Overcoat of memories

“We all came out of Gogol’s ‘Overcoat’”.

Cryptic words and one that burdens an immigrant’s son for most of his adolescent life, as Ashoke Ganguli leaves his son, Nikhil ‘Gogol’ Ganguli a book from Nikolai Gogol as a graduation present. That it took four months to locate and purchase is lost on Gogol, but the book holds more value that he acknowledges first up.

Mira Nair’s adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel ‘The Namesake’ is an art film with a difference: it caught my fancy, and very few of them do. It traces the lives of two Bengali (a husband and wife) immigrants, who married as strangers and moved to New York, and their first generation Americanized children. That Ashoke and Ashima’s first born was named Gogol is mildly humorous, the reasons for doing so are more emphatic. It highlights the difference between West and East, and the perceived lack of understanding of each other’s cultures. And so this divide continues to exist in the lives of the Gangulis, as they move up in life, both professionally and personally. Ashoke and Ashima grow to love each other, respect each other, and ultimately value each other in their lives. Theirs is a story of the perfect arranged marriage, highlighting the virtues of the traditional Indian matrimonial system. That it doesn’t work now is not the point: this was 1977, not 2007.

I will not bore you with details, nor spoil it for those who haven’t had the opportunity to either read the book or watch the movie. It is tastefully done, with soft colors, mild environments and an amazingly soothing musical score from Nitin Sawhney. While the growing pains of Gogol could’ve been more dramatized, the generational gap conflict was handled in good taste. There was no storming out of rooms, loud yelling of parents/children, nor rebellious to the point of sadistic behavior from either side. It appealed to the logic, not the heart, and thereby offered more connection with practicality. Interspersed with light humor, and witty dialogues, the movie was one in which you didn’t sit and wish the hour hands to speed up to the end.

Perhaps two scenes stick out from the movie, and I’ve dwelled on them since I’ve seen it. Both occur towards the end, and both are reminiscent of the times that we live in today. As two of the protagonists (keeping in line with the non-spoiling idea) walk to the banks of the Ganges to sprinkle the ashes on the holy water, a group of kids are busy somersaulting in the background, and doing general tricks in the water like it was a normal day. A poignant scene, it gave you a life-goes-on feeling, and one that is typical of India. Despite the tragedy that goes on everyday, people rarely stop to look and help you. The other is Ashima’s farewell speech, one which moves the heart to realize just how far we travel in life, and when we finally come to a rest in the place where we started from, we miss the little things that make life worthwhile. In her case, it was the life she shared with her husband and children in New York, one that she’ll remember as she fulfills her lifelong wish of going back home to India. And what of Gogol? Will he ever find his home?

Gogol’s journey of self discovery continues, even today, in us. Being born outside our home country, it is easy for us to understand his pains and his sufferings in dealing with his parents. He reproaches the ‘traditional’ approach, claiming it to be decadent in the society he lives in, and advocates for the ‘modernist’ way of life that Americans lead. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The traditions of our ancestors seem cumbersome today, a burden that we have to carry purely because we’re descendants. But if we stop to look, and look deep inside, we realize that the tradition is our identity.


Much has been made of India’s progress over the last 5 years, and as we stand on the cusp of superpower status, we tend to forget the virtues that led us there. Hard work, dedication, and moral responsibility are all hallmarks of the Indian workforce. Today, we wish to pride ourselves in our innovativeness, our ruthlessness and our cunning. It’s like a business and its core competency. When we change the latter, the former automatically changes. The Americans realized that, and they stuck to what they do best: innovate. They’re not pretentious enough to think that they can slog their way to the top… they just slug it out when they reach there on the back of another’s effort. We should realize what ours is and stick to it. There’s no point in changing for the sake of change: just ask the Indian cricket team. We prove that our way is best, not someone else’s.

Gogol Ganguli has his own demons to conquer, his own memories to make peace with. And speaking of memories...

Appreciation from Grade 9: Had an appendectomy… was quite painful… the scar’s still there as well

Lower Sixth: A birthday card… for me…

Thank you to Patrick (yes, I still remember who made the card) and Karan (well, that one was easy… your name was plastered all over it!)… Thanks to those who were in school with me, I don’t fight with many memories. To you all, I owe a deep debt of gratitude. School was always the best for me

And I sign off with the single most important thing I’ve taken from The Namesake:

It was on a train that Ashoke met a stranger, who gave him the advice that would change his life: ''Do yourself a favor,'' the man said. ''Before it's too late, without thinking too much about it first, pack a pillow and a blanket and see as much of the world as you can. You will not regret it. One day it will be too late.''

All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go,
I’m standing here outside your door,
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye