Dreams and Aspirations

• Book: A Handful of Rice
• Location: India
• Author: Kamala Markandaya

This book takes you through the joys, pains and struggles of being a young man in a bustling Indian city. Ravi, the main character, seems to me to have the essence of ambition that you see in people that have come from poverty, living in a hut in a village with nothing, to try and get something better. Ravi always has dreams for a house, a car, a better life but he is the master of his own destiny but also the culture and way of life in India. The family he enters through an unusual way demonstrates well the way that Indian society works, those that have, those that have not and those willing to look for it.
I have visited India twice over the last 12 years and recognised a lot in this book. It is beautifully written with wonderful language. You feel you get to know the characters well.

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