The Namesake - Story of a Bengali Family

**KaY** · 03-13-2007 09:40 AM

This is a story of a Bengali family in America, I read the book for a class that I took, it was pretty good, it had a lot of cultural values and influences on how a Bengali family lives in America.

The Namesake is available as a book and now a movie...everyone should read it or watch it.

Description:

The Namesake (2003) is the second book by author Jhumpa Lahiri. It was originally a novella published in The New Yorker and was later expanded to a full length novel. It explores many of the same emotional and cultural themes as her Pulitzer Prize-winning short story collection Interpreter of Maladies. Moving between events in Calcutta, Boston, and New York City, the novel examines the nuances involved with being caught between two conflicting cultures with their highly distinct religious, social, and ideological differences.

The novel describes the struggles between first generation Bengali immigrants to the United States, and their children, particularly their son, Gogol.
The story begins as Ashoke and Ashima leave Calcutta, India and settle in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Through a series of errors, their son's nickname, Gogol, becomes his official birth name, an event which will shape many aspects of his life.

The characters:

Ashoke Ganguli: Gogol's father who has a near death experience while he is a young man. Prior to embarking for the United States in the 1960s, he is involved in a devastating train accident; he survives only by holding up the tattered remains of a short-story collection by Russian author Nikolai Gogol.

Ashima Ganguli: Gogol's mother who is initially plagued by insecurities involved with moving to America. Unlike Ashoke, Ashima finds that she cannot acculturate into American society.

Nikhil "Gogol" Ganguli: Ashoke and Ashima's son, who is born and grows up in the United States. He is tormented by an identity crisis which stems in part from a mistake which is made when his family pet name, Gogol, (having two names is a common practice in Bengali families) becomes mistaken for his real name.

Sonia Ganguli: Gogol's younger sister. Ashoke and Ashima specifically gave her only one name which would serve as both an official and pet name, in order to avoid the confusion which arose with giving Gogol two names but pet names are hard to avoid, especially in Bengali families thus Sonali's name ends up being Sonia.

**joy** · 03-13-2007 10:13 AM

Kal Penn is in the movie Harold and Kumar goes to White Castle
Kal Penn comes back with Namesake, story of a Bengali Family

i am going to watch it this weekend

**shihabur_94** · 03-13-2007 03:40 PM

i think its an awesome movie...i saw the trailer

**Unknown** · 03-18-2007 05:56 AM

Do u have any download link ??? Pls let me have the link....

Thanks....

**pauldeba** · 03-18-2007 01:21 PM

the dvd/cd still not in market, that i went to find out a copy...........need to get in marker for more days or weeks

the movie is only running in theater

**ReMi** · 03-20-2007 11:28 AM

Nice Story .....!!!

**ami_don** · 03-21-2007 05:11 AM

na deke nice story ...........lol

**Ishtiaque Mahmood** · 03-22-2007 10:52 AM

Good post. People will get the good idea about family in america.

**aloo_bazi** · 04-07-2007 04:05 AM

I havent seen the movie yet, seems like it maybe a good movie...I'm waiting for it to come on DVD in my hometown Slough.

**shihabur_94** · 06-07-2007 11:32 PM

i watched this movie just yesterday.... not a great one... boring and simple story... i give it 3/5

**KaY** · 06-07-2007 11:37 PM

oh really...i guess people would have different views about it
but is it also cuz you are a guy and you might not enjoy those kinda of movies??. Cuz i read the book and i couldnt wait to finish it, it just got more interesting..maybe movies are different. I havent seen it yet tho.

**A MAN** · 06-08-2007 03:21 AM

i heard the movie is really good.

**pauldeba** · 06-08-2007 05:47 AM

well seen this movie long back............... nice movie with realty

**shihabur_94** · 06-08-2007 02:38 PM

well Kay ur right.. people have different views... but if u want to make a movie on family values then u will use parents or elders... this is really a common movie for me

**KaY** · 06-09-2007 01:39 AM

you know I was just wondering..
Did anyone read the book??
If so, was the book similiar to the movie??

Like I said before about reading the book just curious if it will similar to the movie.

**subhamitabasu** · 06-09-2007 08:03 PM

yes,i hv seen da movie & i would luv to read da book too!!

**KaY** · 06-15-2007 07:41 PM

well now that i got to see the movie finally yest...i found it to be similar to the book...of course the book has more details to it.

I really liked the movie...like when you read a book and then watch the movie of the book, its a different feeling because you get to see the characters acting out the parts they played. There were few parts that were sad but the rest of the movie was good.

**airmailor@gmail.com** · 06-17-2007 01:42 AM

wonderful movie

**stepney** · 06-17-2007 08:32 PM

thank you for the links

**deep0199** · 06-23-2007 09:40 AM

Very nice. I enjoyed it.

**girleygirl** · 06-26-2007 02:19 AM

I really liked this movie...it was different...i watched it at videoduniya.com

**bge1975** · 07-19-2007 10:04 AM

I liked the book too

**blabla** · 07-21-2007 09:58 AM

was it a good movie?

**KaY** · 07-23-2007 08:38 AM

yeh blabla...you should watch it!

it was nice and had its sad moments..but overall its a good movie to sit down and watch.

**dolphy** · 10-23-2007 10:00 PM

thankyou

**riteshkapadia** · 01-18-2008 08:57 PM

good movie

**stepney** · 01-28-2008 01:22 AM

thank you for your help

**qatar** · 04-07-2008 01:48 AM

havent watched the movei yet

**Silchari** · 06-19-2008 03:30 PM

that was a lovely movie!

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