Book Review: Plentiful Springs by Anjaly Thomas

 

Plentiful Springs is the bittersweet, growing-up story of Siana, a stubborn, intelligent,  creative and articulate girl born to a Keralite-Uttar Pradesh couple and brought up in villages, estates and boarding schools in and around Mangalore and Wayanad. Siana’s best friend is her diary to whom she confides everything. Much later, after law school and a career in journalism that takes her to Dubai and various trouble-torn parts of the globe, Siana is left wondering if the bad things actually happened or if she had imagined them. She reads her diary again and re-traces her steps before she can be sure of what had actually transpired.

 

Anjaly Thomas is an excellent writer who does not let fine language come in the way of a riveting story, one that will make you root for Siana, hate her abusers and make you want Siana to get her life back. Thomas keeps her prose simple and straight-forward and gets on with her story. Siana’s diary entries are interspersed with narrations in third person and Siana’s extensive correspondence with her various friends. Since we are talking of the 1980s and 1990, we are talking of correspondence through inland letter cards. Travel is usually through public transport or auto-rickshaws. Money is tight and tempers run high everywhere. Corporal punishment is par for the course for Siana as is domestic violence for her mother. Many of those in power, teachers, wardens and fathers abuse their power and strength freely, but amidst all that, occasional kindness and humanity shines through. Siana’s indomitable will and her never-say-die spirit pull her through, despite her occasional moroseness and bad temper. There are springs aplenty throughout the dreary landscape!

 

I really enjoyed reading Plentiful Springs, though at times in the early stages of the 348-page tome, I did wonder where the story is headed to. Thomas, however, has an excellent instinct for timing and she gathers the various loose ends and brings the story to a gentle climax at the end.

 

Thomas’s characters are all real and three-dimensional folks, especially Siana. They smile, laugh, cry, make mistakes and fix things. Siana isn’t your pink dress wearing sensitive princess, rather she’s a warrior woman who will kick you in your balls if you harm her. Thomas gets you to know Siana so well that I could sense how Siana would behave, when towards the end, Siana has to make certain crucial decisions.

 

One of the best things about Plentiful Springs is the manner in which Thomas has captured the 1980s, the 1990s and early 2000, when India was so very different from what it’s now. Life in various estates of Managalore and Wayanad are also detailed with precision. Thomas has time-stamped the story throughout and that helps the reader place the story in its proper context. For example, Thomas would have her reader know that in April 1981, Siana’s father left Uganda for good, in June 1982, at the age of six, Siana started boarding school, in 1993, Siana starts a five-year course at the Mangalore Law School, so on and so forth.

 

Please don’t read the brief paragraph below. Instead, do buy a copy of Plentiful Springs and read this excellent work of fiction for yourself.

 

Spoilers Ahead

 

The evidence was always blowing in the wind. In addition to being abused by the butler at her first boarding school, Siana was also abused by Him. Siana’s diary has at various times, recorded such abuse. Even after Siana is a teenager, Siana hates staying at home, in fear of abuse. We don’t see Siana complain to her mother, herself a victim of domestic violence, about the abuse. In a way, since the reader knows Siana well, the reader also knows that’s typical of Siana’s character and eyebrows won't be raised, though the situation does tug one’s heartstrings. However, isn’t this typical of abuse within most families? I wonder if there ever can be a solution to these issues. Strong, kick-ass women like Siana can provide answers, hopefully. I end this review by raising a toast to brave Siana as she ‘gets on with the rest of her life’. I'm sure Siana will continue to find many more springs as she moves on in life. 

Book Review: Eden Abandoned – The Story of Lilith, by Shinie Antony

 Did God intend women to be subservient to men? Did God want Man to be on top or did the missionaries place him there? Didn’t God create Eve from out of Adam’s ribs, with the intention that she would always follow her man, obey him and bear his children? Then why did God create Lilith first? Did God make a mistake with Lilith, which he rectified by creating Eve?

Shinie Antony’s Lilith, doesn’t give a damn about the expectations of others. She seeks, or rather demands, parity with Adam. She asks nicely at first and when Adam doesn’t concede, she uses her fists and claws, before walking away from Adam. Adam didn’t give her any children of his own accord, but Lilith does bear a brood of children. Please read this book to find out how Lilith manages that feat.  

Lilith is the archetypal bad woman that our ancients warned us about. Adam is goody two-shoes who obeys God to the letter and is even scared of him. After having walked away from Adam, Lilith goes about cavorting with Shamael, fulfilling her wants in the ways she finds best. Shamael really indulges Lilith, especially her evil thoughts and desires. When they see Lilith enjoy life, they urge her to return to Adam and fulfil her duties. Lilith refuses. She becomes a serpent that tempts Eve. I’m not going to disclose more and give away the story.

