This  review  is by Violet Dear

Shantaram is by far the book of choice for India. Every second traveler has a finger wedged in this 900 page monster, in whose pages Leopold’s is mentioned so often that it is practically a main character.

It is because of the backpacker connection that I thought I would hate this book, as backpackers generally have their head so far up their asses that they are willing to enjoy life’s most irritating experiences – ie: drum circles, hackey sacking, eachother…. But I didn’t – despite not believing a single word that was written on the page.

Shantaram is the auto-biographical fictionalized account of Gregory David Roberts (Lin), an escaped Aussie convict who arrives in India as a fleeing criminal, and ends up “White outside, Indian inside.” It is a pretty fantastical tale, filled with do-gooding in the slums and seedy underbelly-slithering as Lin becomes entrenched in this huge crazy putrid beautiful city.

Does my doubt of Roberts account affect the enjoyment? At times, yes – when I can’t help but roll my eyes as his quick thinking saves yet another life – call it “A Million Little Pieces” syndrome.

Regardless of my cynicism, the first half of the book is a joyous experience, a page turner that tugged every emotion I have while making me laugh out loud. Laugh hard out loud – which is rare for me from anything other than good conversation with my closest friends. Roberts is an expert at painting a vivid picture – even before arriving in Mumbai I felt like I knew the city intimately. Prabaker (Prabhu) is Lin’s guide and friend and he is equal parts heart and humour – the narrative suffers accordingly when he is out of the picture for too long.

Lin’s experiences with Indian culture are also spot on – Roberts manages to pinpoint both the irritating and the amazing without veering into condescension, which once here and confronted by the oft-illogical way this country operates can be hard to do. There is a palpable appreciation and respect for the suffering of the many abject poor who live in this city.

On the other hand, when in the second half of the book Lin heads to Afghanistan to fight with the mujahadeen and then delves further into organized crime I felt the narrative was a bit rehearsed, a cross between Mr. Nice and an Indian version of the Sopranos (The Hijras?) The last third of the book is befallen by a plague of serious introspection that becomes a bit tedious – we are forced to revisit the same issues again and again as Lin struggles with unrequited love and family dysfunction. These are interesting subjects no doubt, but I simply didn’t care about them in this book – the action surrounding Lin was much more enthralling. All in all, Shantaram would have benefited had Roberts learned to self edit – 700 pages would have sufficed quite nicely.

Despite the fact that the narrative is a bit muddled at times, what is obvious is that Roberts genuinely loves India and its people, and he thinks that Leopold’s Bar is a perfect metaphor for the mix of East and West that is Mumbai. Apparently this was also obvious to the Pakistani terrorists.

As for Lin’s improbable life in India? Perhaps the media blitz that is sure to occur the minute the film version (starring Johnny Depp) is released will uncover definitively what here is true and what is embellished – but until then I remain convinced that Roberts is either a saint or a good liar.

He wove a very good tale either way.

The Luna Yoga summer retreat last August at Spa Eastman was illuminating for many reasons, one of which had to do with a tidbit of information communicated to us by guest lecturer Eugénie Francoeur, a Radio-Canada reporter and meditation lecturer. She spoke to our group about the patterns of the mind, and to be more specific, the thoughts that jumble around in our minds. 85% of our thoughts are actually useless, which is to say that they do not provide insight, illumination or any help in planning on the path to accomplishing something. Instead of guiding us somewhere productive, these thoughts are spent worrying about what cannot be changed, mainly to do with what is in the past.

This statistic creeped back into the forefront of my thoughts yesterday when I was on my way home from my 2nd-to-last teacher training weekend. We were treated to another lecturer last night, Antoine Tinawi, a specialist in Ayurveda from The Art of Living, a volunteer-based foundation created by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Antoine had many things to tell us, all delivered in an incredibly sweet and pure manner, à la Prabakar (one of the most memorable characters from my favorite book of all time, Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts). He talked to us about the Doshas, about food, about body characteristics and the Gunas, but the thing that stayed with me the most out of everything I heard was, “We live as if we have all the time in the world to obsess over the past and the future.” I’m still recovering from that one. Occasionally I read or overhear a phrase or idea that is the manifestation of my being, something that I consider to be so ingrained in my outlook and life philosophy that to have it exist outside of my being leaves me reeling. That occurred last night, and I’m still thinking about it.

I’ve spoken and written about how I feel our society is moving away from awareness into ignorance through sense of entitlement. About how teenage boys and girls today absolutely need to know where the rights that are afforded to them in today’s world came from, and what it took to get them. Girls need to know who Gloria Steinem is. Gay, lesbian, and transgendered community need to know who Matthew Shepard was. I could go on and on…any sub-culture that has any visibility has had to shed blood, sweat and tears to get it, and the way of the Western world today seems like fewer people are asking questions about the journeys that have led to today. The danger that exists in this complacency is potentially frightening, because, as we all know, the proverbial pendulum doesn’t only swing to one side. What swings to the right will inevitably swing back to the left, and vice versa. What dictates how far it swings is the momentum of ignorance that has built up before it starts moving again.

We are so insanely lucky to live where we live in today’s society. To be afforded the freedoms we have to pursue happiness, regardless of sexual orientation, race, gender or age. To be able to grow up assuming that those freedoms constitute our rights…that we’re somehow entitled to opportunities, to be able to choose how, where and with whom we spend our lives. On a global scale, we are in the minority, and it’s imperative that we remember this. We need to take every opportunity available to us to be thankful for the lives we lead, for the bodies we have that allow us to follow our paths and for the people around us who provide our safety nets, our extended families. We need to start living in the now, to stop obsessing over what exists in our pasts, and to not put an overt amount of significance in the future. Don’t get me wrong, now…it’s obviously wise and practical to plan financially and otherwise for where we see ourselves in the future, but we must always keep in mind that the future is as uncontrollable as the past. Nothing ever ends up being what we thought it would be, and is we really pay attention to how many of our thoughts consist of harping on what cannot be changed or affected, we’d probably be a lot more focused and productive, a lot less physically and mentally exhausted, and probably more accepting and compassionate of each other.

