New Delhi, Aug. 29 -- Filter coffee. Instant coffee. Arabica. Espresso. Flat white. Cappuccino. Americano - all these different types of coffees are available on the menu cards in cafes, airport lounges and specialty restaurants. The basic ingredient, of course, is coffee, but each of these variants has different flavours - or should we say processing - for while much of the essence is preserved, something is also lost in the process of refinement. But raw, unfiltered coffee is also unique in the sense that it is closer to the soil and gives a taste of reality that boutique varieties cannot.
Unfiltered: The Little Things, by Ratna Manucha (RM), is a potpourri of three and thirty articles and eight poems about extraordinary observations of everyday life, each funny, irreverent and very much next-door. The eight poems include "Laughter", which could be read as a prelude to the book. Then there is a poem to close each of the seven sections: 'Phone Alone' ("Changing Times"), 'City Woes' ("On My Terms"), 'Quirky Kinks' ("Upside Down"), 'Social Graces' ("The Visit"), 'Forever Friends' ("Life In The Army - Is A Song"), 'Odds and Ends' ("A Child in Every Man") and 'Covid Capers', which closes with "Ceaseless Wonders" as an epilogue of sorts.
Most columns in this compilation have appeared in the Garhwal Post - the demi-official Gazetteer of Dehradun - for if a milestone has not been reported on its pages, it hasn't occurred at all. Thus, most of Ratna's loyal readers in the Valley of Doon have probably read most, if not all, of these articles. However, since this cheerful book and review have an audience well beyond this beautiful city, let me share my thoughts on the entries in this offering.
We begin with the poems. "Laughter" reminds us that wrinkles on the faces of senior citizens are actually laughter lines to be proud of, while "Changing Times" has a lament from an old oak tree whose brothers have all been chopped up and taken away. "A Child in Every Man" tells us that the child present in every person must be encouraged to come out now and then to forget the strife of life. Finally, we have "Ceaseless Wonders": "The first light at dawn/ The red gold of the sky/ The peaceful gliding of the swans/ And the clouds sailing by."
We will now take up each section sequentially. 'Phone Alone' has six entries on how senior citizens are learning to cope with the ubiquitous cell phone, which has replaced the 'man's wallet' and the ladies' 'lacy handkerchief' as companion status symbols, but with a difference. This device screams for and gets attention, unlike the staid old landline, which sat placidly in the room and often did not ring for hours. The cell phone, however, is hyper even at siesta time. Emojis are the new shorthand, and PayTM is the preferred mode of financial transaction. The little paper phone books of the past now have archival value only for their owners: no more, no less.
In 'City Woes', Ratna regrets the loss of the tall eucalyptus trees on Rajpur Road and along the Parade Ground; even the verdant greens of the PBG estate have given way to yet another concrete museum/auditorium. We have heard of VIPs, but she also talks of PTBs (Powers That Be), who issue inane advisories to 'keep your city clean' even as they are responsible for potholes which breed mosquitoes of all shades, shapes and sizes. In "My Countrymen, My Rules", RM rues the civic habits of fellow citizens who litter under the impression that some divine magic wand will clear the garbage away. While Uttarakhand promotes itself as a wedding destination and offers concessions for film crews, she wonders whether the hills have the carrying capacity to bear this additional load.
"Quirky Kinks" is about oniomaniacs who have a 'compulsive shopping disorder'. Inspired by recently invented days devoted to Valentines, mothers, teachers, fathers, daughters, sisters, brothers and Best Friends Forever, they shop endlessly and balance the guilt by saying their purchases are ethical, sustainable, recyclable and have low carbon footprints! She then devotes a chapter to how she, as a MANucha-by-marriage, looks at mandarins, manoeuvres, mankind, manifestation, mannequins, mangoes, manicures, manhunts, manuals and maniacs. It appears that the entire vocabulary is loaded in favour of man!
Walking Corpse Syndrome (WCS) is the newest coping mechanism, with an RM copyright, to be used liberally when anyone responds to a how-do-you-do with a litany of complaints from heart issues to sciatica and knee replacements. As this is a new and special kind of problem which only readers of her column know, it leads to the other person scurrying for cover. This opens the fifth section on 'Social Graces', which also has a chapter on how prayer meetings end up in inane chatter and potential matchmakers do not even spare young women still in mourning. 'Passing the Parcel' is about how gifts for Diwali, birthdays and anniversaries are routinely packed and repacked - but as social circles are nearly the same, there are embarrassing moments when the original gifter gets her own parcel back! Army wives learn the hard way that regimental colours are never red and yellow, but scarlet and gold, and that the COW (Commanding Officer's Wife) is not to be questioned, for she knows what is best for the CO and the battalion under his command.
"Friends Forever" is a tribute to all the Rimcolians who assemble year after year for their reunion from 12-14 March and have the incredible capacity to laugh at their own jokes with greater gusto each year. But if Mr Manucha can have all the fun at the Reunion, RM informs us in "A Gal's Gal Pals" that she has her own friend circles for shopping, coffee, lunches and movies too!
The penultimate section, "Odds and Ends", has a chapter devoted to Knitflixing - a lexical innovation of the Covid times - representing knitting while watching content on Netflix. This meant pressing the pause button every two 'knit rows' to avoid jumbling up a complicated pattern. Finally, Ratna shares with us in "Covid Capers" the after-effects of staying indoors for too long, suffering from veggie woes and mask mania. But, all in all, despite the challenges and bothers life sends our way, there is "The exquisite beauty of the first snowflake/ The gentleness of the falling snow/ The tranquillity, the beauty and the peace/ Will God's wonders ever cease?"
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.