Monday, June 15, 2015

Review: Paradise Lost and Regained by Ratnadip Acharya

Life is a tempting question. It has no fixed answer. It has different perspectives. The one who understands it lives it king size and the one who falters they redeem or perish. Author Ratnadip Acharya in his book "Paradise Lost and Regained" puts life to test for a tender soul and let it uncover of why, what, how and when? So how does it turn out to be for the readers? Let's find out.

Whispered the forest & its trees, ‘Little deer, tell us your story again.’Smiled I & asked, ‘What will you gain hearing it time & again?’Replied the forest at once, ‘It is not just a story of a deer,but of we all—forest, earth, sky, trees, wind and river.It is a testimony to trust, love, hope & couragethat we will all remember for ages.’With a smile, again I began to narrate my story,which breathed my love, fear, success, failure & glory.It spanned from my birth in the forest to human captivity,from where I escaped to explore life’s other possibility.Everywhere and every moment I received help from Nature,& it taught me to experience life from closer.I learnt that the other name of life is Mystery,and that it is beautiful with all its unknown twists and unpredictability.Once I finished my narration, the forest was throbbing with life,there prevailed only peace, silence & joy, and no strife.‘Name your story,’ breathed the forest and every living entity it contained.Thought I for a while and replied...‘Paradise Lost & Regained.



First look at the title and the cover and it looks more of a mythological legend. But one serious glance and the lost deer makes it a little to understand a clear picture about the book. But still it makes for a great innocent image in the night hues. The blurb is poetic and talks about life and it's added myths and realities. So it's hard to catch the exact interpretation but still gives the book a settled outlook. 

The story is of a young deer in a forest and his tryst with life. Even the smallest of offerings have a lot of impact on the tender mind of the deer. At helm not everything is as easy as it looks and not so kind when it comes to full understanding. But this is how you learn to live and survive. So does the deer gets right when it comes to taking baby steps towards the bigger picture? Will it be a tough ride or will it prove to be journey worth while? That's what the story is all about. 

Deer is no different from us. We express they too. We comprehend they too. We feel and understand different facets of life they too. So how does a deer makes a difference? The innocence of the animal and the jungle life makes it much tougher against strangest of the creatures and wildest of the experiences of life. Life is put at helm and the driven around with ease. The book is no maths and is easy to swallow and relate to. The facts thrown and the points put to test are noteworthy. Unexplained facts of life find space too. Joy and sorrow add to the doldrums of the jingle. It's a headstrong game played by a simple living soul with lot to learn and pick up. Implies on humans too. 

The only possible downside of the book is it gets exaggerated when it tends to describe few phenomenons of life. A little short on some random events and the book becomes purposeful. 

All in all, the book reasons and throws everything at a reader and puts them in a spot of bother. Praise for the author to let an animal drive the wheel around and let stutter and shudder and stand up to the cruel and dark aspects of life. Peace spreads over the book. Calmly it touches heart and feel for what one goes through when life offers you just one thing too much. Go back to the roots to discover what it is all about. 

RATING: 

4 OUT OF 5 

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