You are observant to have noticed the casual voicing of Islamaphobia. Would you have to change gender to become aware of the ubiquitous sexism in India? Your travel accounts are that of a male traveling alone—with all the privileges of being male. A female traveling alone in India would be a different story. The extract from Maximum City is also a very male experience. A woman grabbing a hand to get into a crowded train would almost certainly be molested when she gets in. Of course, you and Mehta can’t help being male. But please be open to understanding that the female experience, engaging in the same activities, riding a train, traveling alone, talking to strangers, being in a 16 hour traffic jam, is different.
I have been following your writing after reading your book " Lunch with a bigot" few years back. The book stays with me during the Covid and also during the recent ups and lows of my life. Then I read" A Time Outside This Time" and in the book a story named " The Fall of Sparrow" caught my attention very much. I have been thinking about the story almost every day. Eventhough I read about these stories in the Newspaper on and off, this close encounters of you is very captivating. Your travels in to Sunderbans is really fascinating to read. I hope that you will visit my city and state soon.
Thank you for taking us on this trip with you Ami! I loved hearing about your travels - the woes and the wins. I really liked this, "In such a scenario, the challenge is to produce art and writing that opens up a space where one can breathe a cleaner, calmer air." I hope my book does the same.
Beautifully written as usual. I like how you keenly observed the tragedy turning into a farce (and possibly tragedy again with the perpetrator’s house being demolished by the govt and some BJP moralists even praising that). Strangely, it reminds me of Amy Cooper, the white, dog walking woman from Central Park, who ended up being fired from her job for her racist and false accusation against a black birdwatcher.
Suketu Mehta’s last paragraph from Maximum City has been one of the most memorable passages for me. Your writing made me take out the book, dust it and look at the last page again. I’d like to meet both you and Mehta and hear you speak about your works if you happen to have an event in New York.
You are observant to have noticed the casual voicing of Islamaphobia. Would you have to change gender to become aware of the ubiquitous sexism in India? Your travel accounts are that of a male traveling alone—with all the privileges of being male. A female traveling alone in India would be a different story. The extract from Maximum City is also a very male experience. A woman grabbing a hand to get into a crowded train would almost certainly be molested when she gets in. Of course, you and Mehta can’t help being male. But please be open to understanding that the female experience, engaging in the same activities, riding a train, traveling alone, talking to strangers, being in a 16 hour traffic jam, is different.
Totally agree to your observation despite being a male. 👍
Dear Amitava Kumar,
I have been following your writing after reading your book " Lunch with a bigot" few years back. The book stays with me during the Covid and also during the recent ups and lows of my life. Then I read" A Time Outside This Time" and in the book a story named " The Fall of Sparrow" caught my attention very much. I have been thinking about the story almost every day. Eventhough I read about these stories in the Newspaper on and off, this close encounters of you is very captivating. Your travels in to Sunderbans is really fascinating to read. I hope that you will visit my city and state soon.
( Trivandrum, Kerala).
Thank you for taking us on this trip with you Ami! I loved hearing about your travels - the woes and the wins. I really liked this, "In such a scenario, the challenge is to produce art and writing that opens up a space where one can breathe a cleaner, calmer air." I hope my book does the same.
Thank you, Chelsea. I'm darned sure your book will do the same! Good luck.
Beautifully written as usual. I like how you keenly observed the tragedy turning into a farce (and possibly tragedy again with the perpetrator’s house being demolished by the govt and some BJP moralists even praising that). Strangely, it reminds me of Amy Cooper, the white, dog walking woman from Central Park, who ended up being fired from her job for her racist and false accusation against a black birdwatcher.
Suketu Mehta’s last paragraph from Maximum City has been one of the most memorable passages for me. Your writing made me take out the book, dust it and look at the last page again. I’d like to meet both you and Mehta and hear you speak about your works if you happen to have an event in New York.
Loved the journey and waited for your post eagerly every day. Wish it had continued for a longer duration. Safe flight