Popular Culture Review 30.2
8 . The Beatles arrived in Rishikesh , India , in February 1968 ; they returned at different times , Lennon and Harrison staying the longest ( until April 12 ).
9 . Wonderwall and The Beatles were released in November 1968 .
The extent of Gogol ’ s knowledge of the finer details of this period in the band ’ s history is unknown . Some of these details had not yet appeared in print ; Ravi Shankar ’ s autobiography ( number 5 above ), for example , was not published until 1999 . It is hard to imagine , however , that in 1982 , this “ passionate devotee ” would not at the very least have been aware of the Beatles ’ sojourn in India , thus making Gogol ’ s denial of his heritage , signified by his indifference to the cassette of Indian music , more pronounced . The band speaks to him , but , ironically , he does not know how much he is missing , or is willing not to hear , unless or until he begins to listen to the same music that George Harrison�like Gogol , a devotee , in this case to Ravi Shankar�studied and introduced to his bandmates . Since for years even non-devotees had been enjoying the crude Orientalist “ humor ” of the film Help ! and Indian-inflected tracks such as “ Love You To ” ( on 1966 ’ s Revolver ) and “ Within You , Without You ” ( on 1967 ’ s Sgt . Pepper ’ s Lonely Hearts Club Band ), it is likely that Gogol had enjoyed them too before unwrapping the White Album . Some years will have to pass before this 14-year-old will understand what his father ’ s gifts of two masters other than the Beatles�that is , the musician ( conceivably Shankar , or perhaps the sarod virtuoso Ali Akbar Khan ) on the sealed cassette , and Russian author Nikolai Gogol�represent in a familial as well as musical context .
Lahiri is being more than just clever by showing Gogol immersed in side 3 of The Beatles on his birthday . Leading off
14