Shantaram....

I love reading. It's one of my favourite things to do in the world... To curl up with a good book, and be transported to another time, place, or universe. To see, hear and smell things from another lifetime with such vividness that you can lose yourself for hours on end. It opens opportunity, and lets the imagination soar. More so for a well-written book. I guess it's why I usually read the book before going to see the movie, and then am invariably disappointed, lol! It never looks just as I had pictured it. The colours are muted, the actors possess a different take on the emotions, and expressions. But when you're reading, the characters are truly of your own creation - the author merely provides the guidelines.

I rediscovered just such a book the other day. Shantaram. By Gregory David Roberts. There are no words to describe it. When reading it, I literally felt what he described. More than that, I was inspired by his words, his candid self-assessment... I walked along his path of self-discovery, was crushed by his disappointments, and soared with his realisations.

Yet more inspiring, the story the book tells is true - it's somewhat awe-inspiring to know that the life he describes actually happened, once upon a time. And if I were to repeat the blurb [as I do below], I have no doubt that you too would be incredulous at how much one can achieve in a single lifetime. The mental strength to survive so many hardships is actually real.

I remember how I felt the first time I read the book over a year ago. I wanted to embark on my own journey of self-exploration; to face my own challenges to not only survive, but learn from my experiences [and through which create my own opportunities to achieve wonderful things]; to save lives; to simply make a difference. I was sure that the lessons learned from the book would never leave me, its profound meaning would forever change my life.

That copy of the book has since been read by 3-4 more people. It returned to me last week, and I voraciously read it again - not just to see if it was really as good as I remember, but because often, the second time one reads something, the more insight one gets from it. [The same was true of Fight Club - the clues for that ultimate twist were there all along, try it! It's pretty incredible what you miss when you don't know what you're looking for!] I guess in terms of books, the first time, I read faster to feed my insatiable curiosity of the twists and turns within the plot that the underlying messages are only superficially recognised.

And it was just as good as I remember. Better. More inspiring. Yet somewhat depressingly, in the year since I first read it, none of my ideals have happened. Lol, it's not like I ever expected to go and live in an Indian slum and save lives or anything. But it's all the same. Well, on first thought anyways. I guess for the more ordinary amongst us - those not quite as adventurous as Roberts - the changes are more subtle.

- Like my last couple of posts for example. I've found myself appreciating the little things more. The beauty in my mundane ordinary and unexciting life.
- I'm more likely to take that spontaneous choice. Why not go out for that friend's birthday despite the shedloads of work I'll have to make up for? It's important to me, and them.
- And I guess best of all, I'm provoked into looking at myself a lot more. I'm happier with who I see looking back at me. By living my life more with each passing moment rather than for what's happened in the last 10 years, and preparing for what may or may not even happen in the next 10 years, I'm gaining more pleasure.

And I'd like to think, sharing that pleasure with those around me. Like I'm sure you've seen those stupid e-mail forwards. The one I'm thinking of in particular is about the smile, and how infectious it can be. I smile, so others around me will smile more. Smiling makes people happy [something to do with the endorphins (happy hormones) the brain releases, triggered by the smiling mechanism]. By my smiling more, I'd like to think the world is just a little bit happier, even if it is localised. You hear so many stories about those brave individuals who stuck to their belief that if they do what they can, one person can make a difference.

Starting small, I'm making a difference.... Give it a go, it's fun! :o)

"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"
Written by Time Out

PS. Yes, I know he was an escaped convict, and a former heroin addict, and that he not only fought for, but rationalised and even maybe slightly trivialised Jihad. And that much of the book has probably been slightly overdramatised. But the majority of what happened is true. And he achieved much good in his life, to atone for his past sins. And who doesn't make mistakes? It doesn't make the book any less powerful.