Review: Beneath the Simolu Tree by Sarmistha Pritam
The author leads readers on a beautiful tour of nature in this Assamese novel about a female protagonist who never lets go of her choices,
Readers from the rest of India know relatively little about Assamese literature. Lately, however, this has been changing as a result of the efforts of translators like the Sahitya Akademi award-winning Ranjita Biswas. Her latest work of translation, Beneath The Simolu Tree by Sarmistha Pritam is the story of 26-year-old Paridhi. The protagonist’s name means “limit”, which seems to predetermine her destiny within a deeply patriarchal society. But she is different. Growing up with an affectionate paternal uncle, who takes care of her family including her alcoholic and abusive father, Paridhi derives great joy from painting pebbles. Round pebbles, oval pebbles, pebbles big, small and medium, pebbles smoothened by Nature are all adorned mainly with butterflies of all kinds, resplendent not only in their multilayered beauty but also in their seeming ability to flit away. Pritam writes: “She only painted on them, but each came to her with its own personality, it’s own introduction embedded within. Stones, beautiful children of nature.”
The characters in the novel are as layered as the beautiful creatures on the pebbles. Mayur, who wanders off to live in the forests, brings back a sackful of pebbles for Paridhi. He understands her passion for painting on stones like no one else does. He knows a great deal about butterflies himself and their mutual love for stones creates an indefinable bond between the two.
Paridhi also has a long-standing beau. A self-made publisher, Bondeep, encourages her pebble painting but does not quite understand it. Caste differences mean their relationship meets with his mother’s disapproval. The couple cannot get married as Bondeep is a Brahmin and Paridhi isn’t. Inter caste marriages are taboo in their village and anyone who attempts it is is excommunicated and his entire family is rendered outcaste.
Paridhi and her friend Juroni spend a lot of their free time at the railway station nearby. The red-painted trains passing through the station, the ticket counter and the benches are all beautifully rendered in the novel that’s also enriched by a new station master who shares his passion for books and reading with Paridhi and tells her about the world of art.
Juroni’s mother carries a treasury of tales within her and it is from her that Paridhi drew inspiration for her dreams that revolve around two stories of mermaids – one written by Hans Christian Anderson, and the other a native folktale. She is particularly mesmerised by the folk tale.
While Paridhi writes for a living, which she is not passionate about, Juroni is an expert in cutting and tailoring. She lives in dire poverty with unmarried sisters and though she is the youngest in her family, becomes the sole earning member. Still, she has no complaints and loves dressing up and beautifying herself. Over time, Paridhi and Juroni maintain a steadfast friendship even though they meet infrequently.
Remarkably, the reader allows author Sarmistha Pritam to hold her by the hand and lead her on a beautiful tour of Nature, through the many trees, flowers, fruits and fish of the village. Surrealistic images add another dimension to the novel with legends around the simolu tree and it’s complete disappearance. The translator has skillfully conveyed the wonder of native flora and fauna without translating their names into English thus retaining the flavour of the original. Traditional forms of dress such as the sador, food and local festivals too get the same treatment. The writing is fluid despite the prolific use of Assamese words within the narrative. Each of the characters acquires a life of their own, and the protagonist, Paridhi, stands out for being an assertive and positive character who never let’s go of her choices. Unsurprisingly, the author is the recipient of several prestigious awards for her fiction.
This is also one of the most outstanding pieces of translation that this reviewer has come across in recent times.
Shoma A Chatterji is an independent journalist. She lives in Kolkata.