Is there a bit of Lilith in all women? Is there a bit of Lilith in all men too? If so, Antony unleashes the Lilith in her readers even as launches a furious assault on patriarchy. If you haven’t heard of Lilith, here’s Wikipedia to the rescue.

As usual, Antony’s writing is subtle, explosive, sensual and once in a while, bland. Much of the beauty in Antony’s writing is on account of her placement of words and sentences. She leaves a lot to one’s imagination and then, after one’s imagination has run wild, takes one on a wild ride in a different direction altogether. I read this book once around two weeks ago, got busy with work and then re-read it again a second time just now and found myself sinking into an abyss of thoughts and confusion, though it is a slim volume of just 135 pages, one which fits into my trousers’ pocket.

I can’t recommend Eden Abandoned – The Story of Lilith, by Shinie Antony highly enough. It’s possibly Antony’s best book to date.

France amends its constitution to inscribe the right to abortion

France has amended its constitution to inscribe the right to abortion. This was done on March 8, International Women’s Day.

Abortion has been legal in France since 1975, but Macron last year pledged to better protect it after the United States Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the half-century-old right to the procedure, leaving it up to individual states to decide. Macron has also promised he “will not rest” until women across Europe have the same protection.

Generally, I am a big fan of all things French. However, was this amendment really necessary? Abortion is not a controversial issue in France or in most countries of Western Europe. Ireland is an exception, I believe. I would have been a big deal if Ireland, or better still, the USA has incorporated the right to abortion as a constitutional right.

But France? Seems to be a farce, as many in the media are saying. 

Pro-Choice or Pro-Life: Where do the US Presidential Candidates stand?

 

Abortion has always been a hot topic in US presidential elections and in the one coming up, it’s even more relevant after June 24, 2022, when the US Supreme Court (in the case of Dobbs) overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling which had guaranteed women the right to an abortion up until the point of foetal viability (about 24 weeks). After the Dobbs decision, 14 states, including most of the South, have enacted near-total bans from the moment of conception. Georgia has banned abortion after six weeks, which is before most women know they are pregnant.

So where do each of the Presidential candidates stand on abortion?

Joe Biden

President Joe Biden, a Democrat and a devout Catholic, supports access to abortion and has called on Congress to codify protections for the right to abortion that were guaranteed by Roe. He has said he would veto any legislation that would ban abortions federally.

Donald Trump

It was President Trump who had appointed three conservative Supreme Court justices, all of whom helped strike down Roe in a 5-4 vote in Dobbs. However, Trump’s stand on abortion seems to be opportunistic. In early 2023 at a Faith & Freedom convention, Trump said there should be some role for the federal government on the abortion issue but most other times has remained skeptical of a federal ban, most recently saying it is "probably better" to leave it to the states.

Trump’s abortion ban skepticism has often times annoyed pro-lifers. De Santis thinks Trump is  “not pro-life” and has said that the former president “flip-flipped” on the issue of abortion.

Most recently, there have been reports that the ex-president, plans to rebrand as a “moderate” on reproductive rights after repeated GOP losses on the issue.

Ron DeSantis

DeSantis has made it clear that he plans to be a "pro-life president." Last April DeSantis signed into law a bill approved by the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

DeSantis has not said if he would support a national abortion ban. However, last September, during the course of a Republican presidential debate, in response to q question from Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, DeSantis said that he would sign a “15-week limit” on abortion as president.

Mike Pence

Just like Trump, Former Vice President Mike Pence brags about how he helped in the overturning of Roe Vs. Wade with the appointment of three conservative justices while he was in office.

Pence supports exceptions for abortion access in the cases of rape, incest and to save the life of a mother, but not with nonviable pregnancies. He’s called on the rest of the 2024 field to support a 15-week federal abortion ban, at minimum. Pence is the only major candidate who supports a federal ban on abortion at six weeks, before many women know they’re pregnant. He has advocated pulling from the market a widely used abortion pill that has a better safety record than penicillin and Viagra.

Nikki Haley

The only female Republican candidate has called for a national "consensus" and to stop "dehumanizing" the issue.  Haley has said that passing a federal abortion ban would be highly unlikely without more Republicans in Congress. But, she has also said she would "absolutely" sign a 15-week federal abortion ban into law.

During her time in the state House of Representatives from 2004 to 2010, Haley backed two “right to life” bills that would have significantly limited abortion access statewide, although neither bill ultimately became law.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy has said he is not in favor of a federal abortion ban. However, has said he is "unapologetically pro-life" and believes that "most Americans share pro-life instincts" too. Vivek prefers to leave regulation of abortion up to the states.

