Book Review: Mango People In Banana Republic

Title: Mango People In Banana Republic
Author: Vishak Shakti
Genre: Drama, Fiction
Source: Writersmelon
Publisher: The Write place

I received this book from Writersmelon in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

Ravi Bhalerao is a top of the rung business strategy consultant struggling with two disquiets in life – a festering career disillusionment and a festering wound in his posterior. Stung by an unfair performance appraisal, he pulls off an outrageous stunt at his workplace, drops off the urban map and reaches his ancestral land, a village in drought-prone Vidarbha. There he encounters India in its elemental form. Convinced that his destiny is somehow entwined with that of his country, he sets off on a truth-seeking mission. On that mission, he finds love, revolution and most importantly, a redemption for the disquiet in his rear.

Anand is a former physicist on a spiritual quest through esoteric India. He realizes that the path to realization is beset on all sides by gurus, their cults and their boundless quirks. As he hops from one ashram to the other, he grows convinced that liberation does not come with a user manual in a neat little box.

Wrapped in light-hearted, almost tongue-in-cheek prose, Mango People In Banana Republic is a tale of an Indian’s search for personal identity, against the backdrop of a country divided along fault lines of countless social identities. Teeming with a cast of characters and ideas that encapsulate modern India, the tale ascends from the gross to the sublime, much like the Kundalini powers some aspire to acquire. With a steady pace and gentle mocking humor, this book is an absorbing read and a laugh.

There are times when you look at a book and desperately want it. You have no idea how the book might turn up or how the writing style or story would be. But knowing all these pointers, still, you kinda crave for the book, Mango People in Banana Republic is that book which I really wanted to read. Maybe my intuition guided towards it, I don’t know but what I can say is that this book is worth the read.

One actually doesn’t need to get intrigued much, the description does its job. There are so many minute details thoroughly written by the author, it becomes very difficult to put the book down. Nowadays it has become a trend in a way to leave the corporate world and start exploring. There are so many unknown opportunities lying out there no one has any idea about and that’s exactly what Ravi wants to search for. On the other hand, Anand being a physicist goes on to look for spiritual enlightenment. The most fascinating part for me was the transitions happening all across the book, starting from the Conference rooms in Electronic City, Bangalore through the dry farmlands and Ancient forests in Central India all the way to the Himalayas.

Talking about the characterization of every single individual. The author has dealt with that side very beautifully and thoughtfully. Every single character has its own charm and weirdly, the character takes its shape as the story builds up. The character of Ravi, his sarcasm, and his confusions is so relatable. Including the character of Anand and Devang, in a way I find all the character’s story merging in a way. They all are very much relatable and especially if you understand the issue of corporate life.

The title is beautifully wacky Mango People In Banana Republic, don’t you just love the title. A very light-hearted book which is nice. All the three characters are teamed up in such a smooth manner. The few aspects of Kundalini powers which come in between I found it a little out of the place. Other than that, the book is written at a steady pace, the writing style is smooth and simply which is an added bonus and I am in love with the book cover truly. I am going to be recommending this book to those who want to go for a light read with a touch of an unusual story.

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