Rajesh Rajgor's review of a Gujarati Novel - 'Be Aakash' by Shobhana Shah

Ms. Shobhana Shah’s Gujarati language novel ‘Be Aakash’ (Two Skies) is a passionate tale of simple human sentiments which manages to scratch beyond the known. Breaking the common travel myths like 'English is spoken everywhere' and it is 'difficult to relate with a foreigner due to their different ethnicity', the story takes note of light beautiful emotional attachment between the hero Keyur and the Japanese girl. However, it doesn't just end there, through the lead character, the book is a tale of adventure, novelty and quirky account of his accidental encounter with a Japanese robot! 

Mr. Rajesh Rajgor with Ms. Shobhana Shah at the launch.

With the growing bond between men & machine in the modern times, the story delves into the profound relationship of Japanese and Indian culture covering a nuance take on food, spirituality, infrastructure, intelligence, education and the important of all, value for humanity. These aspects are unfolding around Keyur (a man) and a robot (a machine), and Ms. Shah has managed a snugly interwoven travelogue, with a mix of incidents common to both cultures.

Through the science fiction narrative, the book manages to unravel ancient traditions associated with black magic, geisha or geigi – Japanese women who entertain through performing arts -, origami (art of folding paper), sumo-wrestling, ikebana (art of flower management) and engineering marvels such as the bullet train!

Amid the familiar setting, Ms. Shah also manages to package insights on human trafficking, role of media, police and underworld to give an engaging read. It offers a spirited insight into the lives of a simple Indian family who falls into the trap of unintended fame but who with its mind at the right spot fixes the unknown with ethics and integrity.

The offbeat guide, documenting various facets of Japan and India is full of emotions and on the outset, may seems like just another story by an author trying to make a mark for herself. But Shobhna Shah’s debut novel is much more than that. Through her indulgence in the intellectual pursuits, Shah unravels the absorbent culture of Japan– a country inseparable from its spiritual and religious fervor as much as it is of hard work, robotics and artificial intelligence (augmented reality). ‘Be Aakash’ is thus an extensive understanding of the fascinating Japan which is deeply rooted in Indian ethos and keeps the reader curious till the end.

The book can be bought from the following links.:
Amazon and Gujarati Books

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