In October 2023, a group of us from Cultural Perspectives and CIRCA shared a meal of string hoppers and chicken kottu roti as we discussed Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, by Shankari Chandan. It was the first gathering of our (as yet unnamed) CPG Book Club, and what a stimulating and thought-provoking evening it was!
The book, which we all enjoyed, tells the story of a fictional aged care home run by a Tamil family in a made-up suburb of Sydney. Through the story we learn, not only about the people who reside within the nursing home and the family who runs it, but also about Sri Lankan history and the protracted separatist war the country endured. The book also draws attention to the treatment of migrants and refugees in Australia and the way these communities can be simultaneously marginalised and used for political gain.
The book prompted a lively discussion about the importance of culturally sensitive aged care in Australia, how little it features in popular culture and literature, the changing – or not so much – face of racism in Australia and on the various technical aspects of Chandran’s writing, development of characters and depictions of place and feelings through language. Most importantly, we reflected on how Chandran’s belief that ‘stories are temples that we cannot pull down’ is central to our work as multicultural communications specialists and culturally sensitive researchers.
This is the first of what we hope will be many CPG book club gatherings. We hope to continue to read and discuss literature written by First Nations and CALD authors as a prism for understanding our own work at CPG.
If you have any suggestions of books that fit this criteria – please share them with us!
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