Book Review: Exit West - Mohsin Hamid

If you must read only one book in 2018, let it be this.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017.

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"...everyone migrates, even if we stay in the same house our whole lives, because we can't help it. We are all migrants through time."

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Exit West is a borderline dystopian novel that, unfortunately, is also a faithful reflection of the times we live in. It is a love story set against the backdrop of civil war and a global refugee crisis. Nadia and Saeed, the central characters, belong to an unnamed city in a country left deliberately unnamed. For all we know, it could be Syria, Afghanistan, or Pakistan, the author's home country. The ambiguity serves to drive home the fact that war and migration aren't issues specific to a region - they are universal, and neither rich nor poor countries can remain bereft of their impact.

The protagonists are mutually antithetical. Nadia lives alone, rides a motorcycle, doesn't pray, and wears the Abaya or long black robes (and I quote) "so that men don't fuck with her". Saeed lives with his parents, is devout, likes to pray sometimes, and is a romantic. They both work white-collar jobs and meet in an evening class. Their romance grows, slowly and surreptitiously, even as war is breaking out in their country.

Adding an element of magic realism to the story, there are doors opening up across the world that can transport people to other places - better or worse. The doors in strife-hit and poor countries are heavily guarded and monopolised, for there is always a premium to be paid if you want to escape misery. The doors in the rich countries in the west are, however, left unguarded, so it isn't long before the western world starts swelling with refugees. They are everywhere, in tin and tarpaulin camps, occupying abandoned houses, and out on the streets. The western world is up in arms, unable to fathom what to do with their rising numbers. The series of events is remarkably reminiscent of the global refugee crisis that peaked in 2014-15, and the outrage and rise in regulations that were seen in many European countries.

As their city falls into the hands of the militants, Nadia and Saeed pay a hefty sum to escape through one such door to the safety of a faraway land. As they navigate through squalid refugee camps and pass through more doors into new lands and circumstances, they each evolve into different people over time. As Hamid writes, “Every time a couple moves they begin, if their attention is still drawn to one another, to see each other differently, for personalities are not a single immutable color, like white or blue, but rather illuminated screens, and the shades we reflect depend much on what is around us.”

Their journey as refugees to places where they are unwanted brings them face to face with the fundamental conflict underlining migration - is the false promise held by a new land preferable to the misery of one's own troubled homeland?

At its heart, Exit West isn't just about migration or war but about the banality of human life and relationships even in troubled times. 

“It might seem odd that in cities teetering at the edge of the abyss young people still go to class—in this case an evening class on corporate identity and product branding—but that is the way of things, with cities as with life, for one moment we are pottering about our errands as usual and the next we are dying, and our eternally impending ending does not put a stop to our transient beginnings and middles until the instant when it does.”

Through Exit West, Mohsin Hamid speaks of how love flourishes and ebbs in the nooks and corners of a conservative society. Of how people come close and drift apart as love evolves through space and time.

Most of all, the novel speaks of the normalisation of fear and of the transient nature of human existence. It lays bare the inner workings of a migrant's mind, leaving the reader surprised at their rather commonplace and humdrum troubles even in the middle of crisis. 

Through Nadia and Saeed's eyes, we are shown the different kinds of relationship one can share with their roots, their people, and their native land. Throughout the book, Hamid talks fluidly about geography, belonging, and nativity. By leaving their home country ambiguous, the author lets the reader grasp the universality of the migrant's predicament without pinning it to the specific conditions of one country or region. I also sense an underlying emphasis on the shared experience of being human. Whether you are a migrant escaping to a foreign land or a native living a comfortable life, love and loss are essential to the human experience and are what unite us all. And so, while there are so many quotable paragraphs sprinkled through the book, this one is my favourite:

“...we are all children who lose our parents, all of us, every man and woman and boy and girl, and we too will all be lost by those who come after us and love us, and this loss unites humanity, unites every human being, the temporary nature of our being-ness, and our shared sorrow, the heartache we each carry and yet too often refuse to acknowledge in one another...”

Exit West is about many things, including but not limited to the present political climate and the refugee predicament. It is as much about love and loss as it is about belonging and displacement, and the eternal tendency of humanity to endure in the face of adversity.

When I turned the last page of this book, there was a lump in my throat but a touch of a smile on my lips. It felt as if I had travelled around the world in 228 pages. As if I had lived an entire life. I had even aged a little. I was happy, sad, and oddly nostalgic.

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“In this group, everyone was foreign, and so, in a sense, no one was.”

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The fresh, lyrical quality of Mohsin Hamid's writing makes Exit West a gripping read. It is possibly the only book this year that I picked up and finished in one straight sweep without getting distracted or losing attention midway, which is saying a lot. Hamid uses long sentences - an act of blasphemy according to most writing coaches - but he does so with such alacrity and clarity of thought that it brings the characters' internal contradictions and dilemmas to life.

I loved this book so much that I am now afraid to pick up his earlier books for fear I may not like them as much. If there is indeed one book you read in 2018, make it Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. It'll be a rewarding start to your reading journey in the new year. And on that note...

