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portraitofaladyinblack's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book up 2 years back, in August'19, loved it, but my bad headspace got in the way.
Picked it up again in Jan last year. Same thing.
Bad headspace makes you do a lot of things, or not do them, for that matter.
This book had been on my desk in direct view since November. Finally started reading it in Jan'21. Couldn't have done it at a better time. Keep reading to find out why.
.
Rural setting. Odisha. Tribal way of life, but vastly different from what most of us have been fed to believe all our lives.
As you read, you'll realise how similar it is to the political state of our country right now,
how beautiful colors like orange and red have been deeply, deeply maligned by the powers that be.
The book has been labelled YA, rather unfortunately, because it should be read by anyone and everyone that can spare any time to read.
We sit in our air-conditioned houses, where electricity and running water is the norm,
where the next meal is a given, not a luxury,
where a child has toys and a school, not tools and a workplace.
Right now. A lot of us need hope. Reading this gave me some. For years now, we wake up, do our jobs, hear the same kind of news every single day. Every. Single. Day. I can not recall the last time I actually saw or read a piece that wasn't draining.
In the midst of this relentlessly dour stream of content, a bit of fiction, that's very close to our reality, certainly helps. We have not had the good fortune of postive results so far. If a little boy in a fictional world does, we can live vicariously through him just for a moment. And hold on to hope.
For us too, there are gardens lying ahead. If only we could uproot the weeds.
.
We grew up reading mostly about foreign authors, compared to a very short list of only the most well known Indian authors. That's where the trouble began, I think. I became conscious of this slowly over the past few years, with more and more exposure to social media, and to a different way of thinking. Shakespeare is great, but there is more to literature than white men. When you realise this, you open yourself up to a world of books like this one.
Picked it up again in Jan last year. Same thing.
Bad headspace makes you do a lot of things, or not do them, for that matter.
This book had been on my desk in direct view since November. Finally started reading it in Jan'21. Couldn't have done it at a better time. Keep reading to find out why.
.
Rural setting. Odisha. Tribal way of life, but vastly different from what most of us have been fed to believe all our lives.
As you read, you'll realise how similar it is to the political state of our country right now,
how beautiful colors like orange and red have been deeply, deeply maligned by the powers that be.
The book has been labelled YA, rather unfortunately, because it should be read by anyone and everyone that can spare any time to read.
We sit in our air-conditioned houses, where electricity and running water is the norm,
where the next meal is a given, not a luxury,
where a child has toys and a school, not tools and a workplace.
Right now. A lot of us need hope. Reading this gave me some. For years now, we wake up, do our jobs, hear the same kind of news every single day. Every. Single. Day. I can not recall the last time I actually saw or read a piece that wasn't draining.
In the midst of this relentlessly dour stream of content, a bit of fiction, that's very close to our reality, certainly helps. We have not had the good fortune of postive results so far. If a little boy in a fictional world does, we can live vicariously through him just for a moment. And hold on to hope.
For us too, there are gardens lying ahead. If only we could uproot the weeds.
.
We grew up reading mostly about foreign authors, compared to a very short list of only the most well known Indian authors. That's where the trouble began, I think. I became conscious of this slowly over the past few years, with more and more exposure to social media, and to a different way of thinking. Shakespeare is great, but there is more to literature than white men. When you realise this, you open yourself up to a world of books like this one.
itzreibrary's review against another edition
3.0
...perusahaan-perusahaan seperti ini, mereka seperti gulma. Kita tidak bisa menghentikannya kalau mereka mau mengambil alih. Mereka kompak, penuh tekad, sangat kuat, dan punya banyak uang... Kalau mereka menginginkan petak bungamu atau desamu atau bukitmu, mereka akan mendapatkannya. Pemerintah akan memaksamu pindah dan memberikan tanahnya kepada mereka.
(hal.49)
Perbukitan Devi, yang merupakan lahan hutan dan dikeramatkan oleh suku Gondi yang mendiami desa-desa sekitar, ternyata kaya akan bauksit. Pemerintah dan kepolisian lokal bergerak cepat kongkalikong dengan sebuah perusahaan pertambangan raksasa untuk mengusir suku Gondi agar tambang bauksit baru segera dibangun.
