Is there a greater joy than freedom? No, we are not talking about the freedom that people often shout in the rallies; we are talking about the degree of freedom which liberates oneself from the cycle of accentuated thoughts about causes, ends, sufferings, worldly affairs and death. How good would it be if a person could live his life without the worry of death which, no doubt, is inevitable? Seldom a day comes when you meet such people and rare are the occasions when you get to interact with one of those. Today, however, we will let you know of one such personality – Partibhan. Well, he is not real; he is a life-like character which was designed by the novelists Kartik Sharma and Ravi Sharma – the authors of The Quest of the Sparrows. Let’s get more about it.

The Quest of the Sparrows opens like a movie, with things running in the very first scene and then fading into oblivion. The same monetary problem sees a life ending and another on the verge of an end. What happens next? No one knows because the novel opens in an entirely new vista. We get to know of a person who is fade of the life and attends a seminar by some sanyasi and becomes his follower. This sanyasi, we later know, is an accomplished one and has a deep understanding of human life and practical spirituality which does not conform to sitting idle and doing bhajan kirtans… Yes, that guy is Partibhan, the magnet of the novel around whom the entire plot revolves. His life; his struggle; his journey and his death… this is the storyline and the authors have created such a wonderful scene around this straight line that you will not like to not read the novel… you have to!

This novel does not fit in any context. We have also seen some critics terming it as a ‘non-fictional fiction’ and ‘morality fiction’. Overall responses from the top book critics in India have been wonderful for the book and also for the authors and that’s why the book is being widely read even 6 years after its first publication.

To us, as well, the book’s appeal was commendable. We did not find more instances where we could criticise the book on the basis of plot or the narrative. Yes, the characters’ balance might seem a little different or maybe biased because we get a hero in the form of Partibhan who is unchallenged and unrivalled! There is no one like him! All other people in the novel are subordinates only; the novel is driven by Parti and Parti alone and it had to be that way. The authors have really done well in presenting to the readers something which is not usual in a day-to-day novel. We have liked the novel and its development in the terms of plot and its subtle theme too.

The Quest of the Sparrows becomes the quest of the readers – what a life is? What a life might be? Who cares for us if we don’t care for ourselves? What’s the best way to lead a life where we find happiness as well as enough substance to base a life? And many more questions like these are waiting for the readers and they should not miss the answers presented in a fictional form in the novel…