The Song of Kahunsha

by Anosh Irani

Book Overview

"Here childhood innocence and dreams meet the reality of day-to-day survival and violence, during Hindu-Muslim riots, forcing choices that should never have to be made. Irani (The Cripple and His Talismans, 2005) is a gifted storyteller, and this book, Dickensian in its plot and its vivid prose, is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking." - Booklist

Abandoned as an infant, ten-year-old Chamdi has spent his entire life in a Bombay...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571310622
• ISBN13: 9781571310620
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

The Song of Kahunsha Is Worth Reading Twice!

Title: The Song of Kahunsha Written by Anosh Irani Category: Fiction Format: Trade Paperback, 320 pages Publisher: Anchor Canada ISBN: 978-0-385-66229-1 (0-385-66229-7) Review By: Diana Rohini LaVigne, Indian Life & Style Magazine (www.indianlifeandstyle.com) As you watch the life of a ten-year-old orphan unfold in the darks streets and hidden places of Bombay, you feel the tension; simple beauty and the developing complexities come alive as you turn each page. Doses of religious devotion and questioning weave its way throughout the story as the boy, Chamdi moves from the safety of the inner sanctums of an orphanage to the hard, cold, unforgiving street life of India. Chamdi is ultimately looking for a place of solace which he named Kahunsha but instead finds himself among beggars, thieves and violent criminals. He brings a glimmer of hope to a brother and sister and shares his vision to escape to a land far away where they can all live in harmony. But an evil-minded underworld don toys with those less fortunate and controls not just the streets but the people who live there. Violence erupts and shows the inner strength of the young Chamdi but coming of age comes with a price. He starts to become part of the very society that has disgusted him in the past. This book was so well written that I read it in one day too engrossed in what will happen next. It was a disturbing book that opens ones eyes up to modern day slavery, the plight of children in poor regions of India and how easily a person's life can change with a mere stroke of luck. It was the expert writing style that delivered such a strong flavor for the characters that I felt like reaching out to assist the helpless Chamdi during his times of need. The book will give reader's a feel for India with its tantalizing descriptions of the smells, tastes and visuals Chamdi experienced. It's not a book worth reading once, but twice.