The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The thing about 'classics' is that they not only tell you a beautiful story but also acquaint you with so much wisdom that the entire experience leaves you... spellbound!

The 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel is one such book and it could not have had a more apt name for itself. For it is indeed a 'life-time' that you live through within the pages of this book. And just like the book, this is no ordinary life!

It is a life full of adventure and endurance- a life where the human spirit triumphs over all hardships on account of its sheer grit and innocence.

Everything about this book is adventurous...Starting from the very name of the central character- which is- Piscine Molitor Patel!! A gujrati boy staying with his parents in Pondichery. His father too is no engineer, doctor or an accountant but is the owner and manager of a Zoo!!!

If all this was not intriguing enough to make you pick the book then wait till you hear the plot- Piscine aka Pi and his family decide to migrate to Cannada along with their entourage of zoo animals. However, on their voyage to Cannada, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, their ship- SINKS...taking everyone and everything to the bottom of the ocean apart from  our beloved Pi, a life boat and- as his companions by accident- a Zebra, a Hyena and....a adult Bengal Tiger!!! Oh!... and none of these four legged creatures are pets mind you!!

From here on begins the life we are to endure and experiencein every way that Pi did! Right there in the middle of the wide ghastly sea, on the tiny lifeboat with all those freaking animals!!

It is the perfect case of – Survival of the fittest! The only issue being that we are going to be rooting for the weakest!!

Yann Martel- through his detailed descriptions and lucid narrative- takes us on this bizarre escapade where many a times we don't just feel as though being with Pi but feel as though we are him ourselves! As Pi struggles to survive on the lifeboat, as he suffers through with fear and bears the pain from hunger and rain... we feel it too! As the number of his companions begin to dwindle with only him and the tiger now left to- literally- sail through the ordeal, we feel their transformation and sense their need for each other despite being- a man and a beast!

It is no exaggeration but I did almost feel sea sick and had nightmares of myself marooned on the boat while reading the book. On innumerable occasions I could feel my toes cringing as if they had been wet for hours!! That is the power of Martel's writing through this tale.

The best part about this story was how it brings to light- without being explicit- the similarities between various lives!! Whether the 'Life' is that of a man, a tiger, a fish or a bird... the need to survive and the reaction to fear are so similar amongst all of us at a very core level. It is a fact that gets revealed to us through events in the story and makes us marvel at the nature we live in.

While on the level of experience and story telling the book excels brilliantly, another advantage that one gets out of it is the knowledge that it ends up providing! From the behavioral patterns of animals in the zoo as compared to their natural habitat to getting familiar with the instincts of a Hyena and the Bengal Tiger to hunting d Dorados in the sea to the surviving with Meerkats on an island...The book is many times like an encyclopedia  without being preachy! Reading this is almost like watching the NatGeo channel!! Its fun!

There are times when one may feel an overdose of repetition or long patches  of avoidable description but then life at sea while being adventurous can also be mundane and dull. And since we are living that life with Pi... the feeling of fatigue and boredom that we might experience at certain points in the book goes very well with what Pi could be feeling then.

And then if all this was not enough comes the smacking climax! Oh I shall give nothing away but the manner in which it makes us reflect on everything that happened so far, almost wanting us to restart the book and read the first few pages is- Oh well- Minds d blowing!

Should I say more?

Must read.