Meera Syal has almost inverted the saying ‘Home is where the heart is’ to ‘The heart is right where your true home is’ with Anita and Me! Meena, the ‘me’ of Anita and Me is a Punjabi child living in Tollington, where life starts as tranquil as back home in India, because her family – The Kumars, are ‘very English’! Where each occasion is celebrated with a mehfil, and ‘Our Christmas’ – Deewali, the house lights up, when the whole of Tollington is obliviated, in the presence of her perpetually perplexing Uncles and Aunties – the other Indians from Wolverhampton, the nearest town!
Meena tries hard to keep herself away from the Indian influences to prove herself a real Tollington Wench in just about every manner – by lying, stealing charity boxes for ‘Help to African Children’ from the only grocery store around, and then smartly arranging to fix the blame over to Baby and Pinky, the increasingly Indian daughters of Aunty Shaila, and Uncle Amman – until one day when she witnesses racism in Tollington (!?!).
Anita. She’s a typical Tollington Wench, who accompanies, helps, envies, betrays, Meena, and later needs her, throughout Meena’s journey from being a child of Indian origin, to a Tollington Wench, and finally, a true Punjabi kudi who sings Hindi songs, with a hint of the West!
And then, the help from across the sea! Her Nanima arrives in order to help her mother, who has just given birth to Meena’s younger brother Sunil. The arrival of her enigmatic Nanima invokes a desire to explore India, and Indian ness! With Nanima, the state of affairs at her home was no more the same. Her mother turns into a 16 year old, again. And Meena? She grows up!
Syal inadvertently describes the enigma and thrill of being an Indian, oceans away from India, as she herself must’ve discovered. The brisk but highly sensitive Meena-Robert romance makes one hold her/his breathe still.
Folks, I’ve ended up having a huge crush over Meera Syal ;)!