The IPL season is going on and everyone who loves Cricket is in frenzy of the Cricketing updates daily regarding who won and lost and how much everyone earned on their respective Dreams 11 contest. It is always exciting to be associated with this Sport as the connection with it begins right since our childhood and stays until we die. Let how much Football, Kabaddi or WWE innovate with their stuffs but nothing can beat Cricket in India. Being a reader, it is always an exciting experience to read any book on Cricket. This time I got my hands upon a fiction book named “Life In The Sunshine” which is written by the author, T. Sathish. The book has the tagline which says “Autobiography of an Unknown Cricketer”. The cover page of the book is very beautiful where a local boy is shown hitting a ball on a beach side where the Sun can be seen rising.
The book is about how not everyone who loves Cricket or wishes to be a Cricketer in their childhood just because they want to be like their childhood hero- Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dhoni, Kapil Dev etc. ends up becoming a National or renowned Cricketer. There are many stories in this country which has ended up on other side where the person never got an opportunity to play on a respectable stage and scale. Such people end up ruining their life as after a certain age, they can’t even get back to their basic academics again due to lack of motivation and commitment.
In a very lighter note, Author has discussed the passion which Indian youth carries with them throughout their age to be a Cricketer and even if they get back to their 9 to 5 job, a part of their heart keeps beating for an opportunity to get associated with Cricket some or the other way. The 1st half of the book is more on the commentary on the real Cricket matches played by Indian Cricket Team since 1983 World Cup tournament and you are impressed with the author’s narration but there’s a doubt about how this book is a fictional story when author is regularly describing real matches. But then the book takes shift in the middle and talks about the characters and it is when you start relating with them and their struggle.
I liked the maturity with which Author has portrayed Cricket in this book. There is worshiping of every remarkable Cricketer evenly rather than focusing only on Sachin or Gavaskar prominently as many authors end up doing to impress the readers. Author has taken the efforts to mention the players and Team’s total for the matches which are mentioned in the story. The India vs Pakistan tales are written in a totally different perspective where the Author projects how Pakistan keeps on winning against India and making the protagonists of the story feel humiliated against an anti-national character.
Author has also taken a philosophical path in the book where the protagonists learns from the Sports and implements those lessons in his life to moot his mindset and performance. There is also a small romantic touch given in the story which keeps you interested. The last segment of the book is more about the protagonist himself being involved in a small Cricket tournament out of which he learns a lot which stays with his life long after even when he is a 9 to 5 slave now. Author has talked about many social issues related with Cricket in the book about how not everyone can proceed ahead getting selected on every level and should have a back-up plan or realize their potential after a point of time and switch the way they wish to be associated with Cricket or start focusing on what can bring bread and butter in their life along with being a Cricket fan not missing a single match.
Overall, the book is a light read which shall make you excited for the journey of the protagonist and climax is just very well narrated that shall ensure you turn the last page with a smile on your face and energy in your body. The final match of the tournament is described so aptly that I could imagine the whole thing happening in front of my eyes. I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. This book is recommended mainly to people in age group 10-30.
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Thanks.
ABHILASH RUHELA
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