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Tilo is an immigrant from India who runs a spice shop in Oakland in the US. Her spices aren’t just ingredients for curries, they have special powers as Tilo can command them to do her bid. She helps customers get what they desire. Everyone who comes to Tilo’s shop is given the spice she thinks they need—for the restoration of sight, to heal an aching heart, or to deal with the pain of rejection among many other problems.

 She is the mistress of spices with magical powers. She chose this life and she has had to make a few sacrifices for it. But she is happy to be able to help those who need it the most, like an abused wife or unhappy, bullied children. She feels she couldn’t possibly ever want anything else. She was warned that this life of service wouldn’t be easy but she stubbornly stuck to it and hasn’t ever regretted it.

 Then, one day, a lonely American comes into the store and Tilo can’t find the right spice for him. Maybe she doesn’t want to because there’s something about this man that makes her feel things she hasn’t felt before. And it feels a lot like desire and perhaps love. Tilo knows she can’t give in. She can’t touch anyone else, much less get close to them. Else, the spices will stop speaking to her and she will lose her powers. But Tilo can’t seem to stay away, even as the voices in her head warn her about the inevitable doom.

 ‘The Mistress of Spices’ by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a bizarre book. For the first half, it’s mostly all vibe and no plot. The story picks up but it’s not as gripping as her other works. I didn’t care about Tilo until I was more than halfway through the book. I couldn’t even picture her. There is a movie adaptation of the book starring Aishwarya Rai that I haven’t watched and I couldn’t even picture the actor as Tilo. The writing didn’t evoke my senses as Divakaruni’s works often do. (Also, there is a mismatch between the book and the movie. The book describes Tilo as trapped in an old woman’s body whereas a young Rai is shown as the protagonist in the movie.)

 I have read most of Divakaruni’s works and have loved them. ‘The Palace of Illusions’, an adaptation of the epic Mahabharata, told from Draupadi’s perspective, is a favorite of many people I know. I love her short stories, which mainly deal with the Indian immigrant experience. The Mistress of Spices, however, I felt is mediocre at best. There’s not much character development and even though you meet quite a few interesting ones, none of them really stay in your mind. There’s a lot of talk of spices which is fascinating. Maybe that was the reason I couldn’t stop reading despite the story not making much sense.

 It’s definitely not one of the author’s best works. But given that it was written back in 1997, reading it now in the age of smartphones and other gizmos lends it a certain charm that’s quite addictive. I wouldn’t recommend The Mistress of Spices as an introduction to the author’s large body of work. If you have read Divakaruni’s other works, you might be more forgiving of this book. For me, it evoked mixed feelings. I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it. I would give it a two and a half star rating.

Fiction

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/94669.The_Mistress_of_Spices  

The Mistress of Spices

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Published: 1997

Publisher: Black Swan

Pages: 317, Paperback

We crave change. We want to be fit and healthy, become better, do better, and be happy and content. The allure and the modus operandi or marketing strategy, if I might say so, of self-help books lies in people’s inherent desire to make their lives better. There are plenty of books that make lofty promises—you will be happier, you will learn to navigate relationships, you will thrive at work, etc. But reading about concepts and ways to change your life won’t actually do a thing unless you are willing to put in the hard work. And even then, what’s the guarantee that the things that worked for the author and his/her friends will work for you? This is one of the main reasons why I often steer clear of self-help books.

However, self-help books that are rooted in scientific or research-backed suggestions appeal to me. It puts me in the right mindset, one that makes me want to listen to the advice and implement them in my life. In that sense, ‘Everyday Ayurveda’ by Dr Bhaswati Bhattacharya is one of the best books I’ve read. Dr Bhattacharya is a licensed, board-certified physician who has been incorporating ayurveda in her treatments for the past 25 years. Her work was featured on The Discovery Channel’s documentary, Healers: Journey into Ayurveda.

My interest in ayurveda probably comes from my mother. She is a medical doctor who has always supported the ayurvedic way of life. Watching her practice and recommend ayurvedic ways of healing has made me believe in its powers. I already knew many of the things mentioned in the book but it was still a good reminder of what I needed to do to be more active and agile. The book is divided into short chapters and the tone feels conversational and not preachy at all. The author is knowledgeable and the writing is thus convincing. Backed by evidence and anecdotes, Everyday Ayurveda makes for an interesting and eye-opening read.

Delving into the principles of ayurveda, Dr Bhattacharya tells us why and how we should listen to the signs our bodies give us. She urges readers to focus on self-care, building healthy habits, and following ancient wisdom and practices for sound health. You will pick up some helpful tips on how to turn your life around. Most of these tips don’t require much effort. They are just some basic modifications in your current lifestyle. Everyday Ayurveda, I believe, is an essential guide to a deeper understanding of yourself and the ways in which you can live a more fulfilling life.

Everyday Ayurveda

Dr Bhaswati Bhattacharya

Published: 2015

Publisher: Ebury Press
Pages: 298, Paperback

In Nepal, most of us grow up eating ‘dal, bhat, tarkari’. The meal is so intricately woven in the fabric of our existence that if we don’t have it for a few days (because we are traveling or just haven’t had the time to cook the often-elaborate meal) we feel something is amiss. My father can have dal, bhat, tarkari three times a day. Yes, even for ‘khaja’. He says twice is a must, thrice is better. There are many others, relatives and friends, who feel the same way.

