Marathon Baba by Girish Kohli

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MARATHON BABA: Kick-ass Fiction. (The Cover says so and so do I.)

AUTHOR: Girish Kohli (Six-feet, one inches of guts) was born on the day when a dog in US was put on trial and executed for barking too much. Girish hasn't passed out of the IITs or the IIMs. He doesn't have a day job either. If you wish to speak to him, you will not find him on either Facebook or Twitter. He drives a jeep without a spare tyre and is the author of two unpublished novels. Marathon Baba, his third book which has been published first, is the only book in the world based on a pair of unused running shoes.

BEST SELLER(S): Debut novel.

SYNOPSIS: 

'My Marathon starts from the finish line', said Marathon Baba.

He runs through his country for seven long years until he miraculously turns red and builds a Marathon Ashram. Hundreds of runways descend on the Ashram and become its residents.

‘It’s not about the pace, it’s about the peace’, said Marathon Baba.

Thirty-three Deadly Disciples find their peace in the freedom of the Ashram and devote themselves to their Red Guru. 

‘For the Ashram to live, Marathon Baba must die’, say the Deadly Disciples.

He was warned. Running is injurious to health.

Witty, wacky and weedy – Marathon Baba is a wondrous tale about the cult of a man who couldn’t stop running. 

EXCERPT: Like any other young man in his country, Karna committed the crime of following the herd. He was found guilty and imprisoned for life in a glass building. Instead of hanging from the gallows, a black tie hung from his neck everyday. Instead of peeking out of the small window of his prison, he stared into the windows on his computer screen. He was busy programming an ‘if-then loop’.

If {I had studied film making}

    Then {I would have been a free man}

If {I was my father’s father}

                Then {I would not have married}

If {There was no gravity}

                Then {The bombs would have never fallen on Hiroshima, they would have simply floated}

If {Honey had married me}

                Then {Girish Kohli would have written a love story}

MSM Speaks: Helllo Everybody!!!! I got texts from a lovely person saying that she missed me here! *I missed you too Nimue*, so I am back again! :D *Yeah, now try and ask me to go and I'll whack you!* Soooooooo, I am in LOVE with Mr. Kohli! Yessss!! What a brilliant debut novel! I mean, brilliant! *Tone down a bit lady* Ahem. So, yes, I am very pleased with Marathon Baba, which is actually his third novel, published before the other two novels which he has written but are not published.

Now, honestly when I opened the first few pages, I was skeptical, because you know how I lay my hands on an interesting looking book and it decides to betray me by laughing in my face. So, first thing I notice is a different style of writing. It's raunchy, witty and interesting. You feel like you're in a movie - but that's where people will miss, if they don't read with an open mind. Such in depth philosophy, laced with satirical humor, harsh realities and situations, with which we all can relate to, makes this book a must read. Mr. Kohli breaks the monotony of story telling by Character Descriptions (Lovely way to keep the reader hooked and interested in a character), poems that are very amazingly rhymed and a humor, which makes you go Wow. Hmmmm. I wondered at a point, how he must have looked like Karna himself, while writing those verses. Ahem, nevermind. 

The story is of Karna who runs from his home, the first time at the age of 7. That day, he knew, someday, his feet had to run, his heart had to fly. Then finally, one day, he runs from the shackles of corporate imprisonment and keeps running, till his skin turns miraculously red. In a country where there a a trillion Gods, Karna stumbles upon true Godliness. Across the states, he finds a perfect place and a pair of shoes - which take him to a life changing journey. With an Ashram to his name and Thirty three deadly disciples, Karna becomes Marathon Baba. But his Past comes draped in a yellow sari and so many other things add climax to the book, that I didn't want it to get over. But, as they say, all good things come to an end - so Marathon Baba too, ends on a very different note than expected. I loved it! :) So, if you need to buck up from that hard fall on your ass....pick this up. It will make you laugh and cry and wonder - must you run?

MSM Recommends! My rating 4.75/5 *Because I don't want to make you guys pick this up only on the basis of my review* ;)

Marathon Baba@ FiNGERPRiNT Publishers. Copyright (c) 2012 Prakash Books India Pvt. Ltd. 

ISBN 978-81-7234-391-0

Pages: 255 (I really wished there were more)

flipkart Price: 113/- INR