Arrangements Of Love

A CHENNAI MYSTERY

Tanuja Chandra, Sunday Express

There is a novel by William Faulkner called The Sound and the Fury in which he narrated events through the experiences of different characters, Roshomon-like, moving from one mind to the next, one heart to the next. It resulted in a heart-breaking classic. Timeri N. Murari, which is by no means easy to pull off successfully.

That is he uses the same method in his book — a style of structure, mind you interesting feature of The Arrangements of Love. After the initial impatience the reader might feel, and the occasional confusion, the voyeuristic feeling of travelling through four peoples’ thoughts and emotions, is quite delicious.

The story is an unusual mystery of sorts, which unfolds as a journey of a young American-born Indian, a writer of plays, who’s looking for his estranged father in Chennai. It’s the first time “Nikhil/Nicky” has stepped into India because his mother has raised him with the conviction that India has nothing that’s not despicable in it. His father, like him is a writer, but one of great repute, who is still ravaged by the painful memories of his wife leaving him for his American friend; hell, he didn’t even know he had a son! Nicky has hired a private detective to help him find his father — and is surprised to know it’s a woman! She’s convinced she’s real good at her job, he’s not. Expectedly they start feeling attracted to each other; the fact that she’ll soon be having an “arranged engagement” to an NRI notwithstanding unusual thing of all — a baby crocodile that the playwright finds in the bathtub of his hotel! It’s bizarre and quite funny, and the twisted way in which the “Croc block” resolves itself is well-plotted. The different conflicts in the book: the father’s hatred for his betraying wife, the “American” playwright’s disgust with corruption in India, not to mention pollution, the frustration of the female detective in a male-dominated profession — all these find a final resting place through the telling of the tale, as most of the prejudices that these people have start deteriorating. The characters rise above their weaknesses.

And yet, maybe this should have been a shorter book. Maybe Murari should have stuck to the model by Faulkner and not gone back and forth between the minds of the characters so often. This causes repetition of events, which only at times is interesting. It’s important for the author to know the limits of such a technique. Cliches have to be thrown out of the window and emotions must be deeply felt, otherwise the reader wonders: Why do I have to be inside four peoples’ minds constantly even when it’s not riveting?

Faulkner had also used very different styles of “talking” for each character, which powerfully evoked distinct personalities, effectively conveying the individual maelstrom in each heart. Yes, Murari is a clever user of words, but in language each character only marginally differs from another, despite the fact that they come from different continents, different generations. Painting each person in definite strokes right down to their lingo would have added lip-smacking salt to proceedings.

And it’s the salt that makes all the difference. A book like a film, I’m learning, should not just be one which the reader is made to “pass through”. The book has to call him. It must invite him to peep in and then slowly but surely he must be irretrievably sucked into its whirlpool. He must be drowned in its churning waters and then thrown out, thoroughly drenched and “buzzing”. A monumental task, no doubt, and Arrangements does that successfully. 

-Murari uses the narratives of Nikhil, Apu, S.K. Naidu and Sushima to tell the story, and to beautifully juxtapose the Indian and American concepts of love and marriage. The Arrangements of Love is simple, human and a subtle exploration of feelings. It also delves deep into the lives of ordinary people to come out with extraordinary observations.  At the end, what endures and reassures is love —  across time, place and boundaries, and quite without any arrangement.  DECCAN CHRONICLE. 

– The language and word usage is so different to what one is accustomed to reading that it adds a piquant flavour.  The characters in the novel are quirky and their lives seem so complicated.  Contemporary events like the 9/11 bombings of the World Trade Centre are skillfully woven into the story. DECCAN HERALD. 

– What really keeps you going is a comedy of errors theme, a plot driven by interesting characters, all interconnected by the strange twist of destiny. A great read. FIRST CITY. 
– The comedy is nicely paced with multiple first person shifts and there is humour.  INDIA TODAY.

Le coeur entre deux mondes

A partir des themes de la famille et de l’exil, de un roman enivrant sur I’Inde d’aujourd’hui

LES ARRANGEMENTS DE L’AMOUR

De Timeri N. Murari

Traduit de L’anglais (Inde) par Pierre Charras

Mercure de France 24 €

Il ne taut pas simplement lire Les Arrangements de l’amour mais d’abord lui preter l’oreille. Comme on écoule un chant, dont la melodie nous est radicaleiment étrangère. Comme on se laisse envelopper par une sidérante mélopee. Nous voilà en Inde, du cote de Madras. Les rues exhalent ses effluves, ceux des bhajis et des dosas prëparës dans quelque gargote et ses partums venus de la fraicheur des jardins ou s’enhardit la fleur de Jasmin que les jeunes femmes aiment a porter au poignet. Un peu plus loin, a peine sorti de la ville, l’horizon rosit sous le soleil qui darde ses rayons sur les champs de piments rouges, rivallsant avec l’éclat des plantations de manguiers.

C’est dans cet univers saturé d’odeurs et de couleurs que Nikhul, un jeune homme d’ori- gine indienne né et élevé aux Etats-Unis débarque un jour pour y chercher le pere qu’il croyait mort. Une quête racontee a quatre voix. Celle de Nikhil, le fils: celle de la mere, Susie, qui a émigré aux Etats-Unis, fuyant sa culture, reniant jusqu’à son propre prénom Indien; celle du pére, reclus, inconsolable depuis le depart de Susie, qui ne sait plus ce qu’amour veut dire et enfin celle d’une jeune detective, Apu, la belle Indienne. Des voix qu se relaient les unes les autres, confessant leurs amours dans la secret de leur sollioque.

Cette qu du pere sert de pretext a Timeri N Murari pour s’amuser a travers le personnage de Nikhui, a mettre en scene non pas le choc mais le frotterment de deux civilisations que ne séparent pas seulement quelques milliers de kilométres. Une societe liberal face a une société administree, le mariage d’amour contre le mariage arrange, le rationnel contre la superstition… L’affaire semble entendue. Et pourtant Timeri N. Murari considère ces deux mondes dans leur complexite, avec autant d’agacements que de tendresse contenue.

FLORENCE COURET, LA CROIX

COUP DE COEUR

 MADRAS MON AMOUR

Qu’il soit rarement a la hauteur de nos espérances, se fasse attendre, blesse ou transporte, on n’échappe pas a l’amour. Les trois personnages de Timeri N. Murari, ex-joumaliste au < Guardian et auteur du best-seller Taj > se debattent entre raison et sentiments. Nikhil, metteur en scene indien elevé a New York, pas vraiment remis de son recent divorce avec une actrice blonde, débarque a Madras pour y chercher son père, un mystérieux écrivain disparu de la circulation. Pour le retrouver, il fait appel a Apu, detective privee sexy et émancipée qui, après la perte de son grand amour, a épousé le candidat ideal selon sa mere un riche Indien installe aux Etats-Unis et en quête d’une épouse en sari. C’est aussi cc dont parle l’auteur; l’oscillation perpetuelle de ses concitoyens entre modernité et tradition. On reve de culture américaine et de liberte, mais on retoune au pays pour se chercher une épouse (proposée sur un plateau par les parents), on vit a Chicago ou a Houston, mais pas question de renoncer au principe de la dot (pourtant interdite en Inde !). A Madras, malgré so bonne volonte, le jeune auteur se sentira aussi paumé que le crocodile qu’il a frouvé dans la baignoire de sa chambre d’hôtel ! C’est drôle, grave et léger a la fois, comme l’amour, parfois.            TIFENN DIJCHATELLE, ELLE