Dear Editor,
Ryhaan Shah, in her letter of January 24 (‘A completely different take on Bhattacharya’s book’), criticises The Sly Company of People Who Care, the recent book by Rahul Bhattacharya, for its presentation of four-letter words and violence to women in depicting the Guyanese culture, and she is upset at persons (me included) praising the work. Ms Shah’s ire is directed in the wrong place.
In the first place, as her letter reveals, and as I originally wrote, the book is a deadly accurate representation of our culture – more accurate than any I have ever read. In short, it is the real Guyana, warts and all. Bhattcharya’s book simply holds up a mirror to the Guyanese culture, so you’re wasting your time looking to smash the mirror; you should instead be looking to fix the condition that upsets you, not the mirror that reflects it. If you don’t see Guyana as often a “crude and sordid” place, you’re obviously choosing not to see.
The book is not selective; it presents Guyana whole. The writer shows the imagination and ingenuity and zest for life in our people, along with our decadence and egregiousnes. Is Ms Shah suggesting that Bhattacharya should have presented a sanitised Guyana, dealing only with the former and avoiding the latter? Should he have portrayed a Guyana where nobody swears, nobody is inhumane or selfish, nobody is violent? What are we doing when we hide parts of the reality of who are? That would be doctored reality. It would be criticized as such and rightly so.
For those who “wince or feel uncomfortable” about aspects our culture (my hand is up), the work to be done is in the people within the culture, and in its institutions, and yes, its artists, doing their part to remedy such things not to rail against someone who, intentionally or otherwise, is spotlighting them. In that context, therefore, instead of slamming Bhattacharya we should be grateful; his book is showing us what we need to fix. Ms Shah, in her righteous anger, is blaming the messenger; right arrow, wrong target.
Yours faithfully,
Dave Martins