Korok, seorang remaja piatu, bekerja menggantikan ayahnya mengurus kebun di rumah dinas Pejabat Kehutanan Divisi (PKD), dan bersahabat dengan putri sang pejabat, Anchita, gadis cerdas sebayanya. Anchita tak hanya mengamati Korok bekerja mengurus kebun, ia juga seringkali mengikuti Korok mengunjungi hanal kot (makam) ibunya di bukit. Korok banyak mengajarinya tentang adat dan kebiasaan suku Gondi, sementara Anchita mengajari Korok tentang kompitar dan internet, dan mengajaknya menonton berbagai film di kompitar.
Kebobrokan sistem pemerintahan dan kepolisian serta keserakahan kaum kapitalis menjadi topik utama yang oleh Korok diumpamakan seperti gulma yang kerap mengganggu kebunnya. Mungkin karena ditujukan untuk pembaca muda, segala tindakan yang dilakukan para tokohnya dijelaskan dengan gamblang (no hint of sarcasm or irony lol). Gara-gara blurb, aku juga berharap Korok dan Anchita akan beraksi penuh gaya, namun ternyata sebagian besar perjuangan mempertahankan perbukitan Devi dilakukan oleh Jadob, seorang lelaki desa berpendidikan dan memiliki banyak koneksi di kota-kota besar (malangnya Jadob, sudah bekerja keras tapi bahkan tidak disebut di blurb).
Awalnya aku berdebar-debar bersiap untuk akhir yang buruk bagi Korok dan desanya, namun setengah jalan aku paham kisah Korok dan suku Gondi akan berakhir bahagia. Apalagi setelah Korok (yang putus sekolah dan nyaris buta huruf) mulai menelurkan ide-ide cemerlang. Walaupun begitu aku tetap menikmati membaca buku ini, terutama wawasanku terbuka akan bagian India yang lain dan kehidupan suku Gondi beserta segala ketidakadilan yang mereka terima akibat kesewenang-wenangan penguasa (familiar ya?). Bagi yang suka dengan konflik sosial yang diceritakan dengan gaya yang ringan dan diksi yang sederhana, pasti suka dengan buku ini. Kurasa gaya terjemahannya pun menambahkan banyak kelucuan ('kalian sudah lihat cas-casanku?' Aku: omg CAS-CASAN!)
Omong-omong, dalam bayanganku Patnaik itu sepertinya Inspektur Gaitonde, polisi gendut nan sadis tapi cupu dalam Drishyam.
(hal.49)
Perbukitan Devi, yang merupakan lahan hutan dan dikeramatkan oleh suku Gondi yang mendiami desa-desa sekitar, ternyata kaya akan bauksit. Pemerintah dan kepolisian lokal bergerak cepat kongkalikong dengan sebuah perusahaan pertambangan raksasa untuk mengusir suku Gondi agar tambang bauksit baru segera dibangun.
Korok, seorang remaja piatu, bekerja menggantikan ayahnya mengurus kebun di rumah dinas Pejabat Kehutanan Divisi (PKD), dan bersahabat dengan putri sang pejabat, Anchita, gadis cerdas sebayanya. Anchita tak hanya mengamati Korok bekerja mengurus kebun, ia juga seringkali mengikuti Korok mengunjungi hanal kot (makam) ibunya di bukit. Korok banyak mengajarinya tentang adat dan kebiasaan suku Gondi, sementara Anchita mengajari Korok tentang kompitar dan internet, dan mengajaknya menonton berbagai film di kompitar.
Kebobrokan sistem pemerintahan dan kepolisian serta keserakahan kaum kapitalis menjadi topik utama yang oleh Korok diumpamakan seperti gulma yang kerap mengganggu kebunnya. Mungkin karena ditujukan untuk pembaca muda, segala tindakan yang dilakukan para tokohnya dijelaskan dengan gamblang (no hint of sarcasm or irony lol). Gara-gara blurb, aku juga berharap Korok dan Anchita akan beraksi penuh gaya, namun ternyata sebagian besar perjuangan mempertahankan perbukitan Devi dilakukan oleh Jadob, seorang lelaki desa berpendidikan dan memiliki banyak koneksi di kota-kota besar (malangnya Jadob, sudah bekerja keras tapi bahkan tidak disebut di blurb).
