalgia to the reader, the glory here belongs to “Anahita”,
Seth Baharam Modee’s ship. The “Redruth”, on which Paulette sails with Fitcher
and his plants play a supporting role in the book. Serang Ali, the lascar is
replaced by one Zedig Bey from Armenia who has such knowledge and experience
that he guides and informs both Seth Bahram Modie and Robin Chinnery. With less
money and high moral authority he is trusted and believed by all who comes in
contact. Mr. Dent and Mr. Slade are as obstinate as Mr. Burnham was in the
previous work and Mr. King as warming as Zachary Reid.
Canton and the floating city come across as a dream where artists are
producing colors in alleys and nurseries, copying miniatures and painting life
size portraits of the rich Sahibs, parties are thrown where people are served
too many culinary experiments for my knowledge as a vegetarian, boats differ
from each other on the basis of their shape or the numbers of the masts. In the
end, Opium influences each life whether directly or indirectly. It makes some
rich, robs others of their life, it benefits those who take the responsibility
only when it appeals to their circumstances. Opium is the wind where the story
sails as in the case of Sea of Poppies but more so here.
The book is a must read for those who have read the first part. Those
who have not should go for both. It may test your patience on some pages but in
the end, sums it all good. Seven and half for it.
