Shantaram is a cleverly narrated masterpiece by Gregory David Roberts. Set in the Mumbai of 80's, this book is a vivid description of the protagonist's life as he discovers the city of Bombay, its slums and shanties, the black market and the Bombay Mafia. The protagonist, a convict in Australia, escapes jail and travels on fake documents to the city of Bombay leaving all that he knows behind, forever. His first brush with the love and tolerance that exists in this alien country comes as a guide - Prabhakar. With Prabhakar, Lin, for that is the name on his current passport, explores the city - from the monuments to the beaches and then as time progresses to the dark alleys of the slums alongside the World Trade Center construction site. At the Leopold, he finds new friends - Didier, Karla, Ulla, Modena- all foreigners like him who have chosen to make this city their home. He falls in love. Complete with surprises and the necessary twists, this 933- page long saga doesn't confine itself to the streets of Colaba or the tables of the Leopold, but takes you on a journey of revelation to a nondescript village located in a remote corner of Maharashtra where he earns the name Shantaram and learns the native language of Marathi . He starts a free health clinic in the slum and becomes a true part of the 25000 strong slum family. New friendships are forged as he befriends the Great Khan - Khaderbhai. Life begins to amend and he finds himself helping Karla with a problem she has with the notorious pimp Madame Zhou. After a success on Karla's job and when it seems that nothing can go wrong, he is caught and thrown into jail. Here, he learns the misery and cruelty that exists in the prisons where is brutally beaten and has to live in a room crowded with two hundred humans and a million insects. He is bailed out by Khader Bhai and soon joins the Khan's force learning the black market trade as time progresses.Respect of the Khan grows and he begins to love the older man as a father. The Khan himself engages the protagonist in philisophical discussions awing the aide with his great insight. The mafia becomes his family and Abdullah his brother.His love drives him to the beaches of Goa to the south to seek Karla. He discovers love.On hearing of Abdullah's death, Lin crumbles and takes to heroin and is completely wasted when Karla rescues him.Fate makes him rejoin the Khan's brigade, he senses that something is afoot and he isnt wrong when Khaderkhan asks him to join them on the trip to assist the Afghan warriors. Through Pakistan, where they learn of a traitor, they journey across the perilous terrain of Afghanistan keeping care to travel through the darkness of the night. As friends and foes weave in and out and his life begins to spin wild, the protagonist is forced to make a choice when he learns the truth. It is this choice that he may come to regret later on, a choice that may crush him more than the truth.
This is a tale rife with all the elements of an epic. The poignant introspection keeps the reader glued to the pages and so do the exciting adventures. Seemingly unimportant incidents such as the bear Kano's hug, Johnny Cigar's story or the Khan's own story, too have profound impacts on the narrator's life. As life takes new turns and leads to new ventures, the protagonist discovers a new self with each turn of the page. He is the convict and the escapee. He is the mafia, the doctor and the passionate lover. He is the warrior and the wounded He is Lin, Linbaba and he is Shantaram .
This novel is a five star (☆☆☆☆☆) on my list. A must-read.
I have taken special care that no spoilers ruin your experience of the book in this review.
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