The Sari Shop: Life is so ordinary!

Title: The Sari Shop

Author: Rupa Bajwa

Stars: 4/5

Life is simple, if you stop thinking and feeling, but then there is no life!!

The book is about an ordinary man. An ordinary salesman in a Sari Shop in a small town. What happens when he dreams of reading and learning? He learns a lot more than his small mind, his small life and his small status can ever take. He thinks he can change and he can make change. Silly man! Doesn't know a small man with small means cannot make even a small scratch on the surface of the big ugly society.

I felt exasperated after reading this book. The entire irony of life. It brought to my mind all the things, all the unfairness and unpleasantness of the world which I observe every day and also form a part of. There is so much I can do to make small changes around, but refuse to. I suppose, just ignoring it, helps me sleep better at night.

Just last week, in the blazing June summer, a gardener was watering plants outside a bungalow. The sparkling, cool water, came fast and refreshing from the pipe. It  quenched the thirst of dried earth and gave a lush green landscape around the bungalow. A small street urchin stood outside the wired boundary of the garden with an empty plastic bottle. He was requesting the gardener to fill his bottle with water. The gardener tried to shoo him away with a dirty look. I stood there watching the irony of the situation. "Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink."

The author has done a magnificent job with her writing. She creates a strong impactful story with a simple plot and characters. It's as if I knew these characters. They are based on day to day people and have depth as well as stay shallow at the same time. A very balanced writing form an insider, as an outsider.

p. s. this book will always stay special as it is a gift from a dear friend