Sydney writer Uma Srinivasan’s Etched in Gold is a sumptuous read for lovers of literature, history and music alike. To read this labour of love as someone who has walked the streets of South India is to have your memories tugged at. Those who are unfamiliar with the vendors, the architecture and the art boasted by these cities, will not only emerge with greater insight into the city of Thanjavur, where the book is set, but with a love for its customs, its rituals and its people.
Srinivasan’s love for Thanjavur (or Tanjore as it used to be known) is filtered through the parallel stories of two young women, fighting to thrive as artists in a world where the parameters of right and wrong, good and bad are defined by men.
At once expansive and deeply personal, the novel deftly shifts between the 1610s, following a musical consort named Amba, and the 2010s, centred around Maya, a newly wed who follows her husband to Australia. Any mother or wife harbouring a creative passion will find Maya’s struggles to be closer to home. Etched in Gold
“Maya is not based on any real person,” Srinivasan tells Indian Link. “But I have come across young Carnatic musicians who come to Sydney and struggle to pursue their passion. I know a couple of musicians who went back and some who reconciled to a life where they could not pursue their music. So I wanted to give hope to struggling young musicians.”
It is easy for such a parallel story to come off as overly didactic or unrealistic, but for all its historical references, the book remains fast paced and is enlivened by Srinivasan’s characters.
Amba’s excitement to “spend her evenings in the garden tending to her plants,” grounds her character in reality, whilst Maya’s efforts to create a routine which accommodates her passion, her domestic responsibilities and her work, makes her relatable.
But more importantly, their love for Carnatic music never alienates readers. Imbued by Srinivasan’s own love for the artform, readers get insight into classical music techniques, the creative decisions made during performances and the exuberant feeling of performing with other musicians.
“Over the next few months, we produced melodies and harmonies that I could never have conceived by myself. The beauty of our string quintet was that each of us had a solo part and a combined part…”
In this lyrical moment from Etched in Gold, the string quintet becomes a subtle yet striking metaphor for Australia’s multiculturalism – where distinct voices sing their own truths, yet come together in harmony, weaving a symphony only possible in unison.
Srinivasan’s capacity to write with insight as well as detail brings historical figures, previously only truly known by name, to life. Amba, imagined as a musical consort to King Raghu Nayaka, was inspired by the real-life poet Ramabhadramba. Etched in Gold
“The fact that a woman in 1630 could write a Sanskrit Mahakavya with 830 verses and that she was recognised during her own time, all drew me to her,” says Srinivasan.
Srinivasan takes the liberty of imagining that it was a woman such as Ramabhadramba, who had a grasp of multiple languages through her music, who could have etched the first ever trade agreement between India and a European country onto the gold foil which now sits in the Danish National Archives.
Whilst Srinivasan’s love for Tanjore and its history is undeniably clear on the page, there are moments where, as a millennial, it is easy to feel disconnected with the decisions of her characters. Their anger fizzles out within a chapter, and they too often forgive the men who let them down.
The character of Amba, despite initially being a devadasi who valued the sanctity of her body, quickly gives up that life to serve the king as a musical consort and courtesan. Lingering on the early relationship between King Raghu Nayaka and Amba would have made their love more believable and understandable.
Nevertheless, to be able to write a sprawling, historical novel which meaningfully draws connections between the past and the present, is an achievement in itself. To do it without the support of a traditional publishing house is a mammoth undertaking. This fact alone makes Etched in Gold a triumph within the world of self-publishing.
To purchase Uma Srinivasan’s Etched in Gold, head here
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