The Color of our Sky: A novel set in India
Page 29
I touched her cheek and felt the moistness of her tears. She smiled wryly and wiped her tears on her sleeve. We sat silently for some time.
“Do you want to scatter Papa’s remains?” she asked after a while.
“You should do it.”
Together we walked on the edge of the river bank. It might sound strange that the one person I really wanted all my life, the father I searched for all my life—my last memory of him was of his ashes. The ashes burst into the open space, scattered in the wind as Tara opened the urn. How long had I waited for the feel of my father’s hand on my head? How long had I waited for his soft touch on my cheeks? Now, all I had of him were ashes settling around me in the water.
I felt light, floating above the smooth waters of this holy river, as I watched the snapshots of my life reflected back to me. I knew then that all those moments I left behind—the day I had first met Madam, the day Sakubai had not thought twice about selling me, the day Amma died before me, and the day I knew my father hadn’t wanted me—would soon become blurry. This was the moment I would cherish: his daughters bidding him goodbye. I knew now even my going away from this world wouldn’t matter. And it was only now that I understood the threads of life don’t always weave the way we want them to; sometimes the pattern at the end of our lives is different than what we imagined it would be, and right now, I had nothing to do but be at peace with whatever remains behind.
The sun was about to set and the sky was ablaze in colors of red. Amma was right. For women like me, our sky would be bright again. I knew. I could smell the hope.
“You have to wait for the night to fall,” Tara said, pointing to the sky. “Once we have the night sky, you will be able to see Papa again. He will be one of the stars in the sky.” She explained to me something I had once told her, something that I once so badly needed to believe.
“You don’t believe me. It is true,” she whispered, repeating my words. “You have to look hard enough. Our loved ones never leave us.”
I giggled, laid my head on her shoulder, and watched the sky become ablaze with hope.
A note from the author
The village of Ganipur is fictional and doesn’t exist on the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka to the best of my knowledge but there are similar villages in the area that practice the Devdasi tradition and force young girls into the prostitution trade. The tradition of temple prostitution is especially prevalent in the poorer sections of society.
Although this is a complete work of fiction and the characters in this story are entirely fictional, the idea for this novel germinated in my own experience of growing up with the daughter of a servant who worked for my family in Mumbai, India (where I was born and brought up.) Her name was Shakuntala. When I first met her, she was a ten-year-old girl with striking brown eyes and shoulder length hair. Most days, I would find her sitting in the corner of our living room unwilling to make eye contact with anybody. She was one of the inspirations behind the creation of the character Mukta.
If you are interested in reading more about the story behind the book and/or how you can help girls like Mukta, please visit me at www.amitatrasi.com
Thank you for reading this book and sharing your time with Tara and Mukta. If you enjoyed this book, don’t forget to review it so someone else can make this a part of their reading journey.
Amita Trasi
27th February, 2015
A READER’S GUIDE
To print out copies of this guide visit me at
www.amitatrasi.com
Questions for discussion:
If you were to choose between Tara and Mukta, who was your favorite character? Why?
What do you think of Sakubai? Do you think women like her who still believe in age old traditions are responsible for spoiling the lives of girls like Mukta? Do you believe that people like Sakubai can change? What would it take?
What do you think of Mukta’s mother? Could she have done more to help her child?
Could Mukta’s father have saved her from getting sacrificed at the altar of the Devdasi tradition?
Why does Tara befriend Mukta despite her mother’s admonitions and even when she knows that Mukta is a lower caste girl?
What draws Mukta towards Tara when she is brought to Bombay?
Are there any scenes of friendship between Tara and Mukta which you’ve particularly enjoyed?
Do you believe that Tara’s mother is justified in her hatred towards Mukta? Do you think she could have been one of the people who could have made Mukta’s life better?
Do you think Tara’s father tried hard enough to give Mukta a better life? Could he have tried harder?
Would you forgive Tara for plotting to get Mukta out of their lives? Would you have gone as far as Tara to get Mukta kidnapped? Would you allow grief to overpower you in that way?
Do Tara’s persistent efforts to search for Mukta absolve her of everything she has done to put Mukta’s life in danger?
Describe how Tara’s life is different in the US compared to India.
Describe Mukta’s life in a brothel? How does she survive?
What do you think of the love between Sanjeev and Mukta? Do you think it would have lasted long after they had escaped?
Do you think that traces of the caste system are still prevalent in the Indian society? Do you think they are responsible for the ill treatment of the poorer section of society?
Is there any other way that you can see Mukta getting out of the brothel if Tara hadn’t saved her?
Do you think the crime Tara committed shaped her character and influenced her choice of working with NGOs in the future? Or was that something she would have done anyway to follow in her father’s footsteps?
Did you like the structure of the novel: the movement from the present to the past? Why or why not?
What are the scenes in this novel that most affected you?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am deeply thankful to all the people who supported me while I wrote this book.
