A book on living life dangerously. Review on Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

A Book Review of SHANTARAM

By

Vikramjit Sardar (vickyhangsout)

Pages- 933

Price- Rs.740 only

Publisher- Little,Brown

Shantaram is a type of book which sneaks into the literary world unheard, unnoticed but slowly and surely matures into a pillar of excellence, just like fine wine. Those of you who are reading this review and have not read the book yet, have not realized what a rare treasure you are missing.

The book is written by a man who has literally walked through hell and back. Gregory David Roberts is an Australian who as he says “in his past life” was a revolutionary and philosopher who lost his ideals and integrity in crime and through the craving for heroin.

He lost touch with his family and escaped a maximum security prison in broad daylight making him the most wanted man in Australia.

The book is based on the ten years he spent in India in hiding, working as a gunrunner, a smuggler and a counterfeiter for the Bombay mafia.

Shantaram provides a rare outlook of India through the eyes of a global traveler who happens to be a criminal on the run. It sees India not only through its poverty but also through its heart. It delves into the lives of ordinary Indians like the slum dwellers Prabhakar and Johnny Cigar and the lives of people who have attained power on both sides of the law like the don Abdel Kader Khan and slum headmen like Quasim Ali.

This book is set during turbulent times---the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the Sikh riots , the rising of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and the beginning of the end of the Afghan war.

It tells a story of the times when gangsters of Bombay had honour and did “the wrong things for the right reasons” and were more popular among the common people. It realistically and alluringly portrays the life and times of the 1980’s Bombay where drugs and guns circulated freely and the city’s underworld was a conglomerate of people of different nationalities. Personalities like Hasan Obikawa, Karla Saaranen and Didier live long in the memory.

Gregory David Roberts writing style is simple and lucid and he has an astounding capability of explaining complex human emotions, action sequences and suspense without affecting the momentum and rhythm of his narration.

However it must be mentioned that Shantaram does possess some raw qualities for example the author’s fascination for Indian abuses which he uses most generously and at some points unnecessarily. The other point to ponder upon is the price of the book. At Rs.740 the book is steeply priced and it requires an avid reader to finish this book of 933 pages.

But don’t shy away from reading this book due to its price or its length. When I read this book I was disappointed that the book had to come to an end but at the same time was also delighted at the fact that my precious money had not gone to waste.

Just one word of advice, do not buy this book if you have an examination or assignment coming up in two weeks time.