This is more like an extended short story of the rise from lower to upper middle class status of a Kannadiga family comprising father, mother, daughter, son and uncle.
The complexities in relationships, the petty quibbles, the familiar trappings of having to make ends meet as a lower middle class family, and the sudden wantonness that creeps into the family as its status rises, have been charmingly related in original Kannada by Shanbhag, and in translation by Perur.
The seemingly trivial misdeeds of the family take on a sinister turn towards the end, when its comfortable if somewhat disarrayed existence is shaken by the new arrival: the son's wife.
The son, who happens to be the narrator of the story, finds solace from the bickering women of his household by visiting a local cafe, where he is counselled in passing by the omniscient waiter.
There are two leitmotifs in the narrative: the ants in the old house which turn up each time there is a crumb to be carried away; and the beverage tea, which the family members adore consuming, and also helps them bond with each other.
The description of the old family house, and the problem with the ants have been described with a vivid detail, which strikes a chord with one who is familiar with the travails of lower middle class existence.
The meaning of the enigmatic title - not a Kannada phrase - is unraveled by the son's wife, who one cannot help sympathizing with as she has to take on, and face the wrath of the family that she is married into.
All in all, an engaging read.
Image source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41kF1CiXTnL._SX314_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
Image source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41kF1CiXTnL._SX314_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
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