The Autobiography of Indra B. Tamang - by Indra B Tamang & Romy Ashby (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A young Nepalese man's globe-spanning relationship with an American surrealist over three decades changes the course of his life, his fortune, and his sense of family and home.

In 1973, poet, photographer, collage artist, and sculptor
Charles Henri Ford, often called the father of American surrealism, convinced a
young Nepalese waiter at his hotel in Kathmandu to come work as his all-purpose
helper. Nineteen-year-old Indra Tamang, who spoke minimal English, was soon
enjoying an education and a life he could not have imagined. He quickly
graduated from cooking and running errands to attending social engagements with
Charles, to accompanying the artist on his international travels, eventually
becoming his collaborator, and more of a son than an employee.

Charles was a magnet for creative people, and during the '70s,
'80s, and '90s, Indra found himself at the center of seemingly every fantastic
little universe in New York, Paris, Crete, and Kathmandu, often as a quiet
observer taking photographs and making mental notes. There was Studio 54, Andy
Warhol's Factory, the teas that Charles would host at the Dakota, attended by
regulars such as Tennessee Williams, Quentin Crisp, Patti Smith and Henry
Geldzahler; there were special dinners at the United Nations; visits to Mary
McCarthy and Leonor Fini; and chats in the elevator with neighbors like John
and Yoko and Lauren Bacall. Charles gave Indra a second upbringing, one that
Indra absorbed with tremendous curiosity and enthusiasm. In turn, Indra brought
Charles into his family's village in Nepal, introducing him to a world that not
many Westerners were privileged to see, especially then. Indra managed to shuttle
between these two vastly different worlds, marrying and having children in
Nepal, though not revealing this to Charles for quite some years.

In 2010, Indra Tamang became the object of global
fascination after inheriting two apartments from Charles's sister, the actress
Ruth Ford. The story in the Wall Street Journal described a Nepalese "butler"
who "grew up in a mud hut" and ended up owning property in one of New York's
most famous buildings. The attention that followed inspired Indra to write this
richer and more accurate account of his life. Illustrated with nearly fifty
photographs and ephemera from the private collections of Charles and Indra,
gathered together for the first time and including some never before shown,
readers will discover that nothing about Indra's "curious years" with Charles
and his constellation of friends was ever ordinary or predictable in any
way.

Review Quotes

"In 1964, at just 21, I secured a job as secretary and
archivist in an artistic ménage at the heart of New York's cultural élite. I
had been engaged by Ruth Ford and her husband, Zachary Scott, but Ruth's
brother, Charles Henri Ford, was at the heart of this circle. I traveled across
the pond on the Queen Elizabeth, and was provided with a studio flat at the
Dakota Building. (This later became a storeroom for John Lennon and Yoko Ono!) This
was a time when all manner of people called to speak or meet with Ruth, Zachary,
or Charles: John Steinbeck, Edward James, Andy Warhol, Lauren Bacall, and
Quentin Crisp come to mind. It was into this milieu that Indra Tamang was
introduced by Charles. Indra was in his own way as remarkable as any of the
celebrities he was to mix with. His latent artistic sensitivities were
expressed in photography and his engaging personality. Indra is indeed an extraordinary
person whose life story is as unlikely as a fairy story and a parable of
abilities and service justly rewarded."

--Penelope Davidson, former secretary and archivist to Ruth
Ford

About the Author

Indra Tamang was born in the Makwanpur District of Southern
Nepal in 1953, and first came to New York City in 1974. He is known for his
artistic collaborations with Charles Henri Ford, and he became internationally
known as "The Butler" who inherited a fortune from Charles Henri's sister, Ruth
Ford. Since the passing of Ruth and Charles Henri Ford, he continues to further
their legacies, and manages the use of Charles Henri's published work. He has
shown his own photography and other artwork at the Mitchell Algus Gallery, the
Woolworth Building, and the 292 Gallery in Lower Manhattan. Between 2008 and
2010 he served as elected President of the Tamang Society of America, and remains
an active member of the Nepali community in New York.

Romy Ashby is a New York-based writer, lyricist, editor, and
interviewer. She's written numerous Blondie songs with Chris Stein and Debbie
Harry, and is the editor of the small interview magazine Housedeer as well as author
of the blog Walkers in the City.