Riot by Shashi Tharoor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think the best part about this book, apart from the fact that it is written by Shashi Tharoor, is that it contains everything a good book should contain-love, hate, violence, endearing characters as well as a few losers and a tragedy that moves you deeply. A reader undergoes a huge transition of emotions when (s)he reads this book and when (s)he is finished, the reader finds that(s)he is a different person altogether, quite different from the one who had started reading this book.

The characters one comes across in this novel are so real! They are neither good nor bad-they are simply human! They have their own reactions to a particular situation, their own thoughts about morality, power and justice. You hate a few, you like a few and you're simply indifferent towards a few but in the end you have a soft corner and some sympathy for everyone of them.

True to the author's extreme consciousness towards the political situations of India, the book talks about incidents that really took place, incidents we ignore as mere tragedies of time caused by ignorance of people. However this little masterpiece makes us see the whole situation in a different light. The Babari Masjid incident is decades old now and just last year the much heated verdict of the judiciary threatened the outbreak of another riot in North India. People all over prayed either for the religions in question or their own safety but no one really thought why this conflict arose. When published in newspaper, it was ignored merely as a piece of news but no one ever thought about so many questions this particular conflict raises the answers to which may solve the problem altogether!

This book makes you think, makes you ponder over the issue. I think anyone who reads 'Riot' might be able to understand, forgive and then act accordingly. No, it is not a secularist's sermon and nor is it a love story as the cover claims it to be...it is an eye-opener on politics, religion and relationships.
Reading 'Riot' has helped me understand why Indira Gandhi is hated in Punjab even today, why Muslims in India feel the way they do and why certain relations, no matter how much against the social norms are the way they are!

However, one might question, when it comes to relationships, that if you find your true soul-mate, then is it necessary that you must have a carnal relationship with them? Can love, strong as it is supposed to be, survive if the relationship isn't physical? If not, then how do most friendships survive? Personally I disagree that only adultery in an extra-marital relationship can make the plot EXTREMELY powerful! In fact, adultery almost spoils the sense of love. Of course I don't mean to be a sermon of morality and I know that such situations do occur in day to day life but then doesn't the whole concept of concentrating entirely on the carnal aspect of love undermine the value of love as a feeling? This thought, more than anything else has made me rate 'Riot' a little less than I actually intended to but all the same, I must admit despite my criticism, that even I cannot have made 'Riot' as incredible as Mr. Tharoor!

So, if you're looking for a light read, 'Riot' isn't the book for you! No, it requires time and a thinking cap, some rationality and an open mind. You're required to forgive Priscilla for being exactly like her father, a person she hates for the same mistake that she is herself committing in the name of love. You're required to forgive Lakshman for being such a loser and at the same time grant him the credit for being a great father and you're required to love Gurinder for being so wonderful despite the fact that he needs to rinse his mouth with soap and water. And you're required to admire Shashi Tharoor for being such a wonderful writer and thank your stars that he lives and breathes under the same skies as you do!

The language is lucid, the expression is simple but powerful and the content is thought provoking! Your eyes simply slip through the text! Be forewarned! You might have to discontinue it for a while if you need to digest a few things because 'Riot' is first and foremost an accurate description of truth which is bitter and a little unpalatable but once you get into it, it's impossible to stop yourself from being carried away with the flow!

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