Aadujeevitham

 "The stories about lives that we have not lived ourselves are just fictions for us"

Aadujeevitham:The survival story of a young man as a shepherd in the deserts, enduring slavery, under his Arab master. 

I liked the story and yes it has every potential of being made a movie out of. And yes Prithviraj will make a very convincing Najeeb. 

Most of the time, when I read a book, I try to find a character similar to me, and while reading I perceive the story from that characters point of view. Even though there was little for me to relate to the protagonist or any other character in this story, I never lost interest while reading it. 

The difficulty in writing this book, for the author, would have been, I think, the fact that, there is not much to talk about, as a story, other than the thoughts and difficulties of Najeeb. There are not many characters other than Najeeb, Arbab and of course goats. And the challange would have been to write it in a way that does not drag or repeat. The writer was able to do that, to make us empathize with Najeeb, without getting us bored. There are couple of instances in the book, where anybody with a strong sense of empathy would have tears in their eyes before turning the last page. (Yes, I cried when Hakeem died 😔) 

The secret of Najeeb's survival is his unwavering belief in God, and his sense of positivity from the beginning to end. From everything in the story Najeeb was a good man, he overcomes his worst experiences in life and loneliness by believing in his God and finding solace in only living things he found around him - Goats - so much so that he became one of them. 

Whats interesting is that he even empathized with his torturer! He never did anything bad to his Arbab, even when he had the chance, and had his reasons to do so, instead he chose to trust in God. He believed God will show him another way.  And yes he and his torturer prayed to the same God. 

"If you ask me which is the most beautiful sight I have seen in my life, it is sunset in the desert. The sun moves like a tortoise making its way under the sand. He comes slowly and stealthily and drowns behind the sand dunes. I used to wish at that moment that Sainu was with me to share this sight. Even though I have said that the thoughts of my village, my home or Sainu is no longer in me, it is in these moments like this that she comes into my mind. And then I miss her. Not having a person to share a beautiful sight is the worst kind sadness of life."