In some ways, Namita Gokhale’s Never Never Land gives voice to the inner musings of every single individual, albeit in different degrees; in brief moments for some, and in great accuracy for others. To cut the short story—it is 170 pages long—shorter, it follows the existential crisis of a woman—disgruntled with her urban life, complicated relationship with her mother, unsatisfactory love life—as she rediscovers her sense of self in the mountains.
Frankly, it can be a jaded premise. Today, everyone is on a quest to find their true selves, and most self-proclaimed philosophies on how to attain true happiness in this rat-race of a life can be mind-numbingly preachy and unreal. But, in the hands of a dependable writer, the realisations can feel comfortingly real and inclusive. That is exactly the impact Gokhale’s book has on the reader. It does not want you to celebrate the protagonist’s successes achieved against all odds, but bond over the failure-like feeling.
Funnily, Gokhale has named her protagonist Iti; we are told it means the end of something; a full stop. At one point, the protagonist unsurely adds, “It could also be a new beginning”. This one sentence captures the essence of this book, the large part of which shows Iti essentially chart everything that is wrong with her life.
She is a freelance editor, who finds herself stuck in the grey sludge that is Gurgaon—she refuses to call it Gurugram—she drags on with her solitary, banal existence, until she’s had enough and decides to take a trip to Kumaon, her hometown, and where her grandmother still lives.
The prowess with which Gokhale manages to render a real place fantastical is well-known. Of course, the protagonist is happy to leave the city humdrum behind, but it is impossible to miss the author’s heart warming for the place as the narrative progresses. Thanks to her evocative writing, it is hard to not conjure up the rain, the fog and the magpie, even if it is in your living room or the metro that you are reading the book in. Sample this: “The rain in the mountains felt different, sounded different. The insistent tattoo on the tin roof seemed to be conveying some urgent message. Iti was lost in reverie as she listened to its rhythmic beat.”
And the author’s constant companion on this short journey of creating the most spectacular images for the reader is poetry. Never Never Land could be interpreted also as a love letter to art of verse. Gokhale makes the protagonist feel at her earnest as she invokes lines penned by the William Blake and Ernest Dowson. There’s also a bit of songs, and Rudyard Kipling in the end. And, once you are at the finish line, you will know why Iti said, “It could also be a new beginning.”
Never Never Land
By : Namita Gokhale
Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Price: Rs 499
Pages: 170