Book Review of – God’s Shade & A melange of a true tales

Review by : Siba Prasad Sarma
To this rather mundane literary avenue of Assamese writers’ English writing, a new star is shining with sharp scintillations, delving deep into humane attitude and behavioural subtlety penning his memoirs with compassion and utmost literary ardour. Well, he is Rabin Prasad Kalita, a fully self made man, spirit of an ever encompassing zeal spanning the wings with creative passion and restless to plant himself in any field that is positive creation. Also he is an ardent disciple of percussion instruments, looks passionately for new instruments, sometime getting the same from far flung corner of the planet and coughing up a hefty sum at the dearness of some essential family needs. Such persons are a rare mortal particularly in a place like Assam, where ‘silent endeavours’, ‘silent meditations are best neglected than pedantic and pompous small time celebrities and dumping gibberish.
Well, “God’s Shade & A melange of true tales” is an outcome of penning his fondly remembered and cherished memories of down memory lane. It’s his life, pathways with potholes and bumping trajectories traversed by him only. He tried to share his experiences and thus to enrich our common individual heritages that makes history. The book is a collection of twenty three episodes of myriad memories which he compiled with finer sensitivities with great acumenship of storytelling. Writer might have been influenced by O Henry and Somerset Maugham as each story makes a O Henry like twist and subtlety, lucidity and mastery of storytelling craftsmanship of Maugham.
Here, writer have reminisced his past acquaintances and incidents he cherished without romanticizing his perseverance, a backdrop where he had to trudge uphill and come out of penury he suffered. This book can be motivational as well for those who struggle with the odds of destiny.
Assamese born “English Writers” are a thinly populated crowd mostly from “Anglicised middle class creamy layer” that took education in English medium and made their presence felt in a stark difference with vernacular brought up folk, who are by and large, rather put down for naiveties. Here, writer is from a rustic and rural back ground and not from upstart city schooling of English medium. Generally “English” language is a big examination taboo particularly for a boy of such rural set up. One would get dumb founded to see the intricate, pulsating descriptions and avid narrations of craftily placed words so hand picked up from a vast vocabulary of hard collection, in each page. Besides captivating narrations and description of each situation in camera framed visuality what makes one feel his nearby presence as if one is in an “Adda with a great talker having ultimate prudence of storytelling”. One can feel the writer’s heart, which is full of love and unlimited compassion. That is where the communicative skill of the writer best expressed.
My recommendation to read this book is rather an insipid narration that makes a grotesquely ushered welcome. Kindly collect this book not for a mere anecdotal reading, but to get bewildered to watch magical transformation of a self endeavoured hero i.e. our dear writer Rabin Prasad Kalita. I am sure the writer will not disappoint you and truly he deserves back-up from all of us. Reading it will make you believe.
Publisher: White Falcon Publishing
Price: Rs. 250.00
The Book can be ordered from Indian Channels like Amazon, Flipkart and WFP Stores both in Paperback and Kindle versions.