THE FLIES IN THE SOUP

The Triennial Conference of ACLALS (The Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies) was recently held in Hyderabad. Great minds have always been meeting and mating with each other off and on. But it is not everyday that ordinary ones like us get an opportunity to be stirred in with the cream of intelligence. Just imagine Homi Bhabha, Gayatri Spivak and Aijaz Ahmed speaking from the same platform- an event that has never happened before and something for which any scholar wouldn’t mind, not only lending, but also chopping off an ear for. Or Vikram Seth, Shashi Deshpande, Girish Karnad and Austin Clarke- a literary bonanza of multi- ethnicity for creative writers to mull over. Or Jayanta Mahapatro, K. Satchidanandan, Keki Daruwalla, Jan Kemp, Feroza Jussawala, Makarand Paranjape, Jean Arasanaayagam, Hoshang Merchant, Diana Bridge etc- a soul stirring flourish of poesy inclined to soften even the hardened of hearts. Not forgetting the innumerable paper reading sessions and panel discussions from various critics worldwide, resulting in a banquet of thoughts- an assorted feast of language, literature, theatre, poetry and philosophy. Enough to give us all indigestion for a lifetime!

But unfortunately every silver lining is always accompanied with a cloud- especially so above the blue terrain where any human inhabitants have dwelt. The city literati glitterati (those that were not invited) felt terribly left out- especially since none believe in creating holes in their Armani pockets to accommodate their desires to be a part of anything else. It is always a case of ‘free’ or ‘let it be’. The general crowd was disgruntled too. Posters were put up blaming the organizers for the lack of imagination- Commonwealth and five star hotels do not go hand in hand they said, as if these hotels were carved out of Colonialism. A few suppressed voices also declared that a certain set of community had been excluded from the Conference. The hoarse cries of the Organisers, in print and in voice, were totally eclipsed.

In my entire lifetime, I have never had a totally ‘flyless’ soup. I very well know that even if there were no actual flies floating on the bowl when it is brought to the table, there would have been one, perhaps in the kitchen, where the chef would have deftly removed. Flies are everywhere. They are called household pests but we should not, in our haste to oversimplify, forget, that they are also common. And it is precisely the wealth of this common crowd that makes the uncommon seem ever so special. It is this average typicality that demarcates the regular from the exceptional. And when even the President of India makes time to mingle with the ordinary crowd, however pressing his commitments, it would have made sense for some of the ‘cream’ to exhibit a tiny layer of their intelligence, by making themselves available to the interested public- especially the students. Like a few so graciously did (Mr. Girish Karnad took a day off to circulate amidst the students of Nizam’s college). The present young brain is after all, the future of tomorrow. And who knows in that common crowd may lurk a few uncommon voices- unseen, unheard, just because they have yet to cross the bridge that the elite already have.

As for the organizers of the sumptuous soup (not an ordinary one, mind you- neither the soup nor the cooks), it is only fair to listen to their woes. This was a ‘members only’ International Conference and even without wanting to, they did politely accommodate those that were really interested, on payment. All said and done, none of our academic institutions could have provided the space (six parallel sessions were on simultaneously). None of them have the infrastructure to deal with the sizeable amount of requirements for a Conference of this standard. In fact, there were hiccups even with the five star facilities on the first day, regarding the PA system. And last, but not the least, as far as I know, caste and creed was never the criteria to determine the membership. This has always been an emotional tool to hammer in public sympathy.

Now let me clarify one more point. There is absolutely no voice behind me as I speak. Legally I am not even a member of this prestigious group of ACLALS. In fact, like many others, I woke up quite late and decided to register myself as a participant. I am grateful to the organizers for having so graciously accommodated me. Even so, till the eleventh hour I was dilly- dallying on whether I should or should not attend. I am glad I did. For it was here I got to see the multifaceted faces of humanity. It was here I got to hear the comprehensive views of society. It was here I got to taste that sumptuous soup of acumen. And for such an absolute experience, I do not mind a hundred floating flies in the bowl. After all, aren’t they the common wealth of our Nation?

Nargis Natarajan.