Read a novel recently. The novel had a unusually long name viz. How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life. Now, a disclaimer, before I proceed: Avert those thoughts. Ya those that brushed off your mind just after reading that name. It's not a Sidney Sheldon stuff. It's clean work, written in original style. No PG required.
The story is about a NRI girl whose NRI parents dream her to achieve Harvard and groom her so that she starts dreaming their dream. A typical Indian family upbringing scenario, where parents decide what the child is destined to become, let alone the fact whether the child has either the capacity or inclination for the purportedly envisioned career. To avoid such a thing from happening, her parents meticulously chalk out a roadmap that will guide her right from infancy to their dream fancy. The child abides by it and reaches the juncture where she is interviewed at the Harvard. Contrary to her expectations, the interviewer asks her two very simple & straight questions over the usual academic ones, viz. what does she does for fun and who are her friends. In the advent of such sudden detour by the interviewer, the girl - Opal Mehta - ends up making a mess. The interviewer however consoles her and recommends concentrating on these banal appearing yet difficulty posing questions, for the simple reason that the Harvard needed all rounders and not nerds. How she gets over with it, or can she ever get over with it, is all the book about. Apropos, to taste a real life she must get kissed, loose the robotic routine by letting the mind got wild and embrace a normal life.
No rocket science involved. No philosophy engrossed. The language is simple. The writing style heavily bears a contemporary hue. Let it be the remarks on farcical flag-bearers of Indian culture abroad, the use of mild slang or the exaggerated and hysterical hauteur patronised by proles in US (which unfortunately, is considered haute by the upper crest Indians), all has been outlined crisply. What appealed me the most was the witty manner in which the message was conveyed. The message is incidentally very simple: live a life of your choice. Choose the obvious. Don't obviate the obvious for something oblivious. That never means that you should not have any aim in life. You should. But in the process of achieving it, don't forget that He has gifted you with a beautiful world to live in. Live it. Be a part of it. One should feel exalted after achieving the summit, not alone. Friends, fun and formulae are equally important.
The author, Kaavya Vishwanathan is incidently a pursuing Harvard student herself. This is her first novel, a parable instead. A good refresher. Kudos.
No comments:
Post a Comment