Nowhere Man

Kamala has described living in London for a migrant, how ever hard he tries very well. It is only now that these stories are coming to light. It was an absolute delight to read this book. The line you will not understand, even I had to hear it. Thank you Guardian newspaper as well.

The media could not be loaded.  The author wrote this novel in the early 1970s but it never reached the critical acclaim that her debut novel A Handful of Rice did. The Nowhere Man was, however, her own personal favourite of all the books she wrote.The book is set against the backdrop of the later 1960s and against Enoch Powell’s notorious Rivers of Blood speech (20 April 1968) which stoked racism, causing an unprecedented increase in hate and upsetting the equilibrium that Srinivas, the protagonist, has managed to establish. Srinvias arrived optimistically in Britain from India, anticipating a good and uneventful life.Srinivas has settled in a leafy South London suburb. He has built a home together with his wife Vasantha, producing two boys. One has since died and the other has moved to the South Coast, harbouring a sense of shame when it comes to his parents’ set up.Vasantha passes away and Srinivas enters a new phase of life. Mrs Pickering, who is down on her luck, moves in with him – theirs is a relationship of convenience, both of them living pretty harmoniously under the same roof, sharing food and company and just quietly getting on with everyday life. But attitudes around him are changing and finding dark expression.Flashbacks to India set the scene for his departure from his homeland. Life there under British rule is depicted as a pretty toxic experience for many within the indigenous communities and this theme is something that the author explored in her novels time and again.Srinivas is portrayed as a sanguine man who takes a lot in his stride. The pace of the novel is taut, with an overriding gentleness which becomes more poignant as circumstances change and come to a head. A pertinent and prescient read in today’s political climate. The prose is elegant and thoughtful.Kamala Markandaya ‘told India’s tales to the world and beyond, and brought a young new nation into the global literary conversation‘ (Manu S Pillai)

Kamala Markandaya has been described by The New York Times as 'the ablest Indian novelist now writing'. In this her latest novel, she tells the story of an elderly Brahmin, Srinivas, who has settled in a South London suburb. After the death of his son and later of his wife, this lonely man is befriended by an almost destitute English gentle women whom he takes into his house. 'Outsiders' both of them, she protects him and returns the devotion he inspires. Soon, however, they are to feel the first frightening hint of racial discrimination. Srinivas can hardly believe it should exist in the tolerant country he has chosen to make his home- until suddenly, ignorance, prejudice and hatred flare into violence. The scenes of persecution that follow are terrible to read. And yet, throughout the sufferings of this gentle innocent man, there is a note of splendid affirmation, even of beauty. The Nowhere Man is a story which leaves one full of admiration for the excellence of the authors writing, and for the depth of her wisdom and compassion.