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Vanity Bagh (2013)

by Anees Salim(Favorite Author)

4.05 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Pan Macmillan India

review 1: By Anees Salim. Grade A+It is not easy to write a book that represents a religion which has innumerable followers all over the world, is a beautiful faith and is also infamous for the various terrorism attacks.It is difficult to set the plot of your story amidst the growing Islamic culture in India in order to capture the essence of a faith which is on par with all other religions in the world and yet, stay objective.It is a hard task to write a novel set in a culture one belongs to, where one’s identity is suspect on the basis of one’s religion and yet, deliver the goods without falling prey to the influence of Islamic fundamentalism.But, the author of the novel, Anees Salim is successful in portraying ordinary lives of Muslim people without resorting to any sensatio... morenalism. He comes out with a story that portrays the life of a group of young Muslim boys living in a mohalla called Vanity Bagh who are ‘inspired by the legend of Abu Hathim, an aging don of Vanity Bagh’ or Little Pakistan as it is referred to.The protagonist is Imran Jabbari who is part of a gang called ‘5 ½ Men’ comprising of young friends whose only goal in life is to appear to be powerful like dons while leading ordinary lives like in any household irrespective of faith or status.The story moves slowly, helping the reader to sink his teeth into the plot, chewing the elements that make this novel a simple and abstract one simultaneously. The author’s wit is splendid and pops up when least expected. Here is an example:(extract)“Yahya, another one of us with a popular Pakistan name, as you can see, was born dumb. But he was not dumb dumb, he was smart dumb. When the Almighty pressed the mute button on him at the assembly line, He gave Yahya something exceptional in damages, and rolled him out into the noisy world with a set of remarkably big ears that heard things that no one else did: ants marching across asbestos roofs, beetles sneezing…..and even the squeal of the public lavatory door as the ghost of Iskander, a young man who died from having too much of fake cocaine, went in to pee.”The novel centers around the life of Imran Jabbari who like any other young chap has dreams of his own, albeit a wee bit difficult to accomplish because of various constraints of everyday life. So, what is it that makes this novel different? Well, the gang of 5 ½ Men are unexpectedly caught in a terrorist attack certainly not of their making. Their dreams definitely did not involve becoming terrorists and killing people. All that they wanted was just doing things that would make others think great of them – murderous hatred was never on their agenda. Unfortunately, life does not go as planned and Imran is jailed for fourteen years. Does his jailbreak plot work out? What happens to his friends? How does his family take to this sudden terrorist tag on their son? What of Vanity Bagh? What does the mohalla have to say of it all? What about the scenario in prison? Will the history of Vanity Bagh catch up with Imran? Will the communal unrest and simmering violence destroy the life of an unassuming youngster?The author’s narrative is like a journey in itself making the reader feel danger lurking in the corner, ready to jump upon you any moment. Read on to know more. Kudos to Anees Salim for writing a novel with a message without sound preaching. Very much needed.Originally reviewed at Vaultofbooks.com, a close-knit community of fanatical readers. We are looking for perceptive readers who can write well, and we are eager to provide lots of free books in exchange for reviews. Shot us a mail at [email protected]”
review 2: I was lucky enough to win this novel in the goodreads giveaway,I am thankfull to the author and goodreads for the same.Top start with, I would like to tell that this is that kind of book which you pick with very low expectations and get stunned by its sheer brilliance both in the placement of plot and characterization. The plot revolves around a mini Pakistan in India and the depiction of the same is of the state of the art level. If you have been/seen any such place in your life the memories of the same strike you instantly while going through the pages of this creation of Anees Salim and you start relating to the environment, the characters.For me it was a great read. I recommend it for every one who is willing to have a unique and contemporary reading experience. less

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