White Elephant: novel reveals history of Chennai’s Ice House
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In 1876 Madras, now Chennai, Captain Aiden Byrne witnesses the operation of the Ice House, a building constructed to store ice imported from America.
Jeyamohan’s novel, White Elephant, details how the Ice House relied on the exploitation of Dalit workers, even as a famine ravaged nearby regions of India. Aiden gradually learns the extent of the suffering and the injustice of the caste system through encounters with Kathavarayan, a Dalit activist, and a journey into the famine-stricken countryside.
The novel focuses on Aiden’s changing perspective as he grapples with the realities of British rule in India and the systemic oppression of the Dalit community. Jeyamohan chose to tell the story through the eyes of an Irishman to highlight the unfamiliarity with, and therefore the starkness of, the caste system and economic exploitation. Aiden also wrestles with his own past, having left his family in Ireland years earlier and recognizing parallels between the British oppression of Ireland and India.
Jeyamohan portrays the complexities of the situation by showing Aiden’s gradual awareness of his own biases and privileges. The author explores how Aiden struggles to reconcile his horror at the treatment of Dalits with his own ingrained habits and assumptions. Priyamvada Ramkumar translated the novel from Tamil into English, carefully maintaining the original’s voice and even incorporating some Tamil phrases to enhance authenticity.
White Elephant combines a detailed historical setting with nuanced character development and lyrical prose, creating a compelling narrative. The book portrays both the large-scale tragedy of the famine and the individual stories of those affected by it, resulting in a powerful work of historical fiction.