 During my school days, I had dal, bhat, tarkari every day, often for lunch and dinner. I used to hate it. It might be a balanced meal but I never liked it very much. I enjoy rice and curry but an ensemble of different things never appealed to me. So, I would often say I don’t like Nepali food. I was equating Nepali food with dal, bhat, tarkari. Much later, I would realize that Nepali food is diverse and, in many cases, nutritionally dense as well and come to love it.

I came across Prashanta Khanal’s cookbook ‘Timmur: Stories and Flavors from Nepal’ while waiting to consult a nutritionist at her office. The coffee table book caught my attention because of its interesting title. Also, I love the spice timmur, which is a flavoring ingredient that gives dishes a tangy touch. Upon flipping the book, I was enthralled. There are full page photos of dishes accompanying the recipes which are divided into nine sections.

The book could be considered an introduction into the various cuisines of Nepal. There are concise introductions delving into the history and traditions of the different cuisines featured in the book. There are recipes for Thakali, Khas, Magar & Gurung, Newari, Sherpa, Tamang, & Tibetan, Tharu & Maithil, and Rai & Limbu cuisines in the 297 glossy pages of the book. There are brief introductions to each dish which made me feel really knowledgeable about the food I was about to make. Did you know ‘momo-cha’ was brought to the Kathmandu Valley from Tibet by Newa traders and has been adapted to local tastes using buffalo meat and local spices?

There’s an entire section devoted to achaar or pickles. For someone like me who loves achaars and can have them by the bottle, this section was a delight. The ease to replicate recipes meant I could whip up anything I was in the mood for anytime I wanted. I tried the ‘Karelako Achaar’ and ‘Dalle Khursaniko Achaar’ among the 17 recipes in the section. They came out really well. Thanks to this arsenal of recipes, I never need to buy packaged pickles anymore or trouble my mother by asking her to make her signature ‘mula ko achaar’ or chili pickle.

The book is a visual delight as well with stunning photos by Nabin Baral and Gagan Thapa. It was actually the photos that made me want to buy a copy of the book which has, since then, become a handy tool to have in the kitchen. The recipes are easy to follow and most of the ingredients mentioned in the book can be found in our pantries. The good thing about Nepali food is that you can tweak it to your liking, by tinkering around with the ingredients, and it will still taste good.

Timmur

Prashanta Khanal

Published: 2022

Publisher: Fineprint

Language: English
Pages: 297, Hardcover

The Instagram page of Penguin India has quite a few posts of celebrities and readers talking about ‘None of This is True’ by Lisa Jewell. And everybody raves about it. It’s Jewell’s most recent release. I had previously read ‘And Then She Was Gone’ and it quite literally yanked me out of my reading slump. So, I wanted to read her other books too, but not back-to-back as reading thrillers in a row can get tedious. Having finished None of This is True I have a strong urge to buy more of her works and read them. Jewell has a knack for telling gripping stories and crafting characters that you will come to care about.

None of This is True is about two women—Alix and Josie—who share the same birthday. They are the birthday twins. They meet by chance at a restaurant where Josie takes a strange fascination with Alix who is a podcaster. She interviews women from all walks of life about the hardships they faced and how they overcame them to become who they are. Josie persuades Alix to feature her in her new series. She tells Alix that she is on the cusp of great changes in her life. Alix agrees and they start the interview process. Alix decides to call the podcast ‘Hi! I’m Your Birthday Twin’ which is what Josie says to Alix when she first meets her.

However, there is something unsettling about Josie. Her story is strange and complicated. She comes across as both the victim and hero, and you have an inkling that it couldn’t be so. Everybody else—her mother, her husband, and her two daughters—seems problematic. As Josie tells Alix her story you discover she has been hiding some secrets that could threaten her family. Josie also starts interfering in Alix’s life as she develops an unhealthy obsession with Alix and that’s when things take a sinister turn. But things were already set in motion when Alix and Josie first met, or even long before that.

The book alternates between the main plot which is the story as it happens and the transcripts of the podcast. This lends it a dark vibe because you get the feeling that things aren’t as black and white as Josie is making them out to be, that she is perhaps crafting a narrative that best suits her. The other characters you meet like her husband Walter, her daughter Erin, and Alix’s husband Nathan are also shifty. Walter is almost thirty years older than Josie. Erin spends all her time gaming and never comes out of her room. Alix’s husband has an alcohol problem. There’s a lot going on that just keeps you turning the pages.

[Spoiler alert] The book doesn’t have a happy ending. In many ways, you don’t get a sense of closure. This works to the book’s advantage though because readers will find themselves thinking about it long after they are done with it. To supplement your reading experience, Hi! I’m Your Birthday Twin is an actual podcast, available on Apple and Spotify. I listened to it and it gave me the creeps. But I loved the concept. It elevated my reading experience. The publishers definitely knew what they were doing. I can see myself buying every book Jewell has written so far, perhaps without even reading the blurb. I have a feeling I won’t be able to stop myself from binging on them.

None of This is True

Lisa Jewell

Published: 2023

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Pages: 390, paperback