THIS is a fiction revolving around a young boy Parashuram, who is excited to act as Lord Krishna in a film to be produced by Big Grandfather.
Abandoned by his parents when he is only six years old, Parashuram is taken to his Big Grandfather’s home to live. His mother is Big Grandfather’s younger brother’s daughter upon whom Big Grandfather dotes. She joins the medical college, find herself a fiancé, a degree and a ababy in the tummy, namely Parashuram. Big Grandfather thinks over it and gets her and her fiancé married and helps them buy a house in Madras. While working as plastic surgeons the couple finds their social life unrewarding, so they decide to migrate to the States and leave their young infant with Big Grandfather.
In his Big Grandfather’sl house, e4he small child Parashurma is terrified. One day he visits the studio of his Big Grandfather where he sees an actor play the role of Dhruva. Here a girl named Baby Devi plays the role of Dhruva. Big Grandfather tells Parashurma stories about gods and Bapu and these influence the child’s mind immensely. Since that day, Parashuram starts seeing Krishna in his dreams. He stops waiting for his parents and passes his time “staring at ants, smiling at squirrels, waiting for the cows to come home each evening.”
Big Grandfather decides to make a film on Krishna – a four-hour long one with Parashuram acting as the child Krishna. The young child is thrilled at the thought of becoming Krishna. But time passes and Big Gr4andfather takes Parashuram to Hyderabad o admit him in school.
Even his hopes of acting for legendary director and Big Grandfather in a film never materialise. The film industry betrays Big Grandfather who fades away Parashuram settles down to a life of quiet despair. A woman called AK enters his life. She is a very smart, fast-talking, well-connected, wheeler-dealer who declares herself to be his older sister. She takes him to America and gives him a job. While Parashuram is happy to see his life looking up, he finds himself stranded in San Francisco, terrified and without a passport. He confronts his so-called sister and discovers that she had hidden his passport Parashuram is disappointed and dejected to find hid world come crashing down; the sole satisfaction he has is that he still has the fantastic world of goddesses and gorgons from his beloved myths that fuelled his grandfather’s films and his imagination.
(Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, 11 Panchsheel Park, New Delhi – 110017; www.penguinbooksindia.com)
