"It was a terrible thing to be awake while some people flew, carrying the world over his head, and others slept, claiming it from under his feet.” - Kiran Desai, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard is best read with a glass of guava juice and a pot of laughs. Written by Kiran Desai and set in the Indian village of Shahkot, the author based her novel on the real life story of a man named Kapila Pradhan, who actually lived in a tree for 15 years.
In Hullabaloo, the protagonist Sampath gets fed-up with the world of men and climbs up into a tree to be at peace. It turns out to be an even more disturbing life to lead, as his family attempts to coax him down with all manner of appeals and tricks, while people in the region begin to make pilgrimages to see Sampath, in the mistaken notion that he is a holy man.
The characters peppered throughout the novel, from Pinky the passionate ear biting sister of Sampath, to his drunken monkey bodyguards, take the reader on a wild ride. India’s history, superstitions, religions, social structures and the struggles of the everyday man are woven into the narrative with skill and humour.
Some overarching themes students should take note of are:
- Tradition vs Modernity
- Freedom vs Control
- Individual vs Society
- The Spiritual Quest
Excelling in Literature tests and exams takes a lot of practice. You might want to try reading the novel at least twice, as well as ensuring that your annotations are relevant. Your teacher may not have time to annotate the entire novel with you, so you can try working them out with your friends in a Literature study group. Bring some snacks, find a comfortable spot, and sit back and enjoy the novel too. Enjoying it is the key to truly understanding the key themes and being able to write about it with real enthusiasm!
Download the following passage based questions and try them out! If you need them to be marked and returned to you with detailed comments on how to improve, try out the ‘Independent’ Marking & Feedback only plan on Curio.sg!
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