Happy new year, everyone! 💕 

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Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Published 2017 by Penguin Random House India

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This is where you get the best desserts in Hyderabad

I was recently on my very first trip to Hyderabad, and I met some of my university friends for lunch in Jubilee Hills. A couple of hours into the afternoon, we were done eating and were sitting around wondering what to do next, when our friend Saransh spoke up. “There are just three things distinctive about Hyderabad: The heat, the biryani, and Conçu.” I laughed at the sudden proclamation, for it sounded like something one would say as a conversation-starter in gatherings like this. It seemed even reductive, for as I discovered during those 3 days, there are far too many things distinctive about the city of Hyderabad.

But the solemnity with which he had said it made me want to find out what this Conçu place was all about. What if it was something really worth checking out? So that's where we headed next for dessert.

Now I have a huge thing for French decor: the pastel pinks and mint greens, those low-hanging lampshades, the easy sophistication, and oh, the daintiness of it all! So when we walked up to the front facade of Conçu, guess what I might have uttered.
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But of course..."Oooh la laa!"

The front facade of Conçu is instantly inviting. Fancy, even.

Conçu in French means 'designed' or 'crafted'. Located in a nondescript by-lane of Jubilee Hills, a posh suburb of Hyderabad, the patisserie has a pale sea-green facade and peach doors. There's open-air seating in the foyer, perfect for the pleasant Hyderabadi evenings, and wooden tables and bay-window seats inside for when it's hot outside, which is most of the time. 😝

We took up a table by the window inside and decided to order. That's when the uniqueness of Conçu revealed itself to me. There was no dessert menu! You have simply to walk up to the glass counters, where a server will fish out a wooden flat tray and ask you to pick out whatever you want to eat. It's why they say Conçu is a place to take your friends and family to. You can pick out a host of different desserts - and there is a whole lot to choose from - and share them on the same plate. That way you get to taste a variety of sweet treats without having to eat them all full size.

Caramel Cheesecake, Blueberry Citrus Cheesecake, and Forest Berry Cheesecake. My favourite was the last one!

Red Velvet Cupcake, Triple Chocolate Cupcake, and Classic Opera.

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries, Bailey's Pannacotta, and Strawberry Dessert. Sadly, we didn't try any of these.

The desserts at Conçu are a lovechild of the owner Sahil Taneja and his wife Swati Upadhyay and keep changing regularly. We tried the yummy Strawberry Tart, Forest Berry Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cupcake, Classic Opera, Chocolate Eclair, some chocolate pastry I can't remember the name of, and the best Tiramisu I've ever put in my mouth. There are also savouries on offer, although very limited in choice. Each piece of heavenly goodness at Conçu costs somewhere between INR 80-250 (I don't remember the exact price range, but this is a good enough estimate).

As the dessert pile on our tray kept receding, we began getting more and more languid. It felt like we had all died and ascended to heaven. It took us some ten minutes to gather our wits again and think about our next course of action, which by some gory twist of fate turned out to be about more food - if you count coffee and hot chocolate as 'food'.

Clockwise from L to R: Hot chocolate, Black coffee, and Cappuccino, with the most amazing chocochip cookies. 

While the various kinds of coffee we ordered were all great and the shortbread served with them oh-so-gooood, the hot chocolate was somewhat of a let down. It was exceedingly thin and sweet, so much that we were trying to make one another finish it by the end. But certainly a small price to pay for experiencing the best bakery in Hyderabad.

Happy, sleepy, and utterly high on sugar and caffeine. 

The gang, with me in the middle.

Back from Hyderabad, when I decided to write about my experience of Conçu, I Googled the bakery. Only to find out it is indeed the highest-rated bakery in Hyderabad! With a rating of 4.7 on Zomato and 4.9 on Dineout, Conçu speaks for itself on the internet. So now I definitely know where to go for the best desserts in Hyderabad, and so do you.

Karachi bakery, with several decades of excellence behind it and outlets across the city, was a close second on my bucket list of experiences to have in Hyderabad. Another Hyderabad bakery I had heard about and wanted to check out was Labonel, though I had to save it for another time. But there's a lot more I saw and did on my first trip to the city of biryani and pearls.

Stay hooked for more discoveries from my Hyderabad tour! ☺

You can also connect with me on Facebook and Instagram for instant updates on my wanderings or to drop me a message.

Did you know there is a Wildlife Sanctuary in Delhi?!

I asked this question in one of my Instagram stories, and a majority of those who replied said, "No way!" So, it turns out, people really don't know there lies a full-fledged wildlife sanctuary across the road from Tughlaqabad Fort at the far southern edge of Delhi.

It is called Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary and is comprised of nearly 7000 acres of semi-arid forest area in the northern-most extension of the Aravalli Hills, one of the oldest mountain systems in the world.

Historical Background of Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

There was uncertainty regarding the legal status of the region until 1986, when certain areas owned by the Gram Sabhas of villages Asola, Sahurpur and Maidan Garhi were notified as a Wildlife Sanctuary by the Delhi administration.
The adjoining Bhatti village, from the early 1960s until as recently as 1990, was home to unregulated and unscientific open-pit mining/quarrying of building material that was transported to the city of Delhi to fuel its developmental aspirations. The mines were owned by local Gujjar landlords and controlled by a mafia of unlicensed contractors who made labourers manually excavate mineralized quartzite (Badarpur) and stone under unsafe and inhumane conditions. The illegal mining was legalised in 1975 by the State administration by setting up checkposts and collecting octroi tax, while letting the same contractors continue operation.

