Memoirs of the past

HYDERABAD: Jayanta Ray’s new book, Withered Leaves, which was launched in the city at Landmark, can be aptly termed as an amalgamation of fiction and facts. Based on a multicultural experience set in a significant point in modern history, the novel starts with a scene in Heidelberg, in Western Germany, post the World War II and the then prevailing Cold War period.  “This book is first-of-its-kind, which talks about such a phase of Germany. Many have written post the reunion of Germany, but something on the people living in such a time, and their reactions during the Cold War is a very interesting and significant aspect of Germany,” explains Jayanta Ray.The plot of the book revolves around Siddhartha, an exchange student from India who is studying at the University of Heidelberg. He starts exploring the progress made by the post-WW II German society and tries to draw a contrast to the conditions back at his home. Youthful energy and curiosity, leads Sid to becomes a part of the Kurt and Frau Schulz’s family, he is staying with. Frau’s husband, Kurt is an introvert and suffers from a sense of guilt about being part of Hitler’s Wehrmacht during WW II. Their teenaged son bonds with Sid and provides him with insights into the contemporary German mind. When asked about his inspiration on writing such a story, he says, “Having done my post-graduation in German language, I was always interested in German history. In Heidelberg I came across so many people and conversations with them tell you so many stories. This particular was one of my interests.” Ray says, “I have spoken about three groups of Germans during the Cold War era, the slightly elder ones - the ones who are guilty that they could not protest against Hitler’s regime, the guilty ones - who actively participated as part of Hitler’s army and the free-thinkers, who now realise that they should have protested.”Describing Berlin Wall as a reminder of the nation divided and a symbol of stifled human aspirations, he says, “I have mentioned a descriptive paragraph in Withered Leaves which goes like, ‘I walked along the famous Berlin Wall’,” he explains.And in the climax, Sid returns to his homeland - somber and uncertain - shackled by Emergency. The book narrates the time and life in a small town in the erstwhile West Germany in vivid details, using a variety of events and characters.Talking about the author, Ray is a foreign-language translator by profession. He also a post-graduation degree in German language and a postgraduate diploma in journalism. He has been a recipient of the DAAD scholarship for studies at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He has written many articles on the Indian translation scene and specialises on machine translation. He has received a scroll of honour from the International Scientific Translation Association. Ray also delivers lectures on intellectual property rights.