Jhumpa Lehri read from her story book "UNACCUSTOMED EARTH"

Yesterday at 7:30 PM Jhumpa Lehri almost a native daughter of Rhode Island,product of its schools and by proxy URI(since she was exposed to its culture as her father was employed by URI as a librarian),read from her latest book UNACCUSTOMED EARTH".This book has eight stories .I have not read the book yet from superficial perusing it seems to follow the life of immigrant youth in America in seventies and its many representations.By the way Dr Dilip Datta who is a dear friend and is recuperating in nursing home told me that he taught Jhumpa how to ride a bike.I am not sure if any of her stories are connected with that.They say all of her writings are some what biographical.Most of her stories seem to be about eighteen thousand words for any body who is keeping count of this sort of useless information.

She read from the middle of her trilogy of stories in the end of the book .It was a monotonous reading almost the way i read to my self most of the time.Narrator is a young man of Indian descent ( from Bombay).Narrator addresses a young woman (American)as you, who is a childhood friend of the family.The Scene revolved around narrator visiting his father and his new stepmother and two stepsisters.His father has remarried as his mother has died .It is very interesting,what is going on in the young mans mind .His dealings with this newer Bengali Immigrants who have landed as his close relatives in his life and seems without any permission from him.He is bothered by youth of his step mother who is not much older than himself.Jhumpa's details puts reader or listener in the middle of the scene her pictures take vibrant colour they possess.Her description of minute details make listener aware of the characters very vividly.She is indeed a master wordsmith.I would describe her as master word painter.

This is the second time I have met a Pulitzer prize winner.In this case from a distance as i was part of the 1000 or so members of the audience of Demystifying India Colloquium.Other time it was very intimate where Subhash and me had visited Albert Albee the playwright in his (loft) home in 1990 or so.HE was generous with his time. we had several hours and i think we have a tape of about an hour of conversation which he allowed to record graciously.Subhash had given him a Ganesh Idol.He accepted it graciously.He talked about Kafka.He very graciously made tea for us in his kitchen while we watched him.

Subhash had studied his plays and i had not known of him at all.Now i know he is very shy and is the only author to win three Pulitzers. His Video interview may be one of the rare interviews by two unknown people.

Attendance by 1000 people shows that reading and writing is alive and well in this time of history.Thanks to URI for the opportunities it provide.