The English Patient- Michael Ondaatje 

The English Patient is a novel written by Michael Ondaatje in 1992. The story line is set against a backdrop of World War II.

The story revolves around the main characters - The nameless English Patient, Nurse, Thief and Sapper, who are strikingly different in every way compared to each other, but the fate has brought them in this situation where they share some part of their lifetime together in a deserted, partly destroyed villa in Northern Italy. The story is disjointed, with starting somewhere and ending somewhere else, but always picking up the missing pieces of puzzle to bring out the beautiful end result. “The story tells the audience what they need to know when they need to know it” (2). This abstract way of describing the plot makes it very intriguing and keeps the readers hooked to the book.

Lost memory (or intentionally forgotten) of the English patient links the characters and explores their relationship in depth. After reading ‘Still me’ recently which I felt was very superficial when it came to exploring emotions and relationships, this book dived deeper into the intricacies of human relationship, how each person is connected to the other, and how past interlinks with present and the grim experiences of wartime Europe. It leaves readers perplexed about the futility of war. They say, ‘All’s fair in love and war’. But when love and war themselves are battling each other which one is going to win? It also gives an inkling to how loving and losing someone or something and the war experiences change an individual. It doesn’t give description of what the change is like, but it manifests in the way characters appear and behave without even knowing that they have changed. 

The writing in itself is beautiful, although I felt it was quite a hard book to read. I am not ashamed to say that I had to use dictionary at several points to understand some of the words. The words emerge like a whiff of wild scent, surround us, frustrate us, fascinate us and etch in our memory. Whole experience of reading this book left me melancholic and ruminating.

I have read about the film version as well, and cannot wait to watch it. I think there are some important variations compared to the book while keeping the main structure of the book alive. Nevertheless it will also be an interesting experience to actually watch the story and give faces to the voices in my head.

References

1. The English Patient- Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_English_Patient )
2. The English Patient (1996)- Deep focus review (https://deepfocusreview.com/definitives/the-english-patient/ )

ಅವ್ವ

ನೀಲಿ ಗಗನದ ಅಂಚಲ್ಲಿ, ಮಂದಗಾಳಿಯ ಸೆರಗಲ್ಲಿ
ಮೂಡಣದ ಸೂರ್ಯ ಕರಗಿ ಮರೆಯಾಗುವ ಸಮಯ;
ಸಂಧ್ಯಾರಾಗಕೆ ಮರಗಿಡಗಳು ತಲೆದೂಗಿ
ನಿದ್ರಾದೇವತೆಯ ತೆಕ್ಕೆಯೇರುವ ಮುನ್ನ
ನಿನ್ನ ಮಡಿಲೇರುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನೆನಪು ಇನ್ನೂ ಕಾಡುತಿಹುದು ನನ್ನ
ಪರದಿಂದಿಳಿದು ಇಳೆಗೆ ಇಳಿದ ದೇವ ಪುತ್ಥಳಿಯೋ
ನನ್ನ ಪಾಲಿನ ದೇವತೆಯೇ ಸರಿ
ನಿನ್ನ ನೆರಳಿಗಾಗಿ, ನಿನ್ನ ಸನಿಹದ ನೆಮ್ಮೆದಿಯ ಅಲೆಗಾಗಿ
ತಹತಹಿಸುವ ಮರಿಚಿಟ್ಟೆಯ ಹಾಗಿದ್ದೆ,
ನಿನ್ನ ಸೆರಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಜೋಪಾನವಾಗಿ ಬಚ್ಚಿಟ್ತಿದ್ದೆ ನೀನು;
ಮೇರು ಕ್ಷಿತಿಜದ ಕವಲುಗಳ ಹಾಗೆ
ನಿನ್ನ ಕಬಂಧ ಬಾಹುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶರಣಾಗತಳಾಗಿದ್ದೆ
ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಬವಣೆಗಳ ನಡುವಲ್ಲು ಮಾಸದ ಮೊಗದ ಮಂದಹಾಸ
ಮಹಾನದಿಯ ಮೌನ ಗಾಂಬೀರ್ಯ, ಅಗಾಧ ಆತ್ಮವಿಶ್ವಾಸ
ನಿನ್ನ ಸಹನೆಗೆ, ನಿನ್ನ ಸಹಿಷ್ಣುತೆಗೆ ಸಾಟಿಯುಂಟೆ ಎಲ್ಲೂ
ನನ್ನವ್ವ,
ಇಂದು ನಿನ್ನಿಂದ ಬಹುದೂರ ಹಾರಿರುವೆ
ಬರುವೆನೊಮ್ಮೆ ಬರಿದೆ ಮನದಿ, ನಿನ್ನೊಲವು ತುಂಬೆನ್ನ
ತನುಮನದಿ
ಜಗವನೆದುರಿಸಲು, ನೀ ತೋರಿದ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ
ಜಗಕೆ ಧಾರೆಯೆರೆಯಲು
ನಿನ್ನ ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ನಾ ನಡೆಯಲು..

