Marisa R Ng

Table Talk

The invitation

The “Table Talk” series of paintings aims to open up dialogues on our heritage, race, culture and its traditions. It's about how we live and how the future generations will too.

My father is Chinese. My mother is Malay. I was raised by the Chinese side in a Malay community. My neighbours are predominantly Malay. I am proud to say that I grew up in Malaysia, a multi-cultural country. Coming from a huge family, my childhood experiences were going to Chinese restaurants for dinners with our extended family and dining at round tables. We always had family dinners at the round table at home. A family that eats together stays together, and because we only have 1 round dining table, the family gathers there. There, we share food, stories and create wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. This is called tradition.

The Chinese have always emphasized unity in their culture. The word “unity” has similar pronunciations with the words “round” or “circle”. The circle also represents fulfilment, oneness and perfection. A big family has always been a symbol of strength, wealth and power in ancient China and this ideology is still prevalent today. So fundamentally, in order to fit everyone at a table so they can talk to each other simultaneously, a round table is a must. The Chinese love having lots of dishes on the table and in the partaking of meals together. This means that round tables are the best for large presentations of dishes and everything is within reach of everyone. Dining tables in Chinese communities are usually in round shapes instead of long tables. There are two reasons for this. First of all, round tables keeps people closer. People can talk face to face easily around the table without yelling at each other. Second, “round” in Chinese is ‘yuán’ and the Chinese word for “reunion” is ‘tuányuán’. Therefore, the round shape symbolizes “the gathering of family” in Chinese communities.

We all have a table like this in our homes. It is a symbol of our union with our families, representing our sentiments and attachments to our families. In less than 2 weeks an annual epic migration will take place in all Chinese communities. Millions of people, men and women, young and old, the rich and the poor will find a way to return home to the round table - reuniting them with their families. The Chinese New Year reunion dinner is an annual feast where family members reaffirm the love and respect that binds them together as a unit. This event is of a sociological and traditional significance as it ensures the solidarity of the family and its cohesiveness.

The round table is relevant, practical and symbolic in cultures worldwide. Almost everything can be solved at the round table. The round table is where celebrations takes place. Where marriage vows are announced between loving couples. The mourning of the deceased. The negotiations between business partners and state banquets to welcome a president from other country; can all happen on the same round table. It is a place where millions of unique stories have been shared.

I live in a predominantly Malay neighbourhood where Malay weddings are held. Rows upon rows of round tables will be lined up in front of their houses, spilling on to the streets where the “kenduri kahwin” feasts take place. Similarly, Malaysian weddings (Chinese, Indian and Malay) that are held at local municipal halls can consist of up to 100 round tables. These unions are big events in Malaysia.

While the food on the table may change, the people at the table may come and go. The reasons why we come together varies but the significance behind it remains the same. In appreciating my multi-cultural heritage, sharing a meal together regardless of race and stature at the round table remains a true symbol of tolerance,

The union of hearts

Stories around the table

care, love and respect not only for our families, but also for our community, our nations and the world. It’s where the magic happens.

This is both how and where we connect lets do our part to promote unity!

Kunal Basu is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including Kalkatta. The Japanese Wife, from his collection of stories by the same name, has been made into an award-winning film. He has also written novels in Bengali, and for cinema. Born in Kolkata, he was educated in India and the United States. He lives in Oxford and Kolkata. You can reach him at www.kunalbasu.com

Kunal Basu is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including The Miniaturist and Kalkatta. The Japanese Wife, from his collection of stories by the same name, has been made into an award-winning film. He has also written novels in Bengali, and for cinema. Born in Kolkata, he was educated in India and the United States. He lives in Oxford and Kolkata. You can reach him at www.kunalbasu.com

Author photograph by Ajlai Basu Cover illustration and design by Pinaki De

In an Ideal World Spread FINApenguin.indd 1 Fiction

MRP `599 (incl. of all taxes)

For sale in the Indian Subcontinent only

Fiction

MRP `599 (incl. of all taxes)

Brilliantly absorbing NOVEL ravish kumar

engrossing Shashi tharoor A SEARING ACCOUNT pratap bhanu mehta GRIPPING Shobhaa DE

Brilliantly absorbing NOVEL ravish kumar

Altaf Hussein, a young Muslim student, has been abducted from his college hostel. The authorities have washed their hands off the matter and the police are accused of a cover up. Rumours claim he has gone to fight the jihad in Iraq. More sinister rumours have him tortured and murdered for opposing the Nationalist students who are on a rampage to create a Hindu homeland in India, driving out Liberal supporters like Altaf and their decadent ideals.

The divide between Liberals and Nationalists invades the Sengupta household in Kolkata when Joy, a bank manager, and Rohini, his schoolteacher wife—both compassionate humanists— learn the shocking news that their only son Bobby has become a leader of the Nationalist students and is implicated in Altaf’s disappearance. Disbelief turns to anguish when they encounter his belligerent ideology and his not-tooconvincing denial of his role in the Altaf affair.

Out to solve the mystery of Altaf, Joy and Rohini discover conspiracy and hate, forbidden love and exceptional courage, come face to face with a world caught between the real and the ideal. But will they succeed in absolving their son of the heinous crime? Will Altaf be found after all? Or will they, and this fractured land, pay the ultimate price for harbouring a fractured heart?

engrossing Shashi tharoor

22/11/21 1:22 PM

Kunal Basu is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including Kalkatta. The Japanese Wife, from his collection of stories by the same name, has been made into an award-winning film. He has also written novels in Bengali, and for cinema. Born in Kolkata, he was educated in India and the United States. He lives in Oxford and Kolkata.

Fiction

MRP `599 (incl. of all taxes)

In an Ideal World

by Kunal Basu

Brilliantly absorbing NOVEL ravish kumar

Quotes

“After a long time, I finished a novel in between two flights. I was choked by the end. So relevant and real, it sent shivers up my spine. So truthfully foreshadowing our future. A must read for all – rightists, leftists and centrists.”

Vishal Bharadwaj Award-winning film director

“Evocative, engrossing and shot through with the tension of a dangerous new era, Kunal Basu’s In an Ideal World explores the challenging dynamics of family Ties and political turmoil. Through the portrait of the

Sengupta family and the kidnapping of a Muslim student, Basu paints a disturbing picture of a country where the ties that bind us have come under intolerable strain.” engrossing

Shashi tharoorShashi Tharoor Indian parliamentarian, author and former UN Under-Secretary-General

“A gripping novel in which the political meets the personal in a ‘fractured land’”.

Shobhaa De Author and columnist

“In an Ideal World is a searing account of a world shattered by commonplace prejudices and complicity. It is a powerful meditation on communalism and its irrevocable hold on our lives. Kunal Basu’s narrative gifts shed light on the deepest divisions of our times.”

Pratap Bhanu Mehta Professor, Princeton University"

https://penguin.co.in/book/in-an-ideal-world/