After decades of mindless neglect and exploitation, it was the unfortunate death of 7 mine workers in an accident in 1991 that pressured the government into putting a stop to the scourge. The mines were officially closed in April 1991 and the area was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary, although it took another decade to completely eradicate unauthorised mining operations from Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.

Restoration of green cover in the area

An Eco-Task Force was created by the Delhi government in 2000, which over the last ten years has successfully restored lush green forests in this former wasteland. The restorative operations of the ETF have since been extended to the Asola part of the Sanctuary as well, a fact I have pictures to prove.

My Sunday morning expedition to Asola-Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

My high school Biology teacher had for two long years fed us the idea that she will take our class to the Asola wildlife sanctuary on a field trip. Needless to say, the plan never materialised. But it left me with a fixation to visit on my own one day. The long-lost wish adorned my desktop on a sticky note until a cold Sunday morning this November, when I woke up super early and, with an equally eccentric friend in tow, set out to explore Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.

The drive is beautiful with lush greenery on both sides of the road, right from Tughlaqabad, past Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range on Surajkund Road, leading up to Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary just short of the Delhi-Haryana border. Unfortunately, when we entered the gates of the compound, a staff member clad in a sweater and pajamas told us the sanctuary was closed on Sundays. There was an option of guided safaris with the forest officials, but tickets to those had to be booked online and well in time. We must have looked crestfallen, for he then offered us some extra info on the side: the sanctuary had virtually nothing to boast of in terms of wildlife. He said it was his duty as the caretaker to tell us the truth - that we would be wasting our time inside.

I'd read reviews online, so I knew there is at least SOME wildlife to be found deep inside those forests. But since it was closed, we couldn't go in to find out. But he was nice enough to let us roam around the butterfly garden nearest to the gate.

 

Inside, we found labourers hard at work even at 9.30 in the morning. Soil was being upturned, trees planted, and the ground dug for a water body. There were pretty little canopies and benches to sit around and enjoy the landscaped views. Pink bougainvillea blooms dotted the tree trunks, and even though we stayed for less than half an hour, I spotted a few birds that are also commonly found in other green areas of Delhi (including my backyard). Of course, my birdwatching skills are still rusty, and the nimble little things flew away before I could capture any on the camera.

As my friend and I roamed freely through the garden, both our eyes suddenly caught the same horrific sight a few feet from where we stood: there was a skull lodged in the soft ground. On closer observation, it seemed to belong to an animal, though we couldn't figure out which one. Could it be a dog's, a monkey's, or a Nilgai's (though that seems unlikely)? Let me know in the comments if you know or have a better guess. It will keep bugging me until I know.

We walked as far as this sign that indicated that Black Bucks were to be found deeper inside. Since we didn't want to be caught trespassing on a Sunday morning, we turned and walked out of the gates, disappointed at the turn of events. I'd honestly gone in with high expectations, going by the reviews I'd read on Tripadvisor, but I guess I should have gone on a better day and perhaps a bit earlier in the morning. Nevertheless, we drove away from the sanctuary, planning to explore the Tughlaqabad Fort next. On our way back, I was generally looking at the scrubby forested landscape on my left, a little lower in height than the road. All of a sudden, my gaze caught something cleverly hidden behind short trees and dry bushes. I yelled at the top of my voice and we ground to a halt. 

There was a Nilgai sitting in the foliage, calmly looking on as the traffic passed on the road. My yelling may have been a bit of an over-reaction, for Nilgais are found all over Gurgaon, Haryana, and on the Yamuna Expressway around Delhi. But this unexpected incident of wildlife spotting made the whole morning expedition to Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary seem worth all the trouble.

My incredible Bear Grylls moment

The creature was well camouflaged behind the scrubs, but I wanted to get a better shot. So I slowly climbed down the side of the road, making eye contact with the Nilgai throughout to preempt any sudden movements and be prepared to save my ass. But while it stared right back at me, it looked bored and did not stir. I did not end up getting very good pictures, but the whole experience felt like an adventure. For a moment there, I even thought of myself as Bear Grylls. Thankfully, the moment passed as soon as I was back on the road.

To sum up, even though the government caretaker thinks otherwise, I still have hopes from Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. There has got to be some wildlife back there! I know from extensive Google searching that deep inside the Bhatti part of the sanctuary, there is a gorgeous Neeli Jheel (blue lake) flanked by nice picnic spots. There are several bird species and herds of Nilgai also to be spotted, though I doubt if there would be a single Black Buck. Nevertheless, I plan to wake up at an ungodly hour on a Saturday sometime soon and go find out more. I'll write again if I find something. So stay tuned, fellow Delhiwallas and wildlife enthusiasts, for more exclusive scoop on Delhi's very own Wildlife Sanctuary. 😁