FICTION: Old order, modern India

Jimmy the Terrorist begins with a startling passage as journalists, "like kites upon a fresh kill," descend upon the (fictional) town of Moazzamabad, in northern India. These parasites, who "only look good in their airconditioned studios in Delhi and Bombay," have arrived because a young Muslim man has killed a policeman. Author Omair Ahmad mercilessly and beautifully captures the fanfare of India's big-city media in small-town Uttar Pradesh because he is protective of this too-often simplified world. He aims to humanise it, to deepen it. In this regard, Jimmy the Terrorist is a spectacular success. In terms of cohesive storytelling, however, it jumps along like a scratched record. Thus the narrative feels disconnected, while the characterisation and scene-setting is as rich as a Mughlai paratha. The novel is roughly divided into half. We first follow the life of Rafiq Ansari, the father of Jamal whose nickname lends itself to the title. Rafiq is from a humble background but marries into a well-established family and thus gains access to the faded grandeur of Shabbir Manzil, the dwelling of old Muslim families and a hub of poets. It is these scenes which, for me, constitute the best parts of the book. Through the poetry recitals before the Maghrib prayers one senses the dynamics and angst of a Muslim community in decline. As the narrator explains early on in the novel, the town has been contested throughout history. However, there is no question that it is a Hindu majority town, led by opportunist and manipulative politicians, who have had the exclusive run of the place in recent times. At Shabbir Manzil, much is discussed through political complaint and Urdu poetry. One evening someone raises the heated topic of government vasectomy initiatives, another day Faiz's cutting couplets against religious orthodoxy are quoted. Of seemingly more importance is the maintenance of social position within Shabbir Manzil. The old orders of family hierarchies are firmly entrenched, and perpetuated through rigid adherence to social graces and manners. Rafiq's ambiguous relationship with his wife Shaista also smokes along with a mysterious flame. Shaista is the more dominant sexual partner, using Rafiq as if he could be anyone. The birth of their son Jamal, and Shaista's brush with death during childbirth, causes Rafiq to vow to become a better husband. He understands this pivotal moment as something men through history have always done, "becoming husbands only after they have become fathers." It is not until Shaista's death after a second baby is stillborn that Rafiq's decline starts to set in. After upsetting the rigid social order of Shabbir Manzil, he is cast out. Without family support, he soon loses his job as a teacher, eventually finding employment as an educator in religious affairs, a 'mullah' as he is disparagingly called, something he takes to with little relish at first. Rafiq's decline parallels Jamal's experience in school. Here too, social and religious pecking orders stifle personalities and personal freedom. Jimmy is excluded from the Hindu upper echelon, and in a memorable moment, is brought up in front of the headmaster after being accused of theft. Ahmad nails the ennui and power-play of institutional bureaucracy perfectly — it is the great novelistic skill displayed in this novel — and with well-crafted characters Jimmy does make friends with an actual thief, the nihilistic "Khalid the bastard". It is Khalid who eventually induces the climax of the novel, as his beating at the hands of the police leads to rioting, communal killing and curfew in the town. The book then fast-forwards itself and the eponymous act takes place. Like much of the plot, it seems too imposed and sudden. Ahmad started Jimmy the Terrorist as a short story, eventually turning it into a novel after several years. In terms of narrative, though, it often seems more like a superbly written treatment for a film. Ultimately, Jimmy the Terrorist is a patchy novel with passages of vivid storytelling. The vividness arises from scene-setting — one feels and sees and even smells the world; the patchiness arrives from perhaps an over-eager urge to explore the admittedly vital issues of community, class, religion and politics in modern India. Jimmy the Terrorist (NOVEL) By Omair Ahmad Penguin Books, India ISBN 978-0-670-08364-0 184pp. Indian Rs350