Shantaram

Shantaram, meaning man of peace, or man of God's peace, is the name of the book I'm reading at the moment. It's an autobiography written by Gregory David Roberts and the blurb on the back of the book reads as follows:

"In the early 80s, Gregory David Roberts, an armed robber and heroin addict, escaped from an Australian prison to India, where he lived in a Bombay slum. There, he established a free health clinic and also joined the mafia, working as a money launderer, forger and street soldier. He found time to learn Hindi and Marathi, fall in love, and spend time being worked over in an Indian jail. Then in case anyone thought he was slacking, he acted in Bollywood and fought with the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan...Amazingly, Roberts wrote Shantaram three times after prison guards trashed the first two versions. It's a profound tribute to his willpower...At once a high-kicking, eye-gouging adventure, a love saga and a savage yet tenderly lyrical fugitive vision"

I'm only about half way through the 933 pages of Shantaram , but I can't put it down. I have friends who have travelled in India and this book is so descriptive, I almost feel as though I've been there too. Two of my favourite passages from the book are:

“I couldn’t respond. My culture had taught me all the wrong things well. So I lay completely still, and gave no reaction at all. But the soul has no culture. The soul had no nations. The soul has no colour or accent or way of life. The soul is forever. The soul is one. And when the heart has its moment of truth and sorrow, the soul can’t be stilled.

I clenched my teeth against the stars. I closed my eyes. I surrendered to sleep. One of the reasons why we crave love, and seek it so desperately, is that love is the only cure for lonliness, and shame, and sorrow. But some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only lonliness can help you find them again. Some truthes about yourself are so painful that only shame can help you live with them. And some things are just so sad that only your soul can do the crying for you.”

“Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears. In the end that’s all there is: love and its duty, sorrow and its truth. In the end that’s all we have – to hold on tight until the dawn.”

Anyway, just thought I'd share it with you - I highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking for something a bit serious to read...