Janet Laird, aka Jana Bibi, is a smart, spirited and sweet 58-year-old. And she comes with Mr Ganguly, her pet parrot. The duo, along with a long-time maid, Mary, move into Hamra Nagar as Jana, who is of Scottish origin, inherits her grandfather’s house.
Thereon begins a lovely tale of the remote hill-town’s struggle for existence.
Betsy Woodman, who spent 10 childhood years in India, and now lives in New Hampshire, gives a delectable tale of Jana’s adventure. This is a feel-good book, the sort that makes you forget the bad news you heard in the morning. The novel plants itself suitably in the India of the 1960s, but does not assume responsibility to bear out the challenges that faced the young nation. So an aspiring singer sings Mohammed Rafi numbers, a corrupt bureaucrat extorts money from all and sundry for “expired license”, a small town faces extinction in the wake of a dam, and everyone one is ready to believe the talking parrot has magical powers.
Jana, the “good bird” in Mr Ganguly’s limited vocabulary, is wrapped in an attempt by Hamara Nagar residents to get the town “noticed” so that it is not quietly washed away by the government dam. The plan is for the town to host a conference on “Futurology” and to project it as a perfect tourist spot.
In the list of special attractions is a fortune-teller, the role that falls in the hands of Jana and Mr Ganguly.
Jana is forced to acquire a large retinue after moving into the Jolly Grant House. Besides Mary are Tilku, the barefoot messenger boy, Lal Bhahadur Pun, the chowkidar, and Munar, the sweeper. Soon, Jana begins music lessons as her savings begin to dry up and when the offer to become the city astrologer comes her way, she protests only to relent later.
The sitting room of the house is turned into her parlour complete with a crystal ball, a mirror, books, tarot cards and a signboard that reads “Jana Bibi’s Excellent Fortunes”.
The lives of Hamara Nagar people get entwined with that of Jana, who finds the town confiding in her and depending on her to deliver them from the evil bureaucrat and the greedy wife of a politician besides their individual problems. While Jana is at the centre of the story, each resident of Hamara Nagar gets to live his own life.
The Muslim tailor with his conservative beliefs must overcome his abhorrence of cinema and travel, his young wife Zohra must broker peace in her family, bureaucrat Bandhu’s wife must make her little boy speak, the emporium owner Ramachandran must fight off his debts and local newspaper editor Rambir must put the town on the news network.
Mr Ganguly is of course the star attraction of the town and the novel as well. From saying Jai Hindi and Jana Bibi Zindabad in better moods he goes on to calling Bandhu “robber”, “badmash” and “thief” in moments of rage and gets “arrested” for that.
In the middle of it all is also a son who wants his mother, Janet, to return to Scotland with him and is surprised to witness the godwill of the locals for her. Besides there are Jana’s memories of the time spent in India and of the children lost to smallpox.
Jana’s journey is not an awe-inspiring leap in time and thought but a tale that shines for its simplicity and narrative beauty. Woodman displays remarkable understanding of Indian life and its cross-currents.
What amazes you is the ease and economy with which she puts it down, something that many Indian writers writing in English struggle at.
Jana Bibi’s Excellent Fortunes is the perfect book to beat the tedium of a long journey or the bitterness of a bad day.