KARMA AND THE ART OF BUTTER CHICKEN by Monica Bhide
Sometimes when the real world around you is noisy and intrusive and anxiety ridden you just need to get away. And sometimes a novel comes along that helps you do just that. A charming, engaging read that takes you to a place you might not have been and introduces you to people who are well-intentioned and kind-hearted and want to make things better.
Monica Bhide has written just such a book, Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken is the debut novel of this engineer turned food writer turned poet and fiction writer. Monica herself is an inspiration. She was an engineer who really wanted to follow her muse and became a successful food writer and cookbook writer. Then she decided to write about other things too, hence this novel.
The word karma has come to use in everyday parlance in the west. We often think of it as “payback.” You’ve probably all used the phrase “karma is a bitch” with some relish. Well it’s Sanskrit meaning is about how the deeds of today affect future modes of an individual’s existence, in this life but particularly in the next life. It’s less transactional than we might think and more seeped in living a life where you are conscious of the effect of your actions.
Eshaan is an orphan raised by Buddhist monks in Delhi, after his mother dies. He and his mother were left by their father and had to fend for themselves, a task that proved hard and eventually their poverty and hunger led to his mother’s death.
He has been fortunate to be brought up in the monastery and he has committed himself to wanting to feed the poor and destitute, moved by his own experience of hunger and the deprivation that that brings.
This experience is what drives is ambition, as he explains to his mentor, Lama Dorje “I am going to open a kitchen for poor people. You know, a place where you will never be refused a meal. A place where no one will ever go hungry.”
It’s a fine idea if he could save enough money rather than handing it out to the beggars he encounters as soon as he earns it.
In addition to his spiritual woes he is also suffering a broken heart, the love of his life, returns to India after a long absence, with the man she is set to marry. Will he get the girl? Will he raise the money for his kitchen? Is winning the reality show, India’s Best Home Chef, his path to success? Can his motley band of close friends convince him to follow his heart? Will the obstreperous neighborhood crank ruin them?
Eshaan is delightful young man wracked with self-doubt. His intentions are good but he doesn’t know how to effectively turn his intentions into actions. After all it’s the actions that affect your karma.
His friends include the brassy and rebellious Loveleen, pregnant and gay and waiting to have her partner move in with her, without outing themselves; Radio Rani is an orphan who suffered an acid attack and was found wandering around the monastery; the elder neighbor, Dr. Sinha, father of the object of his unrequited love, Kitt.
It’s a sweet story of misfits and strays, bound together by friendship and love, anchored by the goodness of Eshaan and his selfless ambition to feed the poor. But the story unfolds with the backdrop of the seamy side of India today. Including the corruption of the government officials who want bribes to get anything done; the homophobia and slut shaming of women who are not partnered with a man, and the sectarian violence that is easily ginned up by thugs and gangsters with other motives.
This book is about doing good and it’s also about being good, which makes it particularly apt that I am posting this on Thanksgiving Day. These are lovely people trying to make the best of their lives while trying to live by the adage “love thy neighbor” even if that sentiment is not reciprocated. It’s also a book about food and the power of food to both hurt and heal. Thus Monica’s food writing background is an obvious plus, you can almost smell the fragrant cooking that drives Eshaan in his quest. And while it takes place in a city you might now know, the story is universal. I’m so glad that Monica Bhide decided to follow her muse. It’s something many of us can be inspired by.
BEFORE YOU READ:
Length: 323 pages
Genre: Fiction
Themes: food, love, goodness, charity, selflessness
Commitment: a breezy break from the daily drudge of life.
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