Charming and poignant novel set in BANGALORE

23rd December 2019

A People’s History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian, novel set in Bangalore.

“In Bangalore, there is always someone worse off than you”

It was serendipity. I had made plans to travel to South India, arriving in Bangalore (which is also known as Bengaluru, take your pick) and I was asked to review a novel set there. Perfect timing.

The story is about 5 young girls who are living in Heaven, which it certainly isn’t. It is a slum just off the Old Airport Road, sandwiched between buildings that are flagships for enterprise and represent the burgeoning success of the Silicon Valley of India. Slums really don’t feature in that grand design.

Several generations of women are resisting the diggers who have come to flatten the tarps, the dwellings and the sheeting, home to so many people and the focus is on the five young ones who with grit and determination are standing up for their rights. Their story, as they develop and grow, is a universal one, very clearly set in India and written with humour. Yes, these women can manage without their menfolk – they have to and life is often tough for them. They battle for education, for autonomy as women, for rights… “Early on, we girls learn that life owes us nothing, that womanhood is a spectrum of nuisances, heartbreaks, and tragedies”

The particular delight for me was to explore the city – Vidhana Soudha (the parliament building), the Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens and Cubbon Park (it is called The Garden City for a reason!) – and whilst I was enjoying seeing the sights, the little figures of the characters in the book, to wit, Deepa, Banu, Padma, Rukshana and Joy all popped up in my imagination as I saw characters who could so easily have been them. Life on the street is ubiquitous. It is colourful, it is often very harsh. The characters’ quirkish ways, their observations of the city and their humour all fed my experience, making it an experiential 4-d visit.

Tina for the TripFiction Team

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