A very special thanks to my husband, Sameer—you have always encouraged and supported me. Thank you for reading multiple drafts of this book and for believing in it.
Thanks to my editor Vrinda Condillac, for being so patient, and for her tenacious editing and helpful advice.
Thanks to another brilliant and remarkable editor, Janet Hitchcock, for putting the final polish on this book. Your feedback was very, very encouraging.
A big shout out:
To my first reader, Kala Ganapathy who read this book many times over, every draft and every time I made the smallest change. I am truly thankful. You’ve always been a true friend.
To both my in-laws for their incredible kindness, especially to my mother-in-law—Sindhu Shankar for reading this manuscript, and for your love and support.
To Bala Ramya Rohini— Your help and support is peerless, as always.
To my parents, Deepak and Krishna who brought me up to believe in possibilities and my sister, Nandita for being just who you are—my sister and good friend.
To my grandfather, the late Trasi Dattatreya Devrao who told me stories when I was a kid and taught me the power of imagination and to my Uncle the late Sadanand Trasi who always inspired courage.
To the rest of my family who has had a promising influence over my life and who continue to love and support me: Gita and Arun Kumtha, Vivek and Sheela Trasi, Atma and Cynthia Trasi, Shanta and Ramesh Khambatkone, Subhir and Sanjana.
And lastly and most importantly, I am deeply grateful to all those women and girls whose lives and experiences have helped me create this book. My gratitude goes to organizations like the Apne Aap Women worldwide, the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Maiti Nepal, Prerana and many other organizations worldwide who are constantly raising awareness and helping victims of sex trafficking. Thank you for making the world a better place for girls like Mukta.
Glossary
Ashoka - a rain-forest tree in the Indian subcontinent.
Badam - Almo
nd
Banarasi saris - saris made in Varanasi, a city which is also called Banaras.
Beedi - a type of Indian cigarette
Bindi - a bright dot of red color applied in the centre of the forehead
Burka - garment covering the entire body and having a veiled opening for the eyes, worn by Muslim women.
Chai - spiced milk tea popular in India
Chaiwalla - a vendor who sells chai
Chamcha - a sidekick
Chapati - Indian bread
Chowkidar - watchman
Dal - a curry made with lentils and spices
Desi daru - country liquor
Devdasis - temple prostitutes
Dhoti -a traditional men’s garment worn in India.
Diyas - an oil lamp usually made with a cotton wick dipped in oil.
Firangi - foreigner
Gajra -a flower garland made of jasmine flowers intended to decorate a hairstyle
Ghats -a series of steps leading down to a body of water,
Iced Golas - ice shavings slathered with syrup and sold by street vendors in Bombay
Goondas - ruffians
Gulmohar - Royal Poinciana, known for its flaming orange flowers
Haan - Yes (in Hindi)
Harami - Indian slang for bastard
Hijras - Eunuchs
Jadoo - magic
Jaggery - a concentrated product of cane sugar
Jalebis - a deep fried sweet that is soaked in sugar syrup; made in India
Josh - spirit
Kabaddi - a contact sport played in India
Kachoris - a spicy snack
Kalasha - a pot
Kurta - an upper garment worn by men and women in India
Lathi - Hindi term for a stick
Malkin /Memsahib - term used by servants for the mistress of the house
Moophat - brash, thoughtlessly expressive
Nada - drawstring
Namaskar - a salutation
Paan - a betel leaf with tobacco chewed as a stimulant
Pakoras - a fried snack
Pallu - the loose end of a sari
Parameshwara - the Lord
Parathas - a flatbread
Peepul -a fig tree considered sacred in India
Pind-daan -a Hindu ritual performed after the death of a loved one
Pranaam - a form of salutation
Puja -a Hindu ritual performed as a prayer to deities
Pulao - a rice dish
Raga - a melody used in Indian classical music
Rajah - a king
Rangoli - a design made on the floor with colored powder
Rasgullas - sweetened ball shaped dumplings made of cottage cheese
Roti - an Indian bread
Sabji - a vegetable curry
Samosas - a fried pastry with savory filling
Taanpura - a string instrument used in Indian classical music
Tilak - a mark applied on the forehead
Tanga - a horse carriage
Udheyo - a form of salutation
Vaidya - a doctor practicing Ayurveda
Yellamma - a Hindu goddess
Zamindars - a landlord, typically an aristocrat who owns land
THE COLOR OF OUR SKY
Bloomhill Books
Copyright©2015 Amita Trasi. All rights reserved.
This Book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the written permission of both the copyright claimant and the publisher.
The color of our sky/ a novel by Amita Trasi -1st edition
Summary : A sweeping, emotional journey of two childhood friends—one struggling to survive the human slave trade and the other on a mission to save her—two girls whose lives converge only to change one fateful night in 1993.
ISBN 978-0-9861556-0-4 (Trade paperback)
ISBN 978-0-9861556-1-1 (Ebook)
The Library of congress has catalogued the paperback edition as follows: 2015936724