Awalnya aku berdebar-debar bersiap untuk akhir yang buruk bagi Korok dan desanya, namun setengah jalan aku paham kisah Korok dan suku Gondi akan berakhir bahagia. Apalagi setelah Korok (yang putus sekolah dan nyaris buta huruf) mulai menelurkan ide-ide cemerlang. Walaupun begitu aku tetap menikmati membaca buku ini, terutama wawasanku terbuka akan bagian India yang lain dan kehidupan suku Gondi beserta segala ketidakadilan yang mereka terima akibat kesewenang-wenangan penguasa (familiar ya?). Bagi yang suka dengan konflik sosial yang diceritakan dengan gaya yang ringan dan diksi yang sederhana, pasti suka dengan buku ini. Kurasa gaya terjemahannya pun menambahkan banyak kelucuan ('kalian sudah lihat cas-casanku?' Aku: omg CAS-CASAN!)
Omong-omong, dalam bayanganku Patnaik itu sepertinya Inspektur Gaitonde, polisi gendut nan sadis tapi cupu dalam Drishyam.
nookatdusk's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
devanshipanda08's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
nuts246's review against another edition
5.0
"The bus was late.
But late and early are only words you can use if you have a watch. If you have a watch, the bus becomes late or early, or even- why not?- on time. None of the persons had a watch. So the bus was an idea that would happen some time."
Loosely based on the legendary fight of the Dongria tribes to save the Niyamgiri Hills from being exploited by Vedanta, Siddhartha Sarma's "Year of the Weeds" tells the story of the battle from the perspective of a tribal boy and the daughter of the Forest Officer.
Korok visits his mother's marker every day, and visits his father in jail once a week. When he is not doing either, he is a gardener coaxing to life medicinal plants from the sacred forest of his tribe.
His world changes when a company wants to mine for bauxite in his hills.
He's thrown into a world where the government, the corporates, the media, the activists and the Maoists each battle it out to decide the fate of the sacred hills which are a legacy of the tribe.
Who decides what is important for the tribals? A nameless entity that has no stake in the sacred forests, or the tribals themselves.
Is development more important, or maintaining the ancient way of life?How far can the police go, and when does their writ end?
Important questions, dealt with sensitivity.A book that stays with you long after you finish reading it. One that throws new dimensions on what is happening in the country today.
Certainly a book that teenagers can read, but perhaps not a book that needs to be classified YA.
But late and early are only words you can use if you have a watch. If you have a watch, the bus becomes late or early, or even- why not?- on time. None of the persons had a watch. So the bus was an idea that would happen some time."
Loosely based on the legendary fight of the Dongria tribes to save the Niyamgiri Hills from being exploited by Vedanta, Siddhartha Sarma's "Year of the Weeds" tells the story of the battle from the perspective of a tribal boy and the daughter of the Forest Officer.
Korok visits his mother's marker every day, and visits his father in jail once a week. When he is not doing either, he is a gardener coaxing to life medicinal plants from the sacred forest of his tribe.
His world changes when a company wants to mine for bauxite in his hills.
He's thrown into a world where the government, the corporates, the media, the activists and the Maoists each battle it out to decide the fate of the sacred hills which are a legacy of the tribe.
Who decides what is important for the tribals? A nameless entity that has no stake in the sacred forests, or the tribals themselves.
Is development more important, or maintaining the ancient way of life?How far can the police go, and when does their writ end?
Important questions, dealt with sensitivity.A book that stays with you long after you finish reading it. One that throws new dimensions on what is happening in the country today.
Certainly a book that teenagers can read, but perhaps not a book that needs to be classified YA.
khansaafathima's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
smitz's review against another edition
5.0
A triumph! Such a powerful book about a small voice that’s always marginalised for being different from the “norm”. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
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