HYDERABAD: Do not judge a book by its cover. This appropriately suits the story ‘Rafflesia-The Banished Princess.’ As soon as you pick up the book, the cover makes you feel that the story belongs to fantasy genre. The author, Gautam Choudhury, however has other plans in mind.
Turning to the first page you come across the line ‘Standing in the face of a separation is not the most pleasant of circumstances for a man to be in.’ This makes you believe that the story is like any other tragedy. Surprisingly, it is more about childhood, love, innocence, friendship, loyalty, betrayal and the less celebrated relationships. The story develops slowly. There is friction in the beginning which smoothens gradually as the story unfolds.
The irony of the story is similarity between the life of the protagonist Apurva alias Appu and the story of Rafflesia, the princess. The story revolves around Appu, his journey as a kid to a grown up, from the villages of Arunachal, golden sands of Jaisalmer, tulip gardens of Holland, lush greens of Kerala to the Arabian sea of Mumbai. Appu is shy and keeps his emotions guarded. As a child he lives in a make believe world. He has to go through severe trials and tribulations as a grown up. His life moves but sometimes comes to a jarring halt. During this journey he encounters the different facets of life. There are several characters in the story that have a deep impact in his life. As children we have certain things that stay with us dearly all through our lives. For Appu it's ‘Rafflesia-The Banished Princess’, Nanujaan’s Roohani Insaan, the soft toys and Rahul’s letter.
The story is scattered with poignant situations. The narrative sometimes becomes monotonous and dragging. The characters depict the ordinary lives and they are layered. Although there are a few unnecessary side characters, they will remind you of the people that you have come across in your life till date. The book lingers with nostalgia. The author has taken enough freedom to develop the plot. The reader can get a grip of the story after around 200 pages. The writing style is poetic however few sentences could have been framed better. The language is otherwise lucid and easy to comprehend. We can see Gautam’s adeptness when he leaves the ending with a room for the reader’s imagination. The story has powerful visuals – ‘I waited for an eternity for the sunflowers to bloom. They didn’t. And I waited.’ This book best suits a lazy Sunday afternoon.