- Book: From the streets of Kathmandu.
- Author: Basu Rai.
- Publication House: Vitasta Publishing.
- Category: Fiction.
- Rating: 4.25/5.
Story-in-Short:
From the streets of Kathmandu, this is the story of a child who names himself Basu Rai and who travels the corridors of the world, takes part in the global March against child labour and arrive finally in the country he identifies as his own - India.
Though Basu has found his country, his quest for family is not over. His search for identity begins with his book which maps the step by step progress of a reticent toddler from a well-to-do family through being a violent street child and a child labourer returning from the jaws of death several times, to his fights to go to school, being school captain and finally at 26, with the telling of his story in a book.
This is an inspirational story which tells about nurturing by a father. It is also a story that tells us here was a case for nurturing by the state, which was completely missing. It, instead, points to the loopholes in the systems in place, the social welfare systems, the education systems and the family systems that the subcontinent so boasts about but in reality, does not exist. It directs us to the vacuum children are often forced to grow up in. To get an enlightened and educated young citizen from nothing is nothing short of a miracle.
In my view:
Today what seems to be perfect and lovely may not be the
same tomorrow. For all those who belong to luxurious families, splurge money
lavishly, party hard – life is fun; but for those who cannot afford it and live
under difficult circumstances, life is a struggle. As soon as your car comes to halt at a
signal, you find young beggars knocking the window panes or wind screen,
demanding money for survival. We simply reject giving money as we know they may
be forced for this job and by giving money we might encourage that.
From among these street kids, there exist some who are really
interested in studying and doing something worthy in life, but circumstances
are not really helpful. I personally know so many people who are generously
working for the betterment of street kids and educating them.
The story that this book gets us is of one such person for
whom life took some really difficult turns. His mother abandoned him and his
father when he was some months old, and he lost his father at a very young age,
after which he ran off to the streets of Kathmandu (Nepal) and never returned
back home. He was so young that he did not even know his name. What he knew was
his father was a Rai and mother, a Basu, and hence named himself Basu Rai.
This novel is an autobiography of Basu Rai – a young, dynamic and
talented person, who became the face of an international movement against child
labour, initiated by none other than reputed and Nobel Prize winning activist Mr
Kailash Satyarthi. Interestingly, Mr Satyarthi has also written the foreword of
this book.
In this novel, the author has explicitly mentioned about his
group of street friends, wrong things which he was forced to do, attacks on
him, hospitalizations, jobs which he managed to do, and of course the campaign
of which he became an active part.
The cover page of the book shows a child on street, rag
picking, and perhaps Kathmandu in the backdrop. The cover page is totally intriguing.
Besides that, the title of the book is catchy. Both these factors that have
first impression on readers are wonderful. The narration and narrative are
awesome and readers will totally get hooked to the story, which moves at a slow
pace and is very well managed, avoiding confusion at any stage. To top it, the story
successfully gives a message which the readers will imbibe very well.
Speaking about the flaws - there are numerous grammatical errors
in the book. Proper editing and proof-reading would have made the novel
flawless. Apart from this, there is no other error in the book, and it promises
a wonderful read.
My recommendation for this book goes without saying. From
the streets of Kathmandu is a one such novel which readers cannot afford to
miss, as it contains an inspiring and equally delightful story.
Concluding the review and considering everything, I am
rating the book with 4.25/5. Congratulations to author Basu Rai for his debut
novel and big thanks for getting a story as brilliant as this.
NOTE: A review copy of the book was provided by Vitasta Publishing House.
- The book is available in leading bookstores.
- You can also avail a copy online via: Infibeam, Uread, Flipkart, Crossword.
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