The Quest of the Sparrows

The Quest of the Sparrows is a novel which offers many interpretations for many people. It does not limit itself to a certain and fixed interpretation and which, no doubt, is the real power and beauty of this novel. Authored by Ravi Sharma and Kartik Sharma, both IIT alumnus with IIM to their credentials, The Quest of the Sparrows also makes use of the metaphors very cleverly to narrate their point of view on life and different ways of life. Let’s begin with this:

“Different people put electricity to different use. Some use it in a torch to light a path at night and someone else lights huge mercury lamps to flood an entire auditorium.”

The Quest of the Sparrows is a kind of philosophical novel, you may say that. Discourses and preaching related to life and relation fill the book to a large extent and which might become such that an average reader can go indifferent to the novel at some stages. However, there is a joy of reading those instances which cannot be missed! A big share of the story is set in the ashram of Swami Parmanand. As per his will after his Samadhi, his son Partibhan is announced as his heir. The transformation of his son from a normal young boy to a spiritual leader is ecstatic. Intermingled are the stories of people who stay in the ashram for seeking peace like Nikhil and detectives like Sanjeev who spy on Swami Partibhan to prove him a fraud and fake.

Another big enjoyment and enlightenment come in the book when the journey begins. Together they undertake an adventurous 600kms journey on foot without money and baggage only depending upon food and shelter. The journey involves changing minds of people towards spirituality through series of mystical experiences. And believe me, this part of the book will surely prove to be an eye-opener for many readers because it just seems happening in front of our eyes! There are a series of encounters and those are wonderful!

The book, however (I feel), will have a limited zone. The feeling of the youth described in the story is actually the real state of mind of youngsters these days. Their transformation into peaceful souls is a big goal to achieve. As the book itself says:

“How could one get conditioning when their mind is still struggling with petty issues?”

A good read for peace seeking souls in both the terms – in the terms of literal peace as well as in the terms of seeking a respite from the regular fiction trend by the regular Indian authors who cannot let go the young adult genre to a temporal rest! It will answer all your queries regarding simple to complex issues. It will surely solve the riddles of your life. So shed your worries, stress and tensions because:

“What is it that we manage to achieve throughout our complex lives…..merely survival.”