Book Review: “From Jhelum To Tana”: Neera Kapur-Dromson

http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/324/43763-from-jhelum-to-tana… a personal journey to find her history and identity, angered by the lack of recognition given to Indians in Kenya's fight for independence and inspired by a portrait of her great-grandfather, it took Neera Kapur-Dromson five years to create the book, “From Jhelum to Tana.” A fourth generation Kenyan of Indian origin, Neera Kapur-Dromson was born in Nairobi, where she grew up. At the feet of gurus in India, she studied the art of Indian classical dance. She continues to perform Odissi, a style of dance from the eastern state of Orissa, and regularly writes articles on socio-cultural subjects; From Jhelum to Tana is her first book.

Jhelum is a river that flows through Miani, a little town in Punjab now in Pakistan. This is where Lala Kirparam Ramchand, the author's mother's grandfather, was born. His ashes were released into the Tana - a river in Kenya, eastern Africa, which flows out into the Indian Ocean. India was where he was born; Kenya was where he spent the better half of his life. It was where he experienced Kenya's wilderness - hunting zebras and dodging lions during the building of the railway; and the enchantment of Kenya's old coastal towns - Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa. He started a thriving business, gave rise to many generations, endured the Second World War, the end of colonialism, and survived outbreaks of cholera and malaria. “From Jhelum to Tana” is a personal account of Kapur's family history from 1898 - the time her great-grandfather sailed from India to Kenya in a dhow - till today. It is more than a personal family story being passed down.

Kapur, using her vibrant imagination and through many conversations with her mother, extended family, and friends, pieces together each family member's individual personality, re-living their lives a century ago. She traveled different continents, explored libraries, old towns, and archives and read numerous books to produce both a family story and a historical documentary, where the twists and turns of family life are intertwined with African and Indian legends and the political and global scenario at the time. The thorough research that has been done is clearly visible. Interwoven into this family story is a history of many nations and many races - Kenya, India, Europe and their ethnic communities. In this rich and informative book, Kapur re-tells history as seen from the point of view of an ordinary citizen, and touches on issues such as race, culture, values and politics. The book is aimed at focused readers who take the effort to shift their thinking back and forth from one era, one country, and one continent to another.

The author gives our ancestors a personality, a character. She put herself in her ancestors' shoes and took the time and effort to ask questions that are not frequently asked; questions about infidelity, family politics, traditions and home truths. Kapur exposes intimate family stories, and in the Asian community, where people like to keep certain things secretive and private, this is a very daring thing to do. But she feels she has to, and she should. “So many people refused to divulge information,” says the author. The book quenches curious minds, answers complex questions and raises just as many. It leaves the readers with a different mindset and it serves as the perfect platform to begin one's own introspection into your family roots, your country's roots - the country you were born in, live in or work in. This book is important not only for Kenyans and South East Asians, but generally for migrants and the diasporas; it opens eyes, and provides an insight into many cultures and traditions. It has facts, figures and priceless information about cultures and periods of history hardly known to even our descendants. Adding to its honest wholesomeness, on the one hand the book is emotionally and spiritually involving and on the other hand, it raises issues of universal philosophical value.

In the realm of African-Indian writing, fiction writer Moyez Vassanji takes the lead, and after the acclaim he has received, it is difficult to surpass him. In that respect, Kapur's choice of writing a memoir/biography is perfect.

Conversely, due to the myriad of topics and mass of information contained in this book, some areas lack continuity of story making the book seem patchy. A reader may get lost with all the relations, which is especially possible when it involves large Asian families. It is the type of book that one must read a second time to get a full grasp of.

In Nairobi, in her mother's garden surrounded by jacaranda trees, Kapur and her mother spent long hours at the breakfast table discussing the generations gone by. In this same garden I sat with the author. Talking to her was like going behind the scenes into the making of a saga; an essential piece of literature that will make part of history. There could not have been a more appropriate time for this book to materialize… Our globalized, multi-cultural environment is literally driving us to search for or cling to our identity and roots; to appreciate other cultures through sharing. Kapur could not have said it better, “As people of different cultures we must look at our common identities, and rather than always picking on our differences, concentrate on our similarities.”

* Heer Raja is a passionate young woman, driven by curiosity and striving to be authentic. She has a huge fascination with the human mind.

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