Book Details. . .
Title: The Homing Pigeons
Author: Sid Bahri
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Srishti Publishers
& Distributors (2013)
Pages: 328 Pages
Price: INR 98
Rating: 3.75/5Book Synopsis. . .
The greatest irony of
being in love is loving the right person at wrong time without confession; having
the wrong person at right time again without confession and finally realizing
the love for right person at right time with due confession.
The Homing Pigeons comes
across as a heart touching story encompassing the aforesaid ironies of not so
perfect love between the two imperfect souls – Aditya and Radhika. Love, at
times, comes across as a puzzle to solve with the head and the heart voicing
their opinion in different directions often making us commit acts we don’t want, landing us in the situation we don’t foresee.
Aditya, once a
successful banker, is introduced as a recession hit victim who is leading his
life in despair with no visible way to turn his fortunes. He has been through
the peak of his professional career in the country’s leading bank, before finding
himself at the receiving end of the recessionary wave. This wave exposes him to
the dark side of life wherein he finds himself whirling between countless liquor
shots and failed job interviews. This recessionary impact is not limited to his
professional life but his personal life is also completely in shambles. He survives
on his wife’s money, who leave no chance to nag him down further into the dark
pit of desolation & disappointment. The only solace he finds is by
immersing himself in the glass of liquor which absolves him of his miseries for
some time. The rendezvous with a beautiful stranger during one of his evening-outs
changes his life completely. He is thrown at a juncture which opens up a lucrative
but socially ‘taboo’ avenue for him; something which he isn’t really proud to
go for but for his current miseries and desolated bank balance, he finds
himself turning into a gigolo.
Radhika, on the other
hand, emerges as a mid aged widow who had troubled childhood & who has
always struggled with the choices life has offered her at every juncture. Her step
daughter, who is just few years younger than her, is getting married leaving
her with huge fortune and complete freedom, something which she has aspired
& longed for since long. However, the new found freedom, instead, pushes
her back in retrospection of her past life – difficult childhood, unrequited
love, unsuccessful marriage & repressed longing for her life’s love. Her character, initially, is shown as materialistic woman who just wants money and independence in life; however, as the the story progress, it evolves as someone alone in thoughts having a simple & purer desire of being with the person she loves.
The story is narrated from the perspective of these two protagonists alternating between them reflecting a piece of their mind and thoughts every time.
How does Aditya transforms
himself from a banker to a gigolo? Who is that stranger into whom Aditya bumps in
the bar? What’s the story behind Radhika’s troubled childhood and unsuccessful marriage?
What circumstances keep the two lovers apart? Why do they marry different
persons despite in love? How does these two seemingly different stories finally
converge into one?
Grab your copy to unveil the answers to these and, more importantly, to welcome the grand entry of a cherished author into Indian English Literature.
My Thoughts. . .
Aesthetics
I remember reading the popular
adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and do endorse the same symbolically but
somehow in literal sense of the phrase I somewhat remain bias. I personally
feel that the title and the cover are as important in the book as the content
and language. The title and cover of this book is one of the better one I have
been a witness in recent times, gelling with the overall experience of the
book reading – just perfectly.
The title of the book couldn’t
have been better than The Homing Pigeons. They say Homing Pigeons always come
back to their mate, no matter where you leave them on the face of this earth, this
forms the soul of the book – hence the title. The cover page is pleasant and
thoughtful with pigeons flying all around in turquoise & lavender backdrop
perfectly setting the tone of the thoughtful journey you are about to embark in
the world of Aditya and Radhika. The
printing, font and word spacing are decent enough to grant reader a comfortable
read.
Positives
The
current era of Indian English literature, by far, seems to be the best one with
so many diversified authors sprinkling their varied works on the canvas of national
literacy forum, Though, this looks to be promising with some of the authors making
their presence felt amidst the best of at global writers, one often feels that with
the quantity of the work flooding the scenario these days, the quality of the
literature somewhere gets compromised.
And
amidst that sulking feeling ‘The Homing Pigeons’ comes like a blow of fresh air
and bright hope that there are authors who can proudly hoist the flag of Indian
literature at global forums. The author Sid Bahri surely deserves all the accolades
and laurel coming his way for his debut work. Considering this is the maiden
attempt of the author, I found him well ahead of his contemporaries. The brilliance
with which the whole book has been crafted can be understood by the fact that
despite the predictability of the climax of story, the reader will find himself
hooked into the pages with amusement as to how the story progress towards the
end going through twists and turns.
The alternate narrative style of story-telling in which the story alternates from two protagonists’ perspective is exceptionally used with an insight to the mindset & thoughts of both of them. There is a perfect balance in the characterization of two protagonists which again is reflective of author’s complete control over the story. The reader relates to the characters as they are not perfect in real sense and are suffering from the idiosyncrasies of the human nature making them act in certain manner every time life confronts them with choice. The language and efficacy with which some of the screens are written surely touch the chord with the reader.
There remained few grey areas which might appear lagged and left out to some readers, though in the overall
context of the book these are insignificant, not having any grave impact to the overall reading experience.
The start of the book is one thing that didn't really excited me with recession hit banker lured to the ‘forbidden’ world of male gigolo by a sex starved mediator working in a corporate set up. The whole thing really appeared to be similar to some Bollywood flick (‘Desi Boyz’). The consolating part, however, remains that once you surpass some of the pages the resemblance diminishes altogether.
The start of the book is one thing that didn't really excited me with recession hit banker lured to the ‘forbidden’ world of male gigolo by a sex starved mediator working in a corporate set up. The whole thing really appeared to be similar to some Bollywood flick (‘Desi Boyz’). The consolating part, however, remains that once you surpass some of the pages the resemblance diminishes altogether.
Secondly,
there were some characters & junctures which would have dealt with a bit
more detail. While approaching the climax of the book, I was constantly
wondering about the second marriage of Radhika as there appeared no sign of it as
the novel approached towards the end; then suddenly in last few pages, there
comes a passing reference of the same. The whole episode of her second marriage somewhat appeared neglected & uncorroborated. Likewise, the character of Jasleen (Aditya's wife) appears to be very weak & skewed with the only task of nagging her husband
every now and then.
But as I said, the overall experience of the book is so refreshing that these don't really act as a deterrent to that.
The Final Word. . .
The
Homing Pigeons deserves a read to welcome Sid Bahri to carry the baton of the Indian
English Literature to next level. The impeccable writing skills of the author and
the manner in which he draws analogy in two seemingly different stories of
protagonists which ultimately converge into beautiful bouquet whose fragrance
leaves afresh in your mind even after the story is read, is really commendable.
Go grab a copy & be a part of the homecoming & eventual redemption of two pigeons who are destined to be together despite the follies they commit and wrong flights they take...As Dr. Tharoor has aptly remarks "...a remarkable novel...that deserves all the plaudits it is sure to garner"
Must read for all lovers of Indian English Literature.
Rating: 3.75/5
About the Author. . .
A hotelier by education,
an ex-banker and a senior executive in the outsourcing industry, Sid gave up a
plush career in the outsourcing industry to follow his passions. Based out of
Ranikhet, he is now a struggling entrepreneur and a happy writer. A self-
proclaimed eccentric, he is an avid blogger who loves to read and cook. Cooking
stories, however, is his passion. The Homing Pigeons is his debut novel. He can
be reached at sidd.bahri@gmail.com
To
know more about him visit his website www.sidbahri.com
Just an afterthought, I got fewer instances of interacting with the author Sid Bahri through messages and mails, and he came across as a humble & generous soul. Despite the success and accolades he has received for his debut work, he remain a grounded soul with a noble heart.
Where to grab a copy. . .
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