From explorers who claimed an inhabited continent as their own, to refugees fleeing the violence and turmoil of their war-torn motherlands, an immigrant’s life has never been close to easy. However, beyond the politics of the moment, the story of every immigrant is our story as well, encapsulating all the joy, hope, grief, uncertainty, tragedy, and the courage to write their own chapter in every foreign country. Notion Press, India’s leading self-publishing platform, proudly presents The Flight of a Stone Bird by author A D Moodley.
The Flight of a Stone Bird is a literary dedication to the author’s beloved grandparents who, like many during their time, settled in foreign countries with unwavering confidence in building a life worth living for their children and raising them with the religion and the values of an ancient culture that they were born into. The book is a compilation of fireside tales that were once narrated by his grandfather, Venkatchella Konar, one of the first few Indian immigrants who stepped into South Africa through Port Natal. Moodley composes the book to stand as a witness to their thoughts, dreams and achievements in a foreign land. Flipping through the pages of the history-drenched narrative, we come across century-old photographs that reflect languid faces of immigrants that may disguise their hearts that burned with desires so strong that the adversities they face faded away as mere challenges to overcome.
Through The Flight of the Stone Bird, Moodley unfolds the story that transpires from their efforts to carve a niche that their children and the forthcoming generation could follow, could treasure their legacy, woven together from the fragments of the indenture, mythology, disillusionment and dispossession, betrayal and heroism. The book delves into the instances that immigrants had to overcome to proudly call South Africa as their home even in the midst of starvation, despite ill-treatment, in the face of racial discrimination and a multitude of impediments. The book recalls impressive moments where immigrants drew their metaphors from nature and adorned their ideas with the richness of their experiences and culture. The Flight of a Stone Bird stands as a firm monument to the achievements of common men and women in the face of hardship, for the stories that have shaped the fabric of their very existence.
At the age of 13, The Flight of the Stone Bird author Arulpragasam Moodley presented an essay about the hero he admired the most; his grandfather. For the latter part of the next twenty years, he indulged in conversations with British people who were either born or served time in India to learn more about his own legacy. Much later, he visited libraries across the Nation and held discussions with Indians from the birthplace of his ancestors. After spending over 50 years merely gathering information and researching content, Moodley began to compose The Flight of a Stone Bird. He was fueled by the undying admiration for mediocre individuals who have gone above and beyond their limits of endurance to accomplish extraordinary feats of success to promote the advancement of culture, spirituality and humanitarianism. Moodley was educated at the Sastri College in the city of Durban, South Africa. He has worked as an accountant for large corporations and spent the last fifteen years of his career working for State Departments in land and water rehabilitation programs. Currently, Moodley is engaged in community welfare programs for Non-Governmental Organizations.
It is tremendously difficult to weave words that bring the feelings of an immigrant in a strange new country together. However, The Flight of the Stone Bird captures their character and their dedication to their responsibilities through the author’s actions and comments. The Flight of a Stone Bird is a powerful account that sheds new light on the immigrant experience faced over a century ago. Grab your copy of The Flight of the Stone Bird in print and e-book format at the Notion Press Bookstore amongst other leading e-commerce portals such as Amazon and Flipkart.