In the book City of Ghosts, author Bali Rai skilfully explores the cultural psyche of India and the Punjabi people, the structure of Indian society, and how it functions

        Language is one of the key features of the text, used to provide an insightful view into the culture of the India. The author uses various Indian and Punjabi words such as ‘goreh’, meaning white person, ‘paratha’, which is an Indian food, and ‘pheme’, which means opium. Words such as these add an ‘Indian touch’ to a book with an otherwise simple vocabulary. This immerses and enlightens the reader about how Indian culture works. The words ‘Bhai-ji’ and ‘Bhai’ (meaning brother), which are very prominent in the book, demonstrate that all Indians consider themselves brothers, and sons of one mother: Mother India. One of the ways the author shows this is through the true story of Udham Singh, who was willing to kill the people who had ‘taken hold of his motherland’ and seek revenge for the horrific Amritsar massacre of 1919: “Eventually he’d found himself in England, in the heart of the beast that had taken hold of his motherland. Now here he was, a revolver tucked into his waistband, ready to satisfy the ghosts of Amritsar; to help those restless spirits find their peace.’’ This highlights the Indian perspective and attitude towards the Amritsar massacre.

        Bali Rai uses a restricted Indian perspective, thus providing more information to the reader about the Indian cultural psyche.  The author shows everyday life in India, through the perspective of the residents of Amritsar, especially the main characters such as Sohni, Gurdial, Jeevan and Gulbaru. Moreover, the ‘goreh’, and the soldiers working for the British are portrayed in a negative light while they are in India, which reflects how Indians of that time disliked the British presence. During an incident when an Indian man was caught by a British Ghurkha soldier for holding a pistol, the author only described the feelings of the Indian man. This demonstrates that the author was keeping a strictly Indian perspective, because he did not describe the thoughts or feelings of the soldier.

        Of the various symbols that Bali Rai has incorporated in the book, some are used to give deeper understanding of Indian culture. As with many Asian cultures, in Indian culture, butterflies symbolise rebirth or resurrection.  Bali Rai uses butterflies in the text to represent the arrival of Heera, who is a ghost: “Butterflies in winter? How very odd.” Heera is also associated with the smell of mangoes and cream, which represents a positive smell, as opposed to Darshana (Sohni’s stepmother) who smells of rotten onions, which represents a negative smell. The scents make the reader feel like they are in Amritsar, where the story is taking place. These are local scents, which are used frequently in the text, and provide the reader with a more definitive cultural experience.

        The love story of Sohni and Gurdial plays a key role in edifying the reader about the way Indian society is structured. From the beginning of the story, Gurdial, an orphan, who is considered lower class in Indian society, loves Sohni, the daughter of a rich cloth merchant. As the narrative progresses and Gurdial goes to ask Gulbaru for Sohni’s hand in marriage, Gulbaru rejects him saying that he is a penniless orphan: “You come to me with this orphan boy, this penniless wretch… and ask if I will allow my daughter to be his wife. Do you think I am mad?” This conveys that there is a high social gap between the rich and the poor in India, and that the rich do not mingle with the poor. This helps the reader to understand the structure of Indian society, and broadly informs the reader about the Indian cultural psyche.

        Author Bali Rai through his skilful exploration of ideas, provides to the reader, a book that defines in many ways, the cultural psyche of the India and the Punjabi people. This is demonstrated through the use of themes and symbols, Indian language, Indian perspective and relationships. Bali Rai does not only provide the reader with information about the Indian cultural psyche, he uses his fictional narrative to make the reader feel like they are in Amritsar.