In search of peace

by SHRADHA BASNYAT

FROM ISSUE # 156 (December 2008) | IN THIS ISSUE
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Shantaram isn't just another novel; it is a whole new world within itself. Through the eyes of a criminal, we see the beauty of the captivating but chaotic Bombay, the other side of organised crime, the complexity of life, of love and the long struggle to finding redemption. Semi-autobiographical to author Gregory David Roberts's life, the main character Lindsay 'Lin baba', goes through the same experiences as he did in his life as a convict who escaped from the maximum security prison in Australia.

After the bitter break-up of his marriage and the loss of custody of his daughter, Lin falls into the dark world of heroin which ruins his life, his ideals and takes him to a place far from his former life as a political activist and a writer. In order to feed his addiction, he commits a series of armed robberies leading him into a world where he is brutally tortured day-after-day in prison. Finally, one day he escapes to India to seek refuge but in return finds himself, forgiveness, and the path to becoming 'Shantaram'- a man of peace.

Roberts's intricate details of the smell, the sight, and the people of Bombay depict how Lin falls in love with the place. In Bombay, he finds a sense of belonging where he can seek salvation and the love he so desperately craves. Whether it is in the rich lavish hotels or the slums of Bombay, he is completely at home here - as he says he "is an Indian trapped in white skin." Also, the people he meets fill the void of the family he has lost and introduces him to two completely opposite worlds. In one world, his friends, like his guide Prabakar are people who struggle with the worst forms of poverty yet still live on with their hope and their simple aspirations. The other world consists of the vicious thugs, who we see through Lin, as brave and as loyal. Abdel Khader 'Khaderbhai', the mafia don takes him to a life of a smuggler, counterfeiter and a gunrunner but also shows him the love of a father. Karla, the beautiful but troubled German woman takes him to the world of prostitutes and crime but shows him how one can fall hopelessly and utterly in love. 

While reading this book, it is impossible to not feel connected to the character despite his past. One cannot help but like, even fall in love with Lin, the anti-hero. Lin is terribly flawed yet we can relate to him, as like many of us, he lost his way when struggling to deal with pain, depression and loneliness. As we read of his courage, his compassion and mostly of his loyalty to the people he cares about, we no longer see him as just another criminal heroin-addict but as a human being who just made some very bad choices.  

This 900+ page book is terrifying at first, even over-bearing at times with its over-the-top metaphors and complex philosophy but, the basic core of this book is captivating and without a doubt a great piece of literature. Those struggling with the meaning of life and its purpose will perhaps find solace, maybe some sort of answer in the philosophy of a god-loving Mafia don who practices crime by principles. The first to a trilogy, Shantaram is a detailed insight into the life of the poor and the life of criminals. And while we may not condone or even understand the life of criminals, we are made to see the circumstances which lead people to live life as they do. Roberts makes us realise that we can never judge anyone, for everyone is caught in their own battle of fear, grief and self-loathing.