Piscine Molitor Patel aka Pi Patel was born into a family who owned a zoo in Pondicherry, India. As a boy, he was deeply religious and spiritual. He enjoyed his childhood roaming around the zoo and learning about animals. Later the family decided to move to Canada for better prospects. They wind up everything in India and board a ship to Canada. On their way their ship sank. Pi was left alone with a Bengal tiger in a lifeboat- how he survived in a lifeboat with a tiger and made it to the other side of the Pacific Ocean is what this book of Yann Martel about. While telling this extraordinary story of courage and faith, Martel discusses god, plight for survival, kindness, love, solitude and much more- his method of storytelling by weaving a story inside a story is incredible. And at last he leaves it to the reader to draw his own conclusions. This is one of the good books I have ever read.I put the book aside few days ago, but I am still with Pi sharing the pain he endured in that lifeboat in the vastness of the ocean, alone and helpless but trying to find meaning in what he does at that moment. Isn’t this life is about too? Many a time don’t we feel ourselves in this situation? Alone, surrounded by emptiness and only a faint hope remaining?
The transition of Pi from an innocent vegetarian boy who couldn’t kill a fish to use as bait to eating raw fish and drinking blood of tortoise towards the end of his journey is a tragic tale of what one can change to under the circumstances to survive.
Pi’s faith in god is the reason that sustained his life through the ordeal. He believed in himself and did all he could to survive, he tried to find a meaning in his suffering, he went about his daily business in the lifeboat and all the while his faith remained unshaken.
Read this book if you are ready to share the suffering with Pi, but I promise you that your suffering is not going to be in vain. You will look deep into yourself, you will go searching for your god, you will enjoy the humor and above all it will arouse the tender feeling of love, compassion and kindness.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Two States: Story Of My Marriage by Chetan Bhagat
I came across ‘Chetan Bhagat’ few weeks ago in a blog; I was impressed by the story- a man quitting his Investment banking job to become a writer and his internal and external struggles as he started his writing career. And soon I came to know his books were made into bollywood movies and it was then I got “2 States, the story of my marriage” from a friend of mine to read.
Chetan aspired to be a writer because he hoped to bring changes through the mightier weapon. Conversely, the book reflects the drastic changes that already have occurred in my country. Moving in with a classmate and living together in campus was unheard of not so long ago when I was in the campus. (For my sanity I want to believe that sixteen years is a small time frame!) The conflict between the change in moral and social values of our younger generation with that of older generation who resists those changes are the main theme of the book. After sixty some years of independence, it will take a few more generations to break the boundaries of language and culture to assert we are Indians first and any other identity comes only second to this. As always, the first ones who try to break free have to get over the inertia.
Ananya and Krish represent modern India, middle class overachievers who earn in a year what their parents earned in a life time. What strikes me the most is their willingness to go to any length to get the parents onboard with them. As they widen their horizon to the endless possibilities of the new world they conquered through hard work and parental support, they are also held back because of their love and devotion to their parents. Their parents brought them up with great sacrifices, providing everything they wanted. The grateful children don’t like to go against the parents even when many of the customs, values, and tradition of their parents are not relevant anymore in the new world. How Kirsh and Ananya convince their parents of their choice and transcend the boundaries of the region and caste is the plot of the story. As for parents, they have a new struggle to face – while they feel proud of their children’s accomplishments, they can’t digest the price they have to pay for this success they help their children achieve. They can’t let go of their children.
Chetan’s language is crisp and humorous. As you read, you identify with the feelings of the characters and that’s exactly in my opinion, makes this book an irresistible read. You have heard this story before in many different forms, but there is something in the book that makes you want to finish this book in one sitting, at the end you feel as if you have come out of a movie theater watching a successful bollywood masala. I see a great scope for him as a script writer and wish him all the success.
Chetan aspired to be a writer because he hoped to bring changes through the mightier weapon. Conversely, the book reflects the drastic changes that already have occurred in my country. Moving in with a classmate and living together in campus was unheard of not so long ago when I was in the campus. (For my sanity I want to believe that sixteen years is a small time frame!) The conflict between the change in moral and social values of our younger generation with that of older generation who resists those changes are the main theme of the book. After sixty some years of independence, it will take a few more generations to break the boundaries of language and culture to assert we are Indians first and any other identity comes only second to this. As always, the first ones who try to break free have to get over the inertia.
Ananya and Krish represent modern India, middle class overachievers who earn in a year what their parents earned in a life time. What strikes me the most is their willingness to go to any length to get the parents onboard with them. As they widen their horizon to the endless possibilities of the new world they conquered through hard work and parental support, they are also held back because of their love and devotion to their parents. Their parents brought them up with great sacrifices, providing everything they wanted. The grateful children don’t like to go against the parents even when many of the customs, values, and tradition of their parents are not relevant anymore in the new world. How Kirsh and Ananya convince their parents of their choice and transcend the boundaries of the region and caste is the plot of the story. As for parents, they have a new struggle to face – while they feel proud of their children’s accomplishments, they can’t digest the price they have to pay for this success they help their children achieve. They can’t let go of their children.
Chetan’s language is crisp and humorous. As you read, you identify with the feelings of the characters and that’s exactly in my opinion, makes this book an irresistible read. You have heard this story before in many different forms, but there is something in the book that makes you want to finish this book in one sitting, at the end you feel as if you have come out of a movie theater watching a successful bollywood masala. I see a great scope for him as a script writer and wish him all the success.
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