Life In The Sunshine
Rating 3.5/5
The word cricket is enough to intrigue me about anything. This was the case when I picked up Life In The Sunshine by T. Sathish with a tagline Autobiography of an Unknown Cricketer.
A memoir Or Not
Honestly, I thought, I would be reading a memoir of an aspiring cricketer, about his overtures and failures, his learning and experiences. But when I read the author’s note, I was laughing at myself for my fancy thinking.
It is not exactly a memoir, but the author got himself into the skin and the mind of a young boy Sat, who aspire to become a cricketer and was crazy about the sport to the extent that cricket cells runs in his blood.
The portrayal has been done in the most realistic manner that you will feel like reading a memoir. And I am sure if nursed such a dream as a child, you will be nostalgic and in no time will be walking on the memory lane back to the carefree days of childhood.
In Brief
The story is about three best friends Sat, Trib and Sam. All three of them are cricket crazy. They don’t miss a single cricket match. Sam had made a head start to his dream of becoming a cricketer and Sat was struggling to leave a mark.
Fusion of Fiction with Facts
Parallel to this fictional story, the author also captures the happening of the real cricket world between 80’s and 90’s. You will read some less known interesting stories and incidents related to the sport and of course India and Pakistan rivalry was given a unique treatment and touch by the author. It was an absolute fun to read. I won’t tell you about it. You must read it.
Democracy XI by Rajdeep Sardesai
Life In The Sunshine reminds me of the book Democracy XI by Rajdeep Sardesai which I read last year, 2018. It was a complete delight. The way, journalist cum author and the son of legendary Dilip Sardesai, Rajdeep Sardesai has married cricket with politics you can’t even imagine. And I must say for the first time he was not politically biased.
Fusion Didn’t Go Down Well
Okay, now coming back to the book Life In The Sunshine. The coming-of-age story of these three friends was a pleasure to read. Their conversations and pranks, quest and heartbreak were all so heartwarming and lively just like watching the children of your colony, eyes full of life and dreams.
But somehow the author T Sathish failed to create that magic which Rajdeep Sardesai weaved, effortlessly and seamlessly, in his book Democracy XI by syncing cricket with politics.
After a while it became boring to read about cricket and I was more interested in the story of Sat, Trib and Sam. The cricket part was actually hampering my reading flow.
Picture Abhi Baki Hai
But wait, I haven’t written off the book. The story takes off beautifully in the second half and it was an engrossing read till the end.
The book depicts something very important. The way Sat suffered from the inferiority complex after failing to fulfill his dream was the food for thought for me. We keep forgetting this fact that failure teaches us more than success and what we learn in the process never go waste. Sat’s character is the perfect example of that.
The Verdict
A curve was lingering on my mouth and my eyes were glistening throughout the read. I was smiling and nostalgic.
After a little rocky start, the author’s writing blooms in the latter half, just like any debutante who is a little nervous in the beginning before he starts finding his touch and flair.
I loved it, especially for the fact that the author has such a good understanding of human behaviour. His characters were so human and vulnerable. It really felt like a real memoir of an unknown cricketer.
