Through This Land of Little Things

Through This Land of Little Things, by Gracy John, is a beautiful piece of literature providing a good reading about the land she was born, educated and nested her family. She describes the beauty of the surroundings, the serenity of the churches, temples and mosques, and the dedication of the teachers to their students and their welfare. She gives a description of the culture, value system, level of education, occupation, eating habits, system of marriage, attitude towards challenges in life, and so on of five consecutive generations of people. The stories narrated here are her own life stories as she has seen and experienced or as heard from her mother. Part one of this book is a wonderful description of the beauty of a small southern State in India, called Kerala. Kerala is often referred to as ‘God’s own Land’, because of its scenic beauty - the paddy fields, tea estates and so on. Another title the back waters of Kerala has earned is ‘The Venice of the East’ because of the beautiful oceans, lagoons, rivers and canals in and around this ‘Beauty Queen’. This book takes you through all these lovely places. Part two is a good feast for all the Bombayites and all those who have heard about the famous ‘Mumbai’, the city of glamour and money. The author describes how she was wonderstruck at the fast moving electric trains through the Central, Western and Harbor lines. She was in a wonderland as ‘Alice’ was, when she first visited Bombay. She didn’t have enough words to describe the architectural beauty of the British style of buildings in the Fort and Colaba area. It is interesting to find words from three different languages freely used here and there in this book. Every Bombayite will be excited to find something common with his or her culture in this book. Every non-Indian will be thrilled to go with the author to the different places and educational institutions and have a taste of the Syrian Christian fish curry and chicken masala. This book is a wealth of information about India and the Indians to any Westerner, who seeks to know more about different countries. It is a refreshing reading to the young and old alike.