நிலா நிழல் - சுஜாதா

Hero :)

 
This is a story about a boy turning into a man with cricket, father-son relationship, love in the background. I remember starting to read this novel so many years before when I was in school just because of the picture in the cover. It was a picture of a batsman in whites. But, I might have read maximum of five to six pages and don't even remember the title after that or didn't even realize I was reading Sujatha's book. After many years when I started "reading books" really I bought this book, this time the cover was different didn't have a cricketer on it, but never mind the author is Sujatha.

Small town boy Mugundh, wants to be a cricketer and his father hates it very much. He wants him to just study, get a job and be like his brother. Mugundth was happy to be selected in his college team and wants to go to Bombay for a tournament, obviously his father didn't accept. So Mugundh lies and travels to Bombay with the help of his sister. He falls in love (or infatuation) with a girl in his relative's home in Bombay, where she initially just uses him. What happens in Bombay, whether his father found out and how did this Bombay trip transform his life is the story as usual narrated in Sujatha style.

Sujatha brings the game in front of your eyes, right from the practice sessions to the actual matches. He explains about in-swinger, out-swinger, slog, edges, partnerships, etc. He brings each and every match live with his words. Mugundh being hero of this story helps his team win some matches in the tournament, who was obviously the man of the tournament. It was much like Chennai 600028 movie with the perfect mix of cricket, love, friendship.

The book is less than 150 pages I guess. If you start you will finish it one sitting. It was interesting even though it isn't a thriller. Only at few places will make us think what's going to happen next, like when his father visits his relative's house in Mumbai where Mugundh is staying, otherwise it's a feel good book. Those who love Sujatha and Cricket, like me,  this book is a perfect combination. I really enjoyed this book, which was one of the best non Ganesh-Vasanth Sujatha book.