THE INDIAN COMMENTATOR

The Commentator says; The previous year, a friend of mine spoke about this book. It was during her farewell party. We both worked at the same college. She spoke of her time at the college, the struggles and fun she had as a teacher. Then she said this book reflected her being with an unspeakable ingenuity that was unbeknownst to her before. I decided right then that I’d get my hands on this book when the next door of opportunity shows itself. To Sir, with Love tells the story of Mr. Braithwaite. It’s an autobiographical novel. This novel offers a classroom drama with an amalgam of varied themes such as racism, love, personal empowerment, religion, God, etc. The classroom setting offers a fertile ground for the rest of the discussion. This gives the novelist the best device to explore the many layers of these themes and their varied implications. The Indian Commentator loved the craftsmanship of E R Braithwaite. But Commentator is also aware that this is not a work of fictio...

Writing is hard work. Physically, it tires the person who engages in the process. Ironically, habitual writers often feel depressed at the lack of enough writing hours. Perhaps, it’s just a habit taking its toll. Perhaps, it’s the addiction to the world inside one’s head. I get exhausted, wanting to fill myself with something to eat, mostly after long hours of writing. Writing is craft. I think what’s more important is the ability to tell stories. We all are storytellers in one way or another. Just think about the act of recollecting some old happening from your memory lane. Retrieving an old event from the store house of memory is a very apt example for storytelling. Most of us, most of the time, fill the gaps in our memories with invented stories just to match the feeling we experienced at the end of the narrative. Memories are like rain. They give us the petrichor that physically move us into vibrations that are not preexisting in our being. In India, especially, Sout...