Village by the Sea

During the first few weeks of English lessons, our LA teacher told us to buy a few novels required for our classes. It was then that I first laid my hands on this novel 'Village by the Sea' by Anita Desai. I liked the cover art. It depicted a village in India, which I have never seen before.

As the Term 2 Literature exam nears, I started to read it. It tells of a young boy named Hari, whose father and mother were both incapable of supporting the family due to various reasons. The problem of the dysfunctional family was worsened as Hari's father was violent due to excessive drinking. Besides affecting his health, Hari's father also incurred great debts.

As Hari becomes more confused and angry by the situation, he finally ran off to Bombay in search of jobs and to run away from the unhappy problems at home. In Bombay, he found a job and worked very hard. He also never spent any of his hard-earned money, instead saving them to bring it home. Besides working at a restaurant, he also learned the skill of watchmending. After some time, he finally went back to his home and started a new life. His father was roused from this drinking stupor and apologised for his actions. Hari's mother was also cured after staying in hospital.

The part that I like most in this story was Hari's stay in Bombay. Besides the interesting storyline and turn of events, this part teaches the readers a lot of moral values. Hari's determination to save as much money as he can without himself spending it is a good example. We should all save money and resources and appreciate what we have. Imagine people living in poverty who do not have sufficient food everyday, while we throw our food down the drain just simply because we cannot finish it. Hari is also an independent and hardworking boy, being able to adapt himself to the hard life while working in Bombay.

I recommend this book to readers of any age. This book certainly tells us a lot about industrialization with its effects and also poverty.