... and i can't put it down: shantaram by gregory david roberts. SO GOOD. it's the story of a convict who escapes from prison in australia and flees to bombay.
i had the opportunity to travel to india a few years ago, so it is particularly compelling to have a visual reference for some of the places described in the book.
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| a busy street in bombay (i think this was near the train station, Victoria Terminus) |
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| the colaba waterfront |
lin, shantaram's protagonist, befriends a local guide and moves into a hut in one of the city's massive slums, where he quickly learns the language and opens a free medical clinic. the book continually remarks on the vibrant, optimistic demeanor of the slum inhabitants, who are incredibly poor but have an incredible sense of community.
during my trip, we visited a pavement school in dharavi, one of the bombay slums, and i, too, was struck by how happy and welcoming the people were. these pictures don't really do the experience justice, but needless to say, it was eye-opening in the most positive way.
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| a pavement school in dharavi |
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| students from the pavement school |
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| laundry hanging out to dry in the sun |
all photos (except for the book cover) were taken by me.
Much thanks to you for giving such significant information.Thank you for taking the time to explain this.
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