From the streets of Kathmandu by Basu Rai.

• Book: From the streets of Kathmandu.
• Author: Basu Rai.
• Publication House: Vitasta Publishing.
• Category: Fiction.
• Rating: 4.25/5.

Story-in-Short:

A little boy climbs down the stairs and runs out of his house. Most little ones do that. But this little boy has no one to stop him. He does not have a name. He only has the memory of a story his father has told him over and over again, from the time he was just six months old until his dying day, when the child was about four years old. It is the story of his father's love affair with his mother and betrayal.

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.