Author: Rudyard Kipling Read in: June 2020
Kim was a book long overdue. I had often thought of giving it a try but always abandoned it for some new author. Now, I thought that this book would be a quick, silly read about some mischievous girl (yes, I thought that Kim was a girl just because my reading list a few years ago mainly featured girls like Matilda and books like the St. Clare's series) but it turned out to be so much more.
Kim, who turned out to be the boy, Kimball O'Hara, is a young Irish orphan roughened and toughened by the Indian street. He doesn't even realise that he is British and lives the life of an urchin. Forever searching for adventure, he sets off as a disciple with a lama seeking enlightenment. Amid his joyful cross-country tour, flavoured with the myriad sights witnessed on the Grand Trunk Road and a few events where he lends his quick wit, he is recognised by a British garrison officer who knew his father and is forcibly put on the path of becoming a proper sahib.
But Kim can't bear to shed his Indian identity and finds greater comfort in loose Indian garb and walking through the dusty streets. Watching this, his benefactors, Mahbub Ali and Colonel Creighton, quickly realise that his lithe figure and ability to improvise within a spilt second make him a valuable asset as a secret agent to foil the Russian intelligence officers' suspicious forays into India.
This grand story of a British boy who prefers to be Indian is one that you must read, regardless of age. The themes dealt with are far from childish; it is about discovering your identity, who you are aside from what others assume you to be. His journey is more like a kaleidoscope than a tale; Kipling's portrayal of Indian diversity is brilliant. From the majestic old Rajput lady to the Tibetan lama driven distraught in search of that elusive enlightenment to the Bengali spy who carries himself like an Englishman despite the sneers to the old brave sepoy respected by the whole village, this is an excellent account of India in the 1890s.
Wow.. this looks like a very interesting book to read. I am sure Aaron would love to read this. I introduced him to Kipling just a few months back. He has read a couple of books of his. I'll surely get him a copy.
ReplyDeleteDoes he read abridged versions? Then do give King Solomon's Mines a try. It's an Indiana Jones kind of book which I read years ago.
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