Book Review: When Life Turns Turtle by Raj Supe

Title: When Life Turns Turtle- Journey of a Bollywood Tramp

Author: Raj Supe

Pages: 468

Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd

Genre: Spiritual-based Fiction

Getting the book:

When I got a request to review this book, there were three things that caught my eye- One, the word ‘Bollywood’ in the sub-title. Two, the summary that talked about a filmmaker travelling to Rishikesh. And three, the book’s genre: Spiritual-based Fiction. While the last one kind of put me off, the first two made sure I accepted the offer and soon enough, the book arrived at my place. Due to work pressure and a lot of other reasons, I kept delaying reading the book and finally was able to finish it this week.

The Story:

‘When Life Turns Turtle’ is the story of Indraneel, a successful filmmaker, and how one personal incident changes his life forever. For someone who accepts and leads a purely normal and materialistic life, suddenly life turns turtle. The struggle of finding himself and understanding his purpose of life leads him to leave the comfort of his home in Mumbai and move to Rishikesh for a break. What he doesn’t anticipate is the spiritual inflow that Rishikesh brings to him and his short break becomes a long stay that he doesn’t want to end. Life has its ways and Indraneel has to return to the city and continue doing what he does best- make films. That’s his karma. But does he return the same or a changed man? Will his newfound love for spiritualism help him grow in his career? Will life turn back to normal?

With ‘When Life Turns Turtle’ Raj Supe has tried to show a journey that so many of us in the current generation are seeking. It’s the search for the ultimate truth- what makes you happy? What keeps you going in life? What do you do when faced with the harshest of the truths? 

The Style:

The choice of names for all the characters- Indraneel, Arunodaya, Vasundhara and so on. Although I felt a little irritated to read the long names after some time, it was evident that the author was keen on keeping names that were purely Indian and more importantly, gave some meaning to each character’s story.

The story is based in present day Mumbai and Rishikesh. I liked the fact that everything has been kept realistic. The introduction of iconic events including the June 2013 Kedarnath disaster, adds more realism to the story, instead of being felt as a forced addition to the narrative.

I didn’t really understand the value of some parts in the story. Like the entire text of the poem Indraneel receives in Rishikesh- what was the point of the whole text? Something that the author was trying to convey but went right over my head probably? The book really felt like the author’s personal journey of understanding himself put into words.

Conclusion:

People who know me might be surprised why an absolutely non-religious and non-spiritual person like me read and reviewed this book. I am surprised too. It did take me a while to patiently finish the book. But the inclusion of so much of spiritual knowledge in the book has actually increased my knowledge of the vedic spiritual thoughts (not that I am the slightest of inclined towards following a a spiritual path though :P). The careful explanations of Prabhu Da, the deep rooted knowledge of Shaman, the understanding and explanations of Vedavati, all add to Indraneel’s and hence the reader’s knowledge and understanding of his self.

‘When Life Turns Turtle’ is a story that you would relate to if you have ever had problems in your career and choosing the right path, if you have ever tried figuring out what you are doing in life and if that’s ‘the’ thing for you, if you have ever had a break up and not been able to cope with it, and if you have ever been confused about what your purpose in life is.

Read it for its simplicity, because that’s how life really is.

My rating: 3.5/5

You can buy this book from Amazon. Follow this link to make a purchase. The price doesn't change for you but a purchase through this link helps in generating little funds to keep running this blog.