P.S : This one s for you mom, miss you so very much

Happy Mothers Day!!

- Sh

A letter from knowingly unknown

I am heading back, reluctantly (for a short while though). I feel an eerie strangeness about all this. So near yet so far. Just a week or two back I was with you in our small nest, living our life together. But, now I am miles away alone and succumb to the weather I always dreaded (Don’t worry; I have all the precautions taken).


I fully am aware of the day when we had to make another tough decision in our life. Like it or not, ought to make it. You always stood beside my decision, supported me going out of your way. I can never forget that. But, now I reckon is it worth all the sacrifices, all the stresses that we had to go through and still are going through? I don’t think I know the answer yet. Life is taking us in its own course, we have to prioritize our needs and put an end to this before its too late (hope we do).

I wonder how fast the time slips by. Three years… Three long years have passed in such a short while, like a blink. The same three years back, when I met a complete stranger little did I know that I would be blessed with so much love and happiness. How could I? The warmth of your heart, the dearth of your presence lingers around me like in absolution. I am nostalgic about the precious moments we shared, the days we laughed together, days we wept together, little fights we fought, small differences we had, dreams we dreamt together, fantasies we lived together. They are just not memories to remember or to forget, I feel they are intricately embedded in our day to day life.

But, life isn’t so easy. Most of us learn it the hard way. Another day, I am not with you when I am supposed to be. Today is just not another day; it’s the reflection of 365 days of the past year. Although I am not with you in person, I always will be with you mentally, emotionally and psychologically (medicine effect) in the joys and sorrows, with the dawn and dusk, with every twist and turn, life takes us through (for all that I know journey is not smooth enough), until death do us apart.

Sometimes I feel scared to dream big, what if it shatters into pieces in front of my own eyes? Do I have the strength to withstand it? Nevertheless I don’t stop dreaming, do I? We often see couples madly in love before marriage, wanting to do anything and everything for their love and loved ones. What happens to their pledges once they get married? Glad we are not one among them. The main focus of issue is that they take their loved ones for granted after marriage. A relationship rests on the pillars of love, care, trust and respect- mutually given and taken. It’s the intimacy, the little things which brings contentment that matters. It’s the small curve on the face of wife when she sees her husband after an arduous day’s end, the bliss and the glint of appreciation in the eyes of hubby for even a small thing that his wife has put the efforts to do. Everyone knows that whatever it takes, life goes on with or without love, and often they don’t realize is love that makes life beautiful.

Before long, I just want to say the words which I don’t say often than I ought to. And you know those words. I am grateful to god for bestowing me with you. May be there are days when I have hurt you, I didn’t mean to, I will try not to. I know you wouldn’t have these in your mind, but it’s on my part to apologize for all that. I am really sorry for everything. I will try to be better than what I am and what you expect me to be.

Yours always,
Chinnu.
 
P.S: A bit censored though.