True-to-life stories of Indian migrants

Reviewed by Kersi Meher-Homji

A Turn of Events

By Avijit Sarkar

Ginninderra Press, $22.50. Can be purchased on Amazon.

Avijit Sarkar is the most versatile person I know. A man of many talents, he is a musician, artist, puppeteer, poet, IT specialist, and publisher of e-magazine The Mind Creative. Now he is an author with his debut publication A Turn of Events, a collection of 14 short stories. These stories have a common theme of Indian migrants living in Australia. Call it tales of two countries. Or best of both worlds.

The stories read true-to-life as they are woven round topical issues like domestic violence, interfering parents from back home and belief in superstition as the characters are exposed to social, cultural, financial and psychological issues. Many stories reminded me of true events.

A Doctor in the Making depicts Indians’ fascination of medical profession for their children while A Marriage of Inconvenience and All in the Family stress on the perceived problems of marrying a foreigner.In another story an Indian is so disgusted with racism in Australia that he burns the Australian flag and returns home to India. His father is dying but the surgeons refuse to operate on him until a large sum of money [Rs 400,000] is paid in advance. He can’t afford it. When his father dies he is so is furious with corruption in India that he returns to Australia and burns the Indian flag.

My favourite story is about an Indian detective Dippy Singh. He is employed by a man to investigate his cheating wife and guess, who turns out to be her lover.

Then there are two supernatural / ghost stories. The Prediction has a surprise ending. The most surprising part about the book is that there is no mention of cricket, the obsession of Indian migrants who call Australia home.

From the money raised at the book launch, a sum of $15,600 was donated to the Cancer Council by the author.

Reviewed by Kersi Meher-Homji

 

 

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