Shantaram

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“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.”

Book Review - Shantaram

This quote is taken from Gregory David Robert’s book Shantaram and just as gripping as this is in isolation; it is extremely meaningful and enthralling when you read the novel as a whole. Set in Bombay, Shantaram follows the story of Lin, narrated by Lin, who is an escaped convict from the repressive prisons in Australia and who makes his way, by the use of a false passport, to the tiny alley ways of India.

Quickly, we witness Lin’s descent into Bombay’s underworld of drugs, prostitutes, gangsters, war and everything in between. Accompanied by his friend Prabaker, Lin establishes a free health clinic, joined the mafia and works as a money launderer, forger and street soldier. A conglomeration of conflagrating slums, passionate love, criminal wars, Bollywood films, mujahedeen fighters, prison and torture – this novel whole-heartedly maps a world of attainable experience, all through the voice of the person that experienced it.

The novel is truly a tribute to the author’s willpower to write and finish the story of his life; after having it slammed three times by prison guards, his voice can finally be heard. 

 

The Death Penalty is Not Enough.

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The horrific death of a 23 year-old girl, who became a victim of gang rape in Delhi last month has awakened India’s politicians from a slumber, which has made them unconscious when it comes to one of India’s most common crimes against women up until now. The attack that occurred on 16 December 2012 sparked massive protests across the capital. A month on however, we ask, how much has the government done to stop similar cases from occurring in the future. There is a worry that this rape case will become a thing of the past like many previous cases, when it should be a wake up call to the politicians in government, urging them to take drastic measures to stop rape altogether.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2011 alone, there were 24,206 rape cases registered in India, not including the number of cases that were unreported. Evidently, this is an extremely important issue; ensuring the safety of Indian women is imperative, just as much as it is to punish the attackers. Simply giving the death penalty will not end future rapes; it merely placates protesters, gives the ‘impression’ of justice and may stop one extra attacker but that is it. Men in India need to be educated from an early age so that they are aware of the worth of women. Changes should be introduced in schools across India to increase social consciousness. Entertainment should be more severely age-restricted and a system should be introduced that provides support to survivors of sexual violence.

Of course, families of victims of rape desperately want to seek revenge on attackers and, in their eyes, the death penalty or execution is the best punishment. However, this does not stop future rape cases of women in the same area. People should firstly begin to talk about it openly, instead of regarding it as a taboo subject. That is the most important step that needs to be taken before any reforms, measures and changes are proposed. The social stigma attached to rape needs to be destroyed and the only way that can be done is through open discussion in society. 

Tanvia Mann for Asian Voice

PRINTED BOOKS versus EBOOKS?

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As our generation is becoming more and more gadget friendly and people, especially students, can download practically any book of their choice at a click of a finger, it leads us to question the fate of printed books in the next ten years. Evidently, with the introduction of the first Kindle two years ago, there was an escalation in the amount of books being read, as, people rushed to get their hands on the latest gadget to show off to their friends.

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Yet two years on, studies have shown that people between the ages of 16-25 prefer reading a printed book, whilst it is the professionals that have fallen for the ‘power’ of the eBook.

According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 83% of people between the ages of 16 and 25 read a book in the past year. From that, 75% read a print book, 19% read an e-book, and 11% listened to an audiobook.

Surprising as it is, this may be due to the fact that students at university level are used to researching criticism from books and prefer the physicality of ‘reading’ a book.

It is the professionals that you see submerged into their kindles on the underground train bewitched by the eBook, which serves as the perfect substitute for carrying a heavy book around in their bags.

On many levels, eBooks are the perfect alternative to books and there are many pros to them, but I definitely see them as the ‘lazy’ alternative to reading a paperback. A paperback provides you with short breaks as you turn the page or reach the end of a chapter, so it is easier to digest what you have just read. With eBooks, you tend to continue reading, as all the information is in front of you, which can lead to you forgetting previous important details.

Our generation is doing the right thing by not giving in to the ease of downloading eBooks. Although they may turn in to relics of nostalgia one day, let us hope we can keep printed books alive for a little while longer.