Wanted to see how a Shashi Tharoor book would be like. And took this book to experience that.

Impressed by the language, and the flow of the book. Wanted to choose betewen 2 and 3 and I go for the higher one just because the book was an easy read. And the book kept the flow going without trouble.

Like I told my parents when they asked about it - I feel this as a subtle way for Mr Tharoor to voice his opinion about things. And yes, I found some ( or maybe I should say , many ) interesting thoughts about India and its cultural diversity.

Still not decided if I would want to pick up any of the other books from Shashi Tharoor. ( )

A rioting mob attacked & killed an American woman in a town east of New Delhi yesterday, a few days before she was to returnhome, the U.S.embassy announced. Priscilla Hart, 24, of Manhattan a volunteer with theNGO HELP-US, was beaten & stabbed to death in Zalilgarh tow, where she hadvolunteered her skills as a public health worker……..(Excerpt from the book)                     At  common law, a riot is a tumultuous disturbance of the peace, by threepersons or more assembling together of their own authority, with an intent,mutually to assist each other against any who shall oppose them, in theexecution of some enterprise of a private nature, and afterwards actuallyexecuting the same in a violent and turbulent manner, to the terror of thepeople, whether the act intended were of itself lawful or unlawful.           Reference: http://www.lectlaw.com/def2/q053.htm  That’s the legal definition of the word. Now lets see where all can we use,Riot of emotions, Riot of Colors, laugh riot….or riot of blood? Riot of love??? When I had picked this novel (I postponed it several times because of the cover(picture attached below) & the theme) I was sure that being a politicalperson Shashi Tharoor would surely delve into the politics & the gorydetails. But after reading Five Dollar Smiles and a recommendation for otherbooks I picked this one on instincts and am glad that I did pick this one.   This is the story of Priscilla Hart and as written above the bookis about her murder in the riot. She was found dead in an old Quila. It wasofficially declared that she was an innocent victim of the rioters. But was itreally that?   Or was it the result of the illicit affair she was having with the local DM?Or was she murdered by an enraged husband who believed that by speaking to hiswife for abortion Priscilla had questioned his manhood. The subject of the book has the making of a heavy novel which can go into heavyduty preaching. There is ample scope in the subject to make the author take astand. He even has ample scope for blood & being gory.But there lies the beauty of the book. The narrative moves forward through

• A collectionof Letters written by Priscilla to her friend wherein she pours her heart out (to get the point of view a dead person this has to be the best way.) Theletters leave a strong impact because you know the person doesn’t exist now.
• Through the Diary entries of Lakshman the DM. Wherein he writes about hisfeelings towards Priscilla & his pull for duty towards his country &his family.
• Through the interviews taken by the American Journalist Randy Diggs
• Through the diary entries of parents of Priscilla, where we can easily seethe loss the parents are going through and to some extent they hold themselvesresponsible for it. Sometimes this kind of narrative becomes boring as usually it’s in thirdperson.But out here it keeps you hooked. Why?Because the Author very beautifully alternates the heavy narrative with lighterone. If there is a chapter of Priscilla pouring out her heart then the nextwould be the interview of the local professor.Shashi Tharoor has chronicled the Riots Post Independence till Babri Masjid. Hedoes so by interviewing a representative of the affected community. But theseinterviews are not forced. These characters are an integral part of the plot.The discussions there are worth more than a thought.For e.g. take the following excerpts. This comes out of the discussion withProfessor Mohd Sarwar, he says We’re Muslims, but there are Muslim’s in hundred countries. If we’re notIndian, what are we?The whole chapter talks about the history of Muslims in India. It talksabout their being as Indian as anybody else. Then there is this excerpt. That boy will always live in my heart, but somewhere in India there isanother grandfather like me whose only hope for the safety of his grandson liesin the trust that he places in you & the policeman under your command. Donot ever betray that trust….this is, the Police Superintendent, GurinderSingh’s father, convincing him to continue in the police force after the 1982Sikh riots. The book touches a chord because it handles a sensitive subject set in normal(???) settings.  The book could havedelved into killings of innocent people; it could have delved into thepolitical side of the riots. In short it could have been preachy. But no, the emphasishere is on the abnormal love story set in riots. It is about presenting theviews of everyone affected by the Riots. No body tries to garner sympathy here.It comes out automatically. Shashi Tharoor has connected all the chapters so well that it leaves you spellbounded. Sometimes when we are lectured things don’t get into our mind. But ifthe same thing is presented in subtle manner it affects you more. You don’tknow what hits you. And that’s the impact of the book. In my life I always havehad strong views about certain things. But this book has really changed my view,because, I thought as rationally as the author has written the book. The book is Strongly recommended to all, as it talks about something which is omni present in our society but we keep avoiding it because it’s not our problem. Its time we seriously think about it. What we ignore becomes the excuse behind which innocents are killed. And someday it can very much be our problem. Trivia The book  was re published with a new cover post the Godhra Riots. Talk about cashing in through all means…..

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