Shantaram, a fantastic read

I’m reading Shantaram by Gregory Roberts at the moment. Its really a fascinating book. Having lived in India for almost 16 years I know about Bombay the colorful and cruel city, the no-nonsense attitude of its people, and the way people seem to survive there by barely a thread. But seeing Bombay through a foreigner’s eyes, a foreigner who knew more about this Indian city than me a citizen of this country, was really an eyeopener in many ways. The author lived in a slum in Colaba for some time, something we so called sophisticated metro Indians would never deign to do, albeit his circumstances rendering him so helpless he was forced to live there. Another thing is, after all the negative press Indian cities, their poor infrastructure, and the vast divide between the rich and the poor has been getting in the western media, it was so refreshing to read about the love this so-called foreigner has for Indian people. He so clearly understood why things are the way they are instead of holding his nose at the stench and pooh-poohing at the seeming inefficiency. It’s so easy to be critical but when you delve deeper you find survival is the name of the game. Yes things have improved in India since the author’s experiences, but many things are still the same. I’ve lived outside this country for 16 years and in many ways my perspective on things is different from those born and living here. After living in countries where Indians have been looked upon as Third World citizens and having experienced discrimination in its worst form in so-called civilized developed nations, I came to the country I hardly knew, the country that I couldn’t call home in the beginning at all, and slowly over the years my fondness and love for my nation has grown. I’m so proud of my people who will do anything, go anywhere, and sacrifice everything to make the future brighter for their kids, I’m so proud of the enterprising and innovative Indian businessman, I’m so proud of our professionals who through their hard work have made India Shine, I’m so proud of our farmers who in spite of the vagaries of nature go day after day to their fields and patiently nurture their crops so today food insufficiency is a thing of the past. I’m so proud of this nation where you can be free to be whoever you want to be, where you can be free to express yourself, free to make something of yourself, free to dance on the streets in a baraat, free to worship whichever god you want to. India to me embodies freedom of the human spirit.