Hypoview: Someone Else's Garden (Dipika Rai)

According to Neruvatarian Tome, 'hypoview' is defined as a preliminary review done on partial or superficial layer of the entire author's work which may or may not vary after a period of time, depending on the depth of the work.


OK, let's get going.

I have picked this book on 6 Dec 2013 during a Big Bad Wolf Book Fair held in Serdang, Selangor. I admit this book is not my cup of tea, or piece of cake. I am a superfan in Sci-fi or Fantasy, but never general fiction. I will get to that BBW frenzy later, I promise.

This book costs me RM8 at that point of purchase, so, it is worth it, compare to any ordinary novel at a price of RM 34.90++.

Thing is, this book caught my attention in two ways. One: The setting in India. Two: Very cultural design. Yes, I do judge a book by its cover!

I have just entered Chapter 2 as we speak and the comment I am going to give is: AWESOME.

You should try to digest this out with a cup of Ceylonese tea. I am serious. Certain books come with a distinct flavour that if you try to tamper with that balance, you find the book awful. This book is nonetheless a great book.

Try reading the part where the mother is delivering a baby in a mustard field without any doctor yet she has to cook for her family on the same evening. The prejudice is clear in this setting and you will find that the title fits it well.

It is said that having a girl in a family is actually taking care of someone else's garden until she is owned by that someone. Thus, much less attention is paid on taking care of the girls. They are impoverished and constantly raped or abused.

No worries, it is a book of tale. It is so clean and clear that you can feel yourself in India just by the first chapter. I remember one sentence which hits me till the ground:

"In Seeta Ram's (the father) eyes, Mamta (the elder daughter) has no right to exist at all, but since she does, she has to prove herself day after day, working harder than the boys, eating nothing that might be noticed, and being silently present. Like the extra baby section in an orange, not missed if it isn't there, but swallowed whole if it is, without releasing any of its flavour into the mouth."

And one more rhyme that makes me want to cry:

"Make a chapatti, bake a chapatti,
Give one to your father, give one to your mother,
One for your sister and one for your brother,
Then what's left? One burned and dry,
Give it to the little girl to make her cry.

Stay tuned for more of Dipika's SEG!