This is a section of the story I particularly love...
Acha had left Kerala as a young man of 24, with a bachelor's degree, a little work experience as a taluk officer and five hundred rupees in his pocket. He had gone directly to Malaysia. Acha's oldest sister had married a man from Malaysia and Acha was convinced that he would have better prospects of finding a job and helping his own father to support the family there. Acha was determined and clever. He changed his accent by teaching himself English using the pronunciation guides inside the Random House Dictionary. He applied to become an English teacher and quickly gained his certification. It didn't take him long to secure himself a job first at the technical college and then at the University teaching English Literature. Pretty soon, his younger brother joined him in Malaysia. They were gregarious men and quickly made friends with the other bachelor teachers there. This was the part of Acha's life Sumi knew so little about. There were tantalising snippets of stories, beer and pigeon hunting, billiards and wild boar, fishing and crabbing and a care-free existence. Acha rarely spoke about these times, and when he did, Amma seemed to sense it somewhere deep in her soul. She would magically materialise and Acha would clam-up. No amount of prodding or cajoling on Sumi or Shalu's part would get him to open up again. Sumi liked to think of this time in Acha's life as his secret treasure box. The treasure he kept guarded from everyone - even Amma. The part of himself that was truly him. The only part of himself that he didn't share with Amma.
Acha had left Kerala as a young man of 24, with a bachelor's degree, a little work experience as a taluk officer and five hundred rupees in his pocket. He had gone directly to Malaysia. Acha's oldest sister had married a man from Malaysia and Acha was convinced that he would have better prospects of finding a job and helping his own father to support the family there. Acha was determined and clever. He changed his accent by teaching himself English using the pronunciation guides inside the Random House Dictionary. He applied to become an English teacher and quickly gained his certification. It didn't take him long to secure himself a job first at the technical college and then at the University teaching English Literature. Pretty soon, his younger brother joined him in Malaysia. They were gregarious men and quickly made friends with the other bachelor teachers there. This was the part of Acha's life Sumi knew so little about. There were tantalising snippets of stories, beer and pigeon hunting, billiards and wild boar, fishing and crabbing and a care-free existence. Acha rarely spoke about these times, and when he did, Amma seemed to sense it somewhere deep in her soul. She would magically materialise and Acha would clam-up. No amount of prodding or cajoling on Sumi or Shalu's part would get him to open up again. Sumi liked to think of this time in Acha's life as his secret treasure box. The treasure he kept guarded from everyone - even Amma. The part of himself that was truly him. The only part of himself that he didn't share with Amma.
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