Sylvia’s eastern roots manifest in her books
The author's books not only highlight social issues affecting both India and South Africa but are also enjoyable, well-written pieces of work.
BELLAIR resident, Sylvia Garib’s journey to discover her ancestral roots moved her to pen two books that not only highlight relatable social issues affecting both India and South Africa but are also enjoyable, well-written pieces of work.
Sylvia was born and bred in Shakaskraal. She spent the better part of her growing up years there with her grandmother, aunts and uncle.
Her father then hauled her off to the concrete jungle of Durban, “to get a better education” as he put it.
The 72 year-old lives with her husband Jay and she has two daughters Twiggy and Duggy who have blessed her with five grandchildren.
Sylvia’s first book, Banjaras takes one on a journey from the sugarcane fields of northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to the saffron fields of Gopalpur, in Northern India.
“As you begin to read, you will wonder, where is this book leading to until you become so completely immersed, that you forget your cooling coffee. It is a ‘can’t put it down book’ that you should definitely read,” she said.
The story takes you from the arrival of the Indian indentured labourers from India to the Colony of Natal in 1860, through to the birth of identical twins, Sella and Ree.
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“Two couples, joined the migration of indentured labourers; one from the Moodley family, and the other from the Naicker family, from two different villages in South India. They arrived on different ships and were strangers to each other, but as the generations of these two couples evolved, the families became intrinsically linked, and in the fourth generation, a pair of identical twins were born, and separated at birth.
“The story follows the journeys of the twins; one of whom is lost in a stampede in India, and the other, is adopted by a family in South Africa. The revelation of the reason for the separation of the twins emerges eventually, propelling the one twin to fight against all odds to find her lost twin sister.
“True to both their names, the girls were Banjaras, and floated through their lives like ‘free Spirits’,” explained Sylvia.
Banjaras received the Quo Vadis Literary Award for Self-Published Book of the Year 2016 as well as short-listed as one of top six books for the Minara Chamber of Commerce – Aziz Hassims Literary Award 2016. It was also included in the Time of the Writer Festival.
Her second book, The Wrath of Kali is the sequel to Banjaras and it traces the journey of brothers Ambar and Kishen Varma, working on a rice plantation in Darveshpura, India.
The Varma family, together with other villagers, suffer severe ill-treatment by the farmer, Bhola Swaraj. It is Kishen, however, who endures most of Bhola’s verbal, mental and physical abuse.
“Ambar and Kishen escape to Mumbai in search of a better life, and find solitude, love and safety in the home of three eunuchs, who adopt and help them become entrepreneurs of note. A chance meeting with Sella and Ree throws both boys into a new, exciting world of money, business, love and fame.
In a strange twist of fate, Mother Kali plays her hand, and The Wrath of Kali overpowers the Wrath of Bhola proving that ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’,” said Sylvia.
Sylvia works as operations manager for Charles Robbie, CEO of Cruising South Africa during the seasonal months of cruising. She also assists with the profiling of authors and medical personnel for the Eastern Eye, a bi-monthly magazine.
Currently she is writing a trilogy; a three part series entitled Incestuous Seed, Tainted Seedling and the last part which is Forbidden Fruit.
Her hobbies include writing, the theatre, travelling, gardening and reading. Her favourite foods are all vegetables. “I also love mealie rice and dried fish chutney and sour herbs with calabash,” she said.
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