In this new age of illiteracy, where reading and writing is in rapid decline, the publication of a book needs to be celebrated.
Devendran Kumaran’s first novel, A Hint of Blue, is a striking achievement, given that his name does not appear in any list of mainstream writers in Fiji.
It ought to now — he has to his credit an autobiography, Mannu’s Karma (2010), this novel, A Hint of Blue, and a third book (a thriller) is about to be completed.
That surely makes him one of the most prolific writers in the country.
Writing is a newly awakened obsession, and Kumaran will, no doubt, continue to produce new works just as he continues to undertake fresh extension projects in his house that he himself has crafted; a house that is almost a work of art.
The life of the author and his subject in the novel come together in a surprising fashion.
Most of us, young and old, are content to live within boundaries drawn by society or self-imposed rules because life is secure there without any unsettling risks.
Kumaran’s life and his fiction are about living beyond boundaries. Beyond the confines of the enclosure is magic, dreams and evolutionary impulse.
It is when human beings transgress boundaries imaginatively that newness is invented and society expands its vision a little.
Kumaran’s training is in architecture; his profession was teaching technical subjects to high school students. His competence was noticed; a series of management roles was assigned to him, leading to that of a Deputy Secretary in the civil service.
All this is as far as one can get from the world of writing fiction.
He probably heard Ralph Waldo Emerson whisper to him, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”.
To leave a trail or make the world a little different is such a powerful call and he responded by going beyond the boundary of conventional work into the realm of imagination and new thought.
A Hint of Blue, an opus of 498 pages, naturally has multiple dynamics in it; the one that stands out is generational conflict represented by the two protagonists, Mataji and Bonita. This is a grand theme, and the novel is an appropriate form to accommodate it.
All the tensions of conflict of generations are there in the novel — who makes the rules and work ethics, what causes break down of communication between the young and the old, what is the meaning of respect, independence and freedom.
The problem in Fiji is that this subject is never widely debated or articulated; it is nonetheless there, brewing quietly and likely to become acute one day.
There are frequent references to discontinuities in iTaukei life between generations; however the problem is more universal as evident from withdrawal and disillusionment of youth generally, i.e., in their lack of social commitment and cynical disregard for older values of respect, loyalty, discipline and good conduct.
The subject of history has no appeal for them. They are turned on only by the timeless, history-less, anarchic world of modern technology.
Can fantasy replace history? The young read neither fiction nor history.
Kumaran has written fiction believing that books can change outlook: books are said to have powers of healing, increasing empathy, expanding the imagination, and, most importantly, in books we find ourselves. Writing books is an act of faith in these values.
Given the state of youth culture, it is unlikely this book will find its way there.
Kumaran’s novel compels us, directly or indirectly, to reflect on these issues.
The appearance of the novel at this moment in our cultural history makes us ask — what is the future of books in our society? We are not a book buying culture. The bookshops, such as they are, sell mainly stationery. The future of libraries, too, looks bleak.
Not many of us in Fiji acquire books from the Amazon or read eBooks. So the modern technology isn’t very helpful.
It appears that Fiji, that had a brief spell of literacy, producing some highly educated individuals, will quickly degenerate into a new age of illiteracy without going through the initial phase of becoming properly literate.
A publication like A Hint of Blue, ought to give confidence to those with enough competence in the English language to write a book, but it also requires the willingness to go beyond boundaries and employ the God-given gift of creativity to say something meaningful to society.
Kumaran is not a stylist but he does try to experiment with speech habits of a different generation of speakers, especially campus banter of youth.
However when he tries to innovate in terms of language, it often leads to certain ungainliness in prose, “Great, thinks Bonita, of Mataji’s stories. She looks and wonders what complex life-experiences, the granny shoulders; whatever wisdom, she imparts may be good but is it of value today, she asks self.”
Like granny’s stories, Kumaran’s narrative too emanates from deep within the subconscious mind, and everything in the subconscious isn’t always graceful and coherent.
From time to time there are predictions of death of the writer or end of novel writing.
The emergence of Kumaran as a writer contradicts the dire prognosis of demise of the writer or the novel as a form of literature.
The novel is a most resilient class of literature, capable of resurrecting in new avatars.
In Fiji there is a whole world that is yet to be written about in English and the vernacular languages.
There will always be individuals who will not like the world as it is and would want to imagine another version through a novel; and there will be readers who will read for pleasure, or to understand the world, or just to find temporary escape from harsh realities of daily existence.
At a different level, books provide a democratic space where arguments and opinions are formed; the new Fiji ought to awaken to all forms of reading in the process of creating an enlightened nation. Let’s begin with Kumaran’s novel.
Devendran Kumaran, A Hint of Blue (Auckland: Publish Me, 2013), pp. 498; available in Fiji at USP Book Centre and from www.wheelers.co.nz.
* The reviewer, Prof Subramani, has just completed a large epic novel, entitled Fiji Maa; Mother of a Thousand to be published in 2015, that depicts a heart-warming relationship between an iTaukei and an Indo-Fijian woman.
