Mandala of Sherlock Holmes, The - Jamyang Norbu

Sherlock Holmes is so famous that he MUST exist. The detective has turned into a timeless relic of human powers of the faculty of thinking turned so sharp that he almost works magic.

Arthur Conan Doyle's work, which consists of 56 short stories and 4 novels has created a world so alluring that even after his death a long long time ago, his detective springs to life in unexpected places, from unexpected corners of the 'unfinished' canon. Where Holmes had never been placed by Doyle - the job is now done by other authors - die-hard Sherlockians and the result is a growing number of pastiches which sometimes match the original canon!

This cult of Sherlockians which goes to worship the detective has spread throughout the world and I am really proud for my own sake after reading this monumental work by an Indian.

The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes is based on the two years that Sherlock Holmes spent in Tibet. It was in 1891 that the British readers were sadly informed that Sherlock Holmes had perished at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland after a struggle with his arch enemy Professor Moriarty.

Holmes was killed off by Doyle so unceremoniously over the Reichenbach falls that readers cried foul and begged his return. Holmes returned, resurrected by public demand, and described his missing years thus: ''I traveled for two years in Tibet ... and amused myself by visiting Lhasa and spending some days with the head Lama. You may have read of the remarkable explorations of a Norwegian named Sigerson, but I am sure that it never occurred to you that you were receiving news of your friend.''

Jamyang Norbu took it up to provide a Kiplingesque memoir and took him to Tibet in the delightful Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. Jamyang Norbu was honored for this work of English fiction, The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes with the Crossword Book Award in 2000 - the Indian equivalent of the Booker prize.

Making the narrator someone other than Watson was a real pleasure and the author changed the flavour by giving the task to the amusing Babu, Hurree Chunder Mookerjee, the wily Bengali scholar and spy of Rudyard Kipling's classic work, Kim, who narrates the story in what I call ''loquacious English''.

Holmes' first line to Huree is ''You have been in Afghanistan I perceive.'' This is indeed a beautiful touch - the familiar line that once defined the relationship between Holmes and Watson feels very reassuring - for what is Holmes without his diarist? Bravo Mr.Norbu!

The Plot

A Norwegian named Sigerson lands at Bombay's (Mumbai? - no sahib, this is 1890) Sassoon docks, and is greeted by Mookerjee, who is investigating Holmes for his department. Not long after Holmes' arrival at the Taj Mahal Hotel, there is a bloody murder in his room, an attack originally intended for him. Fascinating in trivia and recreating the Victorian colonial atmosphere so well that you can smell the gaslight, the reader is led on the trail of the assailant, whom Holmes suspects is an envoy of the late professor. The trip leads him to Simla.

From there Holmes proceeds to Lhasa, and the journey is described, though a bit too much. On arrival in Tibet, we find that Holmes has been expected and is requested to help defend the life of the youthful Dalai Lama to be. He turns the request down flat, but of course ends up accepting the offer. However on the night of the attack that brings Holmes round that the story suddenly sways into supernatural forces which is very anti-Holmes.

The first half of the book recreates traditional Sherlock Holmes perfectly - mysteries solved by clues followed by the explanation of these clues and the logic of deduction but certainly the second half just turns this mode off. Holmes seems to be distant and is clearly exploring, the meaning of life.

Holmes is confronted with the the ''Dark One” - the identity of the person is amusing to learn.

The writing style is exemplary for a pastiche and the representation of Holmes as a character seems straight from the canon. However the later part of the book creates unbelievable paranormal activity, and also Holmes trip to Tibet and the reasons behind the trip seem unsatisfactory making this a ''adventure trip'' from the Tin Tin comics rather than a proper Sherlock Holmes mystery.

Hence the second part is lacking in the Arthur Conan Doyle flavor. I love the Doyle canon but even Doyle was fallible, so I still rate this pastiche highly!

Norbu is an expert on Tibetan culture (being a professor at McLeod Ganj) and an activist in the struggle for the liberation of Tibet.

The ending is genuinely touching though a bit baffling for me - perhaps someone could help me out who the monk who was in the possession of the pipe and snuff box was? A bit mixed up, perhaps due to my failing faculties while at the bee farm, but then one of the irregulars would know...

Authenticity of Norbu's prose is immediately warming - his Huree's Hindustani style is fun and better than Kipling, as are all the characteristics of the British Raj in India and all Holmes' little habits from Doyle are perfectly reproduced - the VR bullets, the Persian slipper substitute...

Sigh... I am waiting for more pastiches, Mr.Norbu.

Let the applause never die down.

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It is perhaps very rare in literary history that the character created by an author becomes more famous than its creator. I can think of two such instances off hand, one is of course, Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the second is James Bond created by Ian Fleming.

In the case of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes drew away the spotlight from his more serious works like, The White Company and The Lost World, so much so that he is now more remembered for his detective stories featuring Sherlock Holmes. The popularity of these detective stories piqued Sir Arthur Conan Doyle so much that he decided to kill Sherlock Holmes in the hands of his arch enemy , Prof Moriarity in TheFinal Problem, both meeting their end in the foot of Reichenbach Falls . However bowing to pressure from his devoted fans including his own mother, Sir Doyle was forced to bring back Holmes to life in The Adventure of the Empty House. Holmes explains to Dr Watson that he spent two years in Tibet in guise of a Norwegian Explorer, Siegerson. Aficionados of Sherlock Holmes often speculate about his exploits during this period, three years (i.e. the time interval between The Final Problem and The Adventure of the Empty House.

It appears that the exploits of Sherlock Holmes during these years have been recently discovered by Jamyang Norbu who has published it as a book, The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. Norbu has done a great service to all Sherlockians by editing and publishing the reminiscences of Shri Huree Chandra Mukherjee who accompanies Holmes during his tryst in Tibet.

The book opens in Bombay when HC Mukherjee of the Ethnological Survey of India is asked to keep an eye on a mysterious foreigner, who turns out to be none other than Sherlock Holmes traveling incognito. Readers of Kim by Rudyard Kipling would be familiar with HC Mukherjee and his exploits.Norbu manages to seamlessly merge two distinct literary characters into having an exploit of their own. Returning to the book, Holmes is hot on the heels of the remnants of the Moriarity organization, chiefly Colonel Sebastian Moran, ace Shikari. Holmes faces several attempts on his life by the gang using exotic oriental poisons but he manages to outwit them using his sublime powers of deduction. Events take a sudden turn as Holmes is appealed to by the Panchen Lama to intervene in saving the life of Dalai Lama. The Chinese are playing a deadly game in Tibet and are trying to usurp the legal authority of the Dalai Lama. Holmes approaches this commission with uncharacteristic disinterest but slowly gets drawn into the vertex of a dangerous conspiracy. Jamayang Norbu builds up the pace steadily and climaxes it into a startling denouement. Norbu sticks close to the style of Sir Doyle and has not taken any liberties with Sherlock Holmes's depiction. The only departure he has taken is that instead of Dr Watson being the narrator, HC Mukherjee becomes one.

The personality of Holmes is portrayed as having spiritual bent which has never been explored before by even Sir Doyle. Fans of Sherlock Holmes would delight in the book as a valuable addition to Sherlockiana. British India circa 1890's has been described very well and the writer has taken pains to research extensively on this period. I recommend this book also for its description of the plight of Tibetans and their tormented country.

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