Did Darius Actually Flee From Alexander at Gaugemela?

I recently watched Netflix’s series on Alexander the Great – Alexander: The Making Of A God. A well-made series, I ended up binge-watching it and came away with one big question. Before I tell you about my big question, here’s a brief summary of NetFlix’s Alexander: The Making Of A God:

• Alexander’s father Philip had sidelined Alexander’s mother and had taken a much younger wife. Alexander is estranged from his father. I read elsewhere that this happened because of a petty quarrel at his father’s wedding party.
• Alexander’s mother imbued in him a belief that he was the son of Zeus
• Alexander was bisexual – we see a young Alexander having sex with his friend Hephaisteon, who would go on to become one of his generals.
• Alexxander was a witness to the murder of his father (Philip) by one of the guards. Netflix even creates a whiff of suspicion that Alexander may have had a role in Philip’s murder.
• Darius becomes the Emperor of Persia roughly around the time Alexander becomes the King of Macedon. Thus both men are new to the throne. Darius is not really of royal lineage and acquires legitimacy because his chief queen Statira is of royal lineage.
• Darius and the Persians have only contempt for Alexander, a barbarian in their eyes, whilst Persia is everything nice and noble.
• At Issus, when the Persian army starts losing, Darius flees. He doesn’t want to run away, but his companions make him do so. Basis justifies the fleeing by saying that Darius’s survival is necessary for Persia’s survival. Darius is Persia.
• At Issus, Alexander captures Darius’s family, including his wife Stateira and daughter Barsine. Apparently, it is common for the Persian royal family to accompany the Emperor to the battlefield and when Darius fled, Alexander was able to capture the royal family.
• After defeating Darius (for the first time) at Issis, Alexander does not pursue him. Instead, he goes to Egypt, wins it without any fighting, is crowned Pharoah. Egypt is a source of much wealth – gold and food gains. Alexander also makes a symbolic trip to Siwa and is blessed by the Oracle there. He is acknowledged to be son of Ra. Taking on more divinity (and going even more native) comes to Alexander naturally.
• Stateira and her daughter Barsine go to Egypt with Alexander. Stateira and Alexander become close. Later Stateira becomes pregnant and dies in childbirth. Netflix suggests that Stateira willingly bore Alexander’s child.
• After Issus and before Gaugemela, Darius makes various peace overtures to Alexander and Alexander rejects all of them, even if Darius’s terms are generous, because Alexander is ambitious and will settle for nothing less than becoming the Emperor of the whole world.
• At their second encounter at Gaugemela, once again Alexander dashes towards Darius and Darius flees. Because Darius flees, his troops flee as well and many of the fleeing troops are killed. Darius’s companions insist on him fleeing using the same excuse as in the past – that Darius is Persia and they cannot afford to lose him.
• Finally, after a year or so on the run, Darius is killed by fellow Persians as he lived in the wild, hoping to fight Alexander through Guerilla warfare. 

My big question is, why did Darius flee at Gaugemela? Why did Darius’s companions make him flee when fleeing causes Darius to lose? The flight at Gaugemela leaves Darius high and dry and he never recovers from that defeat. Why go to the battlefield, if when your enemy charges at you, your only reaction is to flee? Darius is shown as a sturdy man in his prime who practices with his sword a lot after the defeat at Issus. Not too different from Alexander in that respect, though Alexander is much younger. One gets the impression from Netflix that Darius lost at Gaugamela primarily because he fled. Darius is shown to have fled not because his army was losing, as happened at Issus, but solely because Alexander charged at him. The flight at Issus can be understood and justified. The Persian army was losing and Darius needed to preserve himself to fight later. But the flight at Gaugemela doesn’t make sense. Alexander had been in Persian territories for two years and this was a do or die battle. The Persian army wasn’t losing. Netflix shows Darius fleeing solely because Alexander charges at him. Many others have asked the same question.

As they say, history is written by the victors and so the story of the fight between Alexander and Darius was originally written by Greek Chroniclers such as Alexander’scompanion Ptolemy and later repeated by Roman historians. The fact is, Alexander and Darius are real-life figures who battled it out and Alexander/Macedon/Greece did win and Darius/Persia did lose. Maybe Darius retreated only after his troops started to flee and defeat was on the cards and not because Alexander charged at him. I would really like to know what exactly happened at these two battles though finding the truth won’t make a whiff of difference to my life, other than being able to say that Netflix got it wrong and the original Greek chroniclers lied.