From the book blurb
"Autistic. Schizophrenic. Psychotic…"
“They" use these words to describe Babloo - the doctors, his
family, his teachers everyone... except Vandana. She treats him the way he
wants the world to see him.
Mumbai... the city that defines his ultimate desires. Will it
allow him the love and normalcy he so craves?
Vandana... yearns for a soul mate to rescue her from the confines
of the Railway Colony they all live in. Is she looking in the right place?
Rail Man... a fearless, real-life hero who succeeds in doing all
that Babloo secretly wishes to do... is Babloo his inspiration or... is it the
other way around?
A random twist of fate on Mumbai’s endless, serpent-like, jangling
local train tracks ties all these characters together in a complex weave of
love, heartbreak, and courage.
Babloo draws the reader into his fascinating, heart-rending
journey through the twisted, choked lanes of Mumbai, into an open space where
he can finally exhale, be born again.
Author
Rishi Vohra recently relocated back to Mumbai after completing a
Green MBA from San Francisco State University and a Masters Diploma in
Environmental Law, prior to which he had a successful career in the Indian
entertainment industry.
Having been a guest columnist for various newspapers in India, he currently writes for delWine and is a Certified Specialist of Wine. This is his first novel.
Characters
Babloo is a good-looking, fitness conscious
young man who craves for attention from his parents, who is fanatically in love
with Vandana, a neighbor and who is also referred to as Autistic. Schizophrenic. Psychotic by the psychiatrists. He tries hard
to fit into Mumbai crowd and lead normal life.
Vandana is beautiful, bold and
smart. She dreams of a life in America and hopes that someday she makes big in
the world of advertising. She is rebellious, progressive-thinking, yet knows
her limits.
Rail Man is selfless, fearless and
everything a common man is not. He is a Superhero!
Sikander is a playboy. He
objectifies women and takes life carelessly. Raghu is mama’s boy. Sonal believes
that life is like a fairytale and refuses to face reality; like any other
teenager who is fascinated by romantic Bollywood movies and the heroes it
portrays. Aman and Sudha as Babloo’s
and Raghu’s parents fail as parents. Sekhar
and Madhu as Vandana’s parents trusts their daughter and goes out of the
way to prove that.
What I think
To
begin with, the title of the book is perfect. Then, the book blurb is elaborate
and gives an idea of what can be expected.
Something
I liked a lot in this book is that the writer has extensively described about
Mumbai. I am someone who has never been to Mumbai, yet feel as if I know the
place very well. Thanks to all the Bollywood movies I have watched. He has
elaborated so beautifully that I almost felt like I am in Mumbai. I feel that Mumbai
is author’s first love.
Then,
the characterization of each one of them Especially Babloo’s and Vandana’s. In
fact, the author has woven a world for Babloo. Often I felt like the Babloo is no
one but our mind, our fears buried deep inside and our desire to raise against all
the odds. He is our urge to never give-up or accept failure.
Also,
the author has wonderfully captured the relationships between Babloo and his
parents, Vandana and his parents, Sikander and Sonal, Vandana with Raghu,
Babloo and Sikander.
But...
The
cover-page is misleading. I wish that the image of that boy and girl could have
been avoided.
The story
begins as a first person narrative from Babloo’s part. Suddenly. It takes the
tone of third person while describing about others and to narrate what is
happening in their life. Initially, it confuses the reader and then you get
used to it. I wish that the author used the same narrative style. At least, he
could have used a different font or used italics to differentiate between the
both.
The
climax is too clichéd, with a Bollywood style ending.
Should you read it?
Go for
it…
Experience
Mumbai…
And
the narrative flows with ease. You will feel like you are watching a movie.
A
perfect way to kill time on a weekend and relax.
Rating
3/5
Thank you
Jaico Publications for giving
away this book for review.
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