Globalisation in another age

Book review: <i>Ayya's Accounts</i>

Ayya’s Accounts

A Ledger of Hope in Modern India

Anand Pandian & M P Mariappan

Tranquebar

310 pages; Rs 399

Anand Pandian is an American anthropologist who, in Ayya’s Accounts, has undertaken a fascinating journey into the past. Over several telephone calls and personal visits, Mr Pandian listened in on the life story of his grandfather, M P Mariappan, a fruit merchant in Madurai, resulting in the book under review.

Called Ayya, an affectionate term for an elderly gentleman in Tamil, Mr Pandian’s grandfather teases out an extraordinary story from within the folds of his seemingly ordinary life. Left motherless at a young age, Ayya