Andy Leelu - a runaway boy by B L Gautam

The story is set in 1962, in a sleepy little village named Sehore in the state of Punjab. The main protagonist is a rebellious teenager who lives by his own rules. He detests any authority over him and does what his heart wills. Because of his audacious nature and dare-me-if-you-can attitude, he is labelled as a bad boy.

The novel is semi autobiographical in nature. It draws inspiration from the  author's cousin Leelu who disappeared mysteriously and died at a young age. This book is a tribute to him. Through this story, the author takes us to his own childhood and reminisces his days spent in the company of Leelu and the various escapades he had been a part of.

Leelu comes to live in his maternal uncle's place after his mother, unable to bear the cruelties and abuses of his husband, leaves Mohindergarh to return to her maternal home. It is then the companionship of the author with Leelu begins. Radhe (the author), son of Masterji is in awe for Leelu for his audacity and carefree nature. Radhe has the image of an quintessential good boy and Leelu is incorrigibly bad boy. Their companionship and camaraderie is not approved by Masterji, who has a reputation to live up to. The author dwells upon many of their secret missions, some of which finally put them in real trouble. There is also a liberal dose of a teenager's sexual fantasies as he discovers his own body and desires. Also there is a tiny love story in the making.

The early sixties were a tough time for India. It was still a young nation and there was too many things to cope up with. The wounds of partition were still fresh, wars with neighbors were looming, there was a constant fight against cholera and famine, the nation was still learning to cope up with hard earned freedom. The back drop of this time is intricately woven into the story. As one reads the story, one knows not only the story but also the socio economic issues India faced at that time.

What I was intrigued at first was the name of the book itself - Andy Leelu. It seemed a very English name and wondered why would one be named such in 1960s even after fighting against the English for freedom. The answer was not very far in the novel. Leelu won himself the title of Andy after showing heroic courage and saving a life, while other onlookers were finding themselves helpless in the situation. The named Andy was apparently after a freedom fighter from Sehore.

The story builds up slowly at first and picks up momentum by half way. A few times I found the description monotonous but many a times I could relate to the village life and incidents. When finally Andy Leelu disappears, there are a string of unanswered questions that will leave the readers baffled. I wished if only he would return just once to solve the mystery behind. The author has put his heart in the story, that is evident when one reads the book. It is a compelling, multilayer-ed tale of love, companionship and rebellion.

 

To know more about the author and the book visit http://andyleelu.com

This review was requested by the author.

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Updates! Updates! Updates!

Well, the title of this post was just to catch your attention. I have been missing from here for quite long so, I was not sure if you will stop by to read this.

I don't want this post to be full of excuses as to why I have been away from this space  and blogosphere for so long. Things had been busy till a few days back. After our trip to Ibiza, my in laws came to visit us for a couple of weeks. Days passed fast and what is left now is memories of great time spent with family. After they went back last Sunday, the house seemed so empty. For two days, I didn't feel like doing any thing. Slowly I am sinking back into my old routine and blogging is a part of it. So, hopefully I will be regular from now on.

There are a lot of things I want to write about here. But, I am not feeling inspired enough to put my thoughts into writing. I have not been reading much lately and although I have a dozen of recipes in my draft to keep this space going, I don't feel like posting them. May be I am suffering from blogger's block. I am sure many of you understand what I mean. Hopefully, it is just a passing thing.

While I have been away from this space, I read 2 books, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri and The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer. Enjoyed both of them and will post the reviews soon. Currently, I am reading Andy Leelu by B L Gautam and A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir. I received book review request for both of them.

I feel guilty for not giving adequate attention to the ongoing food event in this space - Cool Summer Sips. I have received many entries but have not sent any acknowledgement mail. The credit goes to my laziness! In fact, I have not even posted one entry for my own event. That's why I am extending the event's last date by a month i.e. to 30th July. So, don't forget to send in your entries.

This much of update is all for now. I will be back tomorrow with some more. Stay tuned.
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Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

A simple and easy double chocolate banana muffins recipe made with whole wheat flour. Perfect with a cup of coffee. Have a ripe banana lying around, you should definitely try this recipe.

For Egg less Bakes this month Gayathri chose this Banana Muffin recipe. The recipe had eggs and all bakers had to try out the eggless version. As I have already tried a variation of banana muffin, I decided to play with the flavours. So, I added some cocoa powder and some choco chips and for a healthier option used whole wheat flour and oil. The muffins came out very moist and the flavour of banana was not very overpowering.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large banana mashed
3/8 cup sugar
4 tbsp oil
1tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp choco chips
3 tbsp yoghurt
3 tbsp water

Process:

1. Sieve all the dry ingredients and set aside. Coat the choco chips with 2 tbsp of the flour mixture.

2. Preheat the oven to 175 C. Line a six-hole muffin pan with muffin liners.

3. Make a hole in the centre of the flour mixture and add the mashed banana, oil, yoghurt and water and mix with a whisk. Add lemon juice and choco chips and stir with a spatula. The batter should not runny but of whipped cream consistency.

4. Bake at 180 C for 15-18 minutes. When done, a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

5. Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.

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Exotic Sunset ~ For Saturday Snapshot

For Saturday Snapshot post, I am sharing some more pictures from my holiday. I witnessed one of the exotic sunsets ever at the San Antonio Bay, Ibiza! We sat by the bay area and watched as the sky changed it's hues and colors. I clicked a lot of pictures of the sunset as I wanted to capture each and every change but here I am sharing a few of those shots.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. It’s easy to participate – just post a picture that was taken by you, a friend, or a family member and add your link on Alyce’s site.

Animal's People by Indra Sinha

I used to be a human once. So, I am told. I don't remember it myself, but people who knew me when I was small say I walked on two feet just like a human being...

Animal's People by Indra Sinha is fictional story that mirrors the horrendous Bhopal gas tragedy that happened in the mid 1980s and in a single fateful night ruined thousands of lives. The story is set in the fictional city of Khaufpur. It revolves around a boy named Animal. He calls himself so because he walks on all his fours. He had survived the night, his parents had left him at the gate of a French missionary church. But, as he grew old, his spine was seriously deformed, leaving him to walk on four limbs. Animal records the story of his life at the request of a French journalist who visits Khaufpur to prepare a document about the consequences the people of Khaufpur faced post 'That Night'.

Synopsis from the book cover:

Ever since he can remember, animal has gone on all fours, the catastrophic result of what happened on 'That Night' when, thanks to an American chemical company, the Apocalypse visited his slum. Now, not yet twenty, he leads a hand to mouth existence with his dog Jara and a crazy old nun called Ma Franci, and spends his nights wondering what is must be like to get laid.

When a young American doctor, Elli Barber, comes to town to open up a free clinic, Animal plunges into a web of intrigues, scams and plots with the unabashed aim of turning events to his own advantage.

 
This is the kind of novel that you won't  enjoy reading, yet would want to read. I read this novel really slow. Once I was into it, I could read it for a while but, when I set it aside, it took me days to pick it up again. That is largely because the subject matter of this novel is a tragedy and it is all pervasive throughout the novel like a lingering shadow. Also the way the novel is written didn't impress me. For one thing, I was put off my the generous use of Indian slang through out the novel and the vivid descriptions of Animal's sexual fantasies. The frequent use of French, Urdu, Hindi in the midst of English prose irritated me.

The author has done a commendable job in describing the plight of the people affected by the tragedy. But, something about the way the story is narrated doesn't make it a compelling read. I wont go over the top to recommend it to anyone but, if you are interested in reading any account of the Bhopal gas tragedy then, surely give it a read. I would give it a balanced 3/5 rating.

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