Author: Vijay Singh
Publisher: Rupa
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 246
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8129107570
Description
Nishant, a young Indian writer living in Paris, journeys down the Ganga, from its source in the Himalayas to the sea. Haunted by the memory of a beautiful Parisienne called Jaya, he plans to write a book about his voyage. On the banks of the Ganga, he chances upon Zehra, a dancing girl in the tradition of the great tawaiffs. Zehra resurrects the memory of Jaya.
With Jaya and Zehra inhabiting his mental world, Nishant undertakes an entrancing journey down the Ganga, where he has unexpected encounters with sadhus, boatmen, engineers, vernacular journalists, tawaiffs, pimps, administrators, Pandas, and Hollywood stars like the electioneering Amitabh Bachchan.
When Jaya Ganga was first released in France, it took the country by storm and it was hailed as a unique and captivating travelogue which brings the author’s inner and outer worlds together.
Rarely before have poetic prose and class journalism been brought together with such effortless and readable ease. Jaya Ganga, also a cult film today, ran for a record 49 weeks in France and has been screened in nearly 40 countries worldwide.
A rare and remarkable journey-part pilgrimage, part romantic odyssey-down India’s mightiest river, the Ganga.
REVIEWS
Almost a new style of writing is born: less cerebral and convoluted than Rushdie, less formal than Anita Desai, less clever than Vikram Seth but certainly more wholesome and fulfilling for the modern Indian soul.
-The Times of India
A journey full of surprises, that will please you, that will displease you, a journey necessary all the same for it teaches you to swim through the enigmas of this world.
-Jean-Claude Carriere in Liberation
Poetic, mystical, metaphysical, humorous, erotic, erratic, this book is a complete portrait of India.
-Yves Florenne in Le Monde Diplomatique
Beyond the present, this journey is a pilgrimage to the very source of religion, art and history. It is a meditation on time and the tragedy of existence. Jaya Ganga, whose baroque effervescence at times brings Umberto eco to mind, is not just one of the most original books of recent times, it also heralds the birth of a writer.
-Michelle Perrot in Le Nouvel Observateur
This novel is the very air that India breathes, its great quality is to inspire thought.
-Antoine Spire in Le Matin
Jaya Ganga is a literary event, the revelation of an immense talent.
-J B in La Montagne
Contents
Ode
Gangotri
Source
Pahar
Desire
Boat-High
Mandakini
Star
Panda
Bhajan-Benares
Sunset
Jaya
Dregs
Clochard
Nothingness
Grammar
Revolt
Attente
Beach
Theft
Krishna
Swells
Fable
Funeral