All I’m trying to say is that we can’t go wrong by living each moment to the fullest instead of looking back at what could have been or focusing on how we’d like to manipulate the future into being what we think it should be. It’s about appreciating and being present, about loving and sharing that appreciation with everyone around us. People will not only gravitate towards that kind of energy, but will want to embody it as well to pass it on, because at the core of that energy is the Truth. About ourselves and the world we live in. Where we came from and where we’re going. If we absolutely have to think about the past, then let’s agree to credit ourselves with having been as conscious and aware as we could have been, as productive, loving and compassionate as we could have been. And let’s agree that that energy is what lies ahead of us. More of the same. We may not necessarily be entitled to it, but we deserve it.

Summer was a time for early morning reading outside with bird song, sunshine, a cup of coffee and a dog. Now that darkness and cool air have moved in, my reading time seems to have dwindled. Well, I guess that having to work might have something to do with it too…

And read I did. Lots of books – big thick ones the height of fluffy pillows and the weight of small elephants. And Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is no exception. In fact, this was probably the longest book of the summer with its 920 pages or so!

I’d resisted the pull of the book for ages as I’m allergic to screaming headings like ‘A publishing phenomenon’ or ‘A remarkable achievement’. Or even ‘A literary masterpiece … it has the grit and pace of a thriller’. (Thanks Daily Telegraph!)

But then I started reading it – and realized that, for me, all of the above comments were true. The book is the fictionalized life of the author and reads like James Bond meets Indian philosopher. The protagonist, Lin (or Roberts’ alter ego if you like) is one of Australia’s most wanted men (in the 1980s): he escapes from a high-security prison there and ends up in Bombay. Where he sets up a free health clinic in a slum, works for the mafia, gets tortured in jail and learns Hindi and Marathi. And that’s just for starters. (Apparently Roberts really did do all of these things.)

The book begins like this:

“It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured. I realised, somehow, through the screaming of my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn’t sound like much, I know. But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it’s all you’ve got, that freedom is an universe of possibility. And the choice you make between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life.”

Apart from the high-octane pace of the prose, the book is lyrical, poetical and spiritual. He sees beyond the squalor and poverty to the soul of the Indian people, whom he portrays with love; he ponders about his own personality and how imprisonment can turn men into monsters; he philosophizes on the nature of good and evil; and amidst the violence and sadness, also reveals the beauty of life. Because, as he says, “Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilities.”

‘It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what i know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while i was chained to a wall and being tortured.’

- GREGORY DAVID ROBERTS -

was born in melbourne. sentenced to nineteen years in prison for a series af armed robberies, he escapedand spend eight of his fugitive years in bombay – where he established a free medical clinic for slum-dwellers, and worked as a counterfeiter, smuggler, gunrunner, and street soldier for a branch of the bombay mafia. recaptured, he seved out his sentence, and established a successful multimedia company upon his release.

roberts is now a full-time writer and lives in bombay, where he hass establihed a charitable trust to care for slum-dwellers.

- schon nach den ersten 11 ersten seiten dieses buches  bin ich beeindruckt. tolle schreibweise und erzaehlung mit einem ungeschminkten und nachdruecklichen einblick in das leben an einem der interessantesten und strangesten orte dieser welt. –

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Pressestimmen
“Einzigartig, waghalsig und wundervoll wild, versprochen, Shantaram übertrifft Ihre kühnsten Erwartungen!” ELLE

“Ein Roman, so leidenschaftlich wie der Herzschlag Indiens, voller Wahrheit  und Poesie.”

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Kurzbeschreibung
Ein Mann auf der Flucht – Eine Stadt, die nie schläft – Und die Gnade einer befreienden Liebe Shantaram erzählt in fiktionaler Form die Geschichte von Roberts’ eigenem Leben: Als der Australier Lindsay in Bombay strandet, hat er zwei Jahre seiner Gefängnisstrafe abgesessen und ist auf der Flucht vor Interpol. Zu seinem Glück begegnet er dem jungen Inder Prabaker, der ihn unter seine Fittiche nimmt. Auf ihren Streifzügen durch die exotische Metropole schließen die beiden eine innige Freundschaft. Von Prabaker lernt Lindsay nicht nur die Landessprache, sondern auch, mit sich ins Reine zu kommen: Er wird zu “Shantaram”, einem “Mann des Friedens” und kämpft für die Ärmsten der Armen. Doch dann verfällt Lindsay der geheimnisvollen Karla, einer Deutsch-Amerikanerin mit dubiosen Kontakten zur Unterwelt …

- Shantaram beobachtet- er verurteilt nicht. -

Along with the steadily improving weather, although backlashes into rainy gloom are annoingly frequent, I’m getting more and more into some sort of groove. What used to be weeks of unplanned nature and sporadic productivity have transformed into a tightly packed schedule of studies, work, handball and the occasional(!) inebriation. It’s exciting and although I feel I’ve still got a long way to go before I enter the world of real grown-ups it seems I am making some sort of progress towards it – it actually feels pretty nice.

I finished reading ‘Shantaram’ (Gregory David Roberts) the other day. Tremendously good read. An amazing story even if it turns out that only half of what the ex-con, prison escaping, drug dealing, jihad fighting philosopher of an Aussie writes is true. I picked up ‘Afrodites Tårar’ (Theodor Kallifatides) and it is nice to read something in Swedish every once in a while. In a moment of great longing for my home country I listened to Swedish radio on my iPod and read the simple yet thought provoking writings of the Greek-Swede. It has always interested me, how you can say so much by using very few words and simple means. I guess that is one big reason for why Copywriting interests me.

I’m getting a haircut in a few hours, at a place called Guys Grooming. It seems like a real good place – they offer every type of service that a metrosexual man could ever wish for. It is situated in Australia however, and with that comes a problem. In order to not scare away the manly consumers of the most macho country in the world, they need to compensate for the perception gayness that for some reason is linked to male grooming. They solve this problem in the same way they solve a lot of problems in Australia – with alcohol and violence. The customer gets a beer to accompany his service and a TV in front of him to watch sports on. Most likely a violent sport – like rugby. Say what you will, but it seems to be working. The place is as busy as a bee-hive and big brawny Aussies who otherwise might think twice about getting a facial treatment are now relishing the opportunity as they can drink beer and watch big men smash into each other while being groomed. Good on ya, mate.

That’s it, I better get back to my studies. I think this post was supposed to be longer from the beginning, but all of it disappeared when I tried to post it the first time so this is a re-write from memory and I probably missed a lot. Oh well, you’ll have to make do. Make it, I tell you.

/J

Two recent fiction books set in and depicting life in India that have become internationally acclaimed are Shantaram and The White Tiger.  Shantaram, written by Gregory David Roberts, is a semi-autobiographical fiction book based upon some of Roberts’ real life experiences as a fugitive from an Australian prison who flees to Bombay in the 80’s and has a wide range of experiences there including living in a Bombay slum and a small rural village, joining the Indian mafia, fighting in Afghanistan against the Russians, and acting in Bollywood movies.   The White Tiger was written by journalist, Aravind Adiga, and tells a fictional story of a driver in modern day India who serves an upper class businessman and ultimately becomes a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore after escaping what he calls life in the Darkness through, what most would say, the worst way possible.

Both of these books are well written, very entertaining reads that provide a glimpse of Indian life through a different lens than the typical middle class or happy villager vantage point in most books.  In Shantaram, the protagonist Lin is a foreigner, an Australian, learning about India and the reader learns more about Indlian life through Lin as he becomes immersed within a unique life in India.  In The White Tiger,  the main character, Balram, is the son of a rickshaw-puller who has secured what most in India for his family status would consider a plum opportunity as a full time driver to the rich and powerful Mr. Ashok.   However, Balram considers his life to still be one in the middle of the Darkness, the other side of Indian life as he says which is characterized with little hope and in essence, little freedom, and he offers to the reader a view into the Darkness through his interactions with Mr. Ashok and his family.

When reading these two books, I’m struck by the different feelings one gets about the goodness in people and life in India.   In Shantaram, in many ways, Lin is falling in love with life in India and realizing he belongs there.   In a previous blog posting, I wrote about the Indian head wiggle and Lin’s appreciation for the Indian gesture and its meaning—a feel good description of a quintessential Indian characteristic.  He also waxes prophetic about Prabakar,  a taxi driver who has befriended Lin, and taken him to his own village and was his initial navigator through the maze that was Bombay in the 80’s.  Prabakar is a lower class taxi driver who lives in a slum in Bombay, one who would likely be considered living in the Darkness that Adiga’s character Balram describes in The White Tiger, yet Prabakar is portrayed throughout as one who loves life, trying to lead the best life possible, but still having to overcome many challenges that only those living in these conditions, Darkness type conditions, would have to deal with.  Here is a passage used to describe Prabakar by Lin during a confrontation Lin had with others while Prabakar and Lin’s lady friend Karla were off to the side:

From Shantaram

“One moment from that evening, one heartbeat’s length of time as the crazed man had charged at us with a sword, was stretched in my memory.  At the precise instant when I took that step backwards and raised my hands in a boxing stance to fight, Prabaker took a step to the side, and stood in front of Karla. He wasn’t in love with her, and he wasn’t a fighter.  Yet his first instinct was to step sideways and protect Karla by shielding her with his body”

Roberts goes on to write through Lin’s eyes “I’d grown to like Prabaker.  I’d learned to admire his unshakeable optimism.  I’d come to depend on the comforting warmth his great smile provided”.

The key take away for me here is the way Prabaker is portrayed in this book.  Full of optimism and life, depicted as the epitome of goodness who would protect an acquaintance as if she was family during danger, all the while struggling to make it day to day while living in slum conditions.    The honesty and goodness of the Indian people is celebrated in Shantaram.

Now, contrast that with The White Tiger.    Balram is from a small village without a full education but catches a break by being chosen to be a driver for Mr. Ashok, who has recently returned from New York and will continue the lucrative family landlord and property business in India.    While initially excited about the opportunity and the money, Balram increasingly feels repressed, not free, and part of the unending cycle of servitude to the haves while he remains a part of the have nots.    Adiga has written this book and portrayed the struggling poor Indian in a much more dire light; without optimism, without hope.   Furthermore, he depicts the more prosperous Indian such as Mr. Ashok also in a dismal light; bound through bribery and corruption to serve powerful government figures to get ahead or maintain expectations of comfort that they have of themselves.    This book depicts the internal struggle within India of Darkness and Lightness to be a much more powerful dichotomy than the external struggles of Indians with the British for example— those external struggles led to change; the internal struggles of class and society can’t change.   Even when Balram exits his situation of service to Mr. Ashok (for those who haven’t read the book,  I won’t indicate how it actually happens), for him to became a legitimate entrepreneur participating in the tidal wave of opportunity in the IT space, requires Balram to grease the hands of the local commissioner.  While he was railing at the unfair setup of society when he was Mr. Ashok’s  driver, as soon as he got a chance to get out of the Darkness, he needed to play the game of servitude to get a chance to exit the Darkness.   Now interestingly, Adiga, talks about the trustworthiness of the Indian as the reason that this cycle of servitude works and can work in India

From The White Tiger

“No, it’s because 99.9 per cent of us are caught in the Rooster Coop….The Rooster Coop doesn’t always work with miniscule sums of money.  Don’t test your chauffeur with a rupee coin or two—he may well steal that much.  But leave a million dollars in front of a servant and he won’t touch a penny.  Try it: leave a black bag with a million dollars in a Mumbai taxi.  The taxi driver will call the police and return the money by the day’s end. I guarantee it (Whether the police will give it to you or not its another story, sir!).  Masters trust their servants with diamonds in this country! It’s true.  Every evening on the train out of Surat, where they run the world’s biggest diamond-cutting and –polishing business, the servants of diamond merchants are carrying suitcases full of cut diamonds that they have to give to someone in Mumbai.  Why doesn’t that servant take the suitcase full of diamonds?  He’s no Gandhi, he’s human, he’s you and me.  But he’s in the Rooster Coop.  The trustworthiness of servants is the basis of the entire Indian economy.

Later he writes, “A handful of men in this country have trained the remaining 99.9 percent- as strong, as talented, as intelligent in every other way—to exist in perpetual servitude, a servitude so strong that you can put the key of his emancipation in a man’s hands and he will throw it back at you with a curse.”

The key take away for me from Adiga’s The White Tiger is the focus on the struggle of life in India.  While in Shantaram, there is optimism and much happiness portrayed, that is absent in The White Tiger.    Now, the differing backgrounds of the two authors could be important reasons for the differing vantage points—Roberts being a new resident of India, hasn’t seen the struggle for multiple generations, even though he did live in a slum, while Adiga as a journalist in India and abroad, may had more opportunity to see, feel and hear over multiple generations the struggle.

Ultimately as a reader, I think it’s important to read about both vantage points.  The reality is that both Roberts’ and Adiga’s themes are present in life in India.  Adiga’s views are controversial and not often written but creating a more out in the open dialogue is a good thing for India.

hey i know … i know … it’s been a while … but things have been a bit crazy. between some screwed up things at work and a renovation thingie at home … things have been a bit hectic. i mean logged on to my half a dozen or so mail id’s, orkut page and facebook pages after a month or so … and expectedly there was nothing new … not surprising. but … there is some good news i guess … the job market seems to be improving. how r these two things connected??? well have been planning to move on for quite some time now. and hopefully this improved situation will serve me well …

but quite honestly … haven’t quite prepared a resume for myself in close to 3 years. i’m not 2 sure i even remember quite how to … but d good ol’ internet should help me in that. hmmm … what else … oh yeah … haven’t quite read a good book in a while. i mean the last one i went through was losing my virginity by richard branson … but that was quite some time ago … and honestly i’m not tht a big fan of auto-biographies. i mean don’t get me wrong … reading about gandhi or hitler or nehru is quite fascinating … but richard branson is not quite either one of ‘em … . but i’m eagerly awaitng the next books by Gregory David Roberts and Khaled Hosseini … u no … the authors of Shantaram and Kite Runner/A Thousand Splendid Suns … now those are books to be read …

Speaking of which i actually happened to see the movie Kite Runner a few weeks ago. and well not a bad movie at all … i mean doesn’t quite match up to the book. well don’t get me wrong … that had nothing to do with bad acting or something … it’s just that it’s a movie … so kinda expectedly it was a cut down version of the book. so some important parts of the book were cut down … but the acting wasn’t that bad. most of the dialogues were in Pashto … so that was good. gave the film a bit of an authentic feel about it … and didn’t totally thrash the book. but hopefully these two awesome authors will come out with even better books soon.

well thats it i guess … till the next time i’m at my wits end … i’ll come out with the next post … so you know u wouldn’t have to wait long. … ciao!!!

“Whatever the reason, I felt dishearteningly alone in the city. I’d just lost…my closest friends…and with them I’d lost the mark on the psychic map that says You Are Here. Personality and personal identity are in some ways like co-ordinates on the street map drawn by our intersecting relationships. We know who we are and we define what we are by references to the people we love and our reasons for loving them.”

-          Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram

I found myself awake and reading at dawn for no apparent reason, and being arrested by this passage. It must be noted that Roberts here speaks of friends he has lost to death and extreme misfortune. Nothing of the sort has of late befallen the people I love. Many, however, are struggling with themselves or with the dismal state of the world around us, and are choosing to leave New York and try their luck elsewhere. Explore.

I have always been one to encourage my friends to travel. To unmoor oneself and allow for confusion and fascination, fear and anxiety in environments where one is entirely unfamiliar forces an honest look inside. After every new experience, we look upon the world with a new set of eyes. New York used to be a new experience. The lens it produces however seem to have become my own.

I realized a couple of years ago that I have found, for the first time, a place that felt like home. Kind of. I’m still not sure what that means. But it feels mine, and for once more by choice than by random default. After I finished school, I could have chosen to leave. I could have gone back to Italy. I could have started working in Bangladesh. I could have tried England, Australia, India. I had options. Instead, I got another apartment in Brooklyn, and I got a job that will run at least a year.

This is a strange time to choose America. This place is more than a little broken. It may not be the best decision, but for what it’s worth, for now, I’m taking her on as my own.

That which is one’s own however, is defined by marks on the psychic map to which Roberts refers. You are here. This is yours. Friends, people, become mainstays. The man who smiles and hands you your morning bagel every day changes your world when he inexplicably disappears.

This isn’t just the bagel guy. This is the loose family with whom I do not share blood. While I have watched my social world continuously morph in an amoebic dance over the years, the boundaries that hold the organism together feel far less secure today than ever before.

Samantha Garfield, my favorite trend spotter, New York born and raised, is trying her hand at Berlin. Dan Sakamoto, sweetheart and photographer extraordinaire, has returned to Baltimore. My girl Steever, who through morning coffee dates and too much cheesecake stole a corner of my heart forever, takes off in a day or so to start school in Chicago. The list goes on. The exodus has begun. Power to them. I wish them all well in their explorations.

In all honestly, my heart is breaking a little. (Thank god for the internet.)

I am traveling to Rome for a month. When I come back, certain marks on the psychic map of New York as I understand it will have faded, moved, or will have been erased. A city I no longer recognize. Where is here?

It will be time to look upon the world with a new set of eyes once again.

Farwell, my doves.

afterwards,

when I am not with you

and you are alone enough

to count the nails in your heart,

tough, and studded like a treasure-house door,

when you arrange your silences

in the vase of an hour,

balancing the bouquet with memories

of hands held,

a spike of laughter

and the colour of my eyes

when you sit within the swell

of your heartbeat

and the purple tide of daydream

laps at the shore of all your selves,

and your skin sings, perfume-pierced

afterwards,

surrender to this thought of me:

as the mimosas of Maharashtra in May

long for monsoon

I long for you;

as the crimson cactus flowers of Thar

long for full moon

I long for you,

and in all my afterwards,

when I am not with you,

my heart turns toward the window of my life

and begs for rain

Gregory “Shantaram” David Roberts

“I was a revolutionary who lost his ideals in heroin, a philosopher who lost his integrity in crime, and a poet who lost his soul in a maximum security prison. When I escaped from that prison, over the front wall, between two gun towers, I became my country’s most wanted man. Luck ran with me and flew with me to India, where I joined the Bombay mafia. I worked as a gunrunner, a smuggler, and a counterfeiter. I was chained on three continents, beaten, stabbed and starved. I went to war. I ran into the enemy guns. And I survived, while other men around me died. They were better men than I am, most of them; better men whose lives were crunched up in mistakes, and thrown away by the wrong second of someone else’s hate, or love, or indifference. And I buried them, too many of those men, and grieved their stories and their lives into my own.”

Some books are like an exquisite meal, meant for indulgence and slow enjoyment.  Shantaram is one of those – written by Gregory David Roberts, the book tells the story of his escape from a New Zealand prison, his subsequent arrival in Mumbai, a visit to village India, and his life in the Middle Asian underworld.  Although some of the events are based on the author’s life, it is technically classified as fiction since he merged different events and characters for narrative flow.

My favorite books are the ones that immediately draw you into their world and make you care about the characters, and this one accomplishes that marvelously.  A few more choice quotes:

“The past reflects eternally between two mirrors -the bright mirror of words and deeds, and the dark one, full of things we didn’t do or say”

“Astounding and puzzling images from the city tumbled and turned in my mind like leaves on a wave of wind, and my blood so thrilled with hope and possibility that I couldn’t suppress a smile, lying there in the dark…In that moment, in those shadows, I was almost safe”

This book makes me want to jump on a plane to Mumbai and embrace the chaos and energy of the city myself.  Highly recommend it.

I just started reading “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts – and I love it!

The choking humidity makes amphibians of us all, in Bombay, breathing water in air; you learn to live with it, and you learn to like it, or you leave.

If I did not know how to use my last 6 days in Senegal before I seat myself on the air plane, now I know.  Strange feeling today during my busy last day at the office. All reports are handed in and I am moving on to next phase.

Vad gör man under en semester? Jo, man plockar fram en tjock bok, som ska vara superdupermegabra och lägger sig på en 35-gradig strand och läser ut den. Därefter tänker man ”wow, vilken bok” och så slutar semestern och man ska fortsätta jobba. Shantaram är en sådan där superdupermegabra bok som är en kloss på nästan 1 000 sidor som passar perfekt till semestern!

Sådana här klossar brukar ha en tendens till att kunna bli sega för antingen är det för mycket detaljer, eller så är det en författare som inte kan hålla uppe händelsernas relevans och frekvens, utan den faller halvvägs. Nu är Shantaram faktiskt inte den typen av bok, utan det kommer nya saker som konstant matar läsaren och man får hela tiden lagom med detaljer för att inte djupet ska försvinna, men inte för många så att tempot blir långsamt. Det här är ett mästerverk, faktiskt.

Boken är en självbiografi och handlar om författarens liv. Han heter Gregory David Roberts och han råkade sabba sitt liv, bli heroinist och begå väpnade rån för att få pengar för mer heroin. I den här misären hoppades han att poliserna bara ska skjuta honom, men det gjorde de inte, utan han fångades in och sattes i ett hårdkokt australiensiskt fängelse. Där inne var det hårt, tufft och han fick kämpa så medfångarna satte honom i det där facket där han ansågs vara hårdkokt. Hur som helst tröttnade han på att vara inne så han flydde fängelset, landet och hamnade slutligen i Bombay.

Det första han gjorde var att han träffade en guide som hette Prabaker och han visade Bombay. Inte bara turistgrejerna, utan även slavförsäljning och allt annat omysigt som Indien hade att erbjuda. Det här var Indien på 80-talet så jag får hoppas att tjugo år har fått en del av det där att försvinna. Efter många konstiga vändor i sitt liv så hamnar ”Lin” (författarens smeknamn i Bombay) i ett slumområde, i ett maffiagäng, i afghanska kriget emot Sovjetunionen och så fortsätter det under 1 000 sidor. Variationen är konstant och imponerande!

Karaktärerna som är i boken kommer och går, men det blir aldrig en så stor mängd av personer att det är aldrig svårt att veta vem som är vem. Dessutom har varje person en mycket viktig del i berättelsen och Gregory använder alla karaktärer för att föra historien framåt och om karaktärerna inte är viktiga för handlingen så går han inte in på dem. Det är en imponerande konst och det är faktiskt få författare som jag har läst som lyckats med det konststycket.

Miljöerna som boken beskriver är alltid helt makalösa och man undrar hur de ska lyckas spela in en film baserad på boken. Framförallt att man inte kan få dem lika storslagna, skitiga, och fyllda med kärlek. Det ryktas om att skådespelarna till och med sänker sina löner för att få spela Lin och jag hoppas de väljer en riktigt bra skådespelare för filmen kan bli en Oscarvinnare, om den får rätt budget och rätt skådespelare.

Så nu rekommenderar jag er att ta semester snart och faktiskt läsa den här boken. Det var en av de bästa böckerna jag någonsin läst. Det är garanterat en blivande klassiker som man bara måste ha läst för den här kommer aldrig bli omodern, utan vara det ultimata beviset på varför Indien är ett så fascinerande land.

Jag läser ju som bekant lite böcker..

och nu har jag betat av en hög till som jag tänkte tipsa om

3 utvalda:

Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts

En tegelsten. Den tar evigheter att ta sig igenom. Främst för att det är så mycket att smälta. Intryck, kultur, händelser, människor och historia. Det finns avsnitt i boken som är så spännande så man sträckläser, det finns andra avsnitt som bli lite sega så man helst vill hoppa framåt. Så finns de de avsnitt som är så starka och insiktsfulla så man måste läsa en gång till.. ca 900 sidor. Läs den!

Analys av ett mord – Jed Rubenfeld

En debutroman. Handlar om Freud men är ändå en fiktiv mordhistoria i New york 1909.

Spännande och välskriven. Jag gillar.

Sommardöden – Mons Kallentoft

Hans förra (och första) bok var rysligt bra. (midvinterblod) Den här är om möjligt ännu bättre.

En ruskig mordhistoria i Linköping (mina hemtrakter nämns många gånger och i slutet på ett obehagligt sätt) Men också en karaktärshistoria som jag gillar.

Klar rekommendation i sommarhängmattan. LÄS!!

Nu, tillbaka till att läsa nästa bok. Och kurera magen!

I do my thing, and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful. 
Frederick E. Perl

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I think asking yourself ‘would I’ rather than ’should I’ is a much more honest approach to life. Everyone does things that they think they shouldn’t; who sets the standards of what is ‘acceptable’? ‘Should’ is mildly irrelevant to say the least. ‘Would’ is the raw truth. It’s liberating. It’s comfort in you’re individuality. It’s asking of yourself to be you, not what others want of you or expect of you.

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So, I’m just getting my final things together before taking on the big bad world on my own. Bags are packed – pretty minimalistically (i’m proud) and yesterday I had a going away picnic / dinner to say bye-bye to my friends. I’ll miss them; they’re all great. I’m really excited to be off though. There is this great travel blog - gridskipper - I’ve been exploring so if you are into travel – take a look. It covers most of the major cities of this oyster. 

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I am still hopelessly in love with Gregory David Robert’s book Shantaram, despite finishing it over a year ago now. He is such a beautiful writer and deals with issues of life so honestly, simply and vividly. I’ve only just discovered his site and it’s well worth exploring. Especially the interviews with this enlightened, interesting man.

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I saw the movie the Hangover on Friday and it exceeded my expectations. In fact, it’s one of the best movies I have seen in a while. One that is actually funny – not trying too hard. I especially like the way it was put together. Some of the subtleties in the story telling approach were just genius at establishing a sense of authenticity. I don’t want to give it away. The photos with the credits at the end are very realistic and fun and overall this movie rocked in it’s accurate depiction of one bitch of a hangover.

& you know what else is awesome? I lost my wallet last night with $70 (not a regular amount to have in my possession, let alone my bank account), id, license and credit-cards. I spent so long looking for it! Today, one altrustic soul as they had found it and were generous in initiating a crusade to give it back to it’s rightful owner. A godsend seeing as I’m leaving the country in 4 days. There’s hope for humanity yet

When mentioning to my buddies that my last name resembles an Italian name, I used to get scoffed at. While reading Shantaram today, I came upon a curious cultural comparison that left me feeling somewhat vindicated.

“There is so much Italian in Indians, and so much Indian in Italians. They are both people of the Madonna – they demand a Goddess, even if the religion does not provide one. Every man in both countries is a singer when he is happy; and every woman is a dancer when she walks to the shop corner .For them food is music inside the body and music is food inside the heart. The language of India and the language Italy , they make every man a poet and make something beautiful from every banalite. These are nations where love –amore, pyaar- makes a cavalier of a Borsalino on a street corner, and makes a princess of a peasant girl , if only for the second that her eyes meet yours .”

I know, it’s not really related to my claim. No matter.

Aamir Khan and Danny Boyle

Guess what, guess what?! This just if from Digital Spy Aamir Khan has reportedly been approached by Danny Boyle to star in the Slumdog Millionaire director’s next feature. Boyle was in India to rescue the film’s young stars Rubina Ali and Azhauddin Mohammed Ismail, after their eviction from their shanty town home. Khan had returned to Mumbai for a short stay, following a vacation in the US.

The director reportedly had a short meeting with the actor, before hosting a party for the Slumdog Millionaire cast. Boyle allegedly first met Khan during the Slumdog premiere in India. Khan is best known for his role in Lagaan. Only the third Bollywood film to have been nominated for an Oscar. He is rumored to be starring alongside Kate Winslet in Pan Nalin’s forthcoming partition film.

(Hmm not really if you’re a true blue Aamir Khan fan but I suppose that’s what the International media know him for, it’s Andaz Apna Apna all the way for me!)

The other thing I heard was that it might be a film based on the Suketu Mehta’s novel “Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found.” Sort of a modern-day thriller set largely at night when its inhabitants are asleep. I wonder if this is a bid to rival director Mira Nair’s movie based on the Australian Gregory David Roberts‘ “Shantaram” starring Johnny Depp?

Of course no mention on Aamir’s latest blog posted yesterday (but he’s hardly the type to jump the gun now is he?)

I like his blog, it’s very chatty.. he says, “Well all good things must come to an end and I am back to work from tomorrow. Actual shooting work, though, starts around the 15th of June, and I have to confess that these last 2 months I have missed the other Idiots.

Have played quite a few board games these past few weeks. Have you guys tried Settlers Of Catan? I think that’s my top favorite. Followed by Age Of Empires, Carrcassonne and Scotland Yard. These are all group games needing 4 to 6 players. Good fun. Would love your suggestions on board games you think I should try.

(Partini try Partini! Hahaha.)

Most disturbing to hear about racist attacks on Indians living in Australia. Quite a shame. While this doesn’t mean that all Australians are racists, the frequency and seriousness of such attacks, I think, calls for an extra ordinary reaction from the Australian authorities. And while we want action to be taken by authorities in Australia, equally we should remember all the various crimes against foreigners who visit India. Let us hope and pray that Shravan recovers soon.

I see that Glen my skiing instructor has joined us. Well Glen if you are reading this you need to corroborate all my skiing achievements. Nobody here seems to believe that I was doing Black slopes on Day 4. Actually I suspect it was Day 3.

(I didn’t know he could ski! Love it.)

Well I’m back folks.

Hello hello hello. “

(*sigh*)

Aamir Khan & Kiran Rao

P.S. Kinda cute that Aamir chose to do 3 idiots because his wife Kiran Rao happened to pick it up off his desk piled with scripts and ended up rolling on the floor laughing while reading it apparently his curiosity got the better of him he read it too and ended up on the floor beside her!

Finished 5-28-09, rating 4.5, fiction, pub. 2003

A lot of people in my own country knew me as a face on a wanted poster.  But is it my own country, I asked myself.  Do I have a country?

It wasn’t until I’d asked myself the question that I realised I already had the answer.  If I did have a country, a nation of the heart, it was India.  I knew that I was as much a refugee, a displaced and stateless person, as the thousands of Afghans, Iranians, and others who’d come to Bombay across the burning bridge; those exiles who’d taken shovels of hope, and set about burying the past in the earth of their own lives.

Chapter 14

This novel is a beautiful, honest, and lyrical love letter to India.  I think before I try to describe the novel I’ll give you some stats about the author.  Roberts is an Australian who became a heroin addict, went to prison, escaped from the Australian prison after two years and made his way to Bombay.  In India he lived in the slums, opened a medical clinic, was imprisoned, worked for the Bombay mafia, and went to Afghanistan to provide weapons during their war with the Soviet Union.  Okay.  Now take all of that information and apply it to Lin, the man telling the story of Shantaram, and you have the basics for the book.  Roberts knows what he speaks.

When Lin arrives in Bombay he is immediately taken in by a guide with a huge smile and even larger heart, Prabaker, a small Indian who gives Lin his name,  Linbaba.  The two men become the best of friends and Parabaker even takes Lin home to his small village where his parents live, where he given the name, Shantaram, which means man of peace.  Once back in Bombay Lin takes up residence in one of the largest slums and with only a basic first aid kit opens up a clinic for the tens of thousands of the slums.  He finds ways to make money on the street before he is eventually befriended by Khader Khan, the don of the Bombay mafia.  Lin begins to look at this man as a father fiigure. 

Even as I’m writing this I know that I cannot really tell you even half of this story.  It’s sheer size, 933 pages, forces me to just give you a few of my thoughts.  I was blown away by the description of India and its people.  Also, he does travel to Afghanistan and its history provides much insight into what is happening there today.  I also loved the writing.  Roberts knows how to tell a story and to tell it well.  The introspection of Lin (and Roberts) will start many a conversation and cause much reflection. 

It is almost a perfect book.  I did feel that the last few hundred pages lost a little of the intensity of the rest of the book, but I’m sure that was probably intended.  Also, Lin felt like a very self-important character.  I don’t think this takes away from the enjoyment of the novel, but it did make me read his story with some question about his genuineness.

I recommend this book to everyone.  It has adventure, crime, love, powerful men, war, hugging bears, and people who will touch your heart.  Set aside some time and read it.  Johnny Depp has purchased the rights to the movie and plans on playing Lin (yum!).  This is one of my husband’s favorite books (maybe the very favorite?) and he was hooked from the first line, so I will end this review with the first two lines of the book…

It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured.  I realised, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them.

Hi,

As I have mentioned in very first post, “In late 2008, I have bought lots of book”. So it’s time to move forward with Shantaram. Somewhere I read, “If you like to read novel and didn’t read Shantaram yet then you already missed something“.

So I am going on virtual tour with Shantaram (published in 2003) and its author Gregory David Roberts. I will share my experience of this virtual tour once I complete the book but as of now I want to enjoy this tour.

Enjoy Reading!!!

Shantaram

Gregory David Roberts

Hardcover: 1.088 Seiten

Goldmann Verlag

ISBN: 978-3442311538

24,95 EUR

„Es gibt eine Wahrheit, die tiefer liegt als Erfahrung. Man findet sie jenseits dessen, was wir sehen und fühlen. Diese Form der Wahrheit unterscheidet das aufrichtige Empfinden von einfacher Klugheit. Für gewöhnlich fühlen wir uns hilflos, wenn wir ihr begegnen; und der Preis, den wir für das Wissen um sie bezahlen, ist, wie der Preis für das Wissen um die Liebe, manchmal höher, als das Herz zu geben bereit ist. Sie kann uns nicht immer helfen, die Welt zu lieben, doch sie bewahrt uns davor, die Welt zu hassen. Und der einzige Weg, diese Wahrheit zu erleben, besteht darin, sie zu offenbaren, von Seele zu Seele…“

Nach einem aufsehenerregenden Ausbruch aus einem australischen Hochsicherheitsgefängnis ist Lindsay – so sein Name in seinem gefälschten Pass – auf der Flucht. Über Umwege landet er in Bombay und das Schicksal nimmt seinen Lauf. Kurz nach seiner Ankunft lernt er den Inder Prabaker kennen. Dieser zeigt Linbaba, wie er Lindsay freundschaftlich nennt, sein Indien auf seine ganz persönliche Weise. So lernt er nicht nur das Land, sondern auch die Menschen zu schätzen. Er findet sowohl eine Heimat als auch Freunde und lernt deren Sprachen, Hindi und Marathi. Schicksalhaft sind die Begegnungen mit Karla, Khaled Ansari und Khaderbhai, sie werden sein weiteres Leben bestimmen. Im Slum, in dem Lin zunächst lebt, wird er aufgrund seiner Ausbildung in Erster Hilfe zum Arzt auserkoren. So wird er zum Shantaram, dem Mann des Friedens. Er erlebt alle Facetten des menschlichen Lebens von ehrlicher Liebe bis zu familiären Gewalt. Kleiner und größere Gesetzesverstöße, Alkohol und Drogen bestimmen das Leben vieler, er lernt Missstände aller Art kennen und ganz langsam gerät er immer mehr unter den Einfluss eines mächtigen Mafiabosses. Aber dann wird er plötzlich aus unerklärlichen Gründen verhaftet…

In eine fiktive Form gebracht, erzählt Gregory David Robert mit diesem Buch seine eigene unglaubliche Lebensgeschichte. Lange bin ich um dieses Buch geschlichen, denn 1088 Seiten sind auch für mich, einer bekennenden Liebhaberin von dicken Wälzern, kein Pappenstil. Und mir drängte sich immer wieder die Frage auf, kann ein 1952 Geborener so viel erlebt haben, dass er diese Seiten ohne große Längen füllen kann. Roberts kann das und, wie ich meine, in beeindruckender Form. Die Sprache ist einfach und leicht zu lesen und so schmökerte ich mich durch ein Buch, das Indien sehr detailliert und facettenreich beschrieb. Beim Lesen hatte ich oft den Eindruck direkt dabei zu sein. Mit sehr gelungenen Beschreibungen von Land und Leuten und den unübersehbaren Gegensätzen entstand in meinem Kopf ein beeindruckend farbenprächtiges Bild des indischen Subkontinents. Es ist schon eine ganze Weile her, seit ich zum letzten Mal mit einem Protagonisten so mitfieberte und -litt.

Mein Fazit: „Shantaram“ ist ein Indienepos der besonderen Art. Es ist Roberts’ Liebeserklärung an das Land, beeindruckend, mitreißend, aufwühlend. Ich wünschte es gäbe mehr solcher Romane.

Über den Autor www.amazon.de

Gregory David Roberts wurde 1952 in Melbourne, Australien, geboren. Während seiner Studienjahre beging er mehrere bewaffnete Raubüberfälle und wurde zu einer 19-jährigen Haftstrafe in einem Hochsicherheitsgefängnis verurteilt. Nach seiner spektakulären Flucht ließ sich Gregory David Roberts in Bombay nieder. Dort gründete er unter anderem seine eigene Castingagentur für Bollywood-Filmproduktionen und eine Rockband. Seine Kontakte zur lokalen Mafia führten schließlich zu seiner Festnahme in Frankfurt. Gregory David Roberts wurde nach Australien zurückgeschickt, wo er weitere sechs Jahre im Gefängnis verbrachte – zwei davon in Einzelhaft. In dieser Zeit begann er seine Arbeit an seinem ersten Roman “Shantaram”, der mittlerweile zu einem weltweiten sensationellen Erfolg avanciert ist. Heute lebt Gregory David Roberts mit seiner Familie in Genf.

“One of the reasons why we crave love, and seek it so desperately, is that love is the only cure for loneliness, and shame, and sorrow.“

-  Shantaram

*This is NOT a book review*

Although I have begun to shun philosophical discussions-texts-thoughts over the years, Shantaram is one book which I count amongst my favourites. One, for the sheer will and perseverance of the author Gregory David Roberts. He wrote this book while in prison and the published version is the third after the first two were destroyed by the jailers. Two, the way I kept losing my way through the 927-page book and then picked up the story from a new end after every couple of hundred pages.

It’s Shantaram’s story in a city which he first takes to refuge and then adopts as his home. His insights on life, as he goes to extents to keep it a secret from his predators. His musings about love, as he finds love only to never get it. His experiences, as he leads a life he never could imagine when he set out on his journey.

People tend to count a book which is ~1000 pages amongst their favourites for all the effort it takes to read the epic. OK, Shantaram is a super-cool book to add in your library and the flaunt list. But if you are a serious reader, I would recommend you read it for the brilliance of thought the author has put in. The vocabulary gets difficult at many instances and referring to a dictionary kills the joy of reading. But if you keep ticking and pass the first 30-something pages in which the story builds its ground, you will find some fascinating pieces of literature.

I like the book for the unique way it describes love. Now, I haven’t read much [in fact, any] literature on love so I don’t know how unique really is Roberts’ take. But from all the crap that circulates around on the most-loved emotion of all times, Shantaram is a refreshing change.

Roberts does not think love is a basic need like food and sex for humans. It is a crutch that we take to support our incompleteness, our incompetence, our vacant. Like the opening quote says.

And Roberts doesn’t tell you that love makes you feel fulfilled. Love will not take you to the cloud # 9, love will not make your life rosy and cheerful, love will not be the thing that will keep you going through the tough times. Like he says:

“Your heart starts to feel like an over-crowded lifeboat (in love). You throw your pride, self-respect and independence out to keep it afloat. After a while you start throwing people out. And it’s still not enough. The lifeboat is still sinking, and you know it’s going to take you down with it.“

Shantaram makes you his companion as he travels through time, places and minds. iRecommend!

So GQ’s Wednesday Bar Night at Olive is turning out to be quite the hotspot! In fact I have to say I’m pretty impressed with how they manage to pull off stylish soirees on a regular basis without ever compromising on class (this also means they always have Redbull at the open bar which I truly appreciate.) Remember the launch party? That was super hip. Plus the magazine has had my heart throb Aamir Khan on the cover (with a pretty well crafted interview inside) and their first bar night was a roaring success. (Maxim eat your heart out. Although I had a conversation with Alex Kuruvilla yesterday and he pointed out that there was actually no magazine (in the same league)  that really compares, I guess that’s fair. Its also true that guys actually read this stuff (when they’re not flipping through Cosmo that is) so they’re clearly on to something.

So here’s my LPC action from the night (Press kit photos to follow…)

Gerard Butler and Amrit Maghera

Narendra Kumar and Gerard Butler

Gregory David Roberts

Bandana Tewari

In a blur of heat (and the distinct aroma of horses) I spotted Gerard Butler (remember I told you he was in town?)  While the boys commented (with some degree of satisfaction) that “he really isn’t as jacked as he looks in 300″ he spent most of his night getting oodles of attention from members of the female persuasion (and clearly loving every minute of it.) Tarana Raja Kapoor had a funny exchange with him about having dubbed for the Queen in the Hindi version of 300 to which he replied with a snarky “So how was I in bed in the Hindi version?” Another popular face at the party turned out to be good ‘ol Shantaram Gregory David Roberts who flashed me a friendly smile unlike the slightly grumpier Mr. Butler! Amrit Maghera pulled of the whole “barbie” ensemble with a straight face and managed her first Hollywood scoop for After Hours with a satisfied grin on her face, (Nina Manuel’s stilettos can’t have been easy to fill!) Meanwhile Narendra Kumar Ahmed looked like he’s been working out although he kept joking with me that he was just holding his stomach in. (Man if you could teach some of us girls to do that we’d never work out!) Uday Benegal also appeared out of nowhere much to the delight of some long time fans and friends and Bandana Tewari zipped around with the kind of dynamite energy I’m praying to God I still possess post parenthood!

P.S. This what the buzz over at www.gerardbutlergals.com is… to surmise: they love him in white and they really want him back!

And Now Say Hello to My Monochromatic Friend!

Same colors, same party but sadly getting it SO wrong.

Not like I was saving the best for last but just when you thought (based on his relatively normal attire at the last GQ bar night) that Yash Birla had finally retired his futuristic wardrobe and any moment now was gonna do a big fat “gotcha!” on the paparazzi (who remain mystified but trigger happy) perhaps even admitting that he had been kidding all along he shows up in this psychadelic tee shirt which could possible be the ugliest shirt in the world. Challengers?

Yash Birla

Honorable mention in the fugly department goes to this dress and that belt. (I’m not a fan but I’ll let the experts decide. Ladies?)