‘Gifted’ by Nikita Lalwani
Random House, New York. Hard Cover. 288 pages
Reviewed by Mahadev Desai

Nikita Lalwani’s stunning, poignant and eloquent novel Gifted, has not only received rave reviews but has also been long-listed for the coveted Man Booker Prize of 2007, and included in New York Magazines round up of summer debut novels..
“Lalwani’s impressive debut exhibits deep empathy for her character’s cultural and emotional displacements.” comments Kirkus Reviews, “Heart-melting” says Elle(UK)(July2007) and “This is an outstanding piece of writing-rich,vivid,fluent, and well-paced-with a wonderful cast of well-developed engaging characters and a constantly surprising story line” lauds Gerard Woodward, author of A Curious Earth.
Most Indian immigrant families want their children to excel in education, to ensure social acceptance, recognition and economic wellbeing. Rumika Vasi, a precocious, bespectacled math. prodigy, lives with her middle-class Indian immigrant parents and young brother Nibu,in a terraced house in Cardiff, Wales. Her parents are well meaning, loving and caring but also aspiring. Rumi’s dad, Mahesh, a University Math. lecturer believes that with strict discipline, Rumi can make a mark and be the youngest student ever to attend Oxford University. He imposes regimented homework, tests etc. to hone her talent in math.
But for Rumi, math.loses its charm. She begins to resent her loneliness and her father’s constant imposition of academic pressure on her and devises her own little escapes from rigors of study and boredom in the library by reading fiction, or stepping out for window-shopping in nearby shopping center. Once, overcome by loneliness, she even dials 999 simply to converse with someone! She also seeks distraction in music and stamp-collection. One day, she risks inviting her stamp-club school-mates Simon and Christopher home, gets caught by her parents and punished by her dad.
Slowly, she begins her addiction for cumin seeds. She longs for romance and company of boys, especially Simon. One night, when they are together, Simon tries to kiss her, but she runs away as her mouth is too rotten. It is peeled out with cumin.
As examinations approach nearer, she stops attending school and has no friends left. Occasionally, when Mahesh is not around, she plays for awhile with Nibu. At 15, on a trip to India, she experiences first sexual awakening, when her cousin tries to kiss her.
She begins her Oxford degree course when only 15 years, three months and eight days old. On the very first day as a paying guest with Mukherjee, she celebrates her independence by standing in front of the mirror and rattles off expletives. She neglects her studies, meets with a young Muslim student Fareed at Oxford Asian Society’s ‘Jazz and samosas’ party, and experiences her first kiss. But their friendship is short-lived as Fareed walks away when he finds that she is only 15 years old. The worst is to follow as Mahesh is incensed when he finds Rumi’s drafts of love letters to Fareed in her drawer. The parents had expected Rumi to observe traditional Indian cultural pieties and remain true to Indian heritage. They have been scarred by the horrific memories of partition so are enraged when they find out about Fareed. Rumi confesses and promises not to repeat her mistake until marriage. In the end, unable to cope with her studies, she escapes from her family and college to Brighton. There she complains of abuse by her parents and requests that she be taken into care by a foster family.
Lalwani’s tenderly written novel, with a sprinkling of humor, deals with dislocation, generational clash as well as clash between Western and Eastern cultures which tears families apart. It should make all parents think hard-Is it worthwhile to exert too much control and push your children so hard that in the end you lose them ? She also refers to the role of the media, which at first praises the parents when Rumi gets into Oxford but ends up blaming them when she runs away from home.Lalwani writes with love and compassion with a remarkable understanding of a young girls mind. Gifted is the sort of novel you feverishly race through dreading the last page!
Nikita Lalwani was born in Rajasthan, India, and raised in Cardiff, Wales, She directed documentaries at the BBC for several years before receiving her MA in creative writing at Bath Spa University. Lalwani lives in London. Gifted is her first novel.