review of Kaw Caw Silly Point by Shriniwas Joshi

VIGNETTES Maharaj Krishen Kaw caws again Shriniwas Joshi Maharaj Krishen Kaw is a name in Himachal Pradesh (See photo). He was the Deputy Commissioner of Solan and Kangra districts and held important portfolios as secretary to the government. He left an imprint everywhere superannuating as secretary. He is a prolific writer. “Kaw Caw-Silly Point’ completes the silver jubilee of his books (See photo). He has earlier written 14 books in English from poetry to spirituality and 10 in Hindi from poetry to novel to plays. He is known for the satire on bureaucracy “Bureaucrazy Gets Crazier”. “Kaw Caw Silly Point” is an anthology of essays already published in two journals – Naad and G-files. Kaw writes, “It is an anthology of the best pieces I had written, whether under these bylines or otherwise.” There are seven parts in the book with 62 essays. But there is a Part Zero too with only one essay “Uncage the Parrot, if it Pleases Your Lordship.” The heading is enough to disclose the contents, so I am not delving on it. The entire book is so interesting that I read it in one sitting. Jug Suraiya, associate editor of The Times of India, comments, “MK Kaw’s book is funny, insightful and topical. Buy it, read it. It’ll make you chuckle and think at the same time.” I am quoting a paragraph from the essay ‘Laughter Club’: “We laugh only if it is a normal day. If there has been a plane crash or bus falling into ravine or some other major loss of life or property, we do not laugh. On a normal day, we laugh. The laughter is not soundless. It is more like Ravana’s raucous guffaw, or like a villain’s in a Bollywood film. First there are 11 bouts of laughter and these are followed by 21 elongated spells of gargantuan glee. Then we come to a halt like a huge engine being subjected to power brakes.” Kaw is Kashmiri so 10 essays in Part Three of the book deal with Kashmiris and their lifestyle. Kashmiri Pandit prefers to call himself batta. Kaw says that there are around seven lakhs battas and only 5000 out of them still live in the valley. We, in Himachal, have surnames Janartha, Nainta, etc as they are progenies of Janardan or Naina. The surnames of Kashmiri Pandits have sprung from the personal appearance of the originator of the family. If he is black, then his progeny is Kaw; if brown Kachroo; if yellow Gurtoo; if six-fingered Shangloo. If he looked like a sheep, he was called Handu; if bald Ganjoo. Kaw writes: “The Mattus managed maths, the Haks grew the famous vegetable and the Hashias were specialists in the art of drawing.” He digs at IAS brethren: “What was once hailed as the Steel Frame started rusting by and by. Today it is known more as the Still Frame, on account of its lack of movement and dynamism.” There are engrossing episodes of how he was miraculously cured of piles by a Sardarji; how his costly Hush Puppy shoes, a pair gifted by his daughter, were fleeced when he had gone to attend a Shanti Path; and how he learnt to use the computer and ultimately believed that ‘Internet was God.’ Kaw has been hailed for impeccable English in his earlier works by Khushwant Singh and Shobhaa De. The present book is full of sparks of good English. He writes in ‘The Channel Chase’; “Since the time we won the freedom of the skies, life has become a frenetic channel chase.” The conclusion of this essay is a lesson for Gen-Y. He says that today the majority of households boasts of TV sets, tablets and i-Pads. Each member has access to the programme of his choice in his own set. I and I is the slogan. The concept of sharing is almost forgotten. The book ‘Kaw Caw Silly Point’ is published by ‘Konark Publishers, New Delhi’ and paper-bound edition costs Rs.250 only. It is a possession worth the money for the shelf of every book-lover. TAILPIECE The waist-size of a person should decide one’s honesty. Dishonest, if it is between 35 and 40 inches; very dishonest, if it is between 40 and 50 inches; dishonest to the core, if it is above 50 inches. — Kaw Caw                               *******************