It is times when spirits, gods, and demons walk the earth and human beings live under the simplicity of Kingdom, Religion, and Agriculture. Through times like these, the author takes us on a journey across Sikkim with Tontem, a man who speaks the language of the mountains, not deciphered by his fellow Lepcha, Nepali, and Tibetan inhabitants. But the year is 1973, as Tontem had once heard someone say. Two years until the Kingdom of Sikkim becomes a permanent Indian state.
Never forget you are a servant unless you want to die eating money- The King's Harvest
With a fantasy-like narration, The Kings' Harvest presents to us bridges between Civilizations and Citizens, of eras that juxtapose yet are so disconnected.
Here’s why I loved reading the King’s Harvest by Chetan Raj Shrestha:
1. Folktale Fuses With Fairytale
As Tontem and his four children journey from their established home in the fabled Lhaizalzed to The Chogyal’s (King’s) Capital in Gangtok, he recounts the story of his life. Through his non-adulterated observations and innocent logic, the readers can envision a sensory treat of incredible happenings such as “rats on wheels” and “black stones that let people talk”. Shrestha weaves the Sikkimese culture and lifestyle seamlessly into the story and spins it with his sharp wit and humor to deliver a tale that fills you with nostalgic warmth.
2. A Peek into Sikkim’s Political Past
Although the author acknowledges that no character in his story resembles real people, the conversations between characters and the happenings around Tontem hint at the timeline when democracy entered Sikkimese soil. On stitching together bits and pieces of the subplot, we understand the incidents under which Sikkim merged with India. As the author describes Tontem’s early life in his birthplace in Toring, we also get a picture of the early relationships of trade and power between Tibet and Sikkim.
3. A Layered Interpretation of Innocence
Tontem’s reactions to his surroundings often blur the lines between indigenous knowledge and innocent ignorance. A trusting heart, gullible instinct, and unquestioning reverence for authority are both bane and boon to his character. As the story progresses, we find many instances of this gullibility being used by men of power to their selfish advantage. Some incidents filled me with fits of laughter, while some reinforced the truth that it is the order of the world for the powerful to take advantage of the power-deprived.
4. Witness Capitalism Creep Into Civilizations
In a very deliberate emphasis by the author, Tontem’s four children are named Chyadar (Tin sheets), Cimit (cement), Batti (Electricity), and Turist (Tourist), in chronology of his encounter with these products of a capitalist world. The story subtly presents the differences in the lived realities of the economically opportune and deprived citizens living under the same sovereign. The rapidity with which capitalism conquers these ancient civilizations without care for clan homes and natural landscapes that they destroy will leave you feeling guilty for being yet another capitalist consumer.
*In picture: Lachen is a town in North Sikkim district in the Indian state of Sikkim. It is located at an elevation of 2,750 metres. Lachen is a popular tourist destination and home to many native tribes of Sikkim such as the Drokpas. In the past decade, these vulnerable regions have become hotspots for flash floods, causing major devastation to life of the tribes that live there.
5. A Discourse in Disability Sensitization
While it is true that a re-learning of indigenous knowledge is relevant, some practices are better when buried in the past. Back in his village, Tontem faces ridicule for his differently formed ears. It is undeniable that not all forefathers and foremothers were compassionate towards those that looked or behaved differently. By allowing Tontem’s deformed ears to decide the fate of many incidents, the author awakens an alternative reality for those born to face societal mockery.
Via Tontem’s tumultuous journey, we understand the evolution of time, technology, and governance in the Sikkim of the 1970s. The story is quick-paced, humorous, and will keep you engaged. If there’s a downside to point out, it would be that even pure Tontem isn’t very peaceable when it comes to women. His carnal instincts get the best of him, and in his faraway village in the ends of the Himalayas, Tontem beats his first wife and then his second. Perhaps, the author wanted the weigh the pros and cons of practices that prevail in the rapidly westernizing indigenous space, and point out with subtlety that it’s better to take only the best from both the new world and the old.
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