My friends claim that I am a bookworm, that if I stick my nose into a book, any book, I will read it to then end! But, while I love reading, I am very picky about the kind of books I read. They have to entertain me, excite me, stimulate my intellect and leave me satisfied after I have read the last word of the last page.
So, when a very dear friend of mine gifted me Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra, I must admit I was not very thrilled about it. It stood on my shelf and intimidated me with its 900 paged volume for all of three months. Finally, I decided I had to pick it up and read it and decide that I dont like it and leave it. The jacket cover description was a very run-of-the-mill story. The jaded cop chasing the mafia down, with occasional twists and turns. Nothing unusual.
But once I began reading, I just kept going on. I fell in love with Sartaj - the good looking sikh inspector of the mumbai police force who wears crisply ironed uniforms! I loved the everyday language which was as real as the slang which overflows every waking minute on the streets of mumbai.
I loved the idea that the glamorous city of Mumbai, holds disappointments and delusions for even the toughest of chasers. Very Indian settings, very indian characters and a very Indian story!