Working its way in Afghanistan from the heydays of peace and prosperity to a country plagued by devastation and destruction, The Kite Runner is a book that takes us through an enthralling journey of two young Afghani Muslim boys who grow up together. The book is the first one by famed author Khalid Hosseini, who keeps his readers spellbound by the touch of hardcore reality in a country marred by two decades of war; exquisitely describing the nuances of a relationship between a couple of young boys.
Amir, son of an affluent businessman grows up with Hassan, son of Amir’s father’s servant Ali, from the Hazara community, a supposedly shunned ethnic Muslim minority, in the Arab world. Being raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse they grow up together yet in a completely different way. Amir’s life takes a new turn when he, like a coward, watches Hassan being sodomized in an alley for his loyalty, towards Amir.
The book takes us through a journey of guilt in Amir’s life, for not defending Hassan when he should have and Amir’s father’s life, for not being able to amply provide for his illegitimate son Hassan, at the same time hiding the truth from both his sons. The Kite Runner is a story about friendship, brotherhood, loyalty and betrayal. It is about the bonds between fathers and sons and a boy’s fight against himself- A coward boy marred by his guilty conscience. A boy who never stood up for himself growing up to become a man could not stand up to anything. But towards the end, the author gives us hope, with cowardice finally giving way to redemption.
Drifting away, the story shifts my focus to one of our very own. It reminds me of the recent elections in Gujarat where a tyrant like Narendra Modi was once again restored to power with a thumping majority. It reminds me of our inability to once again stand up for our own rights, towards oneself and towards humanity. On the 26th day of January in 1950 the constitution of India was adopted thereby marking a transition of the country from a British Dominion to a republic. A republic is a state or a country that is not led by hereditary monarch, where the people of that state or country (or at least a part of that people) have impact on its government.
Every year on the 26th of January we Indians celebrate our Republic Day to commemorate the adoption of our constitution. But today, on this 26th day of January in 2008, it saddens me to say the least that we failed to do justice to that very constitution. We watched the massacre in Gujarat like a mute spectator then and we watched the man behind the very same genocide come to power now. It seems as though we truly have become an ignoble, uncourageous person completely incorrigible- A poltroon without any conscience… A stigma of decay, for all to see. We are like that very same boy who never stood up for himself, today grown up to become a man not capable of standing up to anything. I wonder when our redemption will come as we don’t seem to mind our inhibitions anymore; god knows we are so used to them now.
4 comments:
Kite Runner is one of those few books which i remember finishing it in one straight session with those few occasional breaks for tea and cigarette.
I don't think it was an act of cowardice on part of Amir.Cowardice is something which u choose to ignore/avoid intentionally fearin backlash.In the case of Amir it was a case of sheer helpnessness.He wanted to save him but cudn't find the ways possible in reach.It was this state of helplessness which has taken the form of deep anguish in his book.
Yes there was the carnage in Gujarat.Yes there was this genocide in Gujarat.Yes this was the most brutal,barbaric insanity which gripped the people of majority community for ethnic cleansing of a minority community.Yes majority of the citizens(outside Gujarat)acted like a mute spectator.Yes people of Gujarat not once but twice re-elected the mass murderer Mr Narendra Modi.
It was just a collective failure of an immature society which hasn't reached it teenagehood yet.
This collective failure of a state and nation will give it a conscience.This is the trend of human civilisation which has taken shape around the world.Europe:before becoming cultured and civilised went thru the state of brutality and barbarism.America('s)have practiced ethnic cleansing of its aboriginal community and worst form of slavery against the black americans.It was the human guilt which led them towards the state of collective awareness which furthur led the way for tolerance,human rights and courageous civil society.
The soul of the nation has been wounded but its still alive.It was not the cowardice but the assumed state of helplessness by ordinary citizen which inflicted so much of wound on its heart n soul.
From this writhing of pain.From this sheer helplessness.From this deep anguish,collective conscience of nation will emerge.From this a collective awareness will emerge which will give way to strength and courage to stand up and protest.
It may not happen tomorrow but its their in the air n i can smell it.This piece of yours is the one which adds to that smell and there are million more.
Amir chose not to do anything to help Hassan because he was scared of the consequences, which is a sign of cowardice. He was a coward but at the same time he also had a conscience. A man who has no conscience, no goodness, does not suffer. He had a conscience, he had goodness in him due to which he suffered and exactly because of which he was compelled to do what he did, in the end; but that doesn't prove that he was not a coward. Helplessness is because of cowardice, my friend; as brave people think of the rights and the wrongs rather than the consequences. The consequences of a revolt are more or less uncongenial but that does not mean that one abstains from doing what one is supposed to do. That implies to the story and also to us. I hope you are right and I truly do hope that there comes a day when we wake up from our slumber and that day will be the day of our redemption.
You're right- we've grown up to be that boy who never having stood up to anything in his childhood, does not know how to do so now.
Modi is, unfortunately, here to stay, and despite what I wrote in my blog last week, I've bounced back now, and am of the opinion that we need to fight it. In our small/big ways...it doesnt matter. We need redemption!
I'm very happy to find you back at your fighting best Insi. What really matters is the willingness to fight, rest evertything falls into place. Believe in that and you'll see that we will get our redemption, some day.
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