A Book Review : Shantaram

(Post Mortem)

“In this little cosmos, my spaceship tumbles from galaxy to galaxy and rest to me seems alien“

This quote is an apt description of my experience with the 933- page saga of Lin cleverly narrated by Gregory David Roberts in his masterpiece – Shantaram. Set in the slums and shanties of Mumbai, this is a tale of the protagonist’s journey as he discovers the world of Bombay. As the author expresses himself through the words of the protagonist, we experience our hero’s view of the city in a more personal vein. In characters we see the varied colourful cast so typical of the host country – be it the helpful guide, the faithful friend or the underworld kingpin. Slowly, the city and the protagonist become one and this love is expressed by the continual stress on ‘my city’. But the lines do not confine themselves to the streets of Colaba or the tables of the Leopold, they take you on a journey of revelation to a nondescript village located in a remote corner of Maharashtra where the lead character earns the name Shantaram and learns the native language of Marathi - his final step in turning into one among the people he lives. Seeing the slums through his eyes, we feel the compassion we wouldn’t dare offer on a normal visit to these places. One yearns to be a part of the slum family and serve as one turns the pages and is delighted with each word and phrase.

He finds love and the reader lives the romantic moments in the vivid emotional descriptions. His sorrow becomes ours and his life the path that we walk.

Sorted as his life may seem, the protagonist lives in three worlds within this one city – the slums, Leopold and with the Great Khan. Distinctive as they are, the three combine to spin a web that makes the life of a convict in hiding the focus of many in the city. He is the centre of numerous wars – big and small. The chaos and lull that reign in his life, like the ebb and flow of tides remain to the very end. The drama that ensues from the beginning catapults to great heights as more characters are added to this huge canvas of life.  Walking across the borders into Pakistan and then into the tribal strongholds of the Afghans carve out a new person in the protagonist as he is forced into a conflict that is not his own. The tale endures across three countries and remains unfinished till it completes its journey from the shores of the nation where it was scripted.

The depth and painstaking details painted in every character and location have made this narrative a highly interesting piece.  The story stands out as being one of a kind. This book is one to have on every bookshelf. A must read!

- The Cold Critic