Friday, July 06, 2007

Shantaram

‘The worst thing about corruption as a system of governance is that it works so well’.

‘If fate didn’t make you laugh, you didn’t get the joke!’

‘Without love, India would be impossible’.

‘There is no act of faith more beautiful than the generosity of the very poor’.

‘Poverty & Pride are devoted blood bothers, until one, always & inevitably, kills the other’.

‘Justice is not only the way we punish those who do wrong, it is also the way we try to save them’.

‘Every act of suffering, no matter how small or agonizingly great, is a test of love in some way. Most of the times, suffering is also a test of our love to God’.

‘One of the ironies of courage & the reason why we prize it so highly, is that we find it easier to be brave for someone else than we do for ourselves alone’.

‘Cruelty is a kind of cowardice. Cruel laughter is the way cowards cry when they are not alone, and causing pain is how they grieve’.

‘Pity is one part of love that asks for nothing in return and, because of that, every act of pity is a kind of prayer’.

Just completed reading “Shantaram” & these are a few of the quotes from the book. What I fail to understand is that how can someone having so much insight on life, fall for crime, drugs & depression? How can people stray from being right when they very much know they are being wrong? This guy had a highly philosophical approach toward life; I guess that’s the reason he found India as his home. I also learnt that we should be thankful, because for no contribution of ours, we were never exposed to the life of poverty & slums in India. It can be argued if a criminal deserves this kinda glorification or not, but just the fact that he doesn’t justify his crime or is just out there with it, makes it a lot more easy to understand him & his situation. Inshallah, his sequel to “Shantaram”, “God Willing” will be a big hit too!

2 comments:

Goli said...

Am reading, this book right now and I absolutely love it. :D.
More comments when I finish it.

Vaidehi Dongre said...

the kind of life this guy led is absolutely mindblowing! won't kill ur fun, but certainly more comments awaited for later.