Shantaram by Gregory David RobertsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Life is about discovering yourself. If you believe in this, you will appreciate Shantaram. Taking chances on his beliefs (right or wrong), the 'Hero' in the book swims through situations and circumstances in manners that are often criminal from a societal point of view, yet making you root for him.
Do the means matter more than the goal? Does the manner of achievement take away from or add to the final success ? Will you forgive the crime if the intent was good or if the cause was just?
How do we judge the man - based on how he achieved his objective or the purity of his objective ? Do you forgive RobinHood or do you hang him ?
The book raises such questions and takes you on a journey to answer them - all while the 'Hero' escapes prison, peddles drugs, counterfeits passports, runs a free medical clinic for the poor and falls in love with an escort.
Granted there are moments of half baked philosophical overdoses, but the beauty lies in discovering the philosophy yourself as you read through the book, and not in the passages where the author spells it out for you.
It teaches you the meaning of the phrase 'resigning to your fate' and you learn to appreciate the mysteries of life.
The book is engaging and almost spiritual - but what I loved most about it is the genuine sweetness of the love the author has for India/Mumbai and its people, which fills the pages of the book, much like sugar in tea. Chai anyone ?
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment