106th Post - “A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry

106^th Post - “A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry

I had done reading the book “A fine balance” crafted by Rohinton Mistry. This is my sixth book that I had completed so far this year and recently started the Nobel laureate Sir V.S. Naipaul's “A House For Mr. Biswas”. Now days I am feeling that my reading list increases exponentially and I started to be in love with one book at one time in my hand [ if I have comfortable attribute of time ]. And, every time as I sheer a book, I found why books are called as the best companion of human being. And, with completion of every book I found myself eager to read more book that comes out as a result of last book.

 

While, reading any book is a delightful journey and every single book is like an guide that gives an enormous source of knowledge which are meant to show a path to generations of generation. There is a well said proverb – “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one”. - How true it is ? Its a totally fundamental question that should be answered in a little more fundamental way. :-) Well, we discuss this topic later.

ABOUT BOOK -::

“A Fine Balance” book is set in 1970s, around 1975 when State of Emergency was declared by the then Prime Minister of India and exposes a whole idea about the changes in Indian society from Independence to the declared emergency called by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The book revolves around the life of four people from four very different walks of life having their own antithetical view towards life and who all co-incidentally cross their paths for a year during the emergency under a single roof, where they strive and struggle for the most crucial battle of life “Survival”. All learn from each other and become better people, the book is about how their lives are intertwined by external and internal influences while they all have a common goal – How to survive in this brutal world, where everyone and everything is corrupted. They struggle together. They face challenges together. They celebrate together. But will they succeed?

The book began by introducing a reader to three of the four main characters of epic fiction: Ishvar Darji, his nephew, Omprakash Darji ( both belongs to the Chammar caste ) and Maneck Kohlah ( The College student ) who all are on a train journey to same destination [ but was unaware ]. While, riding on train, Maneck can't help but be drawn into the jovial conversation between Ishvar and Om Darji and soon they become familiar to each other. During conversation, by chance they came to know that they are all new to this city and headed to the same address: Ishar and Om as a tailor looking for work and Maneck as paying guest, for Dina Dalai; the widow and the fourth and the important character of book.

It is overall a story of Dina Dalal, a widow living in a big City, trying to make two ends meet. It is a story of Ishvar Darji and his nephew Omprakash, who've come to the city from their ancestral village after their family being decimated by upper caste landowners. It is a story of Maneck Kohlah, a young chap who has come to the city for advanced studies. Moreover, its a story of their life and their struggle for survival. And at last, author was able to makes you realize that true happiness is inner happiness and no matter how rich or poor you are, it is your passion for life which takes you ahead in life by fighting against all the whirlwind of life.

One of the most beautiful part of this book is that Mistry never takes any names of places or politicians during the entire book. However, you know exactly who he is talking about. Like Indira Gandhi during emergency or her son Rajiv Gandhi the next in line politician. Similarly the “City by Sea” is Mumbai.

Reading this book was like a pleasuring journey for me – whereas this book describes all about; relation between rich and poor; employer and employee; friend and friendship; relation and family; hope and despair; but over all that – its a story to tell a difference between a human and a being human. And when I completed the book – there comes only a single message in my mind – let's connect the life, why is so much gap between the most beautiful gift of Almighty. Let's live a life. Because, One of the great thing about this gift is that it all remains same at some point.

And, when the book was completed then only I was able to understand the title and one of the finest line handed in book “You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair” - A reality in which the much oppressed population lead miserable lives so that a few can lead luxurious ones, and as the tittle says, reaching a Fine Balance.

“A Fine Balance” is an easy to read book with a lucid and a very simple vocabulary and I recommend this to every literature lover.

About Author - ::

Rohinton Mistry is an Indian-born Canadian writer in English considered as to be one of the foremost authors of Indian heritage writing in Queen's language. He's author of three novel, Such a long journey (1991), A Fine Balance (1995) and Family Matters (2002). His first published work was a collection of eleven short stories about the resident of Firozsha Baag published by Penguin Canada in 1987 by title as “Tales From Firozsha Baag”. He is considered as one of the finest writer in literature.

Cheers!

Dhitendra 

Keep Smiling :-) 

105th Post - “Our Moon Has Blood Clots” by Rahul Pandita

105^th Post - “Our Moon Has Blood Clots” by Rahul Pandita

It takes me almost a calendar week to write out this review. Almost, the same time I took to complete this book. And, I still have a lump in my throat when I started to pen this review. Because I didn't know from where I've to start and at where I've to make an end.

The moment when I opened the book to read, my eyes rest on very first lines and my eyes feel moist. I was in deep thought by reading those first lines and assumed that it'd be going a very great read and it was with a great effort that I kept reading. But, after a while, it becomes too painful to continue. Even turning a page seems like a herculean task. I feel drained both emotionally and physically. But, I continued and continued....and - Finally, I had done sheer the book “Our Moon Has Blood Clots” by Rahul Pandita. The book is very very powerful and persuasive and moves with every peculiar word. Undoubtedly, Mr. Pandita has amazed with his pen-down capability – with every word and every paragraph and it took me so long [ almost six days ] to finale a 256 page book because I want to read every page once again. Merely I don't know why ? But I wants to read and think about every sentence again and again.

The book is all about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits community from the Kashmir Valley in the Indian state of J&K during period of 1985 – 1995 and describe a broad view of exodus events that had been occurred during two agonized decades – That was the time when the people of a very appealing place [ It is said that Kashmir is so beautiful that even the Gods are jealous of this paradise ] were given three choices, if they wants to live – they've to convert, or to flee [ if they had chance ] or to die. Each time many perished and many more displaced – each with a saga of untold misery – all in all they were deserted by their own and by their own Gods. The book is a collection of many outcomes and can be split-ed in three major parts. The first part tells us about the life in Kashmir pre-exodus. And then slowly, portents of the exodus started showing up on their doorsteps, literally. The third part tells the story of the exiled families, how they cope with the drastically changed situation. The new living conditions were deplorable.

With the very first part of the book the author begins by giving a small intro to the Kashmir’s rich cultural and literary history, He describes Kashmir for the people who don't know and once when the reader are mentally in Kashmir he began every story of Kashmir that happened within Kashmir – how people are tortured and eliminated, how women were raped and how the children orphaned. There are some shocking incidents that reading alone will shock you and make you shiver - ::

1. Like a cricket match between India and West Indies in Srinagar and the whole ground had Pakistan flags fluttering and Indian players being booed and shouted expletives at or in a planned militancy attack a guy named Vinod Dhar’s 23 member family was brutally murdered while he was just 14 years old and the lone survivor in his family.

2. The Benazir Bhutto’s speech “Kashmiriyon ki ragon mein Mujahideen aur Ghaziyon ka khoon hai and they will drive out the infidels (Hindus) aur har eik gaanv se eik hi aawaz buland hogi: Azaadi! Har eik masjid se ek hi awaaz buland hogi azaadi! Har ek school se bacha bacha bolega: Azaadi, Azaadi, Azaadi!” which was later followed by the incident in which the chants of “Allah ho Akbar” and cries of “Azaadi” grew louder from the every Mosque as the people marched towards the homes of Kashmiri Pandits in a planned attempt to get rid of them. Even when the most of the people don't know the actual significant of that comely word “AZADI” (Freedom).

3. One recollection of the author where his mother clutches a knife and says she will first kill her daughter and then herself – that hit me very hard and emotionally. Being a human, It truly need a courage to speak out those lines and being a parent – it is a logistical nightmare to spoke out those blood-stained lines and it needs a literal hooligan courage [ somehow that incident prompts the days of partition ].

4. In one of his paragraph as Pandita says – There are many immigrants in Delhi, but they have a home to go back to, I have nowhere to go back to.

5. “But, we only lost our homeland, never our humanity. And that is the sole reason of our existence. We may still be a minority, but we continue to live a prosperous life because we did not treat anybody else the way we were treated” – the line told by Pandita's father to him, when he returned back after listening RSS public lecture and with a chesty nature to take revenge from Muslim's.

This book comes as one of the finest exile literature about the word “Exodus”. It is not just the author story, besides; its story of every human being who ever have had been sustained through that phase of exodus at any stage of his or her life. The author has aptly tried to depict the absolute pain of an exiled community. The author had tried very hard to pen-down a clearly, honestly, and with no intent to tar the minority community and succeeded to tell a story as simple as it can be. He narrated every character and every scene as real and as it happened in actual. I hope that the Muslims ( if they ever read this finest art ) must acknowledge to themselves that hidden in their stories of victimization are the brutal stories of these victims. The brutality flew with every para, every sentence and with every peculiar word.

This book not lonesome gives the aspect of tragic conflicts that happened in a civilized country “India” besides, it depicts a world, which we called “MODERN” and the tragic that go on every moment – based on religion, gender, caste, creed and many more. The psychological and physical impact of the exodus on people leaves a scar that may take many generations to heal, if at all it heals. Description of some of the killings is so gruesome that it can make you sad for many days and one of think-worth line pen down in book is – In “The Murderers Are Among Us”, Simon Wiesenthal writes - “However this war may end, we have won the war against you; none of you will be left to bear witness, but even if someone were to survive, the world would not believe him.”

Well, If someone ask me to describe the content of this beauteous art in a sentence, I'd like to write below one - ::

“It had been an epoch passed since the first human being was calved and when I go out to discover what a human being achieved during those long eons of time I discover heretofore – a human being is still carrying the burden of two all-important quandaries of life – “How to live?” and “How to let live?”.

In this speedy race of life,
We forgot how to live a life,

We are prison of our own nous,

We are prison of our own bosom,

We all are running behind,

A chaos, that has no end,

A Human is who stands is only a human,

We need to understand, humanity as a religion,

As, there is one God or there is no God,

As, the God is love and the love is God,

Humanity - there is nothing else down here or above,
Let's begin a new way of life with love and care.

I'd like to say to read this book only for a single reason of hope and trust and certainty that the author had not given up and concluded his words in the last as, “I will come again. I promise there will be come a time when I WILL RETURN PERMANENTLY”.

And, after completing this book, I was only able to understand why the director Vidhu Vinod Chopra requested him to grant the copyright and asked him to pen-down a script.

“Kudos to Rahul Pandita.”

About Author - :

Rahul Pandita was fourteen years old in 1990 when he was forced to leave his home in Srinagar along with his family, who were Kashmiri Pandits: the Hindu minority within a Muslim majority Kashmir that was becoming increasingly agitated with the cries of ‘Azadi’ from India. The heartbreaking story of Kashmir has so far been told through the prism of the brutality of the Indian state, and the pro-independence demands of separatists. Our Moon Has Blood Clots is the unspoken chapter in the story of Kashmir, in which it was purged of the Kashmiri Pandit community in a violent ethnic cleansing backed by Islamist militants. Hundreds of people were tortured and killed, and about 3,50,000 Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave their homes and spend the rest of their lives in exile in their own country. The title of the book is taken from a poem of Pablo Neruda that the author quotes in the beginning of the book ‘...and an earlier time when the flowers were not stained with blood, the moon had blood clots!’ and Indeed “Our moon has blood clots.”

Cheers!

Dhitendra

Keep Smiling :-)

104th Blog – “CITY OF DJINNS” by William Dalrymple

104^th Blog – “CITY OF DJINNS” by William Dalrymple

Some books have a different kind of upshot among all the books that we read throughout life. And, we want to read those books once again for no different reason, just want to read it again. And, I'm always eager to find out and have those all the books.

After completing “Aleph” by Paulo, this is first time, I decided to transit my reading from a fiction / non-fiction to a travel genre, and I was feeling gladsome on my decision to prefer a travel book that was delineate and well-advised by galore of my friends and leaders. (Thank you Sir Mudit.)

I'm not a history buff but “CITY OF DJINNS – A year in Delhi” by William Dalrymple though listed under the genre of travel book – It doesn't feel like a travel book at all. It seems like a scintillating and intelligent memoir of a year spent in Delhi. This is probably the finest of finest book on Delhi that had been a work that was completed with a loving and passionate research. I'm not a born and raised Delhi-wala and born and grown up in numerous small cities of India; but was always ablaze to ejaculate in this city – just to know a galore of things. And truly, I was hooked by the artful content of book so much that I didn't want to put down the book once I started. A page turner, truly. The writing is of a fine quality, raising clear echoes of a rich past. I was surprised to find a view of Delhi so close to mine. While, this book takes you on a delightful journey to all the nooks and corners of Delhi. And, undoubtedly; William Dalrymple is simply one of the best travelogue writer.

The book began with a discussion between WD and the Pir Baba, who share his experience to live in Delhi from a long ago and had experienced the Djinns in his dream one night; after fasting and praying for forty-one days, without eating anything, half-naked in the foothills of Himalayas and then outlaying another forty-one days up to his neck in the river Yamuna. He told WD about Delhi – it is a city that was devastated and deceased seven times and the current one is eighth and some counted it as fifteen times and a few one said twenty one times, yes exactly you heard me very correct – it is twenty-one times. But, when WD meets Pir Baba then only he learned the secret that kept this city viable and returning to new life after so many deceased. Delhi, said Pir Baba, was a city of Djinns. Though it had been burned by invaders again and again, still the city was re-built; each time it rose like a phoenix [ In Greek mythology – phoenix or phenix is a long living bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn obtaining a new life from the ashes of its predecessor ] from the fire. All agreed that the crumbling ruins of these towns were without number. Set upon a period of a year of his stay in the capital, the narration opens up beautiful aspects of Delhi, including architectures erected in the Mughal phase, the Tughlaq phase, the British Raj; even dating back to the times of the great Indian epic “Mahabharata” which has helped to bear testimony to the existence of this city even thousands of years before Christ.

The author WD embarks the reader upon a journey to unravel unopened historical pages of Delhi where he has composed a great mixture of travel writing and history. When I began to read this book I found this book as my soul companion who opened my eyes to perceive “City of cities” in a whole new way. And, with this book, as I turned every page I found a new “Delhi” with an another vista. The author provided a different snap and profiles of many residents in Delhi, past and present. His humorous and provocative description of how he spent a year in Delhi, with his artistic wife Olivia is incredible. Mr. Balvinder Singh, a taxi driver of Mr. WD and who has responsibility for Delhi show, was a notable figure, who later befriended with William and his wife Olivia. The other two important characters remains in book every-time and reader enjoyed to read at times are – Mr. and Mrs. Puri – the Sikh couples that was their landlords and who also has became friends.

While reading the book “Our moon has blood clots” by Rahul Pandita, I had found that Delhi is not only a city that maybe cooped in a word besides; it has been a long popular past time. First, the people who are refugees from Kashmir came to this place with a hope of survival and then the Sikh refugees who came during the riots of 1984 with same conceptualization. But, this city treated everyone very well and as equally either he was an Emperor, or was a nomad, or was a refugee or was a Delhi-wala. One of the first things the reader came across through this book is that there is two main Delhi's – the great Mughal old Delhi and the Punjabi New Delhi – each having its own living border area. Dalrymple's love and understanding of the city is clearly visible through the myriad stories woven together seamlessly into the narration. He paints such a life-like picture of all the characters that the reader instantly connects to them and basically “gets” them.

His dedication to the subject and the effort put in each book through research is remarkable. It is remarkable because even a common Indian like me didn't fail to gain new insights about the capital of my own country. There are few non-fictions which make me feel deeply attached to the story-teller/telling. Dalrymple beautifully makes transitions between the story of his personal experience and the nation's history which makes you cling to the book. This book is a real experience, written by a true travel-writer with a genuine passion for the history of Delhi. The book itself is extremely well written, easy to read, and never boring. Writing a fiction and non-fiction is something different but writing about different journey surly need a different kind of skill and obviously Delhi need an extra order of skill.

Some books have the ability to transport the reader into its own world and William Dalrymple's City of Djinns does exactly that. This travel memoir chronicles the one year that spent in the great city of Delhi. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to know about Delhi, especially for the people who are passionate about the subject “HISTORY.”

About author - ::

William Dalrymple, born in 1965 in Scotland, is an award winning historian and author as well as a well known critic and broadcaster.

Dalrymple's affair with Delhi began when he arrived here as a callow seventeen-year-old backpacker, and stayed on for nine months to explore the alleys of the walled city, while working at Mother Teresa's home for the dying and the destitute. Many years later he was back, this time as a precociously talented travel-writer, who at twenty-two had written a hugely successful travelogue, In Xanadu, retracing Marco Polo's 12,000-mile route from Jerusalem to China. He is one of the co-founders of the Jaipur Literature Festival and spent most of his time between London, Scotland and Delhi (at his Mehrauli farmhouse in India with his wife Olivia).

Cheers!

Dhitendra

Keep Smiling :-) 

Blog - 103 – “Aleph” by Paulo Coelho

          

"Travel is never a matter of money but of courage" - 

 To live is to experience the things, to experience you've to travel, not sit somewhere and pondering the meaning of life.

Last time in my 91^st blog when I have had completed and reappraise “The Zahir” by Paulo, at that time I was on with “Aleph”. “Aleph” is fifth book that I had done reading by same author – rest are: “The Alchemist”, “Brida”, “Eleven minutes” and “The Zahir”. After completing many spiritual and self-journey, and non-fiction, and fictional love / crime / thriller opus, this time I decided to outset myself on a journey on one of the most recommended and acclaimed book of travel genre - “City of Djinns – A year in Delhi” by William Dalrymple.

          

          While when I come to Paulo, I used to read this author and personally praise his few work that need to sheer, not because someone just want to read a book; besides to know, what our primal heart tells to us that concealed somewhere in nook of deep heart. His book served as a lantern for millions, helping people to reconquer their own kingdom. I read his books not only for his teachings that he spread through his books, but also for the beauty of few sentences that have a lasting impression on everyone; at-least on me. Even though the novels originally penned in his own mother tongue and we got the English translation version, the magic of his words still remains same and at few lines / sentences it overwhelmed. Reading Paulo, in itself is like a magical experience, while his books doesn't contains any everyday fable and simply concomitant about our own inner growth and search and encourage us to open the doors of self-discovery, that even we didn't ever know existed. I can recommend all of his books to read: “The Alchemist”, “Brida”, “The Zahir” and “Aleph”.

 

          While when I come to “ALEPH” - This is truly a wonderful and amazing book. Without realizing it the author took me on journey of self-discovery that opened my eyes to the newness of the world. I feel that this book is on par with the Alchemist. In its own unique way it continues the story. A Journey from source to goal is one thing! But a journey made by Paulo is another experience; as it will be short from dreary to light to know own quest.

          This book takes us on an outward and an inward journey to unfold many struggles. It's a very down to earth book and author takes us on his own journey to find own quest of probing meaning of his own life's mystery and about its own personal legendary that he thought he hailed through his successful books across the world and across million of hearts. He is successful, he has money, he can travel anywhere, he can live a luxurious and a desirous life, even if he does not work or not work-well till death-bed. But, success is not a word that can outlined very easily, besides all of us faces the same struggle and problem even when we thought we're successful and have had achieved everything while in deepest of heart we know, we're still missing something.

          The book starts with a conversation between Paulo and his master cryptically name “J.” about his dissatisfaction with life, J. advices him to go on a journey to meet people that will lead him to the Aleph [ Aleph is first letter of the Hebrew word, which means truth. In Jewish mythology it was the letter aleph that was carved into the head of the golem which ultimately gave it life, Aleph in Jewish mysticism represents the oneness of God. - Source Wiki ] and help to find himself again.

          Guided by subtle signs he started a journey through Africa, Europe and Asia. “To live is to experience the things, to experience you've to travel, not sit somewhere and pondering the meaning of life.” the author writes. He traveled to six countries before starting prolonged two-month ride to the Trans-Siberian railway between Moscow to Vladivostok (his childhood dream); making book signing stops on his book tour of Russia. At his hotel in Moscow, a beautiful girl in her twenties; Hilal, the gifted violinist introduces herself to him before leaving. At first, he brushes her off and continuously denies her in every meeting, while she tried hard to recall his memory to remember her. At last he finally impressed by her determination and allows her to accompany him on his journey, despite the objection of his fellows. It turns out that her impression was right. There is indeed a connection between them and during one of meeting they found themselves at a place where all points collide and he discovers, she is the woman he loved five-hundred years before and he needs her forgiveness for a sin he committed against her in a past life due to his cowardice act. One of another special character of this book is “Yao” who can translate many languages and was not able to understand the difference and meaning of life and death after the death of his wife. He still remains in the dilemma of living a life with his wife.

          In my personal view, all the books of this author are good. “Aleph” is also as extraordinary as was “The Zahir”, but both are very different in the story-line, and we can not compare two books just because it is written by same author and our expectation with author are as habitual. While “The Zahir” was written to find the false meaning of attachment that we describes as; love, whereas “Aleph” is an attractive book that describe the complicated problems of lives and to find the inner peace knowing that life is a journey, a beautiful journey that's filled with adventure all the time. But probably all the books are not everyone's cup of tea and everyone's views are different for different work.

          

          Like all of Coelho's books – he makes you think about different aspects of your own life and takes you with him on his journey. Unquestionably I recommend this book to everyone because it gives you an insight into the beliefs and spiritual journey's of other people. I really love the book and I can say every book of this author [ bases on five books that I had completed ] makes me believe to don't stop reading some of his more creations. Seriously. Thank you once again Mr Coelho for your inspiring words.

About Author -::

          Paulo Coelho, born in 1947, is an author and songwriter and one of the most popular authors in the world. He has authored many books that changed the life of millions. His all books contains almost a same message to “Follow Your Passion – Follow Your Dream.” He has been awarded numerous prestigious international awards for his ennobling writing and inspiring millions through realm of his words.

Cheers!

Dhitendra

Keep Smiling :-) 

Blog 102 - "The Blind Man's Garden" By Nadeem Aslam

Love is not consolation, it is light.

           This is first time when I went through a book backhand by – Nadeem Aslam – a gifted and critically acclaimed [ from greatest writer ] of this generation. “The Blind Man's Garden” is first Nadeem Aslam's novel I went through and which came highly recommended from many world-wide abolish author's and truly I was not disappointed. The 400+ page book was completed in just two days. Undoubtedly this book is poetic, bold and, direct and, beautifully written in every manner. After reading this book I can agree to this assessment that he's truly a talented magician of words with pen in his hand instead of a wand. The ability to invoke strong emotions in the readers is no small matter and it is a proven fact that Nadeem Aslam achieves this with such an ease.

           “The Blind Man’s Garden” is a novel which rewards attentive reading and one in which the reader relishes every word. The book is set after the first few months following the attacks of 9/11 - The story of two foster brother - Jeo and Mikal, Joe's father Rohan, Mikal's brother Basie and Naheed. The initial few pages give us a glimpse of a world which is soon to follow. The book is cruel and violent in its description but so is the world that it’s set in. An atmospheric and heart wrenching view of what the aftermath of 9/11 was for the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan and Taliban who declare themselves as true devotee of their God “Allah” and treat the rest world as an “INFIDEL.” It focuses on one family, but the story it tells explains a part of the world that we know so little about at the day to day family level. Everything is in there – the poverty, the richness of life, family, war, peace, religion, traditions, education, Taliban, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Infidel, pride, guilt, life, death and, above all – A SURVIVAL.

           All the characters belongs to book are vivid, complex and flawed – there are no saints on either side. Rohan’s garden provides an oasis of calm, respite from the turbulence of the outside world but he also faces an inner struggle. In a society dominated by religious extremism it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile family and faith and this inevitably creates tension between generations.

           The book moves back and forth between the small town of Heer and the mountains of Afghanistan, where American soldiers have begun a fight against the Taliban and the hunt for Al-Qaueda terrorists. Rohan's recently married son, Jeo, a trainee doctor, sets off for Afghanistan with his foster brother Mikal, a poetically minded and skilled mechanic who also have knowledge about the constellation of cars and stars and is secretly, in love with Jeo's wife, Naheed [ before marriage ] who also happens to be in love with him that is later investigated by Jeo during their journey towards war-land Afghanistan.

           When Joe and Mikal leave for Afghanistan with the intention of tending to the sick and on the first night of their trip to the Afghan border, they are tricked by their driver and thanks to a plot by an enemy back in their Pakistani hometown – the brothers were sold into the private army of a warlord. They try to escape and are promptly captured by a band of Taliban warriors, and soon find themselves in the middle of a chaotic firefight. Later they found they both lost in the jungle of terrorism realize that it is not easy to escape through the clutches of this violence. Alongside taken through a world filled with deception, violence and hatred they found themselves in a world different from their own world. Soon, the family of Jeo's received a news of his death and his decease body on their footstep – while on other side the family that suffers in their absence and yearns for their return. A nearly blind father whose memories of his dead wife are cruel reminders of his religious beliefs and her secular convictions.

           Back home in Heer (a fictional town that shares a name with a famous Punjabi romance) Jeo’s wife, Naheed, faces the consequences of her own dangerous secret. Though she married Jeo a little over a year ago, the week before the wedding she was ready to run away with Mikal, who has been her secret lover. It’s only because Mikal never showed up on the night they were to elope that she wound up married to Jeo. And now, with the brothers swept up by war, Naheed longs for one and suffers guilt over the other.

           Mikal, meanwhile, has been captured by the Americans, who think he’s a high-level Al Qaeda commander. Despite prolonged and repeated harsh handling – Mikal would have no problem picking sides on the question of whether torture – he refuses to give the Americans so much as his name. Eventually freed, he promptly commits a crime that puts him back into the cross-hairs. His flight across Afghanistan and back to Heer, to be reunited with Naheed and to learn Jeo’s fate, becomes ever more perilous.

           It gives way to pages of internal debate on religion and fundamentalism. It seems a nigh impossible task to unite East and West but, in this compelling novel, Aslam succeeds in highlighting what we have in common – humanity, loyalty, love and family ties – the building blocks upon which a more peaceful future might be based. Despite the tragedies which haunt this family, this is fundamentally a story of one basic truth of life called as - “HOPE.”

           It is an excellent drama set in a very beautiful and vivid way - Not many words wasted throughout. The subject matter in this book is hard: hard to fathom, hard to digest, hard to put past your thoughts. layered with connections between people, animals, plants, and a magical touch between all of them. This was by far one of the most eloquent, emotionally resonant, lyrical, and lush novel on the subject. For anyone who is a fan of literature, of language and of beautiful writing this book is a must read, it's a rare find in today's fiction.

          

 After reading this book, I am surly going to read his another creations.

About Nadeem Aslam – Nadeem Aslam is a Pakistan born writer. His family moved from Pakistan to England when he was only fourteen year old. He's the author of three other novel: Seasons of the Rain-birds, Maps for Lost Lovers (long-listed for the Booker Prize, shortlisted for IMPAC prize), the wasted Vigil. In 2012 he was a made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.






Cheers!
Dhitendra
Keep Smiling :-)