I was eager to know the results of this years Man Booker Prize, because one of the books shortlisted was The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri, i was reading when the list was announced. I have not read any of the other books in the list so not sure about any of the other books. But i was hoping that this will win the prize not just because i was reading it but also for the fact that Jhumpa Lahiri is a novelist of Indian origin and part of the book was set in Kolkata the then Calcutta. But when the results were announced i was feeling sad as this is not the book that won. Now i was sad not just because this book didn't win any prize but previously The white tiger a book by Arvind Adiga won the booker prize for the year 2008.I know its not proper to compare two books which are published in two different years as the books they will be competing with will be different, but somehow felt it would have been good if lowland was declared the winner.
When compared with Aravind's book i liked Lowland much better. In white tiger it was about a rural indian, who kills his master and escapes with the money from Delhi to Bangalore to start his own car renting company. I felt that book shows Indians in a bad light, neither all Indians want to kill their bosses nor they want to be rich overnight, i thought Aravind missed to portray the other side of India, where hard working people and people who are loyal to their bosses stay. My other complaint was that books or movies which show Indians in bad light are a big hit with west, be it white tiger or the movie slumdog millionaire.
On the other hand the lowland was a good book, its story of two brother Subash and Udayan. Though Udayan is younger by a year, they join the school same year and share some common interests. Udayan is more intelligent among the both and he gets motivated with the naxalbari movement, joins the movement. Subash don't want to join him and goes to US for further studies. Udayan unable to fill the vacuum created by Subash friends with a girl Gauri. Gauri is Udayan's friends sister, whose friendship with him turns to love and eventually end up in marrying Udayan. In the turn of events Udayan gets killed by police and Gauri becomes widow. Gauri was pregnant when Udayan passes away. Hearing about Udayans death Subash returns to India only to find the hardship Gauri is going through and wants to take her to US with him, also wants marry her, to which his parents opposes. Subash marries her and wants to take care of his brothers kid and want to be the kid's father instead of uncle. Gauri continues her studies in US and wants to be on her own. She leaves behind Subash and also the kid she had with Udayan with Subash. The kid, Bela grows up and like his biological father, becomes more interested in things which gives her pleasure than the things which giver her more money. Later she giver birth to a kid Meghana, at which point Subash reveals to Bela that he is not her actual father and but her uncle. Initially unable to digest this fact, she finally learns the hardship Subash has underwent to bring her up, and begins to hate her mother who abandoned her for being alone and for achieving her own ambitions, and this forms the end of the story.I felt sorry for Subash after completing the book, to me he sacrificed his entire life for his brothers kid (though he never felt that Bela is not his kid). The way Gauri behaved leaving behind her own kid and Subash who had the guts to get her to US and gave a new beginning to her life was a bit harsh i felt. Being a movie buff i expected a happy ending thinking Bela would unite Gauri and Subash,but i was more convinced at the way Bela behaved in the book than the way i thought she would behave.
May be time for me to read other books in the list and find out why the other ones are better than this, and what impressed the judges to choose the one they selected than this one.
When compared with Aravind's book i liked Lowland much better. In white tiger it was about a rural indian, who kills his master and escapes with the money from Delhi to Bangalore to start his own car renting company. I felt that book shows Indians in a bad light, neither all Indians want to kill their bosses nor they want to be rich overnight, i thought Aravind missed to portray the other side of India, where hard working people and people who are loyal to their bosses stay. My other complaint was that books or movies which show Indians in bad light are a big hit with west, be it white tiger or the movie slumdog millionaire.
On the other hand the lowland was a good book, its story of two brother Subash and Udayan. Though Udayan is younger by a year, they join the school same year and share some common interests. Udayan is more intelligent among the both and he gets motivated with the naxalbari movement, joins the movement. Subash don't want to join him and goes to US for further studies. Udayan unable to fill the vacuum created by Subash friends with a girl Gauri. Gauri is Udayan's friends sister, whose friendship with him turns to love and eventually end up in marrying Udayan. In the turn of events Udayan gets killed by police and Gauri becomes widow. Gauri was pregnant when Udayan passes away. Hearing about Udayans death Subash returns to India only to find the hardship Gauri is going through and wants to take her to US with him, also wants marry her, to which his parents opposes. Subash marries her and wants to take care of his brothers kid and want to be the kid's father instead of uncle. Gauri continues her studies in US and wants to be on her own. She leaves behind Subash and also the kid she had with Udayan with Subash. The kid, Bela grows up and like his biological father, becomes more interested in things which gives her pleasure than the things which giver her more money. Later she giver birth to a kid Meghana, at which point Subash reveals to Bela that he is not her actual father and but her uncle. Initially unable to digest this fact, she finally learns the hardship Subash has underwent to bring her up, and begins to hate her mother who abandoned her for being alone and for achieving her own ambitions, and this forms the end of the story.I felt sorry for Subash after completing the book, to me he sacrificed his entire life for his brothers kid (though he never felt that Bela is not his kid). The way Gauri behaved leaving behind her own kid and Subash who had the guts to get her to US and gave a new beginning to her life was a bit harsh i felt. Being a movie buff i expected a happy ending thinking Bela would unite Gauri and Subash,but i was more convinced at the way Bela behaved in the book than the way i thought she would behave.
May be time for me to read other books in the list and find out why the other ones are better than this, and what impressed the judges to choose the one they selected than this one.
