Life in the Sunshine: Book Review by Asha Seth

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Author: T. Sathish| Genre: Sports, Non-fiction | Pages: 228

The Plot:

Three friends, Sameer, Sathish, and Trib, share a common love – Cricket, amongst other things. But an incident in International Cricket has rocked their happy boat. So what next? They dream to play for the Indian National Cricket Team. Will they succeed in making this dream come true?

The Background:

Cricket means a lot to most people I know. My late father would be awake nights to watch his favorite – Tendulkar – romp the bowlers. Personally, I have never been much of a cricket fan, but as many as 87% Indians are huge fanatics, as per a study.

Cricket to some is not just a sport, it’s a way of life, the players are nothing short of living gods. For ages, it has amazed me the adrenaline rush fans feel in different parts of the world for their favorite teams and players, and the heartbreak they experience upon losing a match or a cup has never ceased to astonish me. All this put together – I knew I had to pick up this book; to have answers to some of my curiosities, perhaps.

But that was not all.

Dreams, no matter how big or small, must be chased. How else will you savor the sweet taste of success? Little else gives life meaning and as a person, I am someone who believes in it, with all my heart.

When I learnt that it was the biography of an unknown cricketer, I could smell it from miles away – that whiff of deadly determination, the lingering pride of sweet success; no matter how small, no matter how personal. So when the author, T. Sathish, asked me if I would review ‘Life in the Sunshine’, there was no way I could refuse it.

The Review:

This is a fast-paced, biographical adaptation of the lives of Sampath, Sathish, and Tribhuvan (referred in the book as Sam, Sat and Trib, respectively). It takes you on a parade down the memory lane in the life of our protagonist and narrator, Sathish, an ardent cricket fan and his friends, right since their school days. That said, Life in the Sunshine is a book for all cricket lovers; irrespective of region or tongue.

It all begins with a heartbreak when an unexpected incident in International cricket changed their perspective of things which was almost a blessing in disguise because that’s when it hit them that they had to play professional cricket, for their school teams, and perhaps, for the nation.

What happens almost instantly is them teaming up with others kids and following in the direction of this dream they harbor. Through its pages, Life in the Sunshine is more of Sathish’s journey and the trials he experiences on the path of becoming a professional cricketer, than the others. Most of the major cricket matches that the Indian team played between the period 1983 to 1992 have been brought to light interspersed between chapters along with the match highlights. This was a fantastic idea as most fans would be able to relate to it instantly.

One will realise that despite the content being heavily doused with cricketish jargons and terminologies, the conversations and dialogues are humor-induced that makes the reading tad lighter even if you may not totally grasp the technicalities of the sport amply described throughout. The trio traverses through their initial years of life, growing into matured human beings, building a foundation for life from lessons cricket taught them, and not letting setbacks define them, which, IMO, is a mighty important message for the TG.

The narrator of the book goes on to become a spokesperson and imparts wisdom from his cricket years to the juniors ; most of which is something you may have already read or heard before, but the way he has linked it all to contextual instances is commendable. It is a biography which does not fill in its shoes; at least not literally, given the simpler tone of narration and easy-peasy dialogue-writing, and that was mighty relieving because non-fiction tends to spark off my interest sooner than I’d want it to.

All in all, it is a quick read for someone with an understanding of cricket nuances. Even otherwise, it is a simple book to enjoy and relive the rampant cricket fandom.

You can buy your copy of ‘Life in the Sunshine’ by clicking on this link.

If you happen to read ‘Life in the Sunshine’ or have already read it, do share your thoughts below.

P.S: I received a review copy from the author but the review remains unbiased.

Happy reading till we meet next.

Until then, carpe diem!

© Asha Seth

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