The Archer: Book review


Book review

Title: The Archer
Author: Shruti Swamy
Genre: Fiction

The Archer is a coming of age story of a woman who finds solace in an ancient form of dance. 

The story focuses on the life of Vidya - a girl who is growing up in Bombay in the 60s. During her childhood,  Vidya’s mother disappears from her life and Vidya is left to look after her father and younger brother. To overcome her grief and loneliness, Vidya finds solace in Kathak and trains under a reputed teacher. Simultaneously we see Vidya facing prejudices against her dark skin that makes her retreat into her shell further. We follow her journey to engineering college, falling in love with another woman, her marriage to a son of an illustrious family and pursuing her artistic dreams. An unexpected occurrence changes the fate of Vidya’s life. 

The story is divided into five parts. It seamlessly moves forward in time tracing the different phases in Vidya’s life. The language is soulful, poetic, rhythmic and almost feels like the dance form of Kathak. The complexity of Vidya’s character intrigues her reader. She is seen as someone independent. Yet she chooses to follow the path  that she once vowed to never to tread on. 

The Archer is narrated in first person from Vidya’s point of view. It’s evident how Kathak plays a significant role in her life. To Vidya, Kathak provides the solace, the freedom and escape from the rather patriarchal world she lives in . An escape from the societal and traditional norms she’s forced to comply. The relationship between Vidya and her teacher forms an interesting angle. The author draws parallels to Eklavya’s relationship to Drona. She also manages to capture the vibe of Bombay in the 60s in an authentic manner. 

The Archer is an interesting read for its melancholic prose and ability to merge art and the human soul into one.

-- 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Heidi: Movie review

Image
I had read this classic by Johanna Spyri as a little girl. I won it as a prize along with my merit card when I was graduating from Primary to Middle School.  When I stumbled upon this on Amazon Prime, I was delighted. It always feels good to watch your favorite fictional characters on screen. Its often slated that the book is always better as it captures a lot more depth with regards to the plot and characters. However a couple of adaptations that I had seen in the recent past made a good watch. A couple of them ended up being a visual treat. One was The Call of the Wild which showcased the beauty of the Alaskan Wilderness. Another one was Heidi which exhibited the splendor of the snow clad Alps.  Heidi is the story of a young orphaned girl who is sent to live in the mountains with her rather eccentric grandfather-who is known as Alm Uncle by the villagers. Heidi manages to melt his heart as he develops an affection for her. She spends her carefree days in t...
Read more

100 meters : Movie Review

Image
Watched this inspiring Spanish film over the weekend on Netflix!  100 meters is a based on a true story of a man named Ramon who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He is told that he will be able to even walk 100 meters in the next one year. Determined to prove this wrong, he takes up the challenge of doing the grueling Ironman race which involves 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and 26.2 miles running.  With the help of his father in law with whom he initially shares a shaky relationship with, he begins to train relentlessly. Ramon faces challenges on the way and is almost pushed to the brink of being bed ridden. He overcomes every hurdle with grit and a positive frame of mind. It remains to be seen if he actually finishes the race.  This movie struck a chord in many ways. A triathlon is not just a race-its a humbling journey which alters your life forever. The training period is especially a challenging one as it demands a lot out of you. The film showcases the i...
Read more

My friend Ganesha: Friendship with God

Image
-By Swetha Amit http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=b7ab149a-5f35-4861-8859-6a890ddb71fe Loneliness often propels one to longingly seek a friend. Times like these often push us into a solitary stance or we find our solace in the road to spirituality striking an unspoken friendship with God. My friend Ganesha is one such film which depicts this divine friendship between a child and the elephant faced God and takes you down the mythological lane. The movie revolves around a family consisting of Ashu, his parents, aunt and the maid Gangubhai who places her sincere devotion in Lord Ganapathy. Ashu is a lonely child devoid of any friends and to top it all he is bullied by his counterparts at every given opportunity. To make matters worse, his parents who are caught up with the corporate lifestyles hardly spend time with him. One day he ends up saving a little mouse from the harsh rains. On sharing this with the maid, leaves her enthralled enough to tell him of being the...
Read more