CBC BOOK CLUB

Dahanu Road has been chosen for the CBC's Studio One Book Club. Hosted by the lovely Sheryl MacKay, and broadcast on her show North by Northwest, I'll be discussing the novel and its colourful inhabitants May 31st. I did my first ever interview with Sheryl MacKay after my play The Matka King was workshopped at the Arts Club Theatre in 2002. The play is set in the red light district and has a eunuch as the main character; when my granny heard the interview back home she said to me over the phone: "You spoke about the brothels so well! Congratulations!" She passed away the next year, but I do hope she shows up for the Dahanu Road discussion. My granny loved to drink. There's a lot of whiskey in the novel, and very little whiskey, I assume, in heaven.

ZOROASTRIAN SYMBOL ON TOTEM POLE IN OTTAWA

A recent article in India's Zoroastrian weekly, the Jam-e-Jamshed, caught my attention:

"Each figure on the Totem Pole represents a symbol, which the Native people believe is very meaningful to their culture and traditions. The highest honour is given to the Zoroastrian religion, which is depicted with the engraved figure of the 'Asho Farohar.'"

That's the winged angel right at the top.

As I had mentioned in one of my earlier entries, the fravashi (Asho Farohar) encourages a humen being's soul to take rebirth on Earth and acts as a guiding force. Rebirth is something I naturally believe in. No matter how much we advance technologically, as a race we regress when it comes to what really matters. Humility, compassion, courage -- we seem to need lifetimes to understand, let alone master, these. In this life, if I get even one of these right, I'll consider myself a success.

A COCONUT GROVE BY THE BEACH

Sometimes I'd come on my motorcycle and just stand here, watch the trees move. It's a very calming place, one of those spots where no people are visible. There's a line in the book: "The branch of a coconut tree reached for him, and their leaves always made him think of large eyelashes..." I'd wait here a few minutes and the moment a car or motorycle passed by, the stillness was broken and it was time to move on. Just one of those patches of earth you wish you could carry with you when you move to another country.

ANNA'S CHAI STALL

To the Iranis, Anna's chai stall is one of Dahanu's most prized possessions. Each morning, after making a round of their chickoo farms, the Iranis gather here for tea, coffee, or Pepsi. Cigarette smoke gives the place a sinister haze, like fog in a cemetery. The crowds have dwindled now at Anna's because some of its regular customers have passed away, but I still remember the raucous laughter, the jokes, the political diatribes, and the conversations in different tongues that made Anna's a brothel of languages. A line from the novel: "All languages knew each other well, were familiar with the twists and turns of each other's bodies, and were not afraid to inhale the pungent smell of each other's underarms."

It was wonderful to see the Iranis arrive on motorbikes each morning -- on Kawasakis, Hondas, Yamahas, BMWs (and a couple of sorry mopeds) -- and line up outside this tiny chai place; giant men with thick forearms and handlebar moustaches sipping tea from tiny glasses. Forget Starbucks. I'm opening a series of Anna franchises in Canada. The Iranis will be part of the decor, like the girls at Hooters. Except that the Iranis are hairy and have handlebar moustaches. But why discriminate?

THE SACRED TEXTS

The Khordeh Avesta, or "The Little Avesta," is the sacred book of the Zoroastrians. However, Zarathushtra was a poet-prophet. He composed sacred hymns known as the "Gathas", and his teachings were handed down orally through the priesthood. It is believed that Alexandar destroyed a lot of the written teachings and massacred Zoroastrian priests during the seige of Persepolis. All that remains is the Khordeh Avesta.

But here's something that may not be found in any holy book. It's what my aunt told me years ago, and the simplicity of the image has stayed with me to this day:

Our prayers travel upwards in the form of rays of light. If the prayer is genuine, it is intercepted by an angel who is specially trained to answer prayers. The strength of the beam of light depends entirely on the sincerity and selflessness of the prayer.

I love the idea of angels roaming the heavens, watching over Earth, responding to light that, for a change, comes from us.

READINGS ON APRIL 22 AND APRIL 26

I'll be reading from Dahanu Road on Thursday, April 22, at 7.45 pm as part of the North Shore Writers festival. Venue: North Vancouver City Library. The event is free, but seating is limited.

ttp://www.northshorewritersfestival.ca/

And on Apri 26th, a reading with Yann Martel at the Kay Meek Centre in West Van. I did my first ever reading with Yann Martel in 2004 when The Cripple and His Talismans was published. It wasn't good for me. Got used to reading to 400 people.

http://www.kaymeekcentre.com/on_stage/868

FEATURE IN THE GLOBE AND MAIL

A well-written article about DAHANU ROAD (and myself) in today's Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/anosh-iranis-story-born-from-history/article1533264/

Bombay and Dahanu do inspire and haunt me at the same time -- perfect catalyst-muses for a writer; Canada, on the other hand, with its wide open spaces and receptive readers, makes for a great canavas. I prefer to write here. This place is designed for creation.