All over India there are hundreds of cities that have flourished on the banks of a river but there is no city south of the Himalayas which is as significant to Indian culture as is the northern Indian city of Allahabad set as it is on the banks of the Ganga,” writes Sunandan Roy Chowdhury, Publisher of Sampark , which published the delightful book called “Allahbad Afternoons” written by Prof (Dr Shefalika Ghosh Samaddar”.
“Its neighbour Benaras epitomises the sould of Hindu India but Allahabad encapsulates the spirit of India’s colonial modernity which blends well with traditional India.” Ghosh Samaddar, who has “spent many springs and autumns” there captures the ancient city’s essence through a series of detailed accounts….of its dawns and dusks, its springs and summers, its peoples and places with a unique blend of ease and energy. She uses languid language but goes to the heart of the city’s vibrant beats. Let’s look at one of her passages (from the first chapter Allahabad Summer).
“Gauhar Hussain is the first person I ever heard, speak eulogistically about Allahabad Summer. Every year he grew a number of fruits, vegetables and flowers, all of which remained a speciality in a number of foreign markets. I was truly curious to know the mystery of the crooked yellow pumpkins or the kurjets with green-orange stripes or the daisies on the grass. Hussain, a native of this land, is a man who can connect himself with ease to the world beyond India through philately. Summers in Allahabad were filled with enchanting birds.
The Koyels especially elicited a voice inside him, a voice I never otherwise heard.” Ghosh Samaddar introduces the reader or rather takes them on a tour…. a journey through the city of Allahabad….through the eyes of her characters…. charmingly depicted, as though from fictional short stories. Let’s look at yet another passage (from the chapter ‘The Plastic Bags’): “I admire Rima Bose, a lady with all the grace and beauty and who can laugh at the slightest provocation. Though I can see a streak of sadness in her eyes, sometimes that momentary cloud goes away with her glib talking about life in general and lifestyle in particular. She happens to be a role model for me.
A working woman in today’s world needs to know a lot about lifestyle and I believe she can afford to talk about all this.” The sentence cuts to the next paragraphs delineating the typical college canteen or staffroom chatter bringing in ironies that can only apply to the specifics through their universalities. “Rimadi teaches Mathematics and Statistics as a visiting faculty, offering MBA and MCA programmes at this Institute where I work as a temporary lecturer of Information Technology. Rimadi takes classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I look forward to these days when our little staff bursts into joy and laughter and we get a bit enlightened about lifestyle again.” And then we come to read about the “A man, with shabby clothes and almost torn shoes, appeared at the door of the staff room.” One of the book’s most attractive quality is the fluidity of the narrative, a personal story studded with real characters that reads like fiction.
The attractive title (just love “Allahabad Afterno ons”) is complemented by the cover with its beautiful, sunset yellow tones, like old sepia-tinted memories of the ancient land. The inside pages too have drawings and sketches (illustrations by Ankur Bhattacharya) which bring out the city and its characters. Prof (Dr) Shefalika Ghosh Samaddar is a gold medallist from Patna University; MPhil and MTech from Delhi University and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad respectively; PhD in Cyber Security from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) Allahabad, Prayagraj. Her scholarship informs the pages. Doesn’t interfere with it. Her nonfiction flows like fiction.
THE REVIEWER IS EDITOR, FEATURES