Book Review: Salt and Sawdust

Like I had mentioned earlier, I have always been a great fan of R K Narayan. An Indo- Anglian writer who could come out with a style of his own and who could write in a manner that could appeal to all- he still remains unique and I strongly believe there cannot be another Indian writer ever who could get into his shoes. Salt and Sawdust is a collection of short stories and essays by the celebrated author- all written in his own simple, humorous style. The stories- Salt and Sawdust and Guru- are extremely interesting. The first one deals with a housewife who is so bad at cooking that she cannot differentiate between salt and sawdust. She spends all her time writing a book and ironically, finds herself the author of a best selling cookery book, thanks to ample support from her husband, an expert cook. The second one- Guru deals with a miserly old man who cares only about money, not even bothering about his wife and daughters and how in his old age, he finally pays the price for all his miserly misdeeds. The writer then takes us to what he calls a new form of writing- Table Talk. Apparently, this was a term coined during one of his discussions with N Ram, Editor of Frontline and deals with matters of the kind one generally discusses over the coffee table with one’s friends. These are small essays on sometimes relevant and otherwise, frivolous topics- all dashed with R K Narayan’s brand of subtle humor. The choice of topics for his essays are an eclectic mix- if some deals with Narayan’s own experiences in various lands- Frankfurt, Manila and US of A; there are some that deal with his apathy towards forcing Hindi upon south Indians, especially during the advent of Doordarshan. If there is one that deals with the life of Magsasay, there is another that pokes fun at the corrupt ministers in the country. Salt and Sawdust does not belong to the intellectual reading category, but it definitely is the best bet when you have nothing else to do. It is rocket fast and brings a smile on your lips!