Old age in the sun

• Book: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
• Location: Bangalore (Bengaluru)
• Author: Deborah Moggach

Indian-born, but now a doctor in London and married to Pauline, Ravi has the father-in-law from hell. Thrown out of one care home after another for “inappropriate behaviour” (basically Norman is a lecherous old man) the couple have been forced to offer him a place to stay. Ravi can’t stand Norman, and when his entrepreneurial cousin Sonny suggests opening a retirement home in India, Ravi enthusiastically runs with the idea – Norman can be the first resident.
And thus is born The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, in a run-down but once luxurious building in bustling Bangalore. Tempted by the alluring, although not entirely accurate, promotional material, a group of elderly British people decide to escape their dull and seemingly purposeless lives in the UK for a new chance of love and happiness in place where the sun always shines and the cost of living is low.
Inevitably the dream doesn’t always quite live up to the reality, but each member of the group, each in his or her own individual manner, does indeed find a new purpose in life and against all the odds the experiment can be viewed as a success.
Originally published under the title These Foolish Things, the book was turned into a very popular and award-winning film, which although it kept to the spirit of the book, left out much of the nuance and subtlety. For me the book is much more enjoyable. It is a gentle and non-judgemental study of old age, with some genuinely heart-warming and indeed heart-rending moments. There are a few too many minor characters and sub-plots, but my main criticism of the book as a whole is with the depictions of some of the Indian characters, who conform too much to out-dated stereotype. In general there was and old-colonial feel to the book that jarred somewhat. A slightly patronising attitude to the Indian characters sometimes crept in, as they all seem to be in some ways subservient to the white characters and look to them for guidance. However, the atmosphere of India itself was very well conveyed, the heat and poverty, the glaring sunshine, and the contrast between the hovels of the poor and the new ultra-modern skyscrapers of the emerging business economy. A book perhaps to read and enjoy – but not to analyse too deeply or too critically. And a useful reminder that we will all face old age at some point and that when you arrive there it can also be a beginning as well as an end.

Back to book