Thursday 16 August 2012

Book Review: “Wings Of Silence” by Shriram Iyer


Wings Of Silence is the story of the Sethi brothers, one of whom is born deaf and the other with oodles of talent, multiple talents. The Sethi have migrated to the United States where the father, war hero Akshay Sethi, works very hard and they lead a middle-class life. The younger brother Saurav is effortlessly good at everything he does, be it in studies or sports. When Saurav takes up tennis, it is inevitable that he should end up playing at the highest levels. On the other hand, hearing-impaired Raj is neglected by his parents, in particular by his father. During his childhood. Saurav wasn’t too proud of Raj who was frequently bullied at school. However things change and Saurav realises that Raj is suffering badly and suffering alone. More importantly Saurav discovers by accident that Raj can run fast and keep at it for a long stretch of time. The discovery provides a ray of light for Raj in the form of an aspiration to run a marathon in the Olympics. It gives him something to look forward to and work towards.

Akshay Sethi doesn’t support his son Raj in his Olympic endeavour and so Saurav takes matters into his own hands, at the cost of upsetting his parents. Raj is finally all set to take part in the Moscow Olympics when the US announces a boycott of the games. It looks as if Raj will not get to run in the Olympics, but then one has to factor in the resourceful Saurav Sethi.

Written in simple and good English, Wings Of Silence is an